Problem with alienware area 51

I think it's a M5500 or m5550, but i am not 100% sure. The problem is that I ordered a new battery and it worked the first time it was plugged in, but now it will start up and cut off (it also has a few more minor software problems). The local computer store in town said it was a software problem and it could possibly be that my windows XP was a counterfeit version (the computer was purchased off e-bay) and would not recognize the battery. I called Microsoft and purchased all the licenses for the XP and it still will not take the battery. I believe that it still has at least one, possibly a few more, full operating systems still on the hard drive due to the amount of space taken up on the hard drive. I have added nothing to it and it shows no large programs that I can find, but there are about 20 gigs taken up on an 80 gig hard drive. Should I have the hard drive completely wiped and try starting over with a new copy of XP? Also, if I do this, will I loose all of my alienware software features? Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

 

Hm. Check the battery connection - is it clogged with dust or similar?

When you say the notebook cuts off, do you mean that the machine will shut off if you unplug it?

 

I have checked for dust and debris on the connection and it doesn't seem to have anything on it. It will cut off when you unplug it, and will only turn the fans on for about a minute and cuts off. There are a few other miscellaneous software problems as well, so could wiping the hard drive solve it? Or do I need to take a different path? The old battery is just old and no good, but it every now and then will do similar things to what the new battery is doing.

 

if the XP was a custom version made for desktops using a utility like nlite, battery support could have been removed from the version. check your device manager and check if your battery is there. if it is, support is still valid.

Personally, when buying a used system, I'm not sure why you wouldn't reformat it. unless it had been given a clean format by a trustworthy source prior to purchase, I definitely would. esp. if the system is coming from something as shady as ebay.

with the battery, almost seems like the connections are fried. I'll have to take a closer look at docs to say where the problem could lie, but if the system won't power on for more than a second, it might be having a problem reading the battery state, and as soon as the system turns on, the BIOS thinks the battery is dead so it immediately powers off.

possible, but who knows. do you see post when you try to power-on without AC?

 

It will somewhat power without the AC but when, or if, it loads the screen it shuts off. I am taking it to the local store here in town to have the hard drive wiped to see if it will take care of it and a few other problems. I will be sure tell them I want a laptop version of windows. I will also get them to take a look at all the connections pertaining to the batter as well. Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated.