Why do Dell owners have so many problems?

spapakons · 2026-07-30T02:54:31-0400

cheaterslick said:
Yeah, I don't think it's unique to Dell laptops. I think it's just the sh!tty way Microsoft designed it. They've made it so confusing now that I disabled all that anyway. I mean "Hibernate"? "Modern Standby"? "Sleep"? Don't need any of that.

I remember disabling hibernate as far back as XP because the machine would never wake up when I touched the mousepad or keyboard. So I just turned it off and saved some HD space ignoring it. I routinely turned it off anytime I bought a new machine because I knew that feature just wasn't very reliable, and the one in Windows 11 is no exception.

That also includes going into Device Manager and making sure all the Power Management tabs were unticked.

View attachment 177817

Don't get me wrong, if Dell screws up, I'll be the first to complain, but so far I haven't had any problems with them for the last few years now. Knock on wood.

Hibernation is useful when you have work in progress or simply too many windows and apps open and you need to move the computer. Instead of closing them all to shutdown, you hibernate. You can then remove the power, move it to another place and then resume like never interrupted. I don't use that often, but it can be handy. It works by saving all RAM data on disk and then resuming when booting Windows again. It is not supposed to wake when you move the mouse or press a key on the keyboard, unless you have specifically configured BIOS to turn on the PC with mouse or key press. The only disadvantage is that it reserves too much disk space, especially if you have a lot of RAM.

cheaterslick · 2026-07-30T03:08:54-0400

spapakons said:
Hibernation is useful when you have work in progress or simply too many windows and apps open and you need to move the computer. Instead of closing them all to shutdown, you hibernate. You can then remove the power, move it to another place and then resume like never interrupted. I don't use that often, but it can be handy. It works by saving all RAM data on disk and then resuming when booting Windows again. It is not supposed to wake when you move the mouse or press a key on the keyboard, unless you have specifically configured BIOS to turn on the PC with mouse or key press. The only disadvantage is that it reserves too much disk space, especially if you have a lot of RAM.

Whenever I need to move the machine, it stays alive on battery power long enough to get moved and plugged in, so nothing get interrupted. No need for sleep for me.

TraderGary · 2026-07-30T03:24:35-0400

cheaterslick said:
Whenever I need to move the machine, it stays alive on battery power long enough to get moved and plugged in, so nothing get interrupted. No need for sleep for me.

Yes, that's true for my two current laptops too. When I move from place to place, all I do is just close the lid, move, open the lid again and it's like nothing happened, I'm right where I was when I closed the lid.

I have the additional luxury with my current two laptops to have all-day battery life. If I'm going to be out for a complete workday, I don't even have to bother to carry a charger with me.

kelper · 2026-07-30T04:23:50-0400

I regret calling Dell owners fanbois, they a Dell boys. Probably this will only be understood in the UK.

Try3 · 2026-07-30T05:31:23-0400

spapakons said:
One thing I hate in Dell is that you cannot just buy a universal charger. It will switch the laptop on but not charge the battery! You have to buy a genuine Dell charger to be fully functional and this usually costs more than a 90W universal charger with multiple tips that fits most brands.

I have never found that.
As I have replaced my chargers on Dell laptops, I have always bought cheap non-brand replacements [including universal chargers with multiple tips for multiple brands].
I have, for example, one universal charger with a tip that fits my Dell Inspiron 7779s & another tip that fits my Lenovo IdeaPad.
[Whilst I hardly ever turn them on these days, there are also tips that fit my Dell Inspirons 9300 & 1545]

All the best,
Denis

spapakons · 2026-07-30T05:48:41-0400

cheaterslick said:
Whenever I need to move the machine, it stays alive on battery power long enough to get moved and plugged in, so nothing get interrupted. No need for sleep for me.

