Maybe some of you computer people can help me with this one.

Yesterday my Dell Latitude E6400 started saying it was not charging. When I restarted it, it said to connect a dell charger because the wattage could not be verified or something like that. I need it for school and I have dropped a lot on school and books the past few days so this needs to get me through for a bit. It was the computer that the school offered through Dell back in 2009 when I was a freshman. Every Dell we have purchased through the school (brothers and mom's) crashed at the 3 year mark. Mine is about 3 now so I'm getting nervous and will be buying a new laptop, but not for a couple of months.

Apparently these crap Dells ($900 ) are notorious for this. So I unplugged the battery this morning and it works off just ac power (that's what I am doing now). Last night I jiggled it and the battery started charging. Does that mean the battery is bad? When I had the battery in and the cord plugged in, it said "Plugged in, not charging). Yes I know the shortcut key to turn charging on and off and that is not the issue.

Also my touch pad stopped working. The software is on, but it does not work. It appears to be another quirk and has been intermittent since I got it. Any ideas on that? The icon in my tool bar would glow blue if I touched the pad. Now it does not ever since it quit the other day.

 

Is it a Dell PA-10 or PA-12 Charger(round end with a needle in the middle)? If so more than likely its the charger, i have had several problems with these chargers and a new one usually takes care of the plugged in not charging problem.

Also If it has Vista on it that is a known problem for the plugged in not charging. If you type it in google there are some steps you can follow and it may also fix your problem. My bet is on the charger though.

 

FWIW, I have a 5+- year old Dell Latitude with XP, but don't use it much anymore.

On mine, first the charger went bad. If you accidentally bend the cord that goes from the transformer to the computer (very easy to do), the little wire threads close to the transformer can get torn. Found a used charger on Craigslist for like $20.

At that time, I discovered the Dell PA-10 and PA-12 chragers are pretty much interchangeable. I think the only difference is one has a 3 prong grounded outlet to plug into the wall, while the other is a 2 prong. Same voltage, etc...

While my charger was out of action, I found out that there was a Dell software bug on my model that prevented you from charging the battery when the battery got really really low, like under 5%. Dell simply would not let the battery charge again until I updated the BIOS of the computer. Total PITA identifying the problem. Thanks, Dell.

At about 4 years old, my battery died completely and the computer would only run when plugged in to the wall. Just not worth it to buy a new battery from Dell.

Had a few other issues with that machine dating back to when it was new. My experience with that computer and Dell customer support was mixed, to say the least. Sometimes Dell was great. Other times they were simply horrible.

 

There is a difference on the 2 chargers. The PA-10 is 4.62 amps,90 watts. PA-12 is 3.34 amp and 65 watts.

 

Thanks for the clarification, KRC.

My guess is for most Dell laptops of that generation, either one will work, but the 90 watt model is preferred.

 

Your right, either one will work.

 

It's a PA-12 and I talked to IT at school as well. I looked earlier and my warranty is good for another 1.5 years so I'm going to get everything fixed. I'm going to pull a fit and make sure I get what I need covered. This is bull**** for how much I paid. The tech thinks the touch pad is bad so I just need to grab my Dell cds from home and give them it all tomorrow and I'll get a loaner. They are going to replace it. I replaced the HD 2 months after getting it in '09 because I tripped over the cord accidentally and they shipped it to me in 24 hours. Their service has been incredible when I've needed it. For this, the school IT center should be good, but if they have to send me Dell's way, I'll see what I can do. I also have a crack in the lower plastic part of my screen, I wonder if that is something Dell will replace?

 

When my screen went out under a business warranty, Dell sent me a DHL box within an hour after I got off the phone with them. Put the computer in the box, and DHL took it away and sent it across the country to like Knoxville or somewhere.

Within 24 hours, the repaired computer was back in my hands! I could not believe it. Single most impressive exampe of service I ever got from a computer company.

Of course, Dell has also dropped the ball many many many times when I've attempted to get support over the phone.

The company is incredibly inconsistant when it comes to service.

 

That'simpressive Dave! Iwent to IT on campus this amandthey gave me a nice loaner. He noted the battery issue, the touch pad and the cracked bezel around the screen. Hopefully it all gets taken care of. They are really nice about stuff at the IT here... student run.