Please help before my battery dies

[BuckeyeFlorida]

I've got a Dell Inspiron 5160 and it's been giving an error about the adapter not being recognized and will result in less than optimal performance. A quick google search indicates that this is a problem for this model, however, I can't seem to find a fix. Anyone got a solution? Thanks in advance!

 

[shoegirl]

Aside from buying a laptop that isn't a Dell, I don't have a solution for you. And I'm pretty sure that if you call customer service, you're not going to get much help, if any at all. Good luck. :)

 

[Taosman]

The socket may have come loose and even shorted....bad news.
That would need some major work.
Laptops are very hard to work on, in general.
Sorry. :(

If you are near saltwater, it could just be corrosion. Bad also.

 

[Clarity]

I've got a Dell Inspiron 5160 and it's been giving an error about the adapter not being recognized and will result in less than optimal performance. A quick google search indicates that this is a problem for this model, however, I can't seem to find a fix. Anyone got a solution? Thanks in advance!

We've owned three Dell laptops over the last decade, and all three sufferend this problem. It's probably going to be a connection that's gone bad on the motherboard. If you Google, you'll see that's an epidemic with them. The only solution when we dealt with it is to replace the motherboard. You can get one relatively cheap off of eBay, and they're not hard to switch out.

Here's the rub though (the next one anyway), it's the same motherboard make and model, every single one we replaced went bad the same way again after a while.

Solution? I stopped buying Dell laptops. Result? Eh, different manufacturer, different problems. The machine I'm on is dying with power-related problems too. Going to have to replace it at some point, and don't have a clue where I'll go. A few people are pointing me towards MacBook Pros.

If you call their customer server, tell them I want my $50!

 

[BuckeyeFlorida]

We've owned three Dell laptops over the last decade, and all three sufferend this problem. It's probably going to be a connection that's gone bad on the motherboard. If you Google, you'll see that's an epidemic with them. The only solution when we dealt with it is to replace the motherboard. You can get one relatively cheap off of eBay, and they're not hard to switch out.

Here's the rub though (the next one anyway), it's the same motherboard make and model, every single one we replaced went bad the same way again after a while.

Solution? I stopped buying Dell laptops. Result? Eh, different manufacturer, different problems. The machine I'm on is dying with power-related problems too. Going to have to replace it at some point, and don't have a clue where I'll go. A few people are pointing me towards MacBook Pros.

If you call their customer server, tell them I want my $50!

Thanks for all of the help guys, although I didn't hear anything other than what's been reported on various website regarding this issue. My plan is to try to replace the motherboard (or find someone to solder the connection) and sell it on eBaY to recoup some of the costs of the new laptop I had to buy and rid myself of that noisy, hot, POS!

Clarity - were any of your models involved in the litigation for this issue? I think my model is in pending litigation, but I was curious if anyone knew about the outcomes of previous attempts for other models.

I'll give specs in the laptop recommendation thread on my new laptop and post about Vista in it's thread.

 

[Clarity]

Clarity - were any of your models involved in the litigation for this issue? I think my model is in pending litigation, but I was curious if anyone knew about the outcomes of previous attempts for other models.

If they were, I was never notified.

 

[Muck]

Or you could just resolder the connection yourself.

You can find the directions to open the case on Dell's support page.

The power jack will be hardwired to the system board via two connectors.

Gently wiggle the power jack to see if it is loose & inspect the board to see if the solder has broken free.

If so just resolder it down.

Unless it's still under warranty of course, then just have Dell fix the problem.