Yes, for a laptop. What about a desktop when several applications are open in the middle of some processing? It is not always convenient to close them or wait to finish. You just hibernate, remove power to move the computer or to clean dust, then power on again, it resumes like nothing happened.

spapakons · 2026-07-30T05:51:26-0400

Try3 said:
I have never found that.
As I have replaced my chargers for Dell laptops, I have always bought cheap non-brand replacements [including universal chargers with multiple tips for multiple brands].
I have, for example, one universal charger with a tip that fits my Dell Inspiron 7779s & another tip that fits my Lenovo IdeaPad.
[Whilst I hardly ever turn them on these days, there are also tips that fit my Dell Inspirons 9300 & 1545]

All the best,
Denis

Like I said, there are universal chargers that can power on a Dell laptop, but they don't charge the battery, so they are only useful if you want to use an old Dell indoors. If you need to charge the battery for outdoors use, you need a genuine Dell charger or a really expensive universal charger that passes the "genuine test" and the laptop allows it to charge the battery. If the universal costs almost as buying a genuine Dell, there is little benefit. The whole point is to replace the original charger with a cheaper one.

Try3 · 2026-07-30T05:51:38-0400

Bradavon said:
modern standby is a form of Sleep Mode and the default form of Sleep Mode on Windows 11 Pro 25H2

It's not Windows making it the default, it is the laptop maker who wrote the Bios.
Whether your laptop has S3 Sleep or S0 Modern standby depends entirely on what has been set up in the Bios.
You can disable S0 Modern standby using a very simple procedure but whether or not that allows S3 Sleep to be enabled & to be successfully used depends entirely on the Bios. You cannot even rely on laptop makers to know what provisions they have made [HP, to give them their due, let me have a pre-purchase discussion with technical staff but Dell refused so I chose to go with HP].

S0 Modern standby was actually an Intel initiative but MS & laptop makers have taken it up with enthusiasm.
MS claims that users wanted instant-on but that is complete rubbish - S0 Modern standby takes a finite time to resume that merely happens to be much less than the time S3 Sleep takes.

Bree said:
A few settings can make my Modern Standby machines behave just like all the rest.....

I agree.
I have also tamed my S0 Modern standby so it is almost like having S3 Sleep back:-
Running scripts during S0 Modern standby - my post #86 - ElevenForum
I also compared the power consumption of two broadly-similar laptops and found that there was hardly any difference between the power consumed in S3 Sleep & the power consumed in S0 Modern standby.
Power consumption in S0 Modern standby and S3 Sleep - my post #85 - ElevenForum

I generally use S3 Sleep / S0 Modern standby but do sometimes find Hibernation handy.
- I generally use S3 Sleep / S0 Modern standby if I'm shifting position or just leaning back to think with my eyes shut for a moment or two.
- I generally use Hibernation if I'm going out or sometimes if I'm expecting a long interruption to my computer use.

Denis

Try3 · 2026-07-30T05:56:08-0400

spapakons said:
there are universal chargers that can power on a Dell laptop, but they don't charge the battery

Incorrect.
My cheap replacement power adapters are always able to both power the laptop and charge the battery.
e.g.
FSKE 65W 19.5V 3.34A - Amazon
65W 45W Laptop Charger for Dell Inspiron 15 13 11 14 17 3000 5000 7000 Series - Amazon - I chose the 65W version. Perhaps the 45W version would not have been able to both charge & power up.
Universal 65W Laptop Charger - Amazon - this both powers & chargers every laptop I have tried it with [Dell Inspirons, Lenovo IdeaPad].

I always chose power adapters that can do both by always choosing ones with the same power rating as the original one.
If you choose underpowered ones then you might well experience the symptoms you describe.

Denis

DGN69 · 2026-07-30T05:59:48-0400

I have a 10 year old Vostro 15 3568 that still performs well and has never been serviced, everything is original in it.
However, the factory bloatware app (SupportAssist) has been crashing after almost every Windows update, so it's a good idea to remove it and never install it again.

spapakons · 2026-07-30T06:26:31-0400

Try3 said:
Incorrect.
My cheap replacement power adapters are always able to both power the laptop and charge the battery.
e.g.
FSKE 65W 19.5V 3.34A - Amazon
65W 45W Laptop Charger for Dell Inspiron 15 13 11 14 17 3000 5000 7000 Series - Amazon - I chose the 65W version. Perhaps the 45W version would not have been able to both charge & power up.
Universal 65W Laptop Charger - Amazon - this both powers & chargers every laptop I have tried it with [Dell Inspirons, Lenovo IdeaPad].

