Dell inspiron 7577 OEM battery not recognized

lbeck · 07 Sep 2022

A few months ago I replaced the battery in my Dell inspiron 7577 laptop. It ran for a few months (used maybe 10 hours on 3-4 occasions) and now on booting my laptop it claims that no battery is installed. I opened the case and all connections are solid. Contacted Dell support and after a chat where I gave pertinent information the chat agent notified me that I needed to pay for support. I'm not through with DIY options.

My laptop runs fine with external power supply. How can I determine the problem and hopefully solve it? I'll happily supply additional information.

Try3 · 07 Sep 2022

There is some guidance about re-installing the battery driver in nopivnick's post in
delete battery drivers - MSAForum
I've seen similar guidance in TenForums but didn't keep any links.

Best of luck,
Denis

lbeck · 08 Sep 2022

Thanks for your attempt at helping. But my problem doesn't match the URL that you provided "laptop shutting down before battery is low". Anyway, I read through the posts and tried the suggestion:

Go to Control Panel > System, then select ‘Device Manager’ from the left pane.
Expand the ‘Batteries’ section. A list of devices will appear. Look for the ‘Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery’.
Right-click on the device, and select ‘Uninstall’. Windows will prompt you to confirm the device's uninstallation. Click ‘OK’ to uninstall the driver.
After the uninstallation is complete, reboot your computer as soon as possible (Windows will automatically detect and reinstall the drivers upon reboot).
Power off your laptop and allow it to charge at least 8 hours or until it is fully charged, while it is powered off (not sleeping/hibernating).
Unplug its power adapter, then power on your laptop and use your laptop battery until it depletes its battery.
Fully charge your laptop again in order to recalibrate the charging sensor.

I've followed the instructions above but the issue persists. Not being critical, and I do appreciate your attampt at helping, but I'm still needing help.

Try3 · 08 Sep 2022

Reinstalling the battery driver is the only part of that post that I drew your attention to.

Try3 said:

There is some guidance about re-installing the battery driver in nopivnick's post in
delete battery drivers - MSAForum

I don't think your steps 5-7 are relevant to your reported symptoms.

Reinstalling the battery driver is the only response I know of that might prove relevant to your problem if it is, indeed, a software problem.
Perhaps Dell user forums have some guidance on similar problems?

If it's not the driver then perhaps there is a hardware problem. The battery management system is a sophisticated piece of kit that sits between the computer and the battery so perhaps it is defective.
I don't know if any built-in Dell diagnostics are capable of yielding additional useful information.
Resolve Hardware Issues With Built-in and Online Diagnostics (SupportAssist ePSA, ePSA or PSA Error Codes) - Dell
What are the SupportAssist ePSA, ePSA and PSA diagnostics - Del l
How to Run the LCD Built-in Self-Test on a Dell Laptop - Dell
How to Enter the Built-in Diagnostics (32-bit Diagnostics, SupportAssist ePSA, ePSA, and PSA) - Dell

Denis

lbeck · 10 Sep 2022

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions. Nothing has worked and my laptop continues to claim that a battery is not installed.

I've reinstalled the driver and uninstalled/reinstalled the Dell OEM battery, making sure that the connectors to the battery and to the motherboard are fully seated. I've tried to return the battery but an automated message from the seller (iannicho_0) says that the battery is no longer being sold by them and the return window is closed. EBAY is no help either.

I've spent way too much time on this so I'm "throwing in the towel." (quitting). I'll take the laptop to a computer repair shop that I've used in the past with success. They'll likely replace the battery with one sold by Dell and with their bench charge I'll probably have a bill for at least $200 - still much less expensive than replacing the computer. Buying the battery from the eBay seller was about $40 and my labor for myself is free.

Anyway, thanks for your assistance.

Try3 · 10 Sep 2022

Sorry I couldn't help.

I hope the repairer tells you exactly what the problem is so you can post back later.

All the best,
And thanks for the rep,
Denis

fireberd · 11 Sep 2022

Most cases we see on the Dell forums are defective batteries.

There are a lot of fake "Dell OEM" batteries around and another problem.

HERE is the only place we suggest for genuine Dell OEM parts

I have a similar Dell, Inspiron 15 5577

Try3 · 11 Sep 2022

fireberd said:

Most cases we see on the Dell forums are defective batteries.

I know you have a lot more experience than I do in dealing with Dell battery problems but can I please just check my understanding -

Fake batteries can cause the no battery installed fault that lbeck has encountered?
So there is no particular reason to suspect any other fault in the computer?

All the best,
Denis

TV2 · 11 Sep 2022

Yes, fake batteries can cause problems, including the no battery installed condition.
So can a defective, damaged, or aging real OEM battery.

If you take a laptop battery apart, you will find inside the plastic casing 2, 3, or 4 "cells", which look exactly like slightly oversized AA batteries. These are connected in a row with a long aluminum strip completing the circuit. The array is attached to a small circuit board that outputs to the connector terminal on the outside of the battery.

Just looking at the configuration I believe that the circuit board provides the information from the battery to the PC.

My understanding is that when someone makes a fake OEM battery they open the case and replace the spent cells with new ones, then carefully gluing everything back together. If they are being careful they will try and match the new cell's specs to the old cell's exactly, but I'd think in most cases they just use whatever is available and is cheapest.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of points of failure involved in this process. It's amazing they work at all!

TV2 · 11 Sep 2022

Oh - a safety note:
If anyone is curious and wants to see any of this for yourself, please do so outside and on a non-flammable surface. If you are not careful in taking things apart and the array short circuits it can overheat and catch fire surprisingly fast.

Don't ask me how I know this!