Dell Inspiron 1525 won't go!

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Hi all,
I was asked by a friend to look at his Dell Inspiron 1525 Laptop. He can’t get past the sign-in screen using Vista Home Premium.
Dell wants $70 to just take possession of it. Needless to say he was hoping I could determine the problem.

Now it no longer goes to the sign-in screen but instead gives the following message:
“The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined.
The battery may not charge.
The system will adjust the performance to match the power available.
Please connect a Dell 65W AC adapter or greater for best system performance.
To resolve this issue, try to reseat the power adapter.
Strike the F3 key (before the F1 or F2 key) if you do not want to see power warning message again.
Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility
Press F5 to run diagnostics.”

The power supply is in fact a 65 Watt Dell power supply that came with the unit. The power supply does in fact provide power by indicating the green pilot light on the brick. Also the screen pops up brighter as the power supply is plugged in.

Pressing the F1 key goes through the diagnostic with the following results:

Error code 3600:0749
Msg: AC_ADAPTER – Invalid AC adapter detected
Error Code: 0F00:075D
Msg: DISK_0 – Self-test Read Error

Pressing the F2 key only brings me back to the same message screen.

Ok, the problem and solution seem obvious, but I know from experience error codes don’t always tell the true cause or problem but only the symptom of another problem (kind of like the check engine light on cars).

My question is…do you think the power adapter is in fact defective or could the battery be defective? And will this cause the starting problem? The hard drive error does not concern me because I think that’s from repeated restarts without proper shut downs.

Can you suggest any other steps short of sending unit back to Dell?

Additional info…Can’t start in Safe Mode, all other diagnostics pass including memory, it’s possible to enter the Bios and make changes.

Thanks to any or all who reply.

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Norm, try taking the battery out of the picture and then plug the laptop in to see what response you get from that.

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If removing the battery fixes the problem then Dell lists new batteries. They are somewhat expensive. This site also shows new adapters, also somewhat expensive. Any chance you might know some one else with the proper adapter to try before laying out the cash, or perhaps a tech guy that would consider loaning one just to try? Dell’s are available at Best Buy, they are listed on their web site, or other retail outlets. If they might get an accessory sale they might let you check one at the store, perhaps even a battery. Worth a try.

Cheaper source: batteries and adapters.

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How old is the CMOS battery?

Dell has had a few battery and AC Adapter recalls …. here is a Google search
http://www.google.com/search?q=dell+battery+recall&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

These might also help ……
http://www.google.com/search?q=Error+code+3600%3A0749&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-133690-battery-not-charging-inspiron-1525#2

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=XOI&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=dell+battery+not+charging&aq=2&aqi=g6g-s1g3&aql=&oq=dell+battery&gs_rfai=

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Jerry, Ted, Tim,

Yes, I did try removing the battery and running the computer. Same results. And did advise my friend the suggestions as you all did about trying to get a loner power supply to test the unit.
I think this is one of those instances where you have to bite the bullet and let Dell have their way with you. Too bad the unit is only 2 years old and the friends kid needs it for school by months end.

Thanks guys for the good try.

Norm

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Jerry, Ted, Tim,

Yes, I did try removing the battery and running the computer. Same results. And did advise my friend the suggestions as you all did about trying to get a loner power supply to test the unit.
I think this is one of those instances where you have to bite the bullet and let Dell have their way with you. Too bad the unit is only 2 years old and the friends kid needs it for school by months end.

Thanks guys for the good try.

Norm

If there is a Best Buy close have him take it there before sending to Dell. May be easier and quicker. Worth a shot anyway.

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If you do decide to take it in, I would look for a local independent shop or Microcenter if you have one nearby. Best Buy’s Geek Squad is expensive and there have been many horror stories about unnecessary repairs, privacy violations, and lost computers.

Jerry

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If you do decide to take it in, I would look for a local independent shop or Microcenter if you have one nearby. Best Buy’s Geek Squad is expensive and there have been many horror stories about unnecessary repairs, privacy violations, and lost computers.

Jerry

I have to agree with you on this one. I was involved with a horror story about GEEK SQUAD. Let me bore with the details.
A co-worker happened to mention to me that he took his fairly new computer back to BB (GEEK SQUAD) to solve a problem. They told him his hard drive was cooked and needed replacement. They then charged him some large amount of money for that diagnosis to be put towards an even larger amount to replace the drive and OS. He declined until he could gather the money. I asked to let me see the computer. I did a full diagnosis and hard drive test. No problem with it. I then proceeded to fix the very minor problem he had ( I don’t recall the problem now) to put the machine in a like new condition without loss of data. Cost to him for my work? One 6 pack of imported Polish beer. He then asked if I would write a repair / diagnostic report and sign it, so he could go back to GEEK SQUAD to get a refund. I did. When he showed the clerk the report they denied a refund. He demanded to see the manager and loudly protest their policy and demanded to see the diagnostic report they did to his machine to prove a faulty hard drive. In the meantime a crowd started to gather around to hear the commotion. After reading my report showing that they did nothing to his machine and my full blown diagnostic and then threatening to report the store to the Attorney General Office they relented. As they handed him his refund they had the nerve to say they would give him a free system diagnostic to check my work!

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I have to agree with you on this one. I was involved with a horror story about GEEK SQUAD. Let me bore with the details.
A co-worker happened to mention to me that he took his fairly new computer back to BB (GEEK SQUAD) to solve a problem. They told him his hard drive was cooked and needed replacement. They then charged him some large amount of money for that diagnosis to be put towards an even larger amount to replace the drive and OS. He declined until he could gather the money. I asked to let me see the computer. I did a full diagnosis and hard drive test. No problem with it. I then proceeded to fix the very minor problem he had ( I don’t recall the problem now) to put the machine in a like new condition without loss of data. Cost to him for my work? One 6 pack of imported Polish beer. He then asked if I would write a repair / diagnostic report and sign it, so he could go back to GEEK SQUAD to get a refund. I did. When he showed the clerk the report they denied a refund. He demanded to see the manager and loudly protest their policy and demanded to see the diagnostic report they did to his machine to prove a faulty hard drive. In the meantime a crowd started to gather around to hear the commotion. After reading my report showing that they did nothing to his machine and my full blown diagnostic and then threatening to report the store to the Attorney General Office they relented. As they handed him his refund they had the nerve to say they would give him a free system diagnostic to check my work!

My advice was to see if they would loan an adapter for a few moments to check if the adapter was bad or not. Sorry if that was not clear.

In post #3: “Dell’s are available at Best Buy, they are listed on their web site, or other retail outlets. If they might get an accessory sale they might let you check one at the store, perhaps even a battery. Worth a try.”

In looking at the people some of these retailers employ as tech people, I would also not trust them to do a proper job. I would rather send to the Manufacturer. Dells may even be available at Staples or Walmart. It is possible they will let you try to rule out these items as the culprit.

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