Dell XPS M1330 Battery Problem ?

Dell XPS M1330 Battery not charging on AC power
Hi, the battery in my M1330 laptop has recently been undergoing issues with charging the battery. When the AC adapter is unplugged and a percentage of battery is lost, the lithium ion dell xps m1330 battery will not recharge once the adapter is plugged in again. The battery power hovers at the percentage that it was prior to plugging in the adapter. When I roll over the battery icon in the system tray, the balloon reads "95% available (plugged in, not charging)".

Also, when powering up, a screen comes up saying "The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined. The xps m1330 battery may not charge. The system will adjust the performance the power available. Please connect a Dell 65W AC adapter."

I have also done a dell laptop battery test to try and diagnose the problem. When I press the button on the battery, all 5 lights on the battery clearly light up (which I understand translates that the battery is in normal working order). I can assume that it is not a problem with the battery nor the motherboard, leaving me thinking that it is the AC adapter. I also recently flashed the BIOS (today) and am now using revision A15 (latest for the M1330).

This has only become a problem recently. As a full-time student, this greatly hinders my ability to efficiently do my work; I cannot always find an outlet to plug in my adapter. It seems as though this has become a desktop, having to find an outlet wherever I do my work.

I believe the warranty on the laptop has recently expired by barely a month (if that). I've been browsing this website and also have seen others complain of very similar problems, almost all happening just after the warranty expired. I also hear that "Bill" is the one to talk to on here to help further diagnose my problems. Any help would be great appreciated. Thanks in advance.


Answers :

1. It seems that your AC adapter is fried and you need a new one. I think you should try to find out if your problem could be solved under the extended warranty on Dell's XPS M1330 range. I know they extended it by 12 months but limited to problems related to NVIDIA cards. Presumably, overheating that killed your AC adapter can be related to the nvidia card problem. I'm still looking for the official DELL stance on that. Just be warned that you need to know your facts before calling DELL support. Also, another reason for you to know about the extended warranty is that a dead AC adapter possibly can be not the last of your problems (a fried motherboard is). My AC adapter died a couple of months before the whole thing died.

2. When the AC adapter is unplugged and a percentage of battery is lost, the battery will not recharge once the adapter is plugged in again.
Try to fully discharge the dell xps m1330 battery, and then plug the battery into the AC adapter.