This is the biggest community of people of general knowledge that I'm in contact with; if this is TO of topic, feel free to tell me.

Disclaimer: I SUCK at computers, soft-and hardware, so anyone trying to help me will probably need lots of patience

Now, with that out of the way:
A while ago I bought a new charger for my computer. The old one still works, when it feels like it (guessing it's loose contact), so I decided a new one is a good idea. The problem with the new charger is that, while the battery level doesn't excactly drop, it doesn't go up more than a few percent a week. That and it slows every process on the computer to a speed eqvivalent of manually flipping bits with a magnet. (not really, but you get my point. Most things are annoying to do, and games are outright impossible in approximately 2-3 fps). This basically renders my computer useless for random weeks which is a bit annoying :/

Any idea what the problem could be? One personal theory is some security setting, since the new charger is not by the same company as the computer.

Computer is a Dell with windows 10

Somewhere on the charger(s) is written what their output are (in Volt and Ampere). You must ensure that the output of the new charger matches the output of the old charger. If they differ from one another expect fucky behavior or that it straight up damages the battery or Mainboard of your laptop.

Lol, you might have a better chance of solving the problem by taking it to a technician than asking here.

According to this site, it seems that your new charger isn't of the right wattage, probably lower since A) it doesn't charge your battery at all and B) your Dell computer automatically decreases performance to make up for the lack of power.

NotMeNotYou said:
Somewhere on the charger(s) is written what their output are (in Volt and Ampere). You must ensure that the output of the new charger matches the output of the old charger. If they differ from one another expect fucky behavior or that it straight up damages the battery or Mainboard of your laptop.

The store checked it for me, and so did my dad, (who does not suck at computers), and so did I just again. It's the right voltage (19.5 V) and current (4.62 A).

TheGreatWolfgang said:
Lol, you might have a better chnace of solving the problem by taking it to a technician than asking here.

According to this site

Error 404, does the link work for you? I'll try again tomorrow, should really go to bed XD

New charger must be of same Voltage and Polarity, equal or higher Amperage (an of course same type of plug).

When you are not being mobile, take out the battery and plug it in like you do with desktop.

Troubleshooting low performance would be more efficient to technically oriented media, site where furries come looking for porn is not quite the best idea.

TheGreatWolfgang said:
Lol, you might have a better chnace of solving the problem by taking it to a technician than asking here.

...Nimmy is a professional, as are some of the users. I've actually got more help here than on hardware forums (those are so full of requests that most get overlooked).

Always makes me cringe when these threads pop up, someone gives a valid answer, then rest of the userbase ignores that and throw in a bunch of random guesses that generally amount to 'did you try rebooting?'

'did you try rebooting?'

yes

Now hopefully people will read that before 'helping' me.

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
The store checked it for me, and so did my dad, (who does not suck at computers), and so did I just again. It's the right voltage (19.5 V) and current (4.62 A).

Error 404, does the link work for you? I'll try again tomorrow, should really go to bed XD

Sorry about that, here
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2656319/laptop-slows-charging-plugged.html

I just randomly plucked the first link from google which seemed to fit your description. If that isn't the cause, it might be something wrong inside.

Genjar said:
...Nimmy is a professional, as are some of the users. I've actually got more help here than on hardware forums (those are so full of requests that most get overlooked).

I know, I didn't mean that in a way that users here don't know anything about hardware. Just saying it might be quicker to have it checked out by a professional in person than to take guesses as to what the problem is.

DelurC said:
New charger must be of same Voltage and Polarity

Polarity?

DelurC said:

When you are not being mobile, take out the battery and plug it in like you do with desktop.

Tried removing and re-attaching laptop battery with computer turned off if that's what you meant.

DelurC said:
(and of course same type of plug).

I'm not THAT bad at hardware XD

DelurC said:
When you are not being mobile, take out the battery and plug it in like you do with desktop.

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
Tried removing and re-attaching laptop battery with computer turned off if that's what you meant.

No, just remove the battery and use direct-power from the charger. Laptops are able to do that.

Genjar said:
...Nimmy is a professional, as are some of the users. I've actually got more help here than on hardware forums (those are so full of requests that most get overlooked).

