Dell Inspiron 1501 Notebook Computer - AC Adapter - Won’t Stay Connected?

We have had similiar problems with our Gateway laptops. We have placed a call and an on site tech comes out and replaces the motherboard. No questions asked..

Thanks for the info Chad.

I spoke to a friend who works for Dell and they are not aware of any problems as I also bought a 1501 for Xmas.

My recommendation will be to call Dell and ask for a replacement, I think Dell would be interested in getting this system back as they have $150M to improve CE…

Hi Gary,
That is what he did and Dell is sending a replacement unit and is paying to have his old laptop returned. And he didn’t even have to yell and scream.

Happy holiday.

I have a 1505 and I have had this problem.. The cable just does not fit securely..

Hi Travin,

Thanks for your comments. It is appreciated.

Ron

same problem with a dell latitude c510
sucks!!

Hi Steve,
Makes one wonder how many Dell laptops have this problem. It seems like the problem is no isolated to just one model. Thanks for the comment and info.

Ron

Orderd a 1501 with Vista Premium Home edition for my wife. After 2 hours of attempting to connect with wireless network, I called Dell support. After 30 minutes with Dell support I was informed that wirelesss connectivity will not be supported until a driver is released mid month (March 2007) from Microsoft.

What a joke, Dell is shipping product that they claim supports wireless networking, yet, it doesn’t. Even worse, they aren’t telling anyone that it doesn’t work. Which means a lot of consumers are wasting a lot of time on a problem that they cannot solve, that Dell knows about.

Shame on Dell, I am returning it, and buying an HP.

Hello JW,
Thanks for your comments and sharing this information with us. It would seem that Dell would be responsible for having the correct driver, not Microsoft. Strange…..

I just purchased the Dell 1501 and had the same issue with the adaptor. I really would have to tape it to keep it in place. It will be charging and when I return 10 mins later the cord will have fallen out. I called Dell and told them that there was no way anyone in their right mind could have designed this cord to stay in place. They are sending me a replacement adaptor and I’ll see how it goes. They should be taking a look at it and changing the design if that is the case.

L,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I hope the new adapter fixes the problem for you.
Ron

I bought a Dell 1501 in Febuary 1 week later the adapter (block to lappy) snapped in my hand. I called dell said oh wow never heard of that happening You’ll get a new one tomorrow. I called 2 days after (no adapter) No notes on account about adapter, will order it again. 2 more days passed I called AGAIN, Said it was on the way but I wil reissue it. That same day the 2nd order arrived, WRONG PART it was the cord (wall to block) So I put 2 and 2 together and figured the 3rd was wrong too. Finally I asked for Supervisor and explained what happened spelled out the part I needed and the next day it arrived. Noticed tonight that the adapter is looking a little bend again and I normally charge it and then take it out and use battery I have been very careful but it’s not looking any good. I think the adapter dell created is bad.
Leona

Hi Leona,
Here is what amazes me. This problem with the adapters was reported back in I believe November, 2006. It is hard to believe that Dell has ignored this for so long. And it is things like this that is killing Dell in the PR department.

Thank you so much for your comment. Hopefully this will alert others that the problem still exists.

Regards, Ron

Hey so I got the replacement, and really it was way worse then the first one I got. I called Dell and complained that the person that designed it must have been an idiot…I was quite upset. So they promised me a different adapter that would be compatible with my computer. It came a couple of days ago and guess what, it doesn’t fit with my computer haha…it amazes me how incompetent they are. So called for lik the millionith time, and told them the problem, they said they are going to send a third adapter and hope it works. I’m ready to send my damn computer back at this point…hopefully it works, but I seriously think that it’s a design flaw…right now it’s all taped together to make it work…what do you think? Should I return it?

Just got delivery of a new Dell Inspiron and noticed same problem with lead going from plug to adaptor. The bit at the end simply does not fit the adaptor, full stop. Seeing everybody’s endless problems in attempting to get satisfaction from Dell I simply tied the damn thing together with string. It works, but is rather crude and should be totally unnecessary

Hi Martine,
I guess Dell is just ignoring the problem. To bad. They are digging themselves a hole by not giving consumers a quality product. Maybe Dell should include a piece of string or some tape with every unit they sell.

Thanks for your comment. Ron

My Dad bought me a Dell Inspiron 1501 for X-mas this past year. I’ve had so many problems with this laptop already. I have other Dell products as well, but this one caused me more than one. My keyboard broke 2 times, so I had to get another keyboard the first time. Well there’s a stripped screw in the system, so I had to send my laptop back completely so they could install a new keyboard. After that, I had to get a brand new keyboard after that because this “new” one broke as well. Then the AC Adapter. It just doesn’t work. It does fit loosely into my computer, BUT, the green light never lights up. It picks and chooses whenever it wants to work. But I will be getting a new one in a few days and I’ll have to update if that one works.

Hello Jen,
Let us know how the new adapter works.
Ron

Hi,
have the them problem with the ac adpater on a Inspiron 1501, buyed in dezember 2006.
It starts 3days ago, but I´m from germany so my dell laptop too, but i live in the USA now.
I get no connection to dell in germany and the guys in the usa told me that i have to call in germany and not here.
So i´m a lil bit lost here and I´m angry that dell make so a big deal that the laptop is from germany.
At the moment my laptop still works and i hope that it keeps alive^^

Cya Salvatore

Hi Salvatore,
Sorry to hear about your problems. I’d call Dell here in the US see if you can speak with a supervisor or higher authority. If the system is under warranty Dell should make the repair no matter where you live.

Just my two cents, Ron

Just a quick note:

I work in a fairly well known Canadian big-box computer retailer; we carry HP/Crappaq, Toshiba, Acer and Sony. All of the aforementioned (except from Toshiba and Acer) require that the computer be warrantied in the country of purchase. Though it would seem illogical, I found information on a Dell international warranty programme, which would lead me to believe that you must pay extra for the priviledge of not having to return it to the country of purchase.

I just bought a Inspiron 1501 and the screen does not work. The picture its so faint taht I can not read it. When I hooked up my desktop monitor the picture was fine. I called dell and they were unable to solve the problem so Dell sold me a defective computer. Anyone else have this problem?

Hello Valerie,
Sounds like it is time to call Dell and demand a new system.
Ron

I just received a dell laptop and have the same problem with the ac adapter.. Anyone who would look at this thing would realize that it won’t hold together! The best way I’ve found to secure it is to wrap the rubber strap around the connection– it usually makes it work, but then the ac adapter overheats like crazy. Has anyone received a replacement that has actually worked?

Hi Sara S,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Regards, Ron

I have recently bougt a 1501 and just of a weeks use my computer crashed 3 times with gray bars running down my screen

Hello Steve,
Thanks for the comments. Did you get the problem resolved?
Ron

Im havin the same prob with the AC Adapter, im using a friends currenlty but i wont be here for much longer. The green light does not come on at all, and i used to hear a crackly sparking noise if i reconnected the ac adapter at the middle part, the piece with the green light is the fried part, the cord to the wall works just fine on my friends ac adapter. Tell me if this problem can be easily resolved at theimmortal555@yahoo.com

Hi Owen,
I would contact Dell for a replacement. I am sure Dell is aware of this problem with the AC adapter and should send you a replacement. Be firm when speaking with them.
Hope this helps,
Ron

I have an HP Laptop that wont hold the ac adapter plug in place either. Very frustrated because it’s no longer under warrenty.

Hi Michele,
Thanks for passing this on. I had no idea that HP had a similar type problem.
Ron

Well, I don’t know about the adapter not staying in place, but I can tell you that I’ve had to have the adapter replaced twice for my Inspiron 1501. The first time they stated it was due to the system board. Dell replaced the board plus the adapter due to the adapter’s power light would remain on only when not plugged in to the computer. A few days prior to what Dell thought was the system board going out, I noticed the power indicator on the comp going on and off regarding the adapter being plugged in or not.

After the replacement of the system board and the adapter I had about a month of no problems until the same thing happened over the weekend. The power indicator was fluctuating and a day later or so the computer went dead. This time though, Dell refused to place the system board, and stated that it must be something wrong with the battery or the adapter, so as of today, I’m waiting for both those replacement parts to come in to see if that will get my computer up and running.

Guess we’ll see!

Hello Brooks,
Please let us know how the next repair goes. Thanks for your comments.
Ron

My Dell Inspiron 6000 has the same problem, the adapter won’t stay.

Hi Lea,
Thanks for the info.
Ron

I just got a Dell Inspiron yesterday and I’m having this same exact problem! I have to keep the stupid adapter propped up against a chair and a box to keep it plugged in…it’s so annoying!

