Hi. I have an Inspiron 1545 here in front of me, running Windows 7. BIOS updated.
I have an old replacement 65w AC adapter that works fine, but I had it replaced due to wear and tear caused by moving to and fro.
I ordered (from a 3rd party seller) 2 replacement adapters (to cut back on travel). They are the exact same Dell models as the old replacement with the same product number.
The problem is that when I plug in either new AC adapter, I get the dreaded message:
"The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and battery will not charge. This problem might be solved by:
-Ensure the plug is inserted completely for the best system operation
-Connect a Dell 65W AC adapter or higher."
The adapters' blue light comes on and the laptop will run on the AC power but doesn't charge the battery. It's a 1-2 month old battery and it works great. My old AC adapter still works fine. I get no error message and it charges the battery.
It seems to me like a bad product that should be returned/exchanged. Am I right, or does this problem go deeper?