Using a Battery 49Microsoft® Windows® Battery MeterThe battery meter indicates the remaining battery charge. To check thebattery meter, double-click the icon in the notification area.Check the Battery HealthYou can check battery health by using the Battery Meter in Dell QuickSet. Forinformation about QuickSet, right-click the QuickSet icon in the notificationarea, and then click Help.Low-Battery WarningNOTICE: To avoid losing or corrupting data, save your work immediately after alow-battery warning, then connect the computer to an electrical outlet. If thebattery runs completely out of power, Sleep state begins automatically.A pop-up window warns you when the battery charge is approximately90 percent depleted. The computer enters Sleep state when the batterycharge is at a critically low level.You can change the settings for the battery alarms in Dell QuickSet or thePower Options window (see "Configuring Power Management Settings" onpage 51).Conserving Battery PowerTo conserve battery power on your portable computer, do any of the following:• Connect the computer to an electrical outlet when possible; battery life islargely determined by the number of times the battery is used and recharged.• Configure the power management settings using either Dell QuickSet orMicrosoft Windows Power Options to optimize your computer’s powerusage (see "Configuring Power Management Settings" on page 51).• Use the Sleep power state when you leave the computer unattended for along time (see "Low-Battery Warning" on page 49).
