l Press The Battery Meter displays the status, battery health, charge level, and charge completion time for the battery in your computer.For more information about QuickSet, right-click the QuickSet icon, and then click Help.Microsoft® Windows® Battery MeterThe battery meter indicates the remaining battery charge. To check the battery meter, double-click the icon in the notification area.Charge GaugeBy either pressing once or pressing and holding the status button on the battery charge gauge, you can check:l Battery charge (check by pressing and releasing the status button)l Battery 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 somecharge capacity—or battery health. Therefore, a battery can show a status of charged, but maintain a reduced charge capacity (health).Check the Battery ChargeTo check the battery charge, press and release the status button on the battery charge gauge to illuminate the charge indicator lights. Each light representsapproximately 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 lightsare on, the battery has no charge.Check the Battery HealthTo check the battery health using the charge gauge, press and hold the status button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3 seconds to illuminate thehealth indicator lights. Each light represents incremental degradation. If no lights appear, the battery is in good condition, and more than 80 percent of itsoriginal charge capacity remains. If five lights appear, less than 60 percent of the charge capacity remains, and you should consider replacing the battery (seeBattery for more information about the battery operating time).Low-Battery WarningA pop-up window warns you when the battery charge is approximately 90 percent depleted. The computer enters Sleep state when the battery charge is at acritically low level.You can change the settings for the battery alarms in Dell QuickSet or the Power Options window (see Configuring Power Management Settings).Conserving Battery PowerTo conserve battery power on your portable computer, do any of the following:l Connect the computer to an electrical outlet when possible; battery life is largely determined by the number of times the battery is used and recharged.l Configure the power management settings using either Dell QuickSet or Microsoft Windows Power Options to optimize your computer's power usage(see Configuring Power Management Settings).l Use the Sleep power state when you leave the computer unattended for long periods of time (see Using the Sleep Power State).Configuring Power Management SettingsYou can use Dell QuickSet or Windows Power Options to configure the power management settings on your computer.l For information on how to use the Dell QuickSet Power Management wizard, right-click the QuickSet icon in the notification area, click Help, and thenselect Power Management.l To use Windows Power Options, do one of the following:l Click Start ® Control Panel® Hardware and Sound® Power Options, and then select a power plan in the Select a power plan window.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 Meterin Dell QuickSet. For information about QuickSet, right-click the QuickSet icon in the notification area, and then 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, Sleep state begins automatically.
