Severe AC problem.

My M17xR2 has always been slow to switch over to AC power, and the time between plugging it in and it actually saying that it switched to AC power became longer and longer. During that time, the computer runs extremely slowly- it's basically impossible to get anything done while it's like that.

Now, it won't EVER switch to AC power, and it sits there with the icon still saying it's only using battery power. The percentage of battery life does not go down, but it goes into the ridiculously sluggish state.

My power adapter can wobble around inside the computer some, so my guess is that I just need a new power cord.

But could this be a problem with the computer itself? I want to make sure before I go buying a new cord or trying to deal with Dell support to get them to ship me a new one.

Thanks

--- and yes, I'm using A10 BIOS, have tried holding the power button for 30 seconds without the battery or being plugged in, and I have rebooted many times. The problem remains.

 

Is that detection strictly BIOS or is it in Windows as well? May need a fresh install if Windows controls any part of it.

 

Run ThrottleStop and make sure your CPU is not throttling. The CMod and Chip columns in ThrottleStop should both be showing 100.0. If it shows anything less, that's throttling and you can use ThrottleStop to fix that problem.

Some Dells use clock modulation throttling when your power adapter is not charging the battery properly so your computer will feel very sluggish like you are experiencing.

 

Dear Throttlestop man,

Please hax sandy bridge so we can all haz throttlestops. Kthx

 

Thank you so much! ThrottleStop completely fixed the lagging problem.

My computer still won't change to AC power or charge the battery, but at least now I can operate at full speed.

 

For your charging problem try flashing the A10 BIOS.
It's a known issue, also take a look here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ugged-not-charging-fix-discussion-thread.html