Dell 8300 Desktops - Anyone getting a system battery voltage low warning ? Dell can't figure out what to do....

Is anyone wrestling like I am with a system battery voltage low
warning at boot from my 4 month old Dell 8300 system? It just started
happening the other day. From my research in the various Dell forums
it appears to be a common problem with these systems and even some
older 8200 systems that Dell won't fully acknowledge. Dell's
suggestions range from the normal tech support lame bios tweaking
answers of clearing nvram and system event log , resetting factory
deafults to even reseating/replacing the system battery. Believe or
not another fix seems to hinge upon the use of certain surge
suppressors, including the Belkin ones that Dell sells to you on-line
with their systems. Apparently certain surge suppressors don't allow
the system battery to recharge so they suggest connecting directly to
the wall outlet to correct the problem (What about surge protection
and warranty then Dell?) or trying a more expensive suppressor (What
brand and/or what specifications, Dell?). None of the proposed
solutions works consistently on every system all the time or even at
all. In some instances the warning just may even go away. The battery
replacement/reseating and surge suppressor use solutions seem to get
the most votes of confidence or at least some limited success. Go
figure...My question to Dell is What gives?. How about a real
solution, on-site support or a replacement system instead. Dell will
try anything so they don't have to honor a valid warranty with real
time service. A new computer shouldn't experience problems like this
one, especially the new expensive one I purchased from Dell.

My 8300 is going on 8 months old and doesn't exhibit this problem.

wrote in message
...
Is anyone wrestling like I am with a system battery voltage low
warning at boot from my 4 month old Dell 8300 system? It just started
happening the other day. From my research in the various Dell forums
it appears to be a common problem with these systems and even some
older 8200 systems that Dell won't fully acknowledge. Dell's
suggestions range from the normal tech support lame bios tweaking
answers of clearing nvram and system event log , resetting factory
deafults to even reseating/replacing the system battery. Believe or
not another fix seems to hinge upon the use of certain surge
suppressors, including the Belkin ones that Dell sells to you on-line
with their systems. Apparently certain surge suppressors don't allow
the system battery to recharge so they suggest connecting directly to
the wall outlet to correct the problem (What about surge protection
and warranty then Dell?) or trying a more expensive suppressor (What
brand and/or what specifications, Dell?). None of the proposed
solutions works consistently on every system all the time or even at
all. In some instances the warning just may even go away. The battery
replacement/reseating and surge suppressor use solutions seem to get
the most votes of confidence or at least some limited success. Go
figure...My question to Dell is What gives?. How about a real
solution, on-site support or a replacement system instead. Dell will
try anything so they don't have to honor a valid warranty with real
time service. A new computer shouldn't experience problems like this
one, especially the new expensive one I purchased from Dell.

A friend has the exact same problem with his 8300. Dell suggested replacing
the battery but he hasn't tried that yet.

wrote in message
...
Is anyone wrestling like I am with a system battery voltage low
warning at boot from my 4 month old Dell 8300 system? It just started
happening the other day. From my research in the various Dell forums
it appears to be a common problem with these systems and even some
older 8200 systems that Dell won't fully acknowledge. Dell's
suggestions range from the normal tech support lame bios tweaking
answers of clearing nvram and system event log , resetting factory
deafults to even reseating/replacing the system battery. Believe or
not another fix seems to hinge upon the use of certain surge
suppressors, including the Belkin ones that Dell sells to you on-line
with their systems. Apparently certain surge suppressors don't allow
the system battery to recharge so they suggest connecting directly to
the wall outlet to correct the problem (What about surge protection
and warranty then Dell?) or trying a more expensive suppressor (What
brand and/or what specifications, Dell?). None of the proposed
solutions works consistently on every system all the time or even at
all. In some instances the warning just may even go away. The battery
replacement/reseating and surge suppressor use solutions seem to get
the most votes of confidence or at least some limited success. Go
figure...My question to Dell is What gives?. How about a real
solution, on-site support or a replacement system instead. Dell will
try anything so they don't have to honor a valid warranty with real
time service. A new computer shouldn't experience problems like this
one, especially the new expensive one I purchased from Dell.

on 03-04-2004 20:53 said the following:

Is anyone wrestling like I am with a system battery voltage low
warning at boot from my 4 month old Dell 8300 system?

Yep, I had this problem also, I just pressed on the battery inside and
rebooted the PC, and since then the problem has gone.
Maybe you can try this also.

Patrick

In New Mexico, another fix seems to hinge upon performing a
rain dance if computer is placed center of a dance circle.

Surge protector solution is classic urban myth. Protector
remains inert - does absolutely nothing - until AC mains
voltage exceeds a threshold or let-through voltage. That
voltage is even printed on every box - typically 330 volts.
Funny thing about numbers. Numbers are avoided to promote
urban myths. Surge protector does nothing until 120 VAC
exceed 300+ volts. Where, pray tell, does a plug-in protector
have anything to do with a low voltage battery recharge?
Rain dance has been proven repeatedly to be a more reliable
solution - if research was performed in real world forums.

