For some Maryland students, there may be an extra headache to add to the stress of moving in and starting a new semester: exploding computers.

Well, they might not exactly explode, but two popular computer brands on the campus – Dell and Apple – recalled laptop batteries in recent weeks, saying the batteries could overheat and catch fire.

For the most part, students who purchased computers through the Office of Information Technology-sponsored discount program that offers both Dell and Apple computers will not be affected, OIT officials said.

OIT officials said the department offered only one Dell laptop model affected by the recall. That model has only been available from OIT since July 15, three days before Dell stopped selling computers with the faulty Sony lithium-ion batteries, said Pamela Burton of OIT.

OIT will ship the batteries to Dell for anyone who bought the laptop during that three-day window, Burton said.

“It should be real simple for them,” said Burton, who estimated that as few as three students might have received faulty batteries through the discount program Academic Computers for Terps. She said students who did not purchase their computers through OIT but are affected by the recall should contact Apple or Dell directly.

About 15 percent of the Dell computer models have Sony batteries being recalled, said Gretchen Miller, a Dell spokeswoman.

Apple has received nine reports of overheated batteries, in some cases causing minor burns and property damage, according to news reports.

Sony issued a statement that said, “The recall arises because, on rare occasions, microscopic metal particles in the recalled battery cells may come into contact with other parts of the battery cell, leading to a short circuit within the cell.

“Typically, a battery pack will simply power off when a cell short circuit occurs. However, under certain rare conditions, an internal short circuit may lead to cell overheating and potentially flames.”

Computers Affected By the recall

apple: 12″ ibook g4, 12″ and 15″ powerbook g4

Dell Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810

Dell Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E505, E1705

Dell Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90

Dell XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710

Contact reporter Andrew Vanacore at vanacoredbk@gmail.com.