percent of the total battery charge. For example, if the battery has 80 percent of its charge remaining, four of the lights are on. If no lights appear, the battery

has no charge.

Health Gauge

The battery operating time is largely determined by the number of times it is charged. After hundreds of charge and discharge cycles, batteries lose some

charge capacity, or battery health. To check the battery health, press and hold the status button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3 seconds. If no

lights appear, the battery is in good condition, and more than 80 percent of its original charge capacity remains. Each light represents incremental

degradation. If five lights appear, less than 60 percent of the charge capacity remains, and you should consider replacing the battery. See "Specifications" for

more information about the battery operating time.

NOTE:

When you press and hold the status button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3 seconds, the charge-level lights will first light to display

the current charge status. Then they switch to Health status where they represent incremental degradation when lit.

Low-Battery Warning

NOTICE:

To avoid losing or corrupting data, save your work immediately after a low-battery warning. Then connect the computer to an electrical outlet.

You can also turn the computer off and install a second battery in the module bay. If the battery runs completely out of power, hibernate mode begins

automatically.

A low-battery warning occurs when the battery charge is approximately 90 percent depleted. The computer beeps once, indicating that minimal battery

operating time remains. During that time, the speaker beeps periodically. If two batteries are installed, the low-battery warning means that the combined

charge of both batteries is approximately 90 percent depleted. The computer enters hibernate mode when the battery charge is at a critically low level. For

more information about low-battery alarms, see

Charging the Battery

NOTE:

With Dell™ ExpressCharge™, when the computer is turned off the AC adapter charges a completely discharged battery to 80 percent in about 1

hour and to 100 percent in approximately 2 hours. Charge time is longer with the computer turned on. You can leave the battery in the computer as long

as you like. The battery's internal circuitry prevents the battery from overcharging.

When you connect the computer to an electrical outlet or install a battery while the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the computer checks the

battery charge and temperature. If necessary, the AC adapter then charges the battery and maintains the battery charge.

If the battery is hot from being used in your computer or being in a hot environment, the battery may not charge when you connect the computer to an

electrical outlet.

The battery is too hot to start charging if the

computer and the battery to cool to room temperature. Then connect the computer to an electrical outlet to continue charging the battery.

For more information about resolving problems with a battery, see

Removing a Battery

CAUTION:

Before performing these procedures, disconnect the modem from the telephone wall jack.

icon in the taskbar, and click Help.

Management."

icon appears.