Laptop power problem?

L

Luke347

New Member
Hello!

Recently, my laptop (an Alienware M14xR2) shut off randomly. Since the computer was very hot, and had no previous problems with this, I assumed it overheated. Since then, I have gotten a cooling pad and been more careful about it.

However, my laptop still shuts off randomly. I don't think it is overheating, since my computer doesn't get nearly as hot anymore. After it shuts off randomly, it will not power on again until it is plugged in, making it seem like a power problem. Furthermore, it will sometimes display this message when I boot it up:

"The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined.
The battery may not charge.
The system will adjust performance to match the power available.

Please connect a Dell 150W AC adapter or greater for the best system performance.

Strike the F3 key (before F1 or F2 key) if you do not want to see power warning message again.
Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility"

I have noticed that each time it shuts off randomly, it is almost always at 60% power. It seems as though the life of my laptop battery has been greatly reduced? Also, sometimes my charger will not charge my laptop. I sometimes have to get it at a right angle, or unplug it and replug it.

If you know exactly what the problem is or know how to fix it, please let me know. Ideally, I would not have to purchase an expensive charger and/or battery. If you have any questions that may help you figure out what the problem is, feel free to ask me and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

Thanks :D

-Luke
 
My friend has this exact same problem with his Dell Inspiron. His jack on the inside of the computer is broken. Does the plug for the power stay in very securely or does it just kind of sit in side the socket?

You're probably going to need a new charger and/or a new battery.
 
Are you talking about the jack where the charger cable plugs into the laptop? If so, then sort of, sometimes the jack will come out of my laptop if the cable gets a slight tug, so it's not really secure, but I can't say for sure if it's any more secure then how it's supposed to be.

Is there a way for me to definitively determine if it requires a new battery, charger, or both?
 
I was talking about the actual slot in your laptop. I'd start with a good charger first. It's very well possible your slot in the laptop for the power cord is broken. If that's the case you'll probably need to take it to a repair shop.

I'd start with the charger though, if it's still doing the same thing, return the charger (amazon is good about doing it) and try a replacement battery. If that doesn't solve it you have a busted socket.
 
Today, I used my laptop and rather than shutting off like it normally does at the 60% mark, it stayed on until 10% (where I plugged in the power cord).

I am slightly confused and relieved. All I did was get this application called battery eater, which basically brought up like a battery gauge. It stayed the same as my system battery level the entire time. For the moment, everything checks out, but I still want to know why it had been shutting off, and why I got the power cord message. That, and why the power cord (used to?) sometimes not work.

A theory is that it may have been overheating after all? I mean, today I didn't play any video games, but typically (not always, I don't think) it shuts off during a game. Obviously, the games work the computer more. Is it possible that the one or two times that I am convinced it overheated made it somehow more sensitive to heat and therefore shut down at a lower system temperature? I guess that doesn't explain why it was always around 60%. However, it's not that this trend has been going on for a really long time, and I probably only saw it shut down at 60% 3-4 times. It could have been completely coincidental.

Anyway, I'm going to keep watch and see if anything else happens. I may get a new power cord though. Is there somewhere you would recommend buying from to get a good price on a new power cord? It's a dell 150W AC adapter.

Thanks for the help so far!

-Luke
 
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