Hi Shauna,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Ron

Ugh. I got my adapter in late June 2007, and in 2 weeks I had to call Dell to get a replacement. And now, a month and a half after that, my second adapter is no longer working. I really don’t understand why this is happening– I really need my laptop at hand and it’s horribly time consuming to have to call Dell, be put on hold, and then wait for the new adapter to arrive by DHL.

irritation!

Hi rhiannon,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Ron

I have been having the problem with my Inspiron B120. The adapter cord doesn’t connect well and the computer switches back and forth from ac to battery power constantly. I thought it was a defective cord and purchased a new one. Now I am thinking I’d better contact Dell because the new one works even worse.

Hi Tina,
If you do decide to contact Dell, please let us know the results.
Thanks, Ron

I bought a NEW laptop. Had many annoying prolems. After approximately three months Dell offered to exchange the laptop.
They did BUT the replacement had a tag which said: Thank you for choosing Dell outlet. I had bought a NEW laptop, not a refurbished.
Now I am having the ‘adapter missing’ problem.
I will never again do business with Dell Corporation. My profession was
computer software on Mainframes for over 30 years so I have some idea
of how computers work.
Save yourself aggravation, buy another brand. Dell is not worth the
never-ending aggravation.

Thanks for letting me know that i’m not alone with this problem! I got this Inspiron 150 in say April 2007 and recently had to reload the OS because it was moving slugglish. After loading all the drivers i notice the display became dull and i still cannot get it back to it’s initial brightness even after turning up the contrast using “Fn key + Up arrow key”.

Hello Ricardo,
May I suggest checking on Dells support site to determine if they offer a newer driver?
Ron

i just bought a dell 1501, and i haven’t had problems with the ac adapter, but my laptop gets realy hot on the bottom when i use it on ac power. i was just wondering if this is normal

Hello David,
It all depends on what ‘really hot’ means. Like you can’t touch it really hot or warm to the touch? First thing I would recommend is to check and confirm your cooling fan is working OK. Also use the laptop on a flat surface with no obstructions like carpeting.

I also recommend a laptop cooler if you use the system a lot. I have a Antec cooler for both my lappies and they really cool down my systems.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Customer-reviews-for-Antec-Dual-Fan-Notebook-Cooler-75004/sem/rpsm/oid/89840/rpem/ccd/productDetailReview.do#tabs

Hope this helps, Ron

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 that is just out of warrantee now. The AC adaptor input is apparently dead. It’s either a loose connection to the motherboard or something worse. All signs point to a motherboard replacement, which I cannot believe. The Dell guys want $500 for “out of warrantee” service repairs. This includes shipping, handling, labor, diagnostics, etc. They will refund up to $300 if it doesn’t need a new motherboard, but what are the chances that they wouldn’t recommend it even if it didn’t need one. I’m getting that sinking feeling. Isn’t there anything else that I can do?

Hi Craig,
I am guessing that you have already tried another adapter from a similar Dell system? I also find it hard to believe that the mobo has gone out,not totally impossible, but hard to believe.

I see your point. Why wouldn’t they recommend a mobo replacement anyway. It is terrible that we can’t put our trust in anyone now a days.

What can you do. Sue Dell. Go to your local court and file a small claims action against them. You may just be surprised how they respond. If you chose this option, let us know how it turns out for you.

Regards, Ron

Hi Ron,

I have an Inspiron B120. First, the adapter went out about 3 months ago. So Dell sent me a new one. The new one functioned well for about 3 months, until it went out and the battery died down. First I bought a new battery (which Dell refused to replace), but the problem persisted. So Dell replaced the Motherboard. Still had the same problem. Now Dell wants to re-replace the motherboard (even though I just replaced it earlier today) and replace the adapter.

Ron, is it just me, or is Dell trying to resolve everybody’s problems with the same things that just aren’t working? When gas doesn’t put fire out the first time, why are you going to douse the fire with gas again? Ron, please tell me help is on the way.

Best,

Dan

Hey guys! I got a Dell Inspiron E1705 for going to college online. My adapter fits snuggly, but after a couple of days the AC apadter gives out, like many, it only works when it wants to, or I have to make the cord perfectly straight. If it moves just a bit, the things turns off. I have had FOUR replacments so far. Do you think its because I use it for more than 3 hours at a time? I know the battery last for only 3 hours? GOSH!!!! This is so FRUSTRATING!!!

P.S. Everytime it gets plugged in, it has either a beeping noise or just a long noise!

I have inspiron 6000. My first adapter was ok, but the cable around the plug in was so bad that after one year it wore out and the broke down. The I got a replacement adapter, but it was too loose to fit so I called Dell, and found out that the model of the adapter was wrong. So I bought a new one(correct one) which fits better, but still not perfect. I have to hold the plug at a certain degree or bend it so that it won’t disconnect. Damn you Dell!!! Next time, I will by my good old vaio

There is a problem in my Dell Inspiron 1501 with the wifi wireless. The operating system installed in it is Vista Basic home edition and sometimes the wireless was detecting the network connection and sometimes it was not detecting. I am trying to look into the matter and diagnosing the actual problem in it. If anyone have any idea how to resolve this issue please mail me. faisy2 at gmail.

My husband bought me a Inspiron 1501 a little over a month ago. For the last three weeks we have been in contact with Dell and have had no luck! The screen on the laptop tends to go. At first it would go black but the actual laptop was still powered on. Then it started to go to Black stripes with color. The only way to get the image back was to restart it by pressing the power button. We have heard a number of excuses til today and nothing has been done. I read I can take them to small claims. Who’s name is it that I put on the docket.

I have this same problem. About 3 months ago i had the same problem with a Toshiba(spelling?) that my mom bought me. So she called and called and finally we found out that we could send it in and get it fixed but i have no clue how it is doing right now(because we sent it to a family menber). So i got a Insprion 1501 about 2 months ago with Windows Vista home basic. and thought yes fianlly a computer that doesnt have problems but about a month ago i found out that it was sending a error message saying “Ac adapter not determind.” and i called a friend of mine to find out what it meant. she told me it meant that it was charged(which she has had the 1501 for over a year.) Today i turned on my computer to see it at 10 percent!?!?!? and though oh ^%$#. I went on dells website to see if they had any drivers or anything all i got was a “what to do if you get a error”. Also my dad(who has had a dell for over a year) told me he got this error message last week. I dont get this. Dell should relize that it has this problem.
Email me if anyone finds a way to fix this
Xokatielynnx33@aol.com

i have an older dell. the first ac adapter would go on and off at its whim, and make a cracking noise when i jiggled it around. i replaced it, and the brand new one failed within a month. i wound the cable around a few times and taped it into place, and that held it for about 5 months. then just now, seemingly for no reason, it stopped working again. no green light for me, i’m typing this on a nearby desktop. is there anywhere that i can buy a new cable?

Hello drew,
My only suggestions is to take a look out on eBay to see if anyone is offering a replacement. Last stop would be Dell itself. :-(.

Hope this helps, Ron

My Dell Inspiron 9400 has an adaptor that doesnt seem to be working properly. My old adaptor had the same problem. Every once in a while it beeps and stops working all together, then suddenly it will stop beeping and begin working again. It does this quite often.

My daughter has had the same AC adapter problem.
We unfortunately let the Dell warranty expire, so I bought a new adapter on the Internet. Her computer was having battery problems, and we weren’t sure if it was the adapter or the computer so we took it to a repair shop. The repairman said one of the most common Dell laptop repairs he sees is the AC adapater portal not working properly. He repaired it in August but could not guarantee the problem would not continue. Now, in November, my daughter called from college to say the computer is dead again, with the same battery problems, apparently from a bad AC adapter portal.

Well, my Dell laptop (inspiron 1501) has some issues, with the connector on the motherboard. A few days ago, I noticed that the laptop’s battery was at ~45% charged for most of the day, and it wasn’t charging. When I booted up with the charger connected, I got an error from the bios about the adapter not being recognized properly, system won’t run at full performance, etc, etc.

I was able to find that it wasn’t the adapter quite quickly, thanks to the fact that I am running Linux on this laptop. I knew that I was going to need to call tech support, so I decided to check the logs to see if Icould get any info to try and help with the diagnosis. My logs, starting from when this problem first appeared, were filled up with messages like this:
[ 1082.318000] atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (raw set 2, code 0xd5 on isa0060/serio0).
[ 1082.318000] atkbd.c: Use ’setkeycodes e055 ‘ to make it known.
[ 1082.334000] atkbd.c: Unknown key released (raw set 2, code 0xd5 on isa0060/serio0).
[ 1082.334000] atkbd.c: Use ’setkeycodes e055 ‘ to make it known.

