Hi I bought one of those multi power adapters for my notebook and have just installed the os but i don't know much about these things. The adapter seems to not be charging the internal battery and there is a switch/selection of numbers on the side of the adapter. I am not sure if I have it set right. At the moment I think I have it on 20 and the number range from 15-24. I am not sure what I have it on because I don't want to move it. It seems a bit finiky as last time I tried to pick it up it cut off power and i had to fiddle the power cord to get it to turn on again. I looked at the manual of this machine but can't see what info i need to set the switch right. "The meaning of life is to be happy and useful" Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama

The numbers probably indicate the voltage that is output. You need to know what voltage the notebook requires.

You had better find out what the 15-24 actually meany. If it's volts and you get it wrong you could very well destroy your laptop. The manual for the laptp isn't going to tell you anything. You would be better buying a power adaptor designed for the computer. Using cheapo power supplies is a recipie for disaster. Stuart

If you value your Notebook, stop using the universal Adapter. You are already having problems with it, intermittant connection. See the link below for help finding the correct Power adapter. The model you specified does not seem to exist as you listed it. Use the EXACT Model Number from tag on bottom of Notebook. http://www.laptopacadapter.com/compaq/ Power Plug repairs can exceed to value of your Notebook. There is nothing to learn from someone who already agrees with you.

Thanks I managed to get the adapter sorted out. The kettle cord that plugs into it was not fitting right and the pin thing as well. So I put a different kettle cord and changed the little pin thing(sorry I don't know the name of it). I have a bag of the different pin things as i have another adapter for small appliances that goes up to 12 volts so I used one of them and it fit perfectly so there is no power off thing happening now. I do realise that multi adapters or any compatible things could be a problem like you say but as I am very broke all the time I have to do this. I really cannot afford genuine parts. The next thing I have to investigate is that the battery(internal) is not charging. The light on the front of the machine is not lighting/flickering up at all. There is just no light. Also in the OS there is an indicator and that stays at 0% even when I had the machine on for more than an hour. Then I turned off the machine and pulled the internal battery out. It was cold and the machine was still hot so it might be dead. Don't worry the power adapter was not attached at the time. Now I am trying to find someone to test the battery and will have to look at buying a new one. I have investigated the charge for a new one through a place called aussie-battery.com but they are way too expensive. I wahttp://signin.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SignOutConfirm&i=.6561000700003100099000320007300049000110002400050001060003200098s told that they are better than the genuines at the place. Way more mAh's apparently. Anyway so far so good. I haven't blown up the machine and I have given it a good amount of time to see if all is well. Oh I ended up finding out the voltage from the bottom of the machine as a friend told me what to look for. He is a retired technician/computer scientist who is only available on the phone sometimes. "The meaning of life is to be happy and useful" Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama

Besides voltage another thing you need to be looking at is Amps. Most laptops require a power supply that will supply somewhere around 3-5 Amps. Most of these multi adaptors only supply 1 amp or less. Could be the reason why the battery is not charging, just not enough power. Stuart

Yeah I checked that I bought the right adapter as there were several on ebay for different models/brands. This is interesting. I cleaned the connectors where the battery connects inside the machine and now after a few minutes I have the machine connected to the power and the battery light is flashing on the front of the machine. It is an orange light. Does that mean it is charging? "The meaning of life is to be happy and useful" Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama