Dell batteries. my dell inspiron 1520 stopped charging. the charge light shows that its charging for about 2-4 seconds, then flashes as if its dead a few time, then goes back to acting as if it were charging. This continues to repeat and i cant get it to charge up enough for me to use it. On a thread you said that you took out the battery and tested it, but how do you test a laptop battery? NOTE: it says dell inspiron 1501 pc note book, but it's actually a 1520. it wont let me submit this as 1520.

If your dell laptop computer runs normally on the AC adapter, but the battery won’t charge, please try the following troubleshooting steps:
Check the dell laptop battery and Connections:
1, Remove the battery from the system.
2, Look at the connectors in the bay and on the battery for signs of physical damage.
3, Check the battery charge by pressing the status button or image on the battery near the LED’s.
Note: The lights indicate the current amount of charge on the battery. If all the LED’s come on when you press the button, the battery is fully charged. If fewer lights are lit, then the battery is partially charged. If any lights flash, or blink, there could be a problem with the battery.
4, Reinsert the battery; push until it locks into place and the latch snaps back to the locked position.
Swap Bays or Try A Second Computer:
1, Some systems can run with the battery in either bay. Try swapping bays if you have one of these systems.
The following systems permit a battery to be used in either bay:
Inspiron systems 3700 3800 7500 4000 4100 4150 8000 8100 8200 Latitude systems CPx H CPt V CPx / CPt C600 C610 C640 C800 C810 C840 Note: It may be necessary to slide the face plate left or right on some batteries when switching bays. 2, If you have access to a second computer like your own, try to charge your battery in that system.
Flash the BIOS:
Flashing the BIOS can correct many hardware issues.
NOTE:Dell recommends that you update the BIOS on your system, only if you are having problems
1, Go to “The Dell support site”
2, Be sure your system is the one listed in the Your System section on the left.
3, Click the Downloads tab
4, Choose your operating system from the drop down menu
5, Select FlashBIOS Updates as the download category.
6, Click Go.
Select the link to download the most current version of the BIOS:
1, Save the program to your desktop.
2, Go to the desktop and double click the icon.
3, You will be given the option to either create a BIOS disk or flash the disk from the hard drive.

Run the Recalibration Utility if Your System has One:
This utility runs the battery all the way down and then recharges it completely. The process takes several hours so it is best to run it overnight. Use only the recalibration program specified for your system. Using any other program could void your warranty!
Latitude LM, Inspiron 3000 and Inspiron 3200 systems use this recalibration program: BATRECAL.EXE
Inspiron 5000, Inspiron 7000, and Inspiron 7500 systems use this program: I75BRCA0.EXE
Latitude LS, Latitude L400, Latitude X200, and Inspiron 2100 enable a recalibration option on the Power page of the BIOS Setup Program:
How to Enable Battery Recalibration
Try to charge a second battery like your own if possible.
If the second battery won’t charge, the problem may be caused by the charging system in your computer.
If the battery still won’t charge after you have done this troubleshooting,it mean you should replace your old battery,you can go to www.sales-battery.com to choice a new dell laptop battery replacement
post via:dell.com

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