Always makes me cringe when these threads pop up, someone gives a valid answer, then rest of the userbase ignores that and throw in a bunch of random guesses that generally amount to 'did you try rebooting?'

You'd be surprised how many things that fixes.
Computers are like magic, some times they work and sometimes they don't and you don't know why.

TheGreatWolfgang said:
No, just remove the battery and use direct-power from the charger. Laptops are able to do that.

The one reason why I say people to do that is, when it's plugged in electricity goes in the battery and when you are using it then from battery to laptop. So it's in and out all the time. If you think of it like a mechanical part its wear and tear. Though batteries do have a limited amount of charges before they "break". This is one of the things that reduces it.

Although, if power goes out laptop will shut down (but considering desktop does the same, I don't consider it a downside).

DelurC said:
You'd be surprised how many things that fixes.
Computers are like magic, some times they work and sometimes they don't and you don't know why.

Yes but 'did you try rebooting' has a tendency to appear a dozen times in threads like this, which I think is what genjar is refering to.

DelurC said:
The one reason why I say people to do that is, when it's plugged in electricity goes in the battery and when you are using it then from battery to laptop. So it's in and out all the time. If you think of it like a mechanical part its wear and tear. Though batteries do have a limited amount of charges before they "break". This is one of the things that reduces it.

Would be really surprised if the battery is the problem, since it works with the other charger, as long as the other charger is in the right mood.

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
Yes but 'did you try rebooting' has a tendency to appear a dozen times in threads like this, which I think is what genjar is refering to.

Would be really surprised if the battery is the problem, since it works with the other charger, as long as the other charger is in the right mood.

I didn't say battery is the issue, I just said that I say to people that they should remove the battery and plug it in like a desktop when you are laptop is not being carried around.

DelurC said:
I didn't say battery is the issue, I just said that I say to people that they should remove the battery and plug it in like a desktop when you are laptop is not being carried around.

Oh, you are speaking about in general, not specifically my problem. Well that's a good tip which I'll probably be to lazy to implement XD

If the computer still has the same issue without the battery in it, then it does help narrow down where the problem is.

Have you seen if the old charger still works?

troubleshooting takes some pretty interesting shapes.

I got no answers for you-- but this might help turn on some lightbulbs :)

SnowWolf said:
If the computer still has the same issue without the battery in it, then it does help narrow down where the problem is.

Will try when I get home.

SnowWolf said:
Have you seen if the old charger still works?

Sure, whenever it's the right phase of the moon and there are more male than female cockroaches facing Mecka in Moscow (I think it's loose contact) it works perfectly. Otherwise it just makes a wierd sound aproximately once every second I'll try some blood magic as well in case it's possessed, although there is a disturbing lack of goats in my hometown ..._{I'm just gonna shut up now}

SnowWolf said:
I got no answers for you-- but this might help turn on some lightbulbs :)

Maybe, I'll try. Thanks

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
Sure, whenever it's the right phase of the moon and there are more male than female cockroaches facing Mecka in Moscow (I think it's loose contact) it works perfectly. Otherwise it just makes a wierd sound aproximately once every second I'll try some blood magic as well in case it's possessed, although there is a disturbing lack of goats in my hometown ..._{I'm just gonna shut up now}

*gigglesnort!* For what it's worth, I feel ya. my phones' power cable looks like someone chewed on it or something and I've currently got it cradled in one of those plastic trays that come inside cookie packages, against a pillbottle. and any time I breath too hard, my computer says disconnect-reconnect-disconnect-reconnect-disconnect-reconnect-disconnect-reconnect-disconnect.

Good luck! I"ll try to nudge some male roaches Mecca-ward for you :)

Jolteons shouldn't need chargers for their laptops. Disappointing.

post #103975

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
Would be really surprised if the battery is the problem, since it works with the other charger, as long as the other charger is in the right mood.

If you can eliminate the battery as a problem, then the charger should be at fault.

Are you able to check if the charger provides constant power? The micro USB to USB cable that charges my phone decided regular one-foot adjustments were too much and now only works intermittently, as long as the cable and phone remain completely undisturbed in pre-approved positions. Otherwise, the connection/charging disconnects. I suspect the wires inside the cable are frayed or somehow stressed, maybe the shielding disintegrated or cracked somewhere. Flapping connections and beyond-spec overshoot, as my cable provides, are a good first step toward damaging connected components.

