My battery does not charge, because the plug in for the rear of the laptop seems to be broken. Can i cut the cord and redo it to another plud in.

Take the battery out, plug in the charger and see if the laptop works.
If it works, the battery may be the problem.
Check the AC Adapter
Check to make sure the adapter is plugged securely into the wall outlet, connected firmly to the adapter box and to the back of your laptop.
Most AC adapters have a little light in them on that rectangular box in the middle of the cord that lights up when it's getting electricity.
If that light isn't on, try a different outlet.
Check your fuse or circuit breaker box and plug a different device into that outlet to make sure there is power to it.
If it still does not light up, your adapter could need replacing.
Also check the adapter box for signs of warmth, as it will generate heat when it's plugged in. No heat means no power.

Remove the Battery Sometimes it's as simple as a seated battery.
Remove the battery entirely and clean out any dust, lint or hair that may be clogging the connectors and preventing a proper connection.
Reseat the battery securely and make sure the little locking pins that hold your battery in place are securely fastened and there is no movement.
Fix a Broken Laptop Charger
If your laptop charger seems broken, it's most likely because the battery will not charge.
You plug in the cord, the lights come on, but the charging light doesn't change or blinks repeatedly.
When you remove the power cord, the laptop shuts off instantly due to the depleted battery. There's more than one cause for this, and it's not always a broken charger.

Check the connection between the charger and the laptop.
It should fit firmly in the DC jack without wiggling.
If it is loose, use electrical tape to hold it in place so the charger can receive power.
This is a temporary fix, however, because a faulty connection can create sparks and cause a fire or injury.
A loose connection will just get worse over time, so have it sent to a DC jack specialist as soon as possible.
Turn off the laptop and flip it upside down. Locate the latch that secures the battery and slide open.
The battery should pop out; give it a tug if it doesn't.
Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol (Methylated Spirits)to the tip of a cotton swab and use it to clean the battery's connectors.
Dirt can build up and interfere with the connection, giving the appearance of a broken charger. Let the alcohol dry completely and re-insert the battery.
Slide the latch to secure it and plug in the power cord to test it.
See if the laptop powers on with the charger only and battery removed.
If it does, the battery is the likely culprit and should be replaced.
If the charger is truly broken, the only thing to do is to replace it or the power cord attached to it. Look on the bottom and write down the part number.
Call the laptop manufacturer for a replacement charger or search for the part number on eBay.
If you purchase from anyone other than the original manufacturer, ask for genuine parts to reduce the possibility of problems.
Troubleshoot Mag Safe adaptors
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1713

Try another outlet, cord/charger, with the EXACT same power specs. Has the cord plug been pulled while pluged in damaging the AC jack? Does the computer boot on battery power?

Step 1:
If your laptop charger seems broken, it's most likely because the battery will not charge. You plug in the cord, the lights come on, but the charging light doesn't change or blinks repeatedly. When you remove the power cord, the laptop shuts off instantly due to the depleted battery. There's more than one cause for this, and it's not always a broken charger.

Check the connection between the charger and the laptop. It should fit firmly in the DC jack without wiggling. If it is loose, use electrical tape to hold it in place so the charger can receive power. This is a temporary fix, however, because a faulty connection can create sparks and cause a fire or injury. A loose connection will just get worse over time, so have it sent to a DC jack specialist as soon as possible. Turn off the laptop and flip it upside down. Locate the latch that secures the battery and slide open. The battery should pop out; give it a tug if it doesn't. Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol (Methylated Spirits)to the tip of a cotton swab and use it to clean the battery's connectors. Dirt can build up and interfere with the connection, giving the appearance of a broken charger. Let the alcohol dry completely and re-insert the battery. Slide the latch to secure it and plug in the power cord to test it. See if the laptop powers on with the charger only and battery removed. If it does, the battery is the likely culprit and should be replaced. If the charger is truly broken, the only thing to do is to replace it or the power cord attached to it. Look on the bottom and write down the part number. Call the laptop manufacturer for a replacement charger or search for the part number on eBay. If you purchase from anyone other than the original manufacturer, ask for genuine parts to reduce the possibility of problems. Troubleshoot Mag Safe adaptors
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1713

Step 1:
If your laptop charger seems broken, it's most likely because the battery will not charge. You plug in the cord, the lights come on, but the charging light doesn't change or blinks repeatedly. When you remove the power cord, the laptop shuts off instantly due to the depleted battery. There's more than one cause for this, and it's not always a broken charger.

