[Jura]

To clarify, does the laptop power up with just the battery and not plugged into an outlet? Or is it completely out of juice? Try to do what I typed below as it could lead to an answer.

1. The laptop will use the ac adapter as it's power source even without the battery so if you take it out and use only the adapter and it still powers on then adapter should be okay. This means it could be the battery not holding a charge.

2. Now if the battery still has some power, leave it in but unplug the adapter and if the laptop still powers on then it's most likely the adapter malfunctioning.

The power cable isn't very complicated. It's just metal wires wrapped in rubber/plastic. Power cables for power supplies on PC's are pretty much interchangeable and it should be the same for power cables for ac adapters as long as they fit. The AC adapter and battery is another matter however. Unless the power cables are both defective or have some kind of damage which should be noticeable like a dog biting it or some cuts or it has loose contacts then I'm leaning towards the battery or ac adapter.