Now, when I looked at these log messages, I saw that the messages were appearing regardless of the connection status of the adapter. WHen I called Dell Tech support, I gave the guy this info, he suggested I try removing the static (which didn’t work), and then said that I’d best not take any chances and send in the laptop for repairs.
I haven’t recieved the package yet to send the laptop to them in, but it’s due to be home when I get home.

I can get the thing to charge the battery, but I have to (seriously) do the following things:
1) Think happy thoughts. THis was a joke at first, but the problem has progressed to where this is a very important part. Which means the thing won’t last too long. For best results, I continue this step throughout the entire process.
2) Insert the connecter firmly into the laptop. Make sure it’s in as far as it will go, without damaging the connector or the laptop further.
3) Turn the adapter back and forth, rotating fully and quarter turns, randomly. Keep the adapter pressed firmly.
4) remove the adapter from the laptop enough for the laptop to recognize the laptop has been disconnected from the power supply, then quickly go to 2.
Repeat steps until it starts charging, and DO NOT DISCONNECT THE ADAPTOR UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS ALL OVER AGAIN!

Hopefully the system will be fixed soon.

ok, heres my problem i got an inspiron 1501 from a rent-to-own place called colortyme, the cord fits, it charges fine. but it wiggles alittle and falls out at near any movement, i have about, 3 people counting myself who pass it round alot while toking up and its a BITCH to keep having to pick up the damn cord and plug it back in

My boyfrined bought me a sony vaio laptop this past christmas. Since that time I have had to replace my AC adapter seven times, here’s the problem. I will have my adapter plugged into my computer and all of a sudden it will stop working. When I say working, I mean it no longer charges my computer and it my this very fast paced high pitched beeping sound that comes from the black box on the adapter.

I have sent my laptop in to sony twice and both times they have sent it back saying nothing is wrong with my adapter. The last time they sent it back they did not replace they adapter and it worked fine, until about a week ago. It stopped working again. I googled the problem and found a few people who had similar problems. One person said to wiggle the cord on the adapter nearest to the box, so I tried it and it fixed the problem for a few days. This morning it stopped working again.

I’m kinda freaking out because my warranty for my computer runs up in two weeks and sony is doing nothing to help me fix this problem. . . .

Please help me

Many people are having the same problem with dell 90-Watt 2-Wire AC Adapter. It just isn’t built to take constant movement, which is what a laptop is for. My best find, (after replacing the adapter 3 times @ $65 each time.) is to go aftermarket and find a cord that is compatable with the system you are looking for. I’ve had the HP-OQ065B83 Adapter Compatible with Dell AC Adapter Inspiron 1150, 1501 for approximately 1- 1/2 years, with no problems, YET. Good luck to you all with the crapy dell adapter. By the way, you can find the cord at laptopsforless.com

You guys just aren’t using enough muscle! :]
I have an Inspiron 1501 & at first I thought I had the same problem with my adapter, it seemed like it didn’t fit and it was too short. So, I tried put tape on it & what not but I finally got fed up & I called tech support. All you have to do is push harder than you think…I thought I was going to break it, but nope it went right in & fits great.

Hi Meg,
Interesting. Thanks for the comments and for the info.
Ron

I bought my Dell inspiron 1501 Jan 2006, and within 6 months my power cord quit working, I went to the computer store where I purchased it, they replaced it. But now today the new one that I got has also quit working!!! I plan on goin back to the computer store, but what then??? My warranty will run out next month, and three to six months down the road I will have to purchase more power cord! This is crap!!! My daughter in law bought an inspiron within two months that I purchased mine, and she is now on her second cord! I dont know what to do. Will dell actually help when you call them? And I do use a cooler system that sits under my computer. HELP…someone PLEASE

My daughter has an Inspiron B120 and we too have been thru the power adaptor problems. We were recently visiting my parents and my
Dad became aware of the problem. The ultimate mechanic, he took a look and said there are 2 “springs” in the ac jack that were not fitting tight enough to hold it in place and make contact. He used something to bend the springs in towards the post in the center and it has been working great. I looked at it tonight and it appears the “springs” he referred to are metal strips. Good luck.

This has happened to me TWICE with a Dell Latitude D620. It’s NOT a joke; I have to tape the damn thing to keep it charged, and Dell pretends not to know about the problem. It’s just absurd!

my adapter is not charging the laptop. it runs fine and does not drain the battery but it is definitely not charging it back up. any help?

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000. The first adapter cord lasted about a year. After that, I’ve had them replaced every three months or so. I’ve had the computer a little over 2 years and I’m now on my 5th adapter cord replacement. Dell will replace my cords (except the first one because it had been so long) but they are very blind to this issue. As far as I know, they have done absolutely nothing to resolve the actual issue instead of sending me new replacements every time the old one shorts out. I think this is really sleazy, I would like the computer otherwise but I’m getting tired of going through the frustration of trying to get them to replace the cord and the wait until I get the new one. I’m going to have to buy a new computer which I don’t have the money for.

I have this same problem with my inspiron 600m. I bought it 3 years ago, but I’ve only had this problem with the power cord for a few months. I use tape to keep it in place, but this is becoming less and less effective. I used to be able to tape it in place and have it stay there for a week or so, but now I am constantly repositioning it. My theory is that when the laptop heats up it causes the plastic to expand, making the jack too big for the cord. I’m reluctant to buy a new cord because I don’t think it will make a difference if the problem is with the jack.

I got an Inspiron 1501 Used a few days ago, Not a single problem with it.
It was purchased from dell in Febuary 2007

I bought a Dell Inspiron 1501 in January of 2007. Everything went alright for about 5 months and then my bios stopped recognizing the the battery. I called Dell, they had me flash the bios (should have made me send it in for this but they didnt) After that, it was alright for another few months. Then, the bios stopped recognizing my battery and my cdrom drive…. I called Dell…. They told me I had to UPGRADE the bios this time… they even gave me the bios upgrade…. So I got started (note, im not a complete idiot, ive been working with PC’s for a long while and I’ve flashed many bios) The “software” go so far as to delete the old bios before installing the new upgrade… and then shut down… so… guess what???? NO BIOS… Thats right, full power, even power to my cdrom drive… but no bios… Oh.. and Dell… They Vacuum Solder the bios chip to their boards.. and the board for the 1501 is no less than $249 new and $190 used. Oh.. my dell warranty ran out 2 days before this whole ordeal went down…. aint that a pain????

latch Broke… Lid Broke on corners, Dell replaced under warranty
Fan had also died causing over heat… Keyboard was replaced MB fan and Heat sink was replaced under warranty

Three power supplies replaced under warranty

After Warranty ran out I noticed the Lid was cracked on the corners again. It appears the “friction fit” Hinges were over tightened and causing the lid to flex an crack. This I fixed as warranty ran out. I am so Fed up with the poor quality workmanship that goes into the Dell Laptops I will never buy another one. I may just yank the drive and sell the corpse on E-bay.

By the way my current power supply just died… inspirons are a piece of crap.

i have an inspiron 1501 and I too am having problems with the adaptor charging the battery. so i followed on of the guides on here and it worked for about 5 seconds til it stopped charging again. I also noticed that though the adaptor DOES fit into the spot it is a little lose. it does not fall out or anythign. my main problem is chargning the battery.

My Inspiron 6000 has this problem. It’s driving me nuts. I have three adaptors..none fit correctly. My unit is out of warranty so I doubt Dell would do anything for me.

can anyone tell me what mother board is on a dell 1501 laptop running windows xp

I bought a dell inspiron last month, and it is now jan 08 and i have no problem with my ac adapter, it fits very snug.

I had the same problem with my HP laptop. After replacing the AC adapter receptacle at $300 a pop, I found out about a media cable for the HP laptops built about 3 years ago. I can plug my AC plug into it and it attaches to the side of the PC with thumbscrews very securely and solves my problem forever. I don’t think they have the media connectors any more. I just hope this PC lasts awhile. I got my media cable on Ebay.

I’ve had the same problem with my Dell Latitude - a co-worker said it looks like my computer needs to do “Keigle” exercises. The pins inside the connector just don’t make contact. The tech guys at my office are going to replace the mother board next week…. Do you think that’ll make the connection tighter?

Hi Mary,
It has seemed to help others. Best of luck.
Let us know what happens.

