Charge Gauge

By either pressing once or pressing and holding the status button on the charge gauge on the battery, you can check:
lBattery charge (check by pressing and releasing the status button)
lBattery health (check by pressing and holding the status button)
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
battery health (charge capacity). That is, a battery can show a status of "charged" but maintain a reduced battery health (charge capacity).

Check the Battery Charge

To check the battery charge, press and release the status button on the battery charge gauge to illuminate the charge-level lights. Each light represents
approximately 20 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.

Check the Battery Health

To check the battery health using the charge gauge, 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.

Low-Battery Warning

By default, a pop-up window warns you when the battery charge is approximately 90 percent depleted. You can change the settings for the battery alarms in
QuickSet or the Power Options Properties window. See Configuring Power Management Settings for information about accessing QuickSet or the Power
Options Properties window.
Conserving Battery Power
Perform the following actions to conserve battery power:
lConnect the computer to an electrical outlet when possible because battery life is largely determined by the number of times the battery is used and
recharged.
lPlace the computer in standby mode or hibernate mode when you leave the computer unattended for long periods of time (see Power Management
Modes).
lUse the Power Management Wizard to select options to optimize your computer's power usage. These options can also be set to change when you
press the power button, close the display, or press <Fn><Esc>.
Power Management Modes

Standby Mode

Standby mode conserves power by turning off the display and the hard drive after a predetermined period of inactivity (a time-out). When the computer exits
standby mode, it returns to the same operating state it was in before entering standby mode.
To enter standby mode:
lClick Start® Shut Down® Stand by.
or
NOTE: You can check battery health in one of two ways: by using the charge gauge on the battery as described below and by using the Battery Meter
in Dell QuickSet. For information about QuickSet, right-click the icon in the taskbar, and click Help.
NOTICE: To avoid losing or corrupting data, save your work immediately after a low-battery warning. Then connect the computer to an electrical outlet.
If the battery runs completely out of power, hibernate mode begins automatically.
NOTE: See Power Management Modes for more information on conserving battery power.
NOTICE: If your computer loses AC and battery power while in standby mode, it may lose data.