BatteryInfoView may say some helpful things, like the battery's current charge state and rate.

Hardware companies generally only want their customers to buy certified accessories through official sellers (that charge through the nose), because sketchy or incorrect aftermarket substitutes can damage their customers' products, generating avoidable or false warranty claims. Thus, those companies won't honor those warranties if they believe they can prove damage was caused by non-certified equipment. This is especially true for replacement batteries and chargers.

Even so, when I need a replacement part, I shop around, find out that Amazon/eBay are much cheaper than official sellers, pick out an aftermarket part on Amazon/eBay advertised as compatible for what I have (after establishing some credibility from product and seller reviews), and then order that. It's not much of a risk if you can spot the seemingly more credible products and sellers.

DelurC said:
New charger must be of same Voltage and Polarity, equal or higher Amperage (an of course same type of plug).

Most Dells come with a Dell connector that no-one else uses that's always the right voltage and polarity. Amperage varies but 4.62A is a common 90W adapter that should be more than enough to charge any of their laptops.

One personal theory is some security setting, since the new charger is not by the same company as the computer.

FWIW, there's ID chip in the adapter that the mobo talks to.

https://www.dell.com/community/General/3rd-party-adapter/td-p/3652670
http://techmonks.net/bypassing-the-dell-unrecognized-adapter-issue/

Maybe try another Dell adapter? Mostly it's either the cord that breaks near the plug, or the socket within the laptop. If you're lucky it's the cord in your adapter.

hslugs said:
Most Dells come with a Dell connector that no-one else uses that's always the right voltage and polarity. Amperage varies but 4.62A is a common 90W Dell adapter that should be more than enough to charge any of their laptops.

FWIW, there's ID chip in the adapter that the mobo talks to.

https://www.dell.com/community/General/3rd-party-adapter/td-p/3652670
http://techmonks.net/bypassing-the-dell-unrecognized-adapter-issue/

Maybe try another Dell adapter? Mostly it's either the cord that breaks near the plug, or the socket within the laptop. If you're lucky it's the cord in your adapter.

Soo basically my problem is that the people who made my computer are jerks. Although I have to admit it's a clever way of making people by their original chargers (honestly that's kind of what I thought about the potential 'security setting') Ugh, maybe I should just let dell may they burn in overheated harddrives win and by one of their chargers.

abadbird said:
Jolteons shouldn't need chargers for their laptops. Disappointing.

post #103975

_{Sorry, I suck at controlling my voltage '~'}

I haven't used a Dell laptop in the last 15, and apparently at some time they did start using a 1 wire network to check whether or not the plugged in charger is made from Dell or not. Their justification is that they want to ensure the charger is adequate to power the laptop so the hardware won't be damaged. In reality that is just another proprietary design to sell more of their own units.

TL;DR: You need a Dell approved charger or otherwise the computer throttles itself down "to protect itself".

NotMeNotYou said:
I haven't used a Dell laptop in the last 15, and apparently at some time they did start using a 1 wire network to check whether or not the plugged in charger is made from Dell or not. Their justification is that they want to ensure the charger is adequate to power the laptop so the hardware won't be damaged. In reality that is just another proprietary design to sell more of their own units.

TL;DR: You need a Dell approved charger or otherwise the computer throttles itself down "to protect itself".

_yay
Ah well, at least I know what the problem is, thx guys =^.^=

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
Ah well, at least I know what the problem is,

You don't until you fix it lol. And sometimes not even then.

I don't like the story so far, those ID chips are easy to spoof and I would expect any Chinese knock-off manufacturer worth their salt to have one in their adapters by now. Maybe you've got a crappy replacement, but maybe the chip is there but your socket is broken and there's no contact in that flimsy central pin.

https://hackaday.com/2014/03/03/hacking-dell-laptop-charger-identification/

Try to check it with adapter known to be good. Like borrow one, or bring the laptop to a shop that has them.

hslugs said:
You don't until you fix it lol. And sometimes not even then.