Check the connection between the charger and the laptop. It should fit firmly in the DC jack without wiggling. If it is loose, use electrical tape to hold it in place so the charger can receive power. This is a temporary fix, however, because a faulty connection can create sparks and cause a fire or injury. A loose connection will just get worse over time, so have it sent to a DC jack specialist as soon as possible. Turn off the laptop and flip it upside down. Locate the latch that secures the battery and slide open. The battery should pop out; give it a tug if it doesn't. Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol (Methylated Spirits)to the tip of a cotton swab and use it to clean the battery's connectors. Dirt can build up and interfere with the connection, giving the appearance of a broken charger. Let the alcohol dry completely and re-insert the battery. Slide the latch to secure it and plug in the power cord to test it. See if the laptop powers on with the charger only and battery removed. If it does, the battery is the likely culprit and should be replaced. If the charger is truly broken, the only thing to do is to replace it or the power cord attached to it. Look on the bottom and write down the part number. Call the laptop manufacturer for a replacement charger or search for the part number on eBay. If you purchase from anyone other than the original manufacturer, ask for genuine parts to reduce the possibility of problems. Troubleshoot Mag Safe adaptors
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1713

Step 1:
If your laptop charger seems broken, it's most likely because the battery will not charge. You plug in the cord, the lights come on, but the charging light doesn't change or blinks repeatedly. When you remove the power cord, the laptop shuts off instantly due to the depleted battery. There's more than one cause for this, and it's not always a broken charger.

Check the connection between the charger and the laptop. It should fit firmly in the DC jack without wiggling. If it is loose, use electrical tape to hold it in place so the charger can receive power. This is a temporary fix, however, because a faulty connection can create sparks and cause a fire or injury. A loose connection will just get worse over time, so have it sent to a DC jack specialist as soon as possible. Turn off the laptop and flip it upside down. Locate the latch that secures the battery and slide open. The battery should pop out; give it a tug if it doesn't. Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol (Methylated Spirits)to the tip of a cotton swab and use it to clean the battery's connectors. Dirt can build up and interfere with the connection, giving the appearance of a broken charger. Let the alcohol dry completely and re-insert the battery. Slide the latch to secure it and plug in the power cord to test it. See if the laptop powers on with the charger only and battery removed. If it does, the battery is the likely culprit and should be replaced. If the charger is truly broken, the only thing to do is to replace it or the power cord attached to it. Look on the bottom and write down the part number. Call the laptop manufacturer for a replacement charger or search for the part number on eBay. If you purchase from anyone other than the original manufacturer, ask for genuine parts to reduce the possibility of problems. Troubleshoot Mag Safe adaptors
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1713

You have a DC connector problem:

Symptoms of a broken power jack
1. If you wiggle the power cord or the AC Adapter connector on the back of the laptop, the power LED and battery charge LED start to flicker.
2. Battery will not charge in the laptop.
3. Laptop runs fine off a charged battery.
4. With the AC Adapter connected the laptop appears to be dead.
No power LED or battery charge LED activity.
5. Laptop randomly powers off without any warning.

If your laptop is out of warranty, then you can fix the problem by re-soldering DC-IN jack on the system board. If it

I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309

Does the back dc jack seem loose when you have the ac adapter plugged into it? Wiggle the cord right where it plugs into the laptop. If it moves around then most likely the dc jack on the inside has one of it's 3 points of contact broken. This means that someone would need to re-solder that contact or put a whole new jack into the laptop. Another thing to try is replacing the battery. Sometimes they won't charge because they are bad. Another thing to try is take the battery out, plug it into the adapter, turn it on, get into windows, shut down, put battery back in, turn on. See if that resets the battery and makes it charge.

Does the cable seems cut near the jacks? Try with two car lamps connected in series (12v each) to see if the power supply works OK.

Stelios.

I have a new gateway laptop with windows 7 and today it said plugged in not charging 8%. I tried everything and nothing worked so I turned it off and unplugged it and took the battery out and put it back in and it started charging...hopefully this works.

As long as you are abslolutely sure the power cord is functional, without a more indepth analysis, it seems/sounds like the AC connection to the board is broken.

To rule out this conclusion as the failure point, see if you can borrow/buy or better yet, recharge your battery {assuming it has no charge left at this point}

Stick the charged battery into your rig and if it works, yes. The AC connection is broken - nothing a little bit of soldering won't fix.
If it works, will need to ask more 'protocol questions to narrow down the situation'.

...when you reflect on the usage of the laptop, is there a bit of manhandling when connecting the power cord? Do you run it mainly plugged into AC? Dell is infamous for dodgy AC connections strongly lending credence to a broken AC connection to the mobo.