Dell Power Supply Not Recognized

[Marszenka]

Hi, I have a Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop. I've had it since 2009 and there were some problems in the beginning (I had to reset the computer to factory state about 8 times in the first two months, but Dell technical support is such I joke I preferred that to trying to get it fixed. Anyway, stuck it out, did battle, yadayada, defeated whatever the heck was wrong) but I haven't had any since. At least, not until this week.

Monday-ish I unplug my laptop for a bit, plug it back in, see a notice telling me that my power source can't be determined and the battery won't charge. Weird. So I unplug and replug blah blah, goes away.

Next day I unplug Jezebel for a little longer (had to clean the bathroom, which is boring sans music), get her back to the outlet, plug in, same message. Except this time it doesn't go away. I was left with 60% battery and haven't taken Jezzy off the cord since, but it's slooooooowly dropped to 57% and I'm wondering what to do. Googling this problem shows that it's something that happens a LOT, and not just with Dell, but other people have replaced entire motherboards and crap and I can't do that financially. A new power cord or battery is pretty affordable but the question is: Which one do I replace? Both? Is there a way to tell? Or should I suck it up and save my money?

I don't want to lose my laptop. After our first tussles Jezzy has proven to be a pretty good machine, and not only do I not want to replace her I can't afford to. Any help you guys can give me will be awesome . I guess I should also say that I have a six-cell battery and its lifespan has been crap from the start...right around two hours, gradually gotten to be less than that.


....Actually, now that I think about it, this might be her revenge for checking out Toshiba laptops earlier in the week. >.> She is indeed a jealous mistress.

[Daskinor]

If the latitude will not power up with the power supply attached and the battery removed, replace the power supply.

You can also try to find a friend with a dell, I don't think they made a new size power adapter then the standard 60, 90 and 120 watt sizes in the last 13 years. So you can try a different power adapter before you buy.

[Alephcat]

If the latitude will not power up with the power supply attached and the battery removed, replace the power supply.

Seconded. From your description it sounds like a power supply issue rather than a motherboard/connector issue.

You can also try to find a friend with a dell, I don't think they made a new size power adapter then the standard 60, 90 and 120 watt sizes in the last 13 years. So you can try a different power adapter before you buy.

They have however made a new connector shape they have gone from round to hexagonal (do not have one infront of me to check so it might be a slightly different shape) so you might want to check first.

[It's me]

Pin broken off inside the power brick connector? If it's not there the laptop thinks you've connected a generic power supply and will refuse to charge.