A family member brought me their Dell Inspiron 1545 a few hours ago (I'm a software engineer so I know how to fix any and all computer issues, right??). They just bought a new battery for it that won't charge. After exhausting my Google-foo, I see three possible solutions:
- Bad motherboard (I don't think this is the case).
- Bad battery.
- Bad charger.
I'm thinking that #3 is the most likely because they are using a generic power supply. If everyone is agreed, or at least leaning in that direction, is there anyway to bypass this "feature" of Dells?
Any help is appreciated!
Best Answer
Dell notebooks are notorious for not charging batteries with adapters that aren't branded Dell. Your best bet is to order an adapter straight from Dell, or a Dell specific adapter from eBay or a local computer store.
I did retail computer repair for three years, servicing approximately 5 Dell notebooks per day, 5 days a week. We had universal AC adapters with tips to fit that would provide power to turn on the notebooks, but only the Dell branded adapters would charge the battery.
I don't know why this would be the case, but it was.