Check the Battery Health
NOTE: You can check battery health in one of two ways: by using the charge gauge on the battery as described below or by using the Battery Meter in Dell QuickSet. For information about QuickSet,
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 an incremental degradation. If five lights appear, less than 60 percent of the charge capacity remains, and you should consider replacing the battery. See "Using a Battery" on page 17 for more information about the battery operating time.
NOTICE: To avoid losing or corrupting data, save your work immediately after a
A
90 percent depleted. If two batteries are installed, the
90 percent depleted. The computer enters hibernate mode when the battery charge is at a critically low level.
You can change the settings for the battery alarms in QuickSet or the Power Options Properties window. See “Configuring Power Management Settings” in your User’s Guide for information about accessing QuickSet or the Power Options Properties window.
To manually enter hibernate mode in Windows Vista, click the Windows Vista Start button 
, and move your mouse over the right triangle beside the Lock icon to open the Power Options Properties window, and then click Hibernate.
To manually enter hibernate mode in Windows XP, you must first enable Hibernate mode.
To enable Hibernate mode:
1Click Start→ Control Panel→ Performance and Maintenance→ Power Options.
2Click the Hibernate tab.
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Quick Reference Guide
