TheLaptopJunction

The battery charging system used in a wide range of DELL laptops has caused quite a bit of frustration among it's customers. Top ranked is the "AC Power adapter not recognized" warning with DELL laptop batteries not being charged. This alone has triggered a quest for information in many Internet forums mainly because DELL has not come forward with a reasonable explanation into the cause(s) of the problem. So here's info about the architecture and a bit of background of the battery charging system used in DELL laptops.
 

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With the confusion and frustration of DELL laptop batteries not charging because of dead ID chips in DELL AC Adapters, here's a few bits and pieces about the DELL PA-10 and PA-12 AC Adapter family. Findings are based on tests with a DELL D610 Latitude laptop.

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With the arrival of the DELL Optiplex Sx280 ultra small desktop the Senao 100mW WiFi card is replaced by more powerful WiFi hardware. In 5 years the wireless network industry released new WiFi standards and produced hardware with more capabilities. The old Senao 802.11B  100 mW PCMCIA card is replaced by a Alfa Network 802.11 B/G 500 mW USB connected WiFi client. Here's a bit about both WiFi adapters, WiFi antenna's and a short performance review.
 

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Sharing files and printers on a local Microsoft windows network can be hell. Specially when there are firewalls involved blocking the required local communication. Here's a few bits and pieces how to get file and printer sharing going again on an Internet connected Windows XP machine. In this case with McAfee Security Center, Firewall and Virus Scanner.

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For those who regularly connect to a wireless WIFI network over a quite distance, being (just) out of range of the WIFI signal is a common problem. And for many reasons explained in great detail on many internet sites. For those cases where antenna & positioning gymnastics does not work or is just too much of a hassle, heres a bit of practical info of extending the range of a common WIFI signal using a wireless range extender. It's not rocket science, just a few things one should know. This story has 3 cases of extending an ordinary WIFI signal.

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Wireless Internet service is starting to spread among airlines in the United States — Delta and American have installed it on more than a dozen planes each, and several other carriers are planning to test it.

For the airlines, always desperate for new sources of revenue, offering the service — about $10 for three hours and more for longer flights — was an easy call. And many passengers will cheer the development as an end to Web withdrawal.

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The use of 3G cellular Internet with laptops might shed a bit of it's complexity in 2009 with the arrival of Qualcomms GOBI modem module. It combines incompatible 3G data communication standards (HSPA, EVDO) into one hardware solution.
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In December 2008 Novatel Wireless announced the MiFi - a pocket size portable WiFi hotspot allowing several (laptop) users to share a 3G mobile Internet connection. After GRPS/EDGE (2,5G), 3G mobile connections allow high-speed Internet using cellular / mobile UMTS based networks.

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