Dell replacement battery

bossymommy

Hi. The battery has died on my Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop :-(. Well, i am presuming it has after i get the message "plugged in not charging". Am i best off buying a genuine Dell battery or does it matter if i just buy a cheaper version? Am just worried that a cheap version could damage my laptop. Thanks

satyc

Hi
I had the same problem on my daughters laptop, i replaced the battery with an original, off ebay, but is still not charging(reads 4% not charging). However the battery charges on a different dell, same model 1545. After googling the problem apparently you have to update the bios. I havent done this yet as I have been told that it could lead to more problems. This appears to be a common fault with the Dell 1545 and 1525 models. I am waiting for feedback before I update the bios. The battery was an original from ebay @ £40, replacement ones cost approx £27, so worth the extra £13 Will let you know if updating the bios works.

davb

satyc wrote: »

Hi
I had the same problem on my daughters laptop, i replaced the battery with an original, off ebay, but is still not charging(reads 4% not charging). However the battery charges on a different dell, same model 1545. After googling the problem apparently you have to update the bios. I havent done this yet as I have been told that it could lead to more problems. This appears to be a common fault with the Dell 1545 and 1525 models. I am waiting for feedback before I update the bios. The battery was an original from ebay @ £40, replacement ones cost approx £27, so worth the extra £13 Will let you know if updating the bios works.

It's more likely to be a faulty charger, they do fail quite often on Dell's.
Can you try the charger off the other 1545, after of course checking they are the same rating.

CoolHotCold

davb wrote: »

It's more likely to be a faulty charger, they do fail quite often on Dell's.
Can you try the charger off the other 1545, after of course checking they are the same rating.

Just to expand, if the charger fails / the identity chip inside fails then Dells will refuse to charge the battery if it can't recognised the charger. Which means if the PSU is faulty/id chip blown then the battery won't charge. It is a well known problem and a BIOS update is available from dell However you have to be above 25% battery power to apply BIOS update last time I checked.

satyc

Hi
The charger works on the other laptop so that was discounted as the problem, am going to charge the battery up to >25% and update the bios.
Thanks

bossymommy

davb wrote: »

It's more likely to be a faulty charger, they do fail quite often on Dell's.
Can you try the charger off the other 1545, after of course checking they are the same rating.

The charger i have isnt an original, as the original broke before the warranty with Dell ran out, and they sent a replacement battery. Then was having same problem a few months later and that was when i bought the cheap charger. Has been working fine for a few months but no won't charge. I just presumed it was the battery as the charger lights up and says plugged in not charging. If it was the BIOS settings wouldnt i have had to update these when i bought the last charger for it to work? Cannot update the BIOS now as battery is 0% and dont know anyone else who has same laptop to charge it up for me :-(. Should i just buy a new charger and hope it charges the battery for me so i can update BIOS?

satyc

I don't think it's your replacement charger, and wouldnt want to waste money on a new one especially if it doesnt cure the problem. I am going to update the bios over the weekend and will let you know if it works. But google 'dell 1545 battery not charging' and you will see it's a common fault and nothing to do with the actual charger.

davb

bossymommy wrote: »

The charger i have isnt an original, as the original broke before the warranty with Dell ran out, and they sent a replacement battery. Then was having same problem a few months later and that was when i bought the cheap charger. Has been working fine for a few months but no won't charge. I just presumed it was the battery as the charger lights up and says plugged in not charging. If it was the BIOS settings wouldnt i have had to update these when i bought the last charger for it to work? Cannot update the BIOS now as battery is 0% and dont know anyone else who has same laptop to charge it up for me :-(. Should i just buy a new charger and hope it charges the battery for me so i can update BIOS?

I wouldn't go for a new charger just yet. I think things are getting a touch mixed up with having two problems in the same thread, and has strayed from your original post. If your battery is more than 18 months old, then it is quite likely to be failing now. It could be the charger as well, but it's not easy to tell which is the problem. Does the laptop run ok off the charger, the battery can be removed completely if needed.

CoolHotCold

Easy way to check
Boot into the BIOS and there is a Power setting, if the Charger reads Unknown, then its the charger at fault.

bossymommy

Yes have taken battery out last week and its runs fine. Have just gone into BIOS and its telling me that battery life is normal (its only about 6 months old), but charger is not recognised. Could this be due to the fact that it isnt a Dell charger?

CoolHotCold

Yes, it means the Battery won't charge if the PSU isn't recognised in BIOS