Using A Battery; Battery Performance - Dell Inspiron 500m Owner's Manual

Using a Battery

CAUTION: Before performing these procedures, read the safety instructions on
on page 11.

Battery Performance

NOTE: Batteries for portable computers are covered only during the initial one-year period of
the limited warranty for your computer. For more information about the Dell warranty for your
computer, see "Limited Warranties and Return Policy" on page 105.
For optimal computer performance and to help preserve BIOS settings, operate your Dell
portable computer with the main battery installed at all times. Use a battery to run the
computer when it is not connected to an electrical outlet. One battery is supplied as
standard equipment in the battery bay.
Battery operating time varies depending on operating conditions. With average usage, you
may expect from 3 to 4 hours from a single, fully charged battery. You can install an optional
second battery in the module bay to significantly increase operating time. For more
information about the second battery, see "About the Module Bay" on page 51.
NOTE: It is recommended that you connect your computer to an electrical outlet when writing
to a CD.
Operating time is significantly reduced when you perform operations including, but not
limited to, the following:
• Using optical drives, especially DVD and CD-RW drives
• Using wireless communications devices, PC Cards, or USB devices
• Using high-brightness display settings, 3D screen savers, or other power-intensive
programs, such as 3D games
• Running the computer in maximum performance mode
You can check the battery charge on the bottom of the computer. You can also set power
management options to alert you when the battery charge is low.
CAUTION: Using an incompatible battery may increase the risk of fire or
explosion. Replace the battery only with a compatible battery purchased from
Dell. The lithium-ion battery is designed to work with your Dell™ computer. Do
not use a battery from other computers with your computer.
44 U si n g B at teri es a nd M o d ul e Ba y D e vi c es