Hi, I've had this problem for awhile now. I would just like to point out it is not a battery issue as I have tried 3 different batteries. When the Adapter is plugged in I get the message AC Adapter = Unknown Device Installed if I unplug AC Adapter = none My battery no longer charges and has discharged to below the 10% level so I cannot update the BIOS. I never had this problem before it just all of a sudden stopped working. My dell warranty is expired so I would like to solve this problem myself if possible. Could it be a SW issue? Install Windows 95 Without Floppy Disk there. Is there a none dell AC Adapter I can use to see if the power cord is the issue without having to buy one from dell?

A replacement battery from Dell; my sister's battery and power. Now it also reads my battery in the BIOS and does not say Unknown device Installed like it did before. Dell ac adapter unknown device installed in BIOS - Dell Inspiron 1501 Notebook question. Search Fixya. Try charging the battery on one of the other dell's. Unknown device in device manager Hey. I clean installed Vista 32 bit and when I saw under Device Manager. Or Dell Battery unknown device on device manager. AC Adapter Won't Charge Battery. Unknown device installed.' And slow to no charging of the battery. Dells only work properly with Dell batteries and.

DELL uses the for it's laptops. The laptop communicates with AC adapter and battery.

If communication fails somehow - battery is not charged. The AC Adapter could not be determined is a well known symptom - The cause is it either a dead ID chip in the AC adapter, a broken cable, adapter plug, loose power jack or dead charge circuirty on the MOBO. Most common are dead ID chip and loose power jack. Less are MOBO and broken cable, adapter plug. However, origin lays in the laptop design - especially for the dead ID chip and MOBO failure.

Hindi Indic Input. Battery charging shutdown by the laptop happens also when it's powered down - a part of BIOS seems to be running in a micro-controller in the lower dungeons. Changing (Phoenix) BIOS is a seriously complex hack with the possibility of bricking your laptop (forever).

Laptopnomad, Thanks for input. I am curious how the AC Adapter can supply power so I may use this laptop (I am writing with the failed unit right now), yet not be recognized. Is there a way/site to see the steps of inspecting the jack [Dell Inspiron 6000] (I am a hardware mainframe logic specialist by degree/experience)? Is there a way to inspect the ID chip info? Is booting BIOS from a CD to see if it can be resolved the serious hack method you warn of? Is there any other software step besides extended diag, confirming no IRQ conflicts, setup default, AC Adapter inspection?

Could a bad battery (although new replacement from DELL) be a subject in this mystery? Thanks for a reply, PS.

Kimsland9 I posted this note way before I heard from you to not post two places. I had asked a hardware question in hardware group, not your software group.

• If the motherboard has ever been replaced, check the service tag section of the BIOS. If it is blank, enter the service tag off the bottom of the system. (The charging circuit will not work without it.) • Also in the BIOS see if the AC adapter is identified or is listed as UNKNOWN. If the system cannot ID the adapter as a Dell Branded AC adapter 90w or larger, then the charger is again disabled. If unknown, check the barrel end of the DC jack of the adapter for the fine wire in the center, if broken or bent, then the adapter is not identified. • Try with a different Dell branded 90w or larger D or E series adapter. If all the above make no difference, and the Adapter is recognized, the battery may be at fault.