This is my first post and I'm computer-knowledable but not at geek level - I'd appreciate any/all help on this...

A month or so ago I noticed that my Dell Inspiron 8000 laptop was really hot on the bottom where the battery is and I didn't want to pay the money to replace the battery right then so I popped it out and ran the computer strictly from the AC adapter.

A week ago the computer started shutting itself off - I happened to be working on it once when it happened and noticed a quick message about the battery being low and that the computer should be switched to AC mode - and then it shut off. Then it quit starting at all - pushing the power button produces no reaction even though the AC adapter is plugged in.

I've done some basic debugging using a matching battery and AC adapter from another Inspiron and have figured out this much:

1) with a charged battery, the problem computer will power up
2) another computer will NOT power up with the AC adapter from the problem computer
3) the problem computer will NOT power up with an AC adapter that WILL power up the other computer

It appears to me that the computer is not receiving power from the adapter. But it also seems to be a combination of a bad AC adapter and a bad power connector on the back of the laptop (I don't know what you call that plugin). It does seem odd that both problems surfaced at the same time. A quick call to Dell tech support indicated that replacing the power connector on the back of the laptop requires a new motherboard at a cost of more than $500.

Can someone tell me:
- does replacing the power plugin on the computer really require a new motherboard?
- could something else be going on here that I'm not aware of?

Thanks for your help.

I'd say your best bet is to contact Dell, as there seem to be multiple problems.

Also, it's best to have the battery in the lapppy while you use the AC adapter, as in this setup, the computer receives power from the battery and the adapter continually recharges the battery. This makes it less susceptible to voltage spikes which could fry your lappy.

I figured out the problem over the weekend. There were 2 things going on:

1. Dell had recalled the adapter and I received a replacement adapter, which worked fine in the second computer. That resolved the adapter side of it.

2. When I went to plug the new adapter in to the problem computer, I couldn't get it fully seated. That was when I noticed that two of the pins in the connector were bent. (Evidently with the old adapter, the pins were still able to fit into the plug.) I straightened out the pins, plugged in the new adapter, and the computer received power.

Since Dell tech support had told me that to replace the power connector I needed to replace the motherboard (at a cost of about $575 through them), I am very happy. I've also noticed that the battery is no longer getting hot, so I'm leaving the battery in as well.

Glad you solved your problem