Wow, I thought I was the only one. I have had my Dell Inspiron 1501 for about a year and a half, and I am having trouble with my power adaptor. With mine, I have to fiddle with the cord, and move it around for an endless amount of time until I can get it fixated in some weird position until the light finally turns green. The problem is, I have to do this after every single time that I unplug it. It really gets old, and I was thinking about buying a different adaptor. Although, after reading the previous comments, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, because they all seem to have this problem. I’m not sure what I am going to do, but I don’t want to deal with this anymore.

The mother board was replaced yesterday. So far, so good! Plug is still not snug, but at least it’s making a connection now.

Hi Mary,
Thanks for the update. I hope it continues to work for you.
If you have any more problems, please let us know.
Regards, Ron

I purchased a Dell Inspiron 1501 In October 2007. Febuary of 2008 Power Adapter went bad. It appears as if the Pin seperated from the charger and is left in the charging port of the Notebook. I get the same error THOUSANDS of customers receive on startup. “The AC Adapter is not recognized Press F2 for Setup or Any Key to Continue”

Well like everyone else Dell is sending me a Power Adapter 2 Day DHL. But I am worried that this will become a re-occuring problem because of all the others that have had the same issue. I explained this to the very idiotic Tech Support Rep, who by the way was most likely in Banglore India that this was in fact a known problem and I wanted more than a power adapter, I wanted replacement of my system with a similar system of equal or greater value that will not experience this problem. Behind Habeeb’s laughter he told me that he could sell me the extended warranty!!! I then explained to him that purchasing an extended warranty for a known issue is not only wrong but illegal and that they should extend their DOA on these systems.

I then asked for a supervisor which to no suprize was not available, and could not call me back. The Tech told me to wait for my power adapter and that should fix the problem.

I think we as consumers should seriously consider a class action law suit against Dell because they are failing to resolve a known issue, thus forcing customers to pay for repair outside warranty or purchase extended warranty coverage.

I am so disgusted with Dell, in the past 4 years I have purchased 5 systems for my home alone and will never purchase another shoddy piece of junk and advise everyone else to do the same.

Hi Everyone. I had a very similar problem with my inspiron 8130. It was off warranty and i had to toggle with the cord to make it work. Eventually it stopped working at all. I don’t normally post but I want make sure that you don’t replace your motherboard unnecessarily. I called around to 24 places before i found someone who could use a soldering iron and replace the DC jack. The first 23 places said that it couldn’t be done. The 24th place told me they do it 10 times a week. It cost about $150 but it was much better than buying a new motherboard.

I purchased a dell inspiron 1501 for Christmas and after the first month of using it I had problems with the ac adaptor also. I’ve read many of the other comments and my problems are the same. Does not dectect ac adaptor, won’t charge, lose adaptor, and so on. Fist I got a new ac adaptor and now I am in the process of sending the laptop back for the second time. It is more of a headache than a pleasure having it. After reading about all these problems I also agree a class action law suit be brought against dell.

I’ve had the same issues with the power adapter, but have worked around by just not moving while the adapter is in place….:-/ sucks, but anyway, I was going to let it go. So last night I reinstalled my system to it’s original state, and after doing so and reinstalling all of the drivers I ran into a seperate issue where the wireless network would not connect. I contacted tech support through online chat and after a quick chat session and allowing the tech to controll access to my laptop and reinstalling drivers and making sure all the settings were appropriate, which I have to say was really interesting to watch while he attacked the problem with a vengeance, we found out the settings in the router were wrong so I had to call the router co for that, but at the same time I had found this site listing the same complaint about the adapter, so I told the tech guy, and he said he will ship a new adapter, and also a box for my lappy in case the adapter does not fix the problem. So all in all, I’m pretty pleased thus far with Dell’s customer service, and will remain a customer.

I’d like to chuck my 2 cents in as well. I have a Dell inspiron 600, and the adaptor has never stayed in properly, from day 1. I am now on the second adaptor, as the old one ended up pulling apart from being taped to the computer, desk, chair, etc so many times, and this one does not fit either. If I so much as breathe on it wrong it just goes plop and falls right out.

I thought I had the same problem, and sent increasingly irritated emails to Dell (UK), who dutifully sent a replacement adaptor and cable, and then another one - I kept explaining that there was no problem with the parts, just that they didn’t go together. Am now embarrassed to find out I simply wasn’t pushing the cable hard enough into the adaptor. Am wording a grovelling email to Dell…

Same problem. been through numerous chargers..
dell inspiron b130.

It appears that I am having the same problem with the adapter on the Dell Inspiron 1501. I noticed it a few months ago, but didn’t really think much of it. I thought that I was pulling the cord loose. However, now it seems that I am having to prop the cord in to get any homework done at all. I have almost dug out the tape. I am so sick of dealing with Dell and all the problems we have had with them. I have considered buying a new cord to see if this fixes the problem. Not sure that I would be wasting my time.

I’m SO glad I read this board! We have the exact same adapter problem with our inspiron 1501 and my husband was just about to shell out bucks for a new battery thinking that would solve the problem.

Guess we’d better get jiggling & taping. What a crock!

Ok, here’s is my fantastic update!!! I received the new adapter about a week after my original post here and still it did not correct the falling out issue, so I sent the laptop off finally this past Friday and just received my laptop, with new motherboard installed which DOES hold the adapter in place properly!!! Woohoo!!! Now, first I’d like to say, Dell has done everything in their power to satisfy me without me pitching any kind of a fit. All I did was contact Dell tech support via online chat and they rapidly sent me the new adapter and a box for my laptop just in case the new adapter could not resolve the issue. Then, being paranoid about shipping my lappy off to some strange place, I finally sent it last Friday, and today is now Wednesday so it took a whole 6 days total to have the adapter issue fixed! All of you that have the same problem, take care of it while it’s under warranty. It takes less than a week, and you pay nothing whatsoever, not even shipping via DHL. I hope you all the best with your Dell lappy’s and seriously, get it fixed, it really is easy and fast!

I am working on my 4th ac adapter in 3 years. I just had them send me a new one to finally figure out its the connection on the back of my computer not the ac adapter. i have a inspiron 6000.

I’ve just got a Dell Inspiron 1720 for my birthday last thursday. Everythings great with it except the charger doesn’t fit right into the unit. I’ve been looking for a new one online but there all the same. I’m wanting to know how I can get one that fits right.(if there is any of course)

Hi tasiah,
I’d call Dell and tell them it doesn’t fit correctly.

The CURE!!! FIX YOUR AC ADAPTER NOW! First, let me say thankyou to those who have descibed thier problem in DETAIL - this helps associate readers with similar problems for a more concise dignostic troubleshoot to better resolve the issue in question, namely ME:). So with that being said PLEASE make sure you have the same problem as the “CURE” for same results (makes sense i hope) Now this “CURE” is for those who have the problem of the AC Adapter NOT charging= If, as suggested above from Meg, “push harder than you think” makes a charge (regardless of how brief) then simply cut carefully (with a buck knife) a washer size ring off from the plug inwhich is forced into the compter and = WHALLA! Also, as a side note for those with SCREENS going black/not working check out similar threads regarding the inverter board - pEAcE

Hello DIRECTOR MOJO.
Thanks for sharing this information with us. I am sure it will help those who are experiencing the problem as you have described.
Regards, Ron

well i purchased by computer in oct or november of last year, by jan i was having problems with the ac adaptor not being recognized with my computer, well i callled dell and the tech support (who was very rude and hard to understand) but anyways they sent me a new cord and it worked fun until 2 days ago (april 23) and this is beginging to really tick me off. But it’s not that the cord won’t stay in the black box won’t work, the green light on it won’t come on and my battery won’t charge. We’ve tried several different outlets, and whatnot and nothing works, if this continues I WILL demand a full refund of my computer and all the games that I ahve pruchased on it from the internet!

April, that’s my issue too. My adapter seems to fit correctly, but won’t charge the computer. The computer was actually working fine, I just had to hit Enter at the beginning of each reboot once I got the “ac adapter” error. But as of two days ago, the green light won’t come on at all, and my computer is completely dead. I called Dell today, but the the really hard to understand lady in some obscure third world country, wouldn’t put me through to tech support because I’m not sitting in front of my laptop (I’m at work). Sigh.

Oh, and the lady at Dell told me they have no record of this being an issue. I say we all flood them with calls the next couple of days and maybe they’ll get the hint!!

