AC adapter message on some AMD dv6 & dv7 units

[Bookworm]

If you’ve recently purchased a HP Pavilion dv6-6c00 Entertainment Notebook or an HP Pavilion dv7-6c00 Entertainment Notebook, you may see a message that says you need to plug in a higher power AC adapter for full performance.

These units ship with and use a 65 watt AC adapter which is the correct one for your unit.

To resolve the issue with the message coming up please download & install the latest BIOS revision (f.17 or greater) from HP.com

You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Go to HP.com, click on Support & drivers.
   
   

 
Enter your Model number or Product number Note: It’s important you enter the right model number or product number for the product you purchased; here is a link to a document on-line if you need assistance finding either.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00033108&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en

After you enter the model or product number & select “search”

Choose the Microsoft Windows 7 64 bit option & select next




Scroll down to the BIOS section and check it is BIOS version F.17 or higher, then download & after you download choose install and follow all instructions.

2. The other method is to use HP Support Assistant to download & update the BIOS Softpaq for you.
Here is a link to a document on using HP Support Assistant, just choose the “Maintain” section for updates.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01916574&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5210863&tmp...

Thank you.

[Mumbodog]

Can you post the exact error message?

Thanks.

[uncletufty]

There are 2 types of message,

 Message # 1 
 For full performance, connect a higher capacity AC adapter

 Message # 2 
 Smart AC adapter power output is too low for this computer

I have personally found that updating the bios will not resolve this issue on some dv7 and some dv9 units.

This is a known error that has yet to be fully resolved. 

[Mumbodog]

---

uncletufty wrote:

There are 2 types of message,

 Message # 1 
 For full performance, connect a higher capacity AC adapter

 Message # 2 
 Smart AC adapter power output is too low for this computer

I have personally found that updating the bios will not resolve this issue on some dv7 and some dv9 units.

This is a known error that has yet to be fully resolved. 

---

Thanks 

[Bookworm · Accepted solution]

Hello, I need to be clear that what I posted is just for the series mentioned, which are newer dv6 & dv7 AMD models.

It is common to have several different possible root causes that display the same or similar symptoms.

The important thing to remember is that if you have one of the model series listed and you are seeing a message about your AC adapter and performance possibly being impacted by the power supply you can follow the directions and update your BIOS.

HP has already done so in the factory on notebooks made after we released the BIOS.

For other models, older, different processors etc there is a comprehensive document on this topic which I have put a link to below.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&docname=c00363266

Of course it is good advice to ensure you have the latest BIOS version for your Notebook, whatever the model.

[Mumbodog]

Thanks for the link, the picture of the DC jack is outdated however.

Here is what most of them look like, have for years, the black plastic center is what gets damaged, once the black plastic is broken away, there is nothing to keep the pins inside of it pressed against the center pin of the power adapter cable. 

[wes_hpnotebook]

Thanks Mumbodog,

I'll get the writers to update that document with newer images.  Of course, what Bookworm is saying is important.  These newer models of dv6/dv7 were shipped with a 65w adapter and that is correct.  The problem is that the BIOS was not configured properly (this has been fixed in the factory btw) and it expects to see a different watt adapter.  Therefore the message is displayed.  The BIOS update fixes the configuration error in the BIOS.

The document does not really address this specific problem, but explains what the message means under normal scenarios.  Often we see notebooks that are used in a school or work environment and are not connected to the ac adapter provided with that specific model.  Using a lower watt adapter on a workstation for example may only provide enough power to run the PC on a lower performance setting or may not charge the battery during use.

-wes

[Mumbodog]

Thanks Wes, I know I was just being ocd about the document, but document accuracy is important to me when helping others. Thanks for the explanation.

[WaseemW]

This must be a bad adaptor issue. what it means although output is good enough to runthe PC but not to the full performance. also may not be able to charge the battery while using the machine. while turned off battery will be charged faster and very well.

you may need to consider change the AC adaptor to take care of this. also check if you have correct adaptor such as 65Watt, 90 Watt, 120 Watt etc... use the one designed for the product.

if you use a 65Watt adaptor for a machine which is recommended to use 90 watt  adaptor - you will see the error(not always as it depends on the power used at specific time).

hope it helps

[Batya3777]

What about this same issue with the intel?