M1210 9 Cell Battery Blues

I bought my M1210 (specs in sig) w/ a 9 cell battery last July and am having a few issues w/ the battery...

Even though my system is plugged in 99% o' the time, in the past few weeks, I get the "Your battery is not fully charging so get another one" error everytime I boot up and on a full charge, get maybe 30 minutes usage under WinXP. When running Ubuntu, it's even worse, with only about 10 minutes use.

Is it normal for a 9 cell to go wonky this fast? Am I really gonna be forced to pay nearly $200 for another battery that's just gonna go bad this fast?

Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated, so thanks in advance!

 

Since it's only 4 months old I would just call dell and get a replacement battery?

 

Call Dell, thats definitely not normal, had my M1210 since the start of the year and both my 9cells are perfectly fine

 

Just to make it clear...bought the system in July of 2006, i.e. last year.

Does that make any difference?

 

If you are still in warranty, ask them for a replacement. If not, 残念だけど、諦めろ...

 

No, that still sounds WAY off. My toshiba is plugged in 95% of the time its in use, and its standard battery(think its 6cell) can still hold a charge for nearly 3 hours.

Looks like you'll be on the hook for a replacement though, as i doubt they would replace it 1 and a half years after you bought it... unless you have completecare, and even then its unlikely.

 

Alot of things affect the deterioration of the battery. You might want to take a look at the Battery Guide-talks about batteries and has helpful advice.

 

yeah, i think your battery was improperly maintained. but they do go out at seemingly random times. if its under warranty, dell MAY replace it, but its not likely.

 

Just as a follow up, thanks to all of you who've offered advice.

I got in touch w/ Dell Japan Tech Support yesterday & they told me that the battery isn't covered under Complete Care, so I'll either need to a) send the entire computer to 'em to check the motherboard (not a possibility as I need my rig for work) or b) buy a new battery.

On the plus side though, the quote they gave me for a new 9 cell battery was only 9800 yen, which is sure a heckuva lot cheaper than any other price I've seen.

Once again, thanks everybody!



HH

 

I get close to 3hrs with a 6-Cell on Vista, therefore a 9-cell should do at least 4.5 hrs (with wear maybe 4hrs). I don’t know whether or not a battery should be covered under warranty (maybe not), but there is definitely something wrong with either the battery or the notebook for it to wear out in a year. Explain to them that this is not normal.

 

batteries have a cycle life of only a few hundred charges/recharges. You could, infact, kill the whole life of the battery in less than a year. Also, if you never take it off the wall to discharge, you can kill it too. so it IS normal for heavy use, or improper use.