I have been experiencing the same error message as April and Cobble, but until today just shrugged off the error message and hit F1 everytime i booted up my computer. Today when i unplugged my laptop (inspiron 1505) and it immediately shut off, I realized i had a problem on my hands and realized the battery was at 0%. I unplugged and replugged the connection between the 2 halves of the cord (the adapter can be separated into 2 parts) and also moved it to a different outlet and it is suddenly charging. I don’t know why it’s working now, but until it is at 100% power I’m not going to try to figure that out. The Ac-adapter has always worked as far as sustaining the computer’s power, just not charging the battery.

i just got the inspiron 1720-yesterday i got the message to hit f1
because it does not see my power adapter. Today I called Dell he said I had the wrong adapter and is sending me a replacement. I am sure the one I have is correct just it is not charging the battery.

I am having the same problem with my Dell 1521. It has been this way since day one. At first I was fine with it, but its starting to piss me off now. I am going to call Dell and see about getting a motherboard or replacement machine.

Hi Amy,
Let us know your results.

My Dell Latitude D630 charges. The problem is the power cord is so loose that it falls out many times a day. I have to keep picking it up off the floor and reconnecting it to the back of the laptop. I remember having the same issue with a Latitude a few years ago, so I think of it as a Dell design flaw and haven’t called it in as an issue.

[...] has been a running thread of comments here, referencing problems with that AC adapter for the Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop computers. Seems there [...]

I just had System Restore on my Inspiron 6000 to its original state. I did this yesterday night on June 2nd. Today, on June 3rd, I am getting this error saying, “AC Adapter type cannot be determined.” The Power Meter window shows Current Power Source as AC Power and Battery status shows 100%. The LED indicator light goes on and off every now and then. Stays off for a while, comes back on goes off again !!!. It means it stays on AC Power but it is just the light won’t stay on continuously. The light had no problem until yesterday before performing the System Restore. Amazing.
Laloo

La_Laloo,
That is totally unreal. Thanks for sharing this with us.

update to 1720 adapter: Got new adapter worked for 12 days
get the power adapter messager, called tech support
did a bios check update and it still does not see adapter.
I asked for a new computer and she told me to call cust care
which I will do in the am. The other choice is new motherboard and adapter on a 60 day old computer which broke it 30 days.

Hi Judy,
I hear your frustration. I hope you get it fixed in a timely matter.

well, did call cust care today etc., since the machine is over 30 days old they are going to sent out a tech. Anyway, that will
be fine. Today I just turned the computer on after I took
out the adapter and then put it back again, guess what
no beep or message?

Hi Judy,
Let us know what the tech. finds.

Regards, Ron

Well, still could not figure how why I get the message. All I did
was unplug and then plug in, no message. I got another adapter, and we did decide to see if I get the message again.
They are saying the motherboard for 2 weeks which when it seems I get the adapter message?

Thanks for the update Judy.

I am having a problem with my laptop, Dell inspiron 1501, accepting the AC adaper for charging. It will run on the AC energy that it is getting from my wall but it just won’t charge. It was working earlier today and then I had to do an update and it stopped working properly. It is annoying. I hope that it just cures itself but if it keeps this up I will be sad…

I had the exact same problem (a few actually) with my 1501 and its adapter until recently. 1) The adapter didn’t fit properly 2) It stopped charging about 6 to 7 months into having the comp, and Dell replaced it (another that didn’t fit right). About 14 months later the replaced adapter finally gave out, but by this time my warranty was up and I had a choice of whining about paying $80 for a new one, or I could look around and see what they had generically.

Finally found a generic one, and get this: The generic adapter I found online for the Dell 1501 FITS BETTER, and works flawlessly! I’ve had it for about 4 months now, and not a single problem.

I bought a new adapter a few weeks ago after my dog chewed through the cord. So I have the generic one. My problem is not the adapter it is getting my battery to charge. The laptop works with being plugged in and I can take out the battery and all. but I can’t unplug my laptop for more than a little bit for fear that I will use up the little battery I have left. I am wondering if this is a problem with the battery, like do I need a new one, or is this a problem with the motherboard. It is really annoying having the message pop up saying “The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge.” since I can’t start up my laptop without having that message come up. I am considering bringing it to ‘Best Buy’ and having the Geek Squad take a look at it.

I recently (on saturday 23rd june 08) bought a dell inspiron 1525 from tescos at £384 (i thought this was cheep taking the delivery rates on dell into account). My sister also bought one. Both of our adapters are loose and I have to put the rubber strap around and make sure it stays completely still for it to work and charge my Dell. Also when at school I noticed how my chemistry teacher (who has a Dell latitude) just had her adapter lying on the desk with the cable plugged in, it was almost in a position as if it had just been slung down. I could tell her’s fitted alright :/ Maybe it’s only the very odd few which this happens. But I do find it weird how my sisters is also like mine.
I think I will try getting in contact with dell across the net and see if they send me a replacement one, and if so if it does the job.

Bought a new Dell Inspiron a few years ago and had the same loose AC adaptor issue within about 5-6 months. Three cords later I ditched the Dell for a new HP. Now that my warranty on the HP has expired, I am having the same issue with the AC adapter receptacle. It’s unbelievable to google this and find all these comments dating back for so long and that the PC industry has refused to address the issue/pretend it doesn’t exist. Was Mac for years and never had this issue - guess I’ll go back.

I have had the same power connection problem with my B130. It’s still under warranty, and they’re sending me a new AC adapter. We’ll see how this one works. Fortunately, I still have one and a half years of warranty left, since it looks like I’m pretty much stuck with this problem.

I have an Inspiron 1501 and my AC connector does NOT stay connected and it is very annoying. Constantly falling out. Then I have another annoying problem. My keys pop off from the keyboard! I’ve never had a keyboard with this kind of problem before! If it wasn’t for these two complaints in addition to the computer itself almost becoming “too hot to handle on the bottom” after an hour of use… it would be a great laptop (NOT said with sarcasm).

I bought my parents an Inspiron 1501 for Christmas 2006 and it’s been experience issues with the screen for the last 3 months…it goes reverse (white screen & black text suddenly turns to a gray screen with white text). It’s outside of warrantee at this point. I haven’t called into Dell yet…and after reading all these reviews, I’m not looking forward to it! Any one esle experiencing something similiar? Suggestions??

Tammi,
You say it gets “too hot to handle”? Well if you have the same problem I had, it’s due to not putting your computer on a flat surface. They have little fans underneath to keep it cool and things to prop it up off the ground so that the hot air can escape…so be sure it’s on a flat surface (e.g not your bed or lap) and you should be fine. Mind you, my computer isn’t an Inspiron 1501, let alone a Dell so maybe it’s nothing like that.

Anywho, I now stick my laptop on a fan thing that i got from a relative for chirstmas and put that ontop of a piece of canvas with a wooden backing whenever I want to sit on my bed and use my laptop. It sounds a little wierd, but it stops it from overheating.

I only came to look for solutions to the adapter falling out, looks like tape it is.

My Dell Latitude D630 just came in the mail yesterday and I’m having serious problems connecting the adapter with the power cord. I have to hold them together manually or they won’t stay connected at all. Should I just call Dell and ask for a replacement?

Guess, what, adapter was fixed, then keep getting the blue screen, the dell tech, was fine, took control of the computer, and it worked til today? Then, and yes, I do like Dell, and this computer. I had wanted a new computer, and the big no.

Well, when I did get the blue screen, a phone call did come
in? India, and 1 minute all was ok, now, he is giving a new dell, no furb laptop! Yes, I did check, it is real! B4, noway?

I just got the new computer delivered, boy was that service.
Really funney, how, I got a call, and he said I am getting a brand new comptuer. Thank You Dell, I got an email
yesterday that it would be delivered today, and it was.

Well, I too have had the same kind of problems with the power adapter/jack that so many have reported here - the a/c flipping on and off with concomitant screen flickering, having to hold the jack into the socket to make the connection, the connector seriously overheating, etc.. Unfortunately, it took the purchase of several batteries and numerous chargers/power cords to come to the realization that the problem lies not with the adapter but with the connection on the motherboard - long past the end of the warranty period. I wish I’d found this site sooner! Anyway, enough of the symptoms which most of you know only too well. What about a FIX? Well, I did open up the laptop (an older Dell Inspiron B130) and determined that it had the kind of socket that is integral with the mother board and not readily replaced. I didn’t want to mess with removing the motherboard, so, prompted by a couple of comments on this site, I did a little more diagnosing, and determined that if the jack was pushed in really hard the connection was made - the problem was I had to hold or tape it in place to maintain the connection. When the jack was pushed in hard and held in place, I could wiggle the cord all I wanted and still keep the connection, i.e. the problem is in the connection between the jack and the socket on the motherboard. So, following a suggestion on this thread, I cut off a little bit of the plastic surround on the jack in the hope that this would allow the jack to be pushed further in. It wasn’t a complete fix, but IT DID HELP ENOUGH TO MAKE CHARGING THE BATTERY POSSIBLE WITHOUT HAVING TO HOLD THE JACK. I can push the jack in as far as possible and now it stays in place - provided the laptop is on a flat surface and not moved around.

So, before you buy a new adaptor or mother board, try this simple approach. If it doesn’t work, nothing much lost. By the way, there is a guy advertising a jack conversion kit for Dell laptops at http://www.doctorlaptop-repair-jack.com/Dell%20Power%20Jack%20Repair.htm. Some soldering and wiring is required, but instructions are included. Alternatively you can ship him the motherboard and he’ll make the repair for $68 or for $98 if you send the whole laptop (note his tip for using a flat rate shipping box). I haven’t tried this out yet, but it may be a way to go.

By the way, we purchased an identical B130 for my other daughter at the same time and it has not had the same problems - yet.

Thanks to all who have posted. Even if we can’t fix the problem, it’s somewhat consoling to know that others are experiencing it.

Hi Wanda,
Thanks for the comments. Could you re-post the repair link. It wasn’t working when I tried it.
Thanks, Ron

This blog was great, and frankly, I do enjoy this computer.

I also have found Dell to follow thru, like, with no fuss,
I got a new computer. Even when I did get the Big No. They did send parts, and did sent out a tech. I also did have
the original adapter, wrong, then number 2. Which, then the
tech gave me 3, when I got the blue scree message?

This computer seems to like the adapter, so Dell did treat me great. I just got a follow-up call, and wonders of wonders!

Hi Judy,
Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us. It is appreciated.
Regards, Ron

I’ve had my inspiron 1100 for about 5 years and love it. Recently I upgraded the ram, replaced the hard drive and cleaned the fan out real good. I was very excited because I thought it would be like having a new laptop, but then this adapter problem started. In April my original adapter split from use (5years not bad), but thinking economically I got a compatible one on Ebay. Now that has worked flawlessly since April, but yesterday it started acting funny. The adapter is plugged in snugly and the green light is on, but it keeps bouncing from battery to adapter. I’ve tried the wiggle thing and that will work for a minute or two, but I don’t even have to move and it will start going to battery. Weird thing is that when I shut it down the battery immediately starts to charge and is fully charged in a couple of hours. Now does this sound like a cord problem or adapter input problem? The cord still looks like it is brand new no wires showing or cracks. By the by this has been a wonderful post and extremely helpful. Thank you to everyone.

Bought a 1501 less than a year ago from Dell and the battery is already toast….and they want a LOT of money for a new one….ridiculous.

Thanks for the great info. We just bought a used 1501 on eBay and are having the same plug problems. I wish Brooks
(June 16th, 2008, at 8:54pm) would have given the make & model info on the plug that worked. If you have success, please share the details.

Have a 1501 bought a new battery thinking that would resolve the ac adapter issues no luck. Now the new battery won’t take a charge. Called Dell and no help there. Any advice?

From Director Mojo:

Now this “CURE” is for those who have the problem of the AC Adapter NOT charging= If, as suggested above from Meg, “push harder than you think” makes a charge (regardless of how brief) then simply cut carefully (with a buck knife) a washer size ring off from the plug inwhich is forced into the compter and = WHALLA! Also, as a side note for those with SCREENS going black/not working check out similar threads regarding the inverter board - pEAcE

Hi,

I’m on cord #3 for my Inspiron 1501.

The first cord lasted just a few months and Dell quickly replaced it. The 2nd one did not much last longer. Due to some other issues, the nice tech guy who came to my home to fix these other issues, told me they are having all sorts of issues with the cords. He told me it was quite obvious there was a definite design flaw since these things either don’t stay plugged in or constantly break.

For cord #3, I found some white packing material, kind of like Styrofoam, and wrapped it around the cord and taped it up with duct tape. Although it doesn’t look very nice, it has done the trick, so far!

I guess we should always have a spare–just in case!

I have an Inspiron 6000 I bought in June 2005, about a year ago I had the same problem so I used my roommates old Dell cord. Sure enough, about a year later (now) I’m having the same problem. Don’t know what to do. My computer is fine besides that. My sister just got a new Apple and her power supply is magnetic, so she will never have this problem.

I have the same problem with myB130 ,IT WILL BE RUNNING JUST FINE FOR HOURS AT A TIME AND THEN JUST SHUT DOWN OR SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE MINUTES AFTER INITIAL BOOT UP VERY STRANGE AND FRUSTRAting THEY SHOULD CHANGE THE MODEL NUMBER TO DELL POS BULLSHIT 130

Hi Gary,
I hear you/

I bought an inspiron 1525 about two months ago and the ac adapter that came with it is already freaking out! It charges when ever it feels like it, overheats as if it were held over a fire for ten minutes, and the green light on it won’t light up sometimes, is it a defect in the thing itself? Even though it’s connected to an outlet, it turns off without waning leaving me in panic thinking what the heck happened. The overheating problem? It is BAD. It heats up like crazy in only a few minutes of use, it makes this weird buzz noise along with another noise that is similar to something cooking in an oven! What’s going on there?! I’ve once had a compaq (that was failing horribly, it turned white and randomly reverted back to normal and did it over again and only when I pressed the back of the laptop did it really stop but I had to do this several times) that had less problems with it’s ac adapter! Are these the signs that I have to buy a new one? Should I e-mail Dell? I read a lot of these posts and I feel like they won’t do much…

I have a inspiron 1501 too but my problem is the laptop is unable to read the ac adaptor. It wont charge the battery and whenever I start my laptop up it says it cannot identify the ac adaptor therefore it is unable to charge the battery. Luckily it still powers it, but I have to keep it plugged in at all times or it shuts down. I’ve already replaced the plug once. It worked fine for about 2 weeks then the same message started appearing.

I have an inspiron 1521 and experienced the same problem with the plug easily falling off the laptop jack. On this model, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the first three millimeters of the jack port consists of non conductive material, with about 1mm between plug’s outer surface and jack wall. So therefore to compose a more snug fit for the plug, you need to fill up that 3mm X 1mm space with some type of material. The easiest solution was to cut small strips of standard electrical tape into 3mm widths, long enough to fit the circumference of the plug. Attach the strips snugly around the base of the plug, one layer at a time. On my plug, I needed 3 layers to get a nice snug fit. You may need more or less to get yours to properly fit. Now this will work fine if you do not constantly plug and unplug the cord from the jack, so it is therefore more suitable for a laptop you are dedicating for desktop use. That being said, you can still plug and unplug it many times without having the tape unravel. Worst case is that you’ll have to redo the taping if it comes undone. I have had mine on for several months now without any problem. A more “elegant” solution would be to find a rubber “O” ring of the appropriate size to fit around the base of the plug (about 6mm). I am sure there are other more imaginative solutions, but this one works fine for me.

I got a Dell Inspiron 600m 2 years ago… I had it for 6 months, when the computer stopped registering that it was the correct adapter (and thus not recharging). So, I jimmied it and kept turning it in the plug ot get it to stay. Finally, that ceased working, and the only way to make it work was to bend the cord and tape it to the back of the computer. Called Dell, they said I was the only one this happened to. Shortly thereafter, the exact same thing happened to my best friend’s Dell Inspiron 600m. It’s happened to her once since then. Six months after the new cord arrived, the exact same thing happened. Well, another year’s gone by, and I HATE DELL PRODUCTS! I’m now looking to buy my third cord… It’s a joy, let me tell you. I travel back and forth between China and the US, and have actually thought about buying an extra cord just in case it breaks while I’m overseas. I wouldn’t want to deal with that hassle. Sad when you have to plan your travels around crappy computer parts.

well I had that issue, didnt really fix it, just have been dealing with it. Ive been having a different issue however, my adapter wont turn on.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

I’ve had a inspiron 1501 for 1 year and 1 month. The first adapter went in February of last year after 5 months, they sent a replacement which worked for 8 months and now is broken. Dell refuses to send me a new one because my computer is 1 month are out of warranty. It looks like they have quite a problem with this one. Does anyone know of a class action that is going/ getting ready to be certified?

My dell Inspiron 1525 is having a problem with the charger. The green light is not showing when i plug it in. I’ve only had this laptop for about 2 months. I’m planning on getting it replaced in a couple days.

