The battery in my computer is at 1% and it is plugged in, but it isn't charging. It just says plugged in, not charging. It has turned off a few times and said that the wattage of the ac power adapter couldn't be determined, but it usually goes away when I unplug and then plug back in the power cord. How do I fix this?
There may be a fault with the battery, the charger or both - or it could just be that the charging circuit has got confused.
Try shutting down the PC, remove the battery then press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. This will discharge any residual power and reset the charging circuitry. Now put the battery back in, reconnect the power cord but don't turn the PC on yet. Does the charging light come on? If so, leave it and see if it goes to a full charge.
If the charger is OK you should be able to run the PC on the charger alone, with the battery removed. Can you?
To check the health of the battery, open a command prompt and type:
powercfg /batteryreport
This will generate the file battery-report.html which you can click on to open and read in your browser. In particular, look to see if the full charge capacity is significantly lower than the design capacity.
To remove the battery, I would have to take the screws out. It is now saying that it is charging. It is at 40% and still charging.
Dell seem to use an ID connection in their power adapter cord in addition to the +/- power connections. If this pin is damaged or not connecting properly when plugged in it can cause the 'wattage of the ac power adapter couldn't be determined' messages. If this is your problem, then it may be in the cord plug or the socket on the PC, examine both carefully for signs of damage. See:
AC Adapter Error Message Occurs | Dell
Be sure you are using a Dell Power Adapter for that model. If it is not the correct power adapter, you will get that message.
Boot into Setup (Bios) and go to the Adapter Warning heading on the left side and Uncheck the box. If the charger is charging the battery, you will no longer get the message.
I found my spare charger and now it is charging!
It was working for a while, but I am having the same issue again with the spare charger.
It could be a damaged power socket on the PC, one of the possible causes given in the Dell link in my Post #6
It could also be a failing battery. A Battery Usage report may show if that's the case...
Generate Battery Usage Report in Windows 10
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