If surge protector did not permit battery to recharge, then
surge protector also did not permit computer to power on.
Posted by is classic urban myth promoted
by junk science reasoning. There also was no looting in Iraq
because Rumsfeld said so. A quote from Rumsfeld is sufficient
to be called proof? Another technically naive poster in some
newsgroup says surge protectors can cause batteries to not
recharge? No wonder some corporate executives must go
overseas to find competent employees. Some Americans, because
they never learned concepts even taught in Junior High School
science, will believe almost anything posted.

wrote:
Is anyone wrestling like I am with a system battery voltage low
warning at boot from my 4 month old Dell 8300 system? It just started
happening the other day. From my research in the various Dell forums
it appears to be a common problem with these systems and even some
older 8200 systems that Dell won't fully acknowledge. Dell's
suggestions range from the normal tech support lame bios tweaking
answers of clearing nvram and system event log , resetting factory
deafults to even reseating/replacing the system battery. Believe or
not another fix seems to hinge upon the use of certain surge
suppressors, including the Belkin ones that Dell sells to you on-line
with their systems. Apparently certain surge suppressors don't allow
the system battery to recharge so they suggest connecting directly to
the wall outlet to correct the problem (What about surge protection
and warranty then Dell?) or trying a more expensive suppressor (What
brand and/or what specifications, Dell?). None of the proposed
solutions works consistently on every system all the time or even at
all. In some instances the warning just may even go away. The battery
replacement/reseating and surge suppressor use solutions seem to get
the most votes of confidence or at least some limited success. Go
figure...My question to Dell is What gives?. How about a real
solution, on-site support or a replacement system instead. Dell will
try anything so they don't have to honor a valid warranty with real
time service. A new computer shouldn't experience problems like this
one, especially the new expensive one I purchased from Dell.

Thanks w_ tom for your thesis on surge protectors, Dah... I'm not a
believer of Dell's mish mash, I'm just passing on the Dell Forum
discussion results. You might want to also try reading some of those
solutions, including the surge protector solution, explainable or not
as they may seem @
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...ssage.id=22620
before engaging your brain again.

Another technically naive poster, Hah...........

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 15:20:11 -0400, w_tom wrote:

In New Mexico, another fix seems to hinge upon performing a
rain dance if computer is placed center of a dance circle.

Surge protector solution is classic urban myth. Protector
remains inert - does absolutely nothing - until AC mains
voltage exceeds a threshold or let-through voltage. That
voltage is even printed on every box - typically 330 volts.
Funny thing about numbers. Numbers are avoided to promote
urban myths. Surge protector does nothing until 120 VAC
exceed 300+ volts. Where, pray tell, does a plug-in protector
have anything to do with a low voltage battery recharge?
Rain dance has been proven repeatedly to be a more reliable
solution - if research was performed in real world forums.

If surge protector did not permit battery to recharge, then
surge protector also did not permit computer to power on.
Posted by is classic urban myth promoted
by junk science reasoning. There also was no looting in Iraq
because Rumsfeld said so. A quote from Rumsfeld is sufficient
to be called proof? Another technically naive poster in some
newsgroup says surge protectors can cause batteries to not
recharge? No wonder some corporate executives must go
overseas to find competent employees. Some Americans, because
they never learned concepts even taught in Junior High School
science, will believe almost anything posted.

wrote:
Is anyone wrestling like I am with a system battery voltage low
warning at boot from my 4 month old Dell 8300 system? It just started
happening the other day. From my research in the various Dell forums
it appears to be a common problem with these systems and even some
older 8200 systems that Dell won't fully acknowledge. Dell's
suggestions range from the normal tech support lame bios tweaking
answers of clearing nvram and system event log , resetting factory
deafults to even reseating/replacing the system battery. Believe or
not another fix seems to hinge upon the use of certain surge
suppressors, including the Belkin ones that Dell sells to you on-line
with their systems. Apparently certain surge suppressors don't allow
the system battery to recharge so they suggest connecting directly to
the wall outlet to correct the problem (What about surge protection
and warranty then Dell?) or trying a more expensive suppressor (What
brand and/or what specifications, Dell?). None of the proposed
solutions works consistently on every system all the time or even at
all. In some instances the warning just may even go away. The battery
replacement/reseating and surge suppressor use solutions seem to get
the most votes of confidence or at least some limited success. Go
figure...My question to Dell is What gives?. How about a real
solution, on-site support or a replacement system instead. Dell will
try anything so they don't have to honor a valid warranty with real
time service. A new computer shouldn't experience problems like this
one, especially the new expensive one I purchased from Dell.

Yep, I had this problem also, I just pressed on the battery inside and
rebooted the PC, and since then the problem has gone.
Maybe you can try this also.


Same here on my 8250. The message appeared in first few weeks, I pressed
down on the battery, no message for about a year now.