I always chose power adapters that can do both by always choosing ones with the same power rating as the original one.
If you choose underpowered ones then you might well experience the symptoms you describe.

Denis

A universal 90W charger is within the specs of most laptops, even Dell. Rare exceptions need 120W or higher. They work perfectly well on every other brand, but in Dell the battery won't charge. In the taskbar you see the AC mains icon but when you hover is doesn't say charging and no matter how long you wait, the battery is at the same level, it doesn't charge. I have seen than in many different Dell models with different brand universal 90W chargers. It cannot be a coincidence. There is even the "non-genuine AC power" warning when booting, so probably Dell chargers have some identification chip that universals don't. No other brand has this "genuine charger" requirement.

PS: If I remember correctly, one colleague had cut the cable from a bad genuine Dell charger and connected it to a universal charger which then passed the "genuine test" and charged the battery. This indicates that the identification chip is embedded in the tip.

Try3 · 2026-07-30T06:41:51-0400

spapakons said:
in Dell the battery won't charge

I have never experienced what you have experienced.

spapakons said:
"non-genuine AC power" warning

I have only ever seen any power adapter warnings when my power adapter connector has half slipped out of its socket so the little pin* in the middle of the connector is no longer making a decent electrical connection.

This warning goes away when I push the connector in properly.

* This pin in the middle of the connector is, as I understand it, unique to Dell.
- My cheap replacement AC adapters all have that pin. I check compatibility with my Dell model before buying them.
- My cheap universal AC adapter also has that pin on the connectors for my Dells. I checked compatibility with my Dells & Lenovo IdeaPad before buying it.

All the best,
Denis

Bree · 2026-07-30T06:48:23-0400

spapakons said:
If I remember correctly, one colleague had cut the cable from a bad genuine Dell charger and connected it to a universal charger which then passed the "genuine test" and charged the battery.

A Dell charger with a round connector has a third connection, a pin in the centre. The power is on the inner and outer part of the sleeve. This pin is a data connector using the 1-wire protocol. Dell are not alone in this, HP's round connectors also have this centre pin. That worked because the 1-wire chip would have been in the plug.

Try3 said:
* This pin in the middle of the connector is, as I understand it, unique to Dell.

No, HP use it too. In fact I have an HP charger with a centre pin that will fit a Dell laptop and power it, but it won't charge it. I don't have an HP laptop to test this on, but I'd guess the same would apply the other way round.

Dell laptop power supplies use the 1-Wire protocol to send data via the third wire to the laptop computer about power, current and voltage ratings. The laptop will then refuse charging if the adapter does not meet requirements.

1-Wire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This becomes academic if, like my latest Dell, it uses a USB-C charger. The protocols used by these chargers are universal, they ask the device what voltage it needs and then provide it. I use my Dell USB-C charger to charge everything from Dell and Lenovo laptops to my Android phone that requires 5v. I have an HP USB-C charger that can also charge all of the above.

pseymour · 2026-07-30T06:58:44-0400

Right, yep. The center line is connected to an EEPROM on a PCB in the connector. That communicates to the laptop “hey I’m a 90W (or whatever) charger” along with some other data.

spapakons · 2026-07-30T07:00:55-0400

Try3 said:
I have never experienced what you have experienced.

I have only ever seen any power adapter warnings when my power adapter connector has half slipped out of its socket so the little pin* in the middle of the connector is no longer making a decent electrical connection.
View attachment 177958
This warning goes away when I push the connector in properly.

* This pin in the middle of the connector is, as I understand it, unique to Dell.
- My cheap replacement AC adapters all have that pin. I check compatibility with my Dell model before buying them.
- My cheap universal AC adapter also has that pin on the connectors for my Dells. I checked compatibility with my Dells & Lenovo IdeaPad before buying it.

