Battery meter is low, even though computer is always plugged in

Hi

Can you please try to leave laptop switched off
plug in laptop and leave until the light on front goes green or at least 2/3 hrs

then unplug power cord
switch on laptop and use it or leave it until it looses all power and switches off

then recharge until green

when battery is fully charged always un plug and use on battery power
until it reaches about 10% before recharging

some people even remove their battery to preserve it if they always use power cord

if this does not sort the problem please come back to us

many thanks

Even though you battery appears A OK, it most probably isn't, all one can do is check the power adapter, by replacement, OR trying another one, from some friendly soul, ... and/or replacing the battery,the same way...

It sounds like your battery will need to be replaced.
If the power save features are set for high proformance and the battery is low and will not hold a correct charge, the unit will display those kind of actions.

som problem for the hardware.. did you check the programs.. try to re instal the os then connect again the charger into laptop then unplug it.. if the same problem.. check your hardware.. plug in another divice like another charger then unplug it.. to check your charger..

Had the exact same problem. New AC adapter fixed it.

you may have damaged the power input port.
broken solder joint. or your power supply took a dive. if you have a DMM 'meter' check the power supply to see if you are getting power from it.
if it is the power input port, you will have to either open up the laptop and see if it is a fixable soldering job or take it to a pro.
Happy Fixing =)

I've had both the battery and the cord die in my old Dell laptop. Assuming it's like mine and the light is on while the battery's charging and turns off when the it's full....

Dell batteries don't last more than a year or two, so my first question would be how old is the battery you are currently using? When a battery is dying, it essentially isn't able to use its full capacity. So in addition to lasting less than an hour or so, it will try to charge for 6-12 hours trying to get a full charge even though it can't. So the light will stay on until it gives up. It will start charging again if you unplug it and plug it in again. If this is the case, you can either replace the battery ($100+ bucks) or ignore it and don't use the battery.

If the power cord is going, it will only work at certain angles. Play around with wiggling and bending the cord (not TOO far though!!) to see if you can get the battery light to shut off when you move the cord in a certain direction. A new power cord/adapter will cost you around $50 I think, if that's the problem. Let me know if your problem doesn't seem like either of these.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

First remove the battery and try it. If it works without the battery, then that is the problem. My Inspiron 2650 suddenly started acting like that with the battery in but works perfectly without the battery.

Whenever you replace a battery ALWAYS let it completely charge BEFORE you try to use the computer with the battery in place.

Do the POWER, DISK ACTIVITY and/or BATTERY CHARGING light stay on?

If so try powering the computer off; unplug the power cord; remove the battery; carefully remove the RAM modules; check the connections for corrosion/dirt; them reinsert the modules; close up the case; plug the power cord in and try powering it up without the battery inserted to further eliminate the battery as the problem.

If you get NO lights or fan noise without the battery installed, you probably have a mother board problem, most likely in the power switch. With the 2650s the switch is an integral part of the motherboard (DELL calls them system boards I believe) and DELL recommends replacing the board. I guess if you can find someone brave enough to work on the board, you could fix the switch because DELL refurbishes them and if the board isn’t working anyway, then you have nothing to loose.

I hope this helps you. Good luck. The 8500s are good computers if you get enough memory in them.

Don Jones

The battery indicator flashing when plugged in to electrical plug means your battery is completely dead and won't charge. You're computer should run with just the power cord. Your power cord most likely needs replacement.

If you know anyone with the same model of laptop ask if you can borrow their power cord and/or battery to test it out. It is rare for the problem to be the motherboard, though it does happen.

It may just be the power cord at fault as the computer should run without the battery, so you should replace the power cord, as it is probably the reason the battery is completely dead.

If the battery is at least a year old I would replace it since they generally don't last too much longer than a year.

Sounds like a battery issue. Try powering up without the battery, just AC. If it powers properly, then the battery needs replaced. If it doesn't then it may be the power supply malfunctioning, or the motherboard.