I’ve had my Dell Inspiron 1501 two years next month and it’s been a fairly reliable machine to work with. Within the first year, on a few instances I got some strange maulfunction by which blue and cream vertical shaded bars would fill the screen and it had to be turned off at the switch. However, it has worked very well in other respects.
After about 1 1/2 years, the battery gave out. I’d been gaming about two times on battery power and the game had blocked the low battery warnings causing “hybernation” of the machine. Since then, the charge it retains has fallen and fallen and fallen. It’s total charge-hold capability is now 18 minutes and at my last check a new battery from Dell would cost me 115 pounds (using a borrowed computer - see below - and it seems incapable of the pound symbol). 115 is about half the value of a new Inspiron 1501 these days. I haven’t checked ebay, but I’m not forking it out.
The charger cable ahs rarely caused problems. It can be a little dodgey if the lapdop is on my lap or bed. But that’s an uneven surface and I wasn’t sold it as a heavy-duty laptop with “scruffing around for teenagers” capabilites. Although, on that note, since April it’s travelled to my dad’s house every second weekend and back again in various bags. The casing is a little scratched, as the silvery finish isn’t as sturdy as the nice strong casing itself, but the laptop’s working.
Yesterday my trusty laptop became seriously lagful. Typing was so slow it’d miss chunks of text after as little as two sentences typed at normal speed. Basic programmes - I’m talking default screensaver, Explorer - would jam on and have to be closed in the system tray. I closed my screensaver from the system tray, yes. Became convinced it was running its 1024 capabilities through only one of its 512 ram sticks as one could easily have become delayed - laptop was carried 1/4 of a mile in a shoulder bag rather unevenly as it was pitch dark earlier… Opened it up, checked RAM connections, removed and re-placed (but not replaced with new ones) the RAM. No effect. It’s been system restores, I’ve ran the Pre-Boot tests, and this time it’s probems are finally beyond me. First time it’s needed repairs after almost two years (not counting the incident of when the repair man set it up with our weird wireless arrangement, but that was not anything to with the laptop itself).

I really do rave about its sturdiness, capabilities and what it’s survived, and it’s a shame I’m only here discussing it now it’s gone wrong. Two years without repairs is really pretty good for a laptop that wasn’t very expensive or probably deisnged for heavy use in the first place. Has anyone else encountered serious lag problems like this though, and what as the problem?

I wrapped the tip of the adapter once with a small piece of electrical tape. It stays perfectly intact and I haven’t had any problems since. The cost? Replace the tiny piece of electrical tape every once in a blue moon. I’d say that’s pretty much a freebie.

Thanks for the tip.

I had this problem with my old Dell, and now I have it with this Dell. One year and the cord is shot. Thank goodness I found this before I paid full price for a replacement cord. I’m still angry that Dell can’t make a cord that doesn’t fray out after a year.

Oh, BTW, when I got this Dell, the clock didn’t work. I called Dell and they said it was a “problem with Microsoft’s Vista. They need a patch, but they don’t have it yet.” Yeah…guess what? It’s the laptop, not Vista (this time).

And I am still manually resetting the clock, a year and a half later, because I never could get someone to fix it.

Nearly dead battery. Broken power cord. Non-functional clock. My next laptop will be an Apple.

I’ve had my Dell Inspiron 1501 for a little over 2 years. I started having problems about a year ago. I have bought 3 AC adapters, the first 2 seemed to work and then stopped working. I just bought yet another one, now my 3rd & it isn’t charging my battery. I’m thinking of buying a new battery, but I hate spending that much when I’m not sure if that’s the problem. I’m so frustrated & so close to just tossing my laptop and buying a new one, not a Dell. I have had problems with the cord from my other charger falling out of my laptop, like a few others here. I have no idea why my computer is even on right now, but as soon as that cord is taken out my computer shuts off. It’s very frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!

I purchased my Inspiron 1501 about a year ago and for the past few weeks it started to get a bit iffy about accepting the AC adapter. Funny thing is I just googled “dell laptop power cable doesn’t work”, and found this thread with lots of other people talking specifically about the Inspiron 1501. Sounds to me like a common problem. Important info: My warranty was expired, but I was able to renew it (much cheaper than “out of warranty service”). I talked to a cust service rep today and they are sending a new AC adapter, and if that doen’t fix the problem they are also sending a box for me to return it to Dell to get fixed. The problem (I am 100% positive) is the connector at the back of the laptop to the AC adapter. It just isn’t making a consistent solid connection. The cable stays in, but it doesn’t “count” as being in. The indicator on the laptop doesn’t show it as being plugged in. One of the commenters mentioned that the springs (or prongs or whatever you want to call them) are lose that connect inside the port to the center wire in the AC adapter. That is exactly the problem. Since I can get Dell to fix it I would rather not try to fix that problem myself because I would void any possible warranty service. Besides I already took the thing apart, and the port is part of the motherboard and would be hard to get at. Any brave souls who don’t wish to mess with Dell might consider trying that fix but I have found them eager to help.

Thanks Adam83 for the information. I sure it will help those who are still having issues with the adapter.

Well, hallelujah! I got that replacement cord from simplemicro.com (I hope I’m allowed to say their name, since there was a link from a previous article here). I have juice! I got the cord within two days, and it looks much sturdier than the original cord I got with my Inspiron. It’s supposed to be a Dell product. I just need it to last me for a few months until I can decide if I have the guts to go with a Mac or not.

I don’t believe it. The new AC adapter won’t stay connected.
I give up.

I have had a Vaio laptop for about 18 months, and for the past 6 months the ac adaptor is becoming looser each day. 3 months ago my husband ordered a new battery and adaptor thinking this would resolve my issues. It didn’t. The adaptor is just as loose as the old one, and because of the continual connection problem, the new battery won’t charge beyond 10% now. Looking at the jack, I see the two probes that should hold the adaptor and thought that the problem may just be that they need to be adjusted back toward each other a bit. Reading this thread, it appears that others have found that to be the fix. My question is if I should have my husband try this with some needle nose plyers — or —- should I take it to a repair place? I don’t really have the extra money to spare right now but I’m not sure I want to screw up my laptop on a chance. Thanks for any input.

I have had my dell inspiron 1501 for over a year and the power adapter just stopped working on me. I went into dell.com and looked up reviews for buying a new power adapter and I was surprise I was not the only one with this problem. Mostly every one is unhappy and mos have gone through a few power adapters in less than a couple of years.

It is hard to imagine that this problems keeps on happening.

I purchased a Dell Inspiron 1501 in Nov of 2007. Last month, my laptop screen just started fading to black. I can barely see the information that I have on the screen. When I remove the power cable from the laptop, it works just fine. If I put the cable back in, it fades to black again. I thought buying a new A/C adapter would solve the problem, but it didn’t. Any help on how to fix this matter besides throwing the laptop out of my 2nd story window would be greatly appreciated.

My Dell inspiron 1501 does not turn on straight away when I press the on button. I have to try to restart the laptop for a while before it will turn on and sometimes it takes over an hour to turn on. The problem started about half a year ago and just before that it would not charge up so I had to get a new power cable which caused it to charge up. Has anyone else had any problems with their laptops not turning on very quickly or not turning on at all sometimes?

have one of these laptops. had another repaired recently cuz im a techie i understand the components (worked for over 7 years in computer mfg companies so i know my stuff :)…anyway the failure conditino on these laptops is a bad jack on the motherboard. repair was to resolder the 5 pins (after taking apart the laptop down to motherboard, not easy if u don’t know how but pretty simple repair overall….had first quote of $139 to repair at local computer repair shop. recommend anyone with an intermittent jack (flickering power light, or jack wont stay cuz it wobbles or battery just wont charge at all or laptop wont stay on etc ..) have a repair shop plug jack in and see if it wobbles, this repair only took us 25 min and havent had problem since. also just avoid letting cable be bent too much or pressed against things, not good, for any laptop but especially this model…thanks and good luck.

Thanks Joe.

Hey, I had the problem of the connection to the brick too. I would have to insert the plug at just the right angle in order for the green light to come on, and if I moved at all it would disturb the balance and I would lose power again. An easy fix is just to wrap the rubber strap and strap the cord into the brick. However, one time I just inserted the jack into the brick and somehow it just stuck and it’s stayed ever since. For the record the battery would also read 67% or something like that and just turn off without warning. Now it doesn’t function at all. I’m never going to buy a dell again.

Thank God for Meg!! My Dell Inspirion 1501 just quit recognizing the AC adapter (CMOS), and hasn’t been able to charge the battery for days: “Plugged in, not charging.”

So, taking her advice, I used my MUSCLE, pushed the damn plug into the laptop as hard as I could, and in 2 seconds it started working just fine: “Plugged in, charging.”

Instrinct tells me that this won’t be a permanent solution, but at least I know it’s not the battery or the adapter (I’m on my third adapter.)

