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Laptop battery decreases while plugged in, how to fix?

Hello, I've been having this problem with my charger for around a day or two where my charger is plugged into my laptop, but it either decreases or stays at the same spot it was at before. This is a newer charger (bought around two or three months ago), and it hasn't given me any problems until now. I've made sure the charger is completely plugged into my outlet, and it's connected to both my laptop and the charging port.

Whenever I close my laptop, it gives me a pop-up telling me it can't tell how high the voltage is, so it might not charge. The model of my device is Alienware m16 R2. Do I have to replace my charger, or are there any other ways to fix this? Thanks.

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Hi there,

It sounds like your system isn’t properly reading the battery voltage, which can often be resolved by refreshing the battery driver. I recommend you uninstall the battery driver so that Windows can reinstall it automatically.

To do this, open Device Manager, locate the Batteries section, right-click on “Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery” and choose Uninstall. Then shut down your laptop, disconnect the charger for a short period, reconnect it, and power on your laptop. This should recalibrate the battery monitoring and might resolve the voltage detection issue without needing to replace your charger.
Francisco Montilla

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Hello, this didn't work. I tried it twice with no change.

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Hi!

It sounds like the next best step is to update your system’s BIOS and firmware, as these updates often improve how the system monitors and manages battery power.

I suggest downloading and installing the latest updates for your Alienware directly from Dell’s support site or by using Dell SupportAssist. This process will update the underlying system firmware that communicates with your battery hardware and might resolve the voltage detection error.

Please ensure your laptop remains connected to a reliable power source during the update and follow all instructions closely.
Francisco Montilla

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Question Info

Last updated April 10, 2025 Views 8 Applies to: