Dell Laptop problem, probably an easy ans.

[Triviality]

I'm not sure if this a battery problem, jack problem, or cord problem...
The battery must be dead because it is still there (old of course) and the computers bios says that there is no battery installed. You have to have the cord in the laptop for it to get power However the cord has to be angled in a certain way to give the computer power. Sometimes if you jerk the computer the wrong way the cord is not in the jack correctly (I suppose) and the computer immediately powers off.

Is there more to this problem than a dead battery?

 

[johnb35]

Yeah, you have a bad powerjack. Most likely a loose solder joint on the motherboard. You can try asking around about who can fix it for you. How old is this laptop? Batteries only last a couple years at best. Get a new battery.