Power adapter not recognized  

it means one of 2 things:

bad ac adapter, or bad motherboard.

look at the power adapter plug and make sure the wire doesnt look open, make sure the pin is not bent inside the plug, or make sure everything looks ok on the power connector on the laptop. when i had my 9100 i replaced the ac adapter and still had the problem so dell ended up replacing the motherboard and that solved the problem. hopefully for you it just means a new ac adapter, and it doesnt cost no more then $30 on ebay.

Mine does this periodically and is annoying, but it doesn't pose any real problem. I just make sure the cord (the one attached) is seated in the brick. I understand that others had had their power bricks replaced while still under warranty because of this issue (cord becoming detached). I'm planning on doing that before my warranty runs out.

dell will only replace the ac adapter if it is with in one year of date of purchase. it doesnt matter if you have extended warranty or not the ac adapter and battery are only covered for 1 year with them period. i tried to get them to send me a new ac adapter when i had my issues with that laptop and they said no, so i had to buy one myself to prove them wrong and that problem was with motherboard!

My M170 says that at startup if the adapter isn't pushed into the computer all the way... Even if it is just a little out of place. Annoying.

for me it was an adapter

I had the same problem. I would get the weird error message about the adapter when booting up, and then everything would run fine. However, I realized that the laptop batter would NOT charge. This was a problem. I contacted Dell and they told me that it was most likely a bad motherboard. Since my lappie was out of warranty, I decided to try a new A/C adapter first, before assuming that the problem was with the motherboard. Once I plugged the new adapter in, the problem was SOLVED. I can't gaurantee that you will have the same success, but if a new adapter works for you, you can end up saving a lot of money. Another option is to borrow an adapter from a friend with the same computer, or buy the adapter from a store that will let you return it. Even if you end up having to pay a restocking fee, it might be worth it. I assume that fixing a motherboard would cost much more, and if the problem is ultimately with the adapter, fixing the motherboard won't fix it.
good luck.

yes, dell tech support is open 24/7. when you call them explain that you went to their website and there is an area that explains what to do regarding your laptop reading this error at post and if you have quickset installed when you install the ac adapter when windows is open. advise that you had replaced the adapter already thinking this was the problem but unfortunately it didnt fix the problem. (if you do not tell them you have already replaced this part they will not do nothing else for you till you do) they will immediately tell you that the problem lies with the adapter and that the adapter and battery are only covered for 1 year from date of purchase regardless of your extended warranty that you have. they will then tell you if you contine to have the same problem to call them back then and they will then be able do further troubleshooting and will eventually state that the problem lies with the motherboard and tech will come out. i am only telling you this so you can save yourself the heartache i went through. (just keep in mind if the motherboard is replaced and you still have the same issue then you will just need to purchase the adapter on ebay or somewhere) i bought mine on ebay for $30 2 months ago but now it is just sitting here as dell gave me a different computer. sorry for the long post but wanted to be detailed to help you out!

your welcome! here is the info on dells website that tells you what to do regarding the power adapter reading incorrectly. its a step by step on what to do and is bascially what you will do when you call them. let us know what the outcome is!

http://support.dell.com/support/topi...5E96AF0BA26C5F

I had this problem on my 8600, and not only the battery won't get charged, but also the cpu is running at half of the capable speed. I borrowed a friends adapter and it does not do it, so I know it is the problem with the motherboard, and it costs more to get a used 8600 on ebay.

Usually its the Adapter. Ive seen this problem with most of the ones people buy on eBay so your better off buying from a reputable source or DELL itself.

With so many with the same issue - over and over again - here's why the AC Adapters / Motherboards for a range of DELL Laptops keep dying.

The design of the hardware circuitry for identification of the DELL AC Adapter is seriously flawed. The root cause is the use of an UNSHIELDED cable between the controller chip on the Mother board and the ID chip pin in the AC adapter.

This unshielded lead acts as an ANTENNA and easily picks up electro-magnetic pollution going straight to the chip circuitry. The hardware circuitry is not hardened to deal with electro-magnetic fields.

Consequently this energy is dissipated in the chips on each end of the lead ruining either one chip or both chips if the electro-magnetic spike was powerful enough.

So use warranty to the max, this is a serious design fault. If outside warranty consider using a shielded lead or try to stay away from strong electromagnetic fields / switching.

Here's the full story:

http://www.laptop-junction.com/toast/content/dell-ac-power-adapter-id-chip-died

My 2 cents,