The Official Computer Tech Support Thread

[Burning Down]

Originally Posted by Stephen

It's not on some Unicode setting is it?

I don't know because the external keyboard that I plugged into it worked fine.

[Trollheart]

I'm assuming you checked for viruses? What about reinstalling the motherboard drivers?

[Mondo Bungle]

Lately my laptop has been randomly saying the battery is discharging even when it's plugged in, and when it does that the light starts flashing red. It started yesterday, If I unplugged the charger and plugged it back in it'd be normal, but today it's gotten much more persistent.

I left it on for weeks at a time, not a good idea I know, and turned it off last night and while I was at school today. It performs the same, it's not hot (at least not right now), I dunno.

[Mondo Bungle]

Well now it's doing it every time I plug it back in

[Plankton]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Well now it's doing it every time I plug it back in

Try a new charger first, but my guess would be that the battery is going. Take it to a place that sells them and pop a new one in to see.

[Burning Down]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Lately my laptop has been randomly saying the battery is discharging even when it's plugged in, and when it does that the light starts flashing red. It started yesterday, If I unplugged the charger and plugged it back in it'd be normal, but today it's gotten much more persistent.

I left it on for weeks at a time, not a good idea I know, and turned it off last night and while I was at school today. It performs the same, it's not hot (at least not right now), I dunno.

Sounds like the battery is dying. Like on it's way out. How old is the computer and is the battery original to it?

I had the exact same problem last month and I ordered a new battery online. No issues now.

[taylorzach]

Yeah, probably a dead battery. What kind of computer is it?

[Mondo Bungle]

It's a Dell inspiron mini. The battery has been in it the whole time. It's like three years old at most.

[Stephen]

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation but worth a shot I guess. Found this in a Google search.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 - Battery Not Working

I have been working on this issue with my friends Mini 9 for a couple of weeks now. The only answer on the forums is to update the BIOS to A04. I did the update, but it did not fix the issue. It has been very frustrating, as no one seemed to have a solution. Last night I stumbled across another blog that gave me the answer.

THE REASON: The reason that the battery is not charging, is because the OS (Ubuntu) thinks that it is in Airplane Mode. When in Airplane Mode, the battery will not charge.

THE FIX: Make sure that Airplane Mode is NOT enabled. Go to System -> Preferences -> Airplane Mode.

NOTE: When I first checked my friends Mini 9, it said that Airplane Mode was not enabled. I wanted to make sure though, so I enabled it, and then disabled it. The OS immediately saw the changes and began charging the battery. The Mini 9 now has no problem charging at all.

[djchameleon]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

It's a Dell inspiron mini. The battery has been in it the whole time. It's like three years old at most.

that sounds about right. It's around the time that you need to start replacing the battery depending on how you used your laptop.