I have the same laptop and we are having the same problem as you.  It just started last week.  We can still use the laptop even when it's not plugged in.  If we do plug it in, it charges back to 100% for the battery.  I don't know why it's doing this or how to get the message to go away.  I'm going to try Dell support since I'm not sure if our warranty is still good.

My laptop is still covered under warranty.  They told me it either needs a new battery or it's the motherboard.  They are sending me a replacement battery to test it first.  If that doesn't resolve it, then they'll replace the motherboard.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Please go to Dell support webpage and download latest bios update for this system (A16). This should fix this issue.

I was able to get through to Dell and they used a remote and fixed my problem with the warning.  Dell told me the warning indicates the battery may need to be replaced in the future.  My warranty ran out in December for parts, but thier telephone technical support is for life.

As for ZORLAC7's suggestion.....if you have an INSPIRON 1501, DO NOT try this suggestion to download the bios update for the system (A16)!!!!  WOW!  What a mistake for me.  After I downloaded it, my screen went black with a notice saying that NO OPERATING SYSTEM IS DETECTED.  As I previously mentioned, I granted the Dell people permission to access my computer remotely and they fixed the issue.  They told me that BIOS update was what messed up my computer and deleted my operating system.  It was a nightmare.

Thank you everyone for your help and I hope your problems are resolved.

I'm going to have to disagree with rdfbarr. I did the bios update to fix this issue also. I don't know what happened to your system for sure, but I have NEVER had an issue with doing a bios update on any Dell machine I've ever worked on. I work support for a fairly large company and I do them quite often.

This just happened to me as well.  I had a problem with my old ac adapter and this started to show with new ac adapters as well (which I got because I am still under warantee).  I may try getting a new battery and see what that does.  There is a possibility that some liquid seeped through the keyboard to the motherboard and caused the issue.  I had some dell agent glash the bios for me.  Once they flashed it, it did not work and my error message still had a problem. 

 

My main issue isn't the warning but the fact that my battery also won't charge.  Does anyone have a problem with the ac adapter being recognized, not charging the battery, and having this error?

I did the BIOS upgrade and I did get the black screen with the message NO OPERATING SYSTEM DETECTED.  All I did was do a power down and then turned it back on.  The system came back up and it took about 5 minutes for Windows to find all the new hardware.  They system again rebooted and everything is back to normal.

It did fix the error Batter cannot be identified.

I bought an INSPIRON 1501 in USA. I bought it on 8/10/2007. Now I am in India.

 

 

when I started up my laptop, a DOS warning on a black screen comes up that says:

Warning:battery cannot be identified. This system will be unable to charge this battery. Press any key to continue.

Press 2 times to enter setup.

Press and any key to enter boot menu.

After that I skipped these options and entered.. That time it gave this message "your battery is able to charge normally however it is end of its usable life". So far I know I am still within the warranty period tell me what I will do? From where can I get the help?

Pleas just update youre BIOS true DELL-Support web sight..

After that everything wil run smoodly...

The same thing happened to me! My computer was fine last night and then this morning I recieved the same message when I powered it up. I ran tests an everything and it says passed!?! I Wish I knew what was going on. I have had more problems with this computer than it is worth! I exit out of the screen that says f2, or

f12 and have tried starting my computer every which way I can. When I CAN get it to load to my welcome page, my Icon isn't there and either is my guests' icon.... It just automatically logs me on with the same settings (Icon, name, wallpaper, etc..) of when I first purchased this computer! I have no files or programs that I had previously downloaded. No picutres, no music, no previous settings,- nothing! Then before a minute even within the first 45 seconds my computer goes blank to a blue screen with white lines, goes black then back to the battery can not be identified menu. Then I start all over and do it again. I can't even get my computer to stay on long enough to get online to download any updates that might be helpful! I dont understand how all of this stuff could disappear overnight while my computer was turned off?!?!? Please help if you have any suggestions. I'm still researching and I'll let you know if I find anything out.