M11x R1 - battery failure (am I the first?)

So, just recently i started having the dreaded hinge issue.. It was like my m11x was ripping itself in half everytime i opened it up.
Took some time, but I finally found a convenient time for the tech guy to come over and replace my screen/hinge.
He arrived, and quickly realized that he had the wrong screen. (I have the Gobi WWAN antenna and the replacement did not)
took about a week and he was back, and replaced the screen.
Everything was working fine, but the other day i had my battery charged at 100% and unplugged it from the AC. The laptop suddenly after about 8 minutes told me to switch to an external power source, and that the laptop was at 6% battery.
Thought it was a fluke, recharged, same thing.
My batter is a dud. I've had the laptop for about 6 months (i think). That didnt last long! Dell is sending me a replacement battery, but I truly hope this was a lemon, and the next one will last a little longer.. since I'll most likely be out of warranty by then.

I searched the internet for other people with battery failure, but was unable to find anything.
Am I the first? Sure hope we don't start hearing more reports of this anytime soon..

 

Well... If the battery was a dud, it's not Alienware's fault since the M11x batteries are manufactured by Samsung. Be grateful it died in the first year, actually, since now you get a fresh battery. It's inconvenient for a bit, but having a fresh battery that still has maximum capacity always makes me smile. Haha

 

I had a similar issue a few months back, Someone on these forums gave me instructions on how to fix it though, working like a charm since.

 

I've had both the hinge problem and now the battery issue popped up about two weeks ago. I've actually had to have the hinge replaced twice since getting mine (had it since launch).

 

Would you mind letting us in on how you fixed it?

My battery is also dead. I have a permanent red x over my battery icon that says "Consider Replacing Your Battery".

I called Dell for a replacement battery, and the rep was a complete jerk. I was at work, in no position to open up my M11x. The rep wouldn't send me a new unless I pulled the battery out, put it back in and updated my BIOS. While I was on the phone with him.

 

yeah sure,

remove the battery and power-cycle the system (push the power button for roughly 15-30 seconds to flush out any remaining charge/etc). Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then put the battery back in.

 

Thanks streather. I will try that this evening. Hopefully it works and I won't have to bother with Dell at all.

 

Ok, I tried that. It didn't work for me

I am pretty sure that is what Dell was going to have me try. So now I can call them and maybe get through the process a little quicker.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Put the battery in.
Boot into the bios screen.
Let it run until the computer shuts off.
Plug it in and boot into windows.
let the battery fully charge (Should take 1-2 hours)
See if it's fixed.

 

Ok, I will try that tonight. I will post what happens. Thanks tonkatrain

 

Mine started yesterday. Suggesting I replace the battery. I'll go through all the steps & then phone dell if needed. My left arrow key is hanging off now too.

 

So for those of you who have had batteries fail, how many were in the first year? Just curious. With the 11x I would imagine there is a tendency to utilize the system more on battery than say compared to the 17x simply due to size - this may account for batteries failing sooner with the 11x.

 

8 months of heavy usage for me.

 

I got mine on release, I wouldn't consider mine heavy usage, but I use it every day. Gonna try the fix now, will be calling Dell either way.

 

Do you guys with the battery issues keep your computers plugged in at all times? I once had an XPS M170 that I accidentally left plugged in for 2 weeks while I went on vacation. When I came back battery life was reduced from ~ 2 hours to...

FORTY FIVE seconds, From power button press to hibernating.

V Speculation V

Does the m11x have a battery bypass in that if the battery is full it wont charge it and send the power directly to the computer? I know that some newer hardware has that but if it doesn't leaving your m11x plugged in when the battery is already full may do it damage

^speculation^

 

OP here.
I eventually got the red x in windows that said "consider replacing your battery."
I called dell,and the repair guy came to my apt the next day and swapped the dead battery with a new one.
Works fine now..
Really hope this one dies before my 1st year is up ..

 

People with battery failures, did you game on battery/use the nVidia GPU/use the system heavily on battery?

 

I've had the exact same problem as OP - not meaning to hijack, just to contribute.

My screen started to fall off, making all the clicking, scraping, tearing noises. Had an engineer out to fix it (next day,came to my house - was impressed).

Since having the new screen, my battery life has gone from 6 hours (old screen) to about 60 seconds (new screen).

I know that batteries lose their capacity over time, but this was a dramatic change in battery life. I watched the battery icon in Win7 start at full charge and suddenly be under 5% - with nothing inbetween.

Most of what I did was plugged into the mains, often browse the internet on battery, and in rare cases game on battery.

From what I know about LiOn batteries, leaving them plugged into the mains shouldn't be an issue. I did sleep my laptop 90% of the time, which would drain the battery somewhat - but I don't think would explain the dramatic decrease in battery life.

I'm trying to figure out the link between the new screen and the dead battery - anyone have anymore info on this one?