Thanks again, Meg!

Hi Larry,
I am glad Meg’s answer worked.

Okay, so I bought a Inspiron 1501 two Christmases ago. Obviously the warranty expired. Every time i try to plug in my charger it doesn’t work unless its in certain spots, which are beginning to disappear. We have spent at least $300 on replacement ones. All loose, all not charging. Sometimes they work for a little if i find the right spot, but I shouldnt have to go through that every time i wanna use my computer. What should i do ?

I am working on a Dell 1501 today. Same problem! Connector does not power motherboard. Not sure if MB is gone. I have the PC disassembled to the motherboard and the connector connection to the MB appears to be good. I think that there should be a class-action suit against Dell for making such crappy computers. May as weel sue HP at the same time! Does anyone know if there is a recall on the Dell 1501’s?

I had 2 toshiba’s that did that. It’s the connection between the plug and the motherboard. I guess it needs to be re-soldered. but most repair places tell you to get a new motherboard. I think it’s a common point for the connection to be less stable, which you would think laptop manufactors would make that a more durable connection.
My problem is new ac power cord(dog chewed old one) will maintain battery but not charge it. But if I use old cord that I repaired-but is less stable it charges fine.
Any thoughts?

i have a dell 1501 it has been a problem from the first month a tech came out and replace the mother board it work great for one year now it does not power up i have replace the power cord had a tech at best buy check it out he thinks its the motherboard of course its out of warranty computer sounds like it will be very expensive to repair will never buy a dell again just lost again customer

So I have a Dell inspirion 1501 and I can plug in the charger into the wall and the green light on the charge will turn on BUT when i plug the charge into the computer the green light turns off. I am unable to turn on the laptop AT ALL no sounds happens when you press the power button NOTHING. I have ordered a new charger and the same thing occurs. I do not think it is the charge but perhaps the battery…. ANY IDEAS??

Not the battery and new charger is fine. The computer just wont take in any power from the battery. So it wont turn on >_<

I have an Inspiron 9300. My adapter stays plugged into the back, but if it’s not held in place real hard it switches back and forth between battery and being plugged in.

I was under warrenty for 4 years. (Just expired last month.) I’ve had the motherboard replaced 3 times and the adapter replaced 2 or 3 times and nothing fixes it for more than a few months. My last motherboard and AC adapter were replaced just before the warranty expired and 4 weeks later it’s not working again.

I won’t be buying another Dell. It’s ridiculous that I’ve had the guts of this thing replaced that many times and the cord won’t keep connected even though the plug stays in the computer.

I have the dell 1501 and I had the same problem with the shutting down and going to a screen of stripes. I called Dell and they said it was a software problem and fixed it for me. Not sure exactly what they did though. Now I am having problems with it getting very hot and then the power cuts out and it can’t be turned back on for an hour or so. It happens when it is plugged in and I always keep it on a hard, flat surface. It sounds like the fan is working. Any thoughts on why it is doing this? Is it just overheating and is this normal after 2-3 hours?

Hi Katie,
Your system fan may need cleaning.
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=clean+laptop+fan&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=hFIwSuFL27-3B52E6IQM&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

I hope this helps, Ron

ow are you doing im a dell registered tech wupporter and i hope my advice helps…

theres 2 thigs that might of happend to you pc. there both simple
1. the back cock pick, were the ac plugin’ connects it may be worn out, and/or molded/ stretched.
solution=(if you still have a wareny call dell tch, support from your local area to reeferbish the machine, if not it will be costly to repair properly)
2. the spung at the tip of the ac adapter plug in is warn down “which is that part that keeps it snug and grips to stay in”, that could be replaced at your local tch store FOR EXAMPLE best bye, radio shack etc. the rudder can range from a pack of 30 for 5$ plrease look up and learn and be prepared when operating to restore your maching, goodluck and i hope this helped.
i hope this helped
-sgt. W, Wade B.

sprry bout typos tired -.-….

I brought my daughter a Dell Inspiron 1501 a couple of years ago…worked fine. A week ago, the laptop wouldn’t charge, so I purchased a new adapter to charge the battery…nothing! Took the battery out, tried to charge the laptop….nothing. Turns out, the motherboard needs to be replaced. Called Dell, they were useless. It sucks for me, because the warrantee ran out in March. They told me I could purchase the extended warrantee and then someone could help me! Now, I’m off to buy a new laptop. It definitely won’t be a Dell!

HP/Compaq NC6000 - same adapter issue, no warranty. I’ve bought two replacements from Ebay that work for a couple of months and then stop. I think it is the port itself, not the adapters. No idea if the port can be replaced, haven’t investigated.

I have a dell inspiron 1501, no warrant. I got from christmas in 07 from my mom & dad. My adapter quiet working & i lost 2 keys on my key bored (the 2 &4 key) and another key is about to fall off too. I can still hit it bit it is hard. the power cord gets hot. if i get another computer im getting HP because dell is really making me mad. I also Know 2 other people who are having the same problem. & they had to go & buy a new one.

P.s. i hope dell does something or they are going to loss busness.

Amanda…

I’ve got this problem with a dell 1501. The computer isn’t taking a charge now. ( the green light goes off as soon as i plug it into the cpu) Therefore, i know that it’s something in the computer, not the adapter or battery. (I took the battery out, still wont hold a charge.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY?

I see according to this site I am not the only that is having issues with Dell’s ac adapters and cords. I now have to purchase my third one, the other 2 are toast. It looks like they use fiber optic cable in the end from the battery to the computer. If it was the other end it would be easy to splice. I know I am not alone on this. My sister has a latitude and I have an inspiron, hers is gone too, as another friend has to replace one also. Dell needs to get this fixed asap. I know folks who have other brands and do not experience the same probs that Dell has. This is unsat for a company that is name brand and for the price you pay for these.

Hello Dave,
I agree. May I recommend that when you are ready to replace your Dell, take a look at Toshiba.

I’ve been having a lot of the same problems for awhile now. Some of my family thinks it is solely my fault because I use the computer way too often.

While these do explain some of the problems I’ve experienced, I’ve yet to find information about one that is currently plaguing me.

We purchased a power cord off the internet a few months ago.

Here’s the problem:
——————-
From the adapter box to the computer, there is power flow (light comes on).

BUT from the outlet to the adapter box, it appears there is no power flow (the light does NOT come on).

Electricity will flow between the computer and the adapter, but will not flow between the outlet and the adapter.

Something seems to be wrong with the adapter box. The flow of power is not complete.
——————
Again, this is the second cord I’ve hard with this problem. Same model, too.

Now, I use the computer and power cord a lot. Would overheating explain this?

And it may be a coincidence, but both failures seemed to occur when I plugged them into surge protecters (can’t verify this, though). I’ve used surge protectors successfully before quite a few times, so I don’t think they’re the problem.

Does anyone know what the problem is?

Or what I should call it, since I want to research it specifically?

Please, please respond if you have any revelant information

The power cord is the same one found here:

http://www.amazon.com/HQRP-Adapter-Inspiron-Notebook-Replacement/dp/B0025XYI4E

I bought a new adapter fro my dell 1501 from ebay and it makes a crackling sound which also soound a bit like sizzling. Is this safe? My last one didn’t do that.

Thanks all

Laura

Hi Laura,
I personally wouldn’t take a chance.

I have all these same problems with my Inspiron 1501 adapter. When the adapter is actually recognized and charges, the system still constantly crashes. I definitely will not be getting a Dell next time.

I have a Dell Inspiron 6400 and have had the ‘hit F2′ and ac plug slipping out of the motherboard jack problem since purchase. My laptop also tends to get quite warm on the bottom.

I have a Dell 1501 and in less than two years have had it worked on three times. It is currently in the shop. My ac adaptor never stays in. It recently quck acknowleding that it was even plugged in. of course the batter y drained and now will not turn on at all. They want to replace the DC adaptor for $140. The part is only $15 bucks or so. I have no idea how to do it myselft and am sick of Dell not standing behind the crap they sell.

Hello All!
I purchased the legendary Dell inspiron 5150 and had the same issue with the adapter being loose! Everyone will tell you that you need a new adapter jack which does holds the the adapter input more securely but all you really need to do is take a pair of pliers and put them on the edge of the ac adapter input (make sure the adapter is unplugged first!) and squeeze lightly! then go and plug it into the laptop to see if its secure enough for you! If not then repeat step until you are satisfied with the fit! Worked for me and even solved my charging issue I had with the unit! I also tried it on a friends laptop and it worked for them! Anyways I hope this help those of you who need help on this issue!

Adrian