laptop plugged in but not charging

[onetimething]

This happened to me once in the past but seemed to have fixed itself somehow. Today, whenever I plug in my laptop (Dell Inspirto 1501, about 2.5 years old...charger replaced two years ago), I get the message that my laptop is "10 % available (plugged in, not charging)". The percentage available stays the same but doesn't increase, and it doesn't matter which outlet I plug it into. Any ideas?

 

[star-warrior]

It's usually the battery that's the problem. They're pretty costly to buy too. Basically, you should charge them up, disconnect then let the laptop rund to near zero power then charge them up again. If you just keep the battery topped up all the time, it's lifetime use is decreased.

Leave it plugged in an on overnight and see, it usually charges up real slow, as it's happened on my old toshiba one. You live and learn.

 

[onetimething]

I thus far haven't had to change the battery, which is probably something I should have done at the end of my warranty to have it covered. Like you said, live and learn.

I went on Dell's website and it seems that batteries are much pricier than I thought, between $130-180. I'm not sure which corresponds to my computer but I believe this one looks good:

85 WHr 9-Cell Lithium-Ion Primary Battery for Select Dell Inspiron 1501 /6400 /E1505 Laptops

I'm not sure what WHr 9 Cell means though. Out of curiosity, how long in general do laptops last? I have noticed a general slowdown in my laptop which may indeed be due solely to the battery but have thought about whether it was due time for a whole new one.

 

[gambit22121]

Unplug the laptop and try running down the battery. Then try charging it up again. If that doesn't work, you'll likely need to replace the battery.

 

[onetimething]

Unplug the laptop and try running down the battery. Then try charging it up again. If that doesn't work, you'll likely need to replace the battery.

I guess my fear in doing that is what if the computer/battery just doesn't re-start again? I kind of need my computer to be working this weekend. Where it stands now, it's been plugged in for a good two hours or so, not charging at all.

 

[star-warrior]

Turn it off and let it charge overnight. Check in the morning, if its more than 10% it'll be charging up, albeit very slowly. (I think mine took several days to charge up properly. )

 

[Jaaiowa]

My dell inspiron did the same thing 2 times. Both time it was the charging cable that had to be replaced.

Contact dell tech support. They should help.

 

[edawg81]

each time i've seen this type thing happen, its been bc of a bad power supply/charging cable...

if you do leave the battery charging all the time, it does decrease the battery life dramatically, so it is best to let it run off the battery and then recharge.

I had an old compaq presario and i think it had a bad battery after a few months, i ended up buying a new battery from batteriesplus.com ( i think is the site) they have batteries for everything, and it was alot cheaper than going through compaq/hp, bestbuy or the computer stores...

 

[onetimething]

So I ended up turning my computer off last night and left it plugged in and charging overnight. The result? Nothing. It's still at 10% and "plugged in, not charging" this AM. Ugh. So I guess that means I'm on the market for a new battery.

Ironically, one of the main headlines/stories on Yahoo this morning was:

http://www.slate.com/id/2234009/?yahoo=y

 

[Alistair]

^that was an interesting article, but I can't see taking your battery out every time you're using your laptop plugged in.

 

[Alpha1851]

I have noticed a general slowdown in my laptop which may indeed be due solely to the battery but have thought about whether it was due time for a whole new one.

Has your laptop recently started slowing down/hanging up? If not, the problem might not be due to the battery. I think malware, fragmented files and registry entries, and some types of software can also play a part.

My dell inspiron did the same thing 2 times. Both time it was the charging cable that had to be replaced.

Same here, on both my Latitude and Inspiron (I negligently yank the cords though). As dumb as this sounds, have you tried wiggling the cord to see if there's a short? If you determine that the problem lies w/in the cord, see if it's the power cord that's frayed/shorted (the half that plugs into the wall) or the cord leading from the adapter (the half that plugs into your laptop). They're sold together or separately and it's cheaper to replace just half.

Good luck!