[Bob]

I can't help wondering if this laptop was being run with a genuine Dell battery or some cheap off-brand 'equivalent'.

[FormerACLUmember]

I can't help wondering if this laptop was being run with a genuine Dell battery or some cheap off-brand 'equivalent'.

Excellent point. If true, I am sure Dell will announce this ASAP. No word yet, so it might be original equipment. (Truth disclosure: I writing this on a Dell and have never had a problem... BOOM!)

[bigdcaldavis]

Or maybe they tried to put Linux on it, and maybe the WGA has a "computer self-destruct mechanism" if you try to install Linux. :)

[Overtaxed]

I can't help wondering if this laptop was being run with a genuine Dell battery or some cheap off-brand 'equivalent'.

The genuine Dell battery on my laptop was always a piece of crap. It lasted for about as long as it took to start the computer up and stayed charged long enough for you to shut down properly if you lost power. It finally died and I never replaced it.