All the best,
Denis

Here is an example that doesn't charge the battery (you can change the language to English):

POWERTECH φορτιστής laptop PT-1256 με 12 βύσματα, USB-C PD, 90W, μαύρος

POWERTECH φορτιστής laptop PT-1256 με 12 βύσματα, USB-C PD, 90W, μαύρος Φορτιστής laptop της Powertech με 12 διαφορετικά βύσματα τροφοδοσίας που προσφέρουν συμβατότητα με τα περισσότερα laptop της αγοράς. Υποστηρίζει πρωτόκολλο γρήγορης φόρτισης PD 3.0 με μέγιστη απόδοση έως 90W. Τα Powertech...

www.data-media.gr

spapakons · 2026-07-30T07:04:40-0400

Bree said:
A Dell charger with a round connector has a third connection, a pin in the centre. The power is on the inner and outer part of the sleeve. This pin is a data connector using the 1-wire protocol. Dell are not alone in this, HP's round connectors also have this centre pin. That worked because the 1-wire chip would have been in the plug.

No, HP use it too. In fact I have an HP charger with a centre pin that will fit a Dell laptop and power it, but it won't charge it. I don't have an HP laptop to test this on, but I'd guess the same would apply the other way round.

1-Wire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This becomes academic if, like my latest Dell, it uses a USB-C charger. The protocols used by these chargers are universal, they ask the device what voltage it needs and then provide it. I use my Dell USB-C charger to charge everything from Dell and Lenovo laptops to my Android phone that requires 5v. I have an HP USB-C charger that can also charge all of the above.

If I remember correctly HP and Dell are not the same, the Dell is slightly wider, yes it is the round one (about 0.9cm) with the narrow pin in the middle. Universals have this tip, it can switch on the Dell but it doesn't charge the battery. I don't know about recent USB type-C models.

Try3 · 2026-07-30T07:05:46-0400

spapakons said:
Here is an example that doesn't charge the battery

I hope you complain to them and demand an explanation as well as rectification.
Does it have pins inside the supposedly Dell-compatible connectors?
Mine do. Mine are all 65W power adapters.

Denis

spapakons · 2026-07-30T07:25:51-0400

I didn't buy that specifically for a Dell, I was working on a computer store and we were selling similar models of Universal adaptors. When there was a customer with Dell laptop, we always recommended to buy a genuine charger, we discouraged him to buy the universal.

Bree · 2026-07-30T07:30:24-0400

spapakons said:
If I remember correctly HP and Dell are not the same, the Dell is slightly wider, yes it is the round one (about 0.9cm) with the narrow pin in the middle. Universals have this tip, it can switch on the Dell but it doesn't charge the battery. I don't know about recent USB type-C models.

A small USB charger (such as ones the size of a mains plug and typically supplied with a phone) is only capable of delivering 5v. The USB-C power deliver specification means that any charger for a laptop is universal, and will work with any device, whatever make it is.....

The USB Power Delivery specification uses one of CC1 or CC2 pins for power negotiation between source device and sink device, up to 20 V at 5 A. It is transparent to any data transmission mode, and can therefore be used together with any of them as long as the CC pins are intact.

An extension to the specification has added 28 V, 36 V and 48 V to support up to 240 W of power for laptops, monitors, hard disks and other peripherals.

...it's the law!

In late December 2024, new EU regulations took effect, mandating USB‑C charging ports for all small and medium-sized electronic devices sold in the EU, with laptops following on 28 April 2026..... Apple, which initially opposed the changes, had since adopted USB‑C for its products. Additionally, consumers can opt not to receive a new charger with their device.

USB-C - Wikipedia

spapakons · 2026-07-30T07:57:56-0400

Of course I know USB type-C is universal since most new devices have this. The question is, can a USB type-C charger from another brand or from third-party manufacturer charge the battery on a Dell laptop? Or there still is a "genuine test"?

Why do Dell owners have so many problems?

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