46 Using a Battery
To check the battery health using the charge gauge, press and hold the status
button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3seconds. 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 60percent of the charge capacity remains, and you
should consider replacing the battery. See "Battery Performance" on page43
for more information about the battery operating time.

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. If the
battery runs completely out of power, hibernate mode begins automatically.
A pop-up window warns you when the battery charge is approximately 90
percent depleted. 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.
You can change the settings for the battery alarms in QuickSet or the Power
Options Properties window. See "Configuring Power Management Settings"
on page48 for information about accessing QuickSet or the Power Options
Properties window.
Conserving Battery Power
Perform the following actions to conserve battery power:
• Connect 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.
• Place the computer in standby mode or hibernate mode when you leave
the computer unattended for long periods of time. See "Power
Management Modes" on page 47.
• Use the Power Management Wizard or the
Power Options Properties
window 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>.
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