I don't like the story so far, those ID chips are easy to spoof and I would expect any Chinese knock-off manufacturer worth their salt to have one in their adapters by now. Maybe you've got a crappy replacement, but maybe the chip is there but your socket is broken and there's no contact in that flimsy central pin.

https://hackaday.com/2014/03/03/hacking-dell-laptop-charger-identification/

Try to check it with adapter known to be good. Like borrow one, or bring the laptop to a shop that has them.

Everything can be faked, and while the socket itself might be faulty I wouldn't trust a Chinese knock off manufacturer to actually make a charger able to supply steady power.

Edit: He also said it still works fine with his old charger, so it definitely isn't the socket itself.

hslugs said:
You don't until you fix it lol. And sometimes not even then.

I don't like the story so far, those ID chips are easy to spoof and I would expect any Chinese knock-off manufacturer worth their salt to have one in their adapters by now. Maybe you've got a crappy replacement, but maybe the chip is there but your socket is broken and there's no contact in that flimsy central pin.

https://hackaday.com/2014/03/03/hacking-dell-laptop-charger-identification/

Try to check it with adapter known to be good. Like borrow one, or bring the laptop to a shop that has them.

I think you missed part of what I said:

MyNameIsOver20charac said:

Disclaimer: I SUCK at computers, soft-and hardware

You said your charger and PC are different right?

Check for how many ampers an volts the charger charges with, and then check how mane amps and volts your computer supports.
For the PC it's on the back.
And the charger on the power brick [Big rectangle heavy box thing that is in between the Two parts of your charger wire].
If the charger gives less than the PC I don't know what your problem is.
But if the charger gives more than your PC can take than you just oversolicitated the battery and you just need to change it.
It can also be another problem but if you change the battery it will most probably fix your problem.

Hope it's helpful bye.

DuUNuDaWay said:
You said your charger and PC are different right?

Check for how many ampers an volts the charger charges with, and then check how mane amps and volts your computer supports.
For the PC it's on the back.
And the charger on the power brick [Big rectangle heavy box thing that is in between the Two parts of your charger wire].
If the charger gives less than the PC I don't know what your problem is.
But if the charger gives more than your PC can take than you just oversolicitated the battery and you just need to change it.
It can also be another problem but if you change the battery it will most probably fix your problem.

Hope it's helpful bye.

Charger can be infinite amps (and therefore watts) It will draw only as much as it needs.
On the other hand, if charger is lower, it won't be able to draw as much as it needs.

DuUNuDaWay said:
You said your charger and PC are different right?

Check for how many ampers an volts the charger charges with, and then check how mane amps and volts your computer supports.
For the PC it's on the back.
And the charger on the power brick [Big rectangle heavy box thing that is in between the Two parts of your charger wire].
If the charger gives less than the PC I don't know what your problem is.
But if the charger gives more than your PC can take than you just oversolicitated the battery and you just need to change it.
It can also be another problem but if you change the battery it will most probably fix your problem.

Hope it's helpful bye.

Sigh...

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
The store checked it for me, and so did my dad, (who does not suck at computers), and so did I just again. It's the right voltage (19.5 V) and current (4.62 A).

Plz read the rest of the thread before trying to help. It's the same as the old charger, which worked.

Didn't you ever watch Homestar Runner? If not then take Strong Bad's advice: "technology is another word for "magic"...and if it breaks you buy a new one!"

Literally just buy a new charger, and hope to god you didn't permanently damage your computer by using the shitty one for so long (weeks? Really?). Make sure it's the exact same charger as the original...I don't know why people eff around with buying off-brand shit then act surprised when it starts acting up. If you care you buy OEM parts, end of story.

Dyrone said:
Didn't you ever watch Homestar Runner? If not then take Strong Bad's advice: "technology is another word for "magic"...and if it breaks you buy a new one!"

Literally just buy a new charger, and hope to god you didn't permanently damage your computer by using the shitty one for so long (weeks? Really?). Make sure it's the exact same charger as the original...I don't know why people eff around with buying off-brand shit then act surprised when it starts acting up. If you care you buy OEM parts, end of story.

Honesyly just got the first compatible (or so I thought) charger I could find, will look more carefully next time.