Dell Inspiron 7000 - Manual (Page 69)

The AC adapter needs from 2 to 2.5 hours (depending on whether the system is on or off) to fully charge a battery that has been completely discharged. If 2 batteries
are installed in the computer, the AC adapter charges the main battery first, then the secondary battery. (The secondary battery is discharged first.)
For maximum battery performance, charge the battery only at normal room temperature. To charge the battery, follow these steps:
1. Connect the computer to the AC adapter.
2. Install the main battery and/or a secondary battery in the computer.
The battery starts charging immediately. The battery LED on the front of the computer appears as a solid green light while the battery is charging. If you remove a battery from the
computer while the battery is charging, the indicator lights on the battery will stay lit for a few minutes.
Checking a Battery's Charge Level
Use one of the following methods to check the battery's charge level:
l Check the battery charge gauge before you insert the battery into your computer. When the battery is in the computer, you cannot see the gauge. The gauge has
5 charge-level indicator lights that show how much battery charge remains. Press the status button to the right of the lights to check the charge level. Each light
represents approximately 20% of the total battery charge. For example, if the battery has 80% of its charge remaining, 4 of the lights are on. If none of the lights
are on, the battery has no charge left.
l A low-battery warning occurs when the battery is about 90% depleted. The speaker beeps 3 times, and the battery status LED is a solid amber. About 12
minutes of battery life remains. If both the main battery and the secondary battery are installed, the low-battery warning means that the combined charge of both
batteries is about 90 percent depleted.
l If you are using the Microsoft ® Windows ® 98 operating system, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click the
Power icon to open the Power Properties window. (Alternatively, right-click the battery icon in the taskbar of the Windows 98 desktop. From there you can
open the Power Properties window or the battery meter.) The Windows 98 battery meter displays a battery icon that shows the amount of battery charge
remaining. If an AC adapter is connected to the computer, the battery meter displays a plug icon. The battery meter icons are visible in the desktop taskbar. For
more information, see your Windows 98 documentation
.
NOTE: You can leave the battery in the computer as long as you like. The battery's built-in circuitry prevents the battery from overcharging.
NOTICE: If only 1 or none of the charge-level indicator lights are lit, it indicates a critically low battery state. Do not use the battery
unless the computer is connected to AC power or unless you install a second charged battery.
NOTICE: To avoid losing data (and possibly corrupting data areas on your hard-disk drive), save your work immediately after a low-
battery warning. Then connect the computer to AC power, or install a secondary battery in the options bay. If the battery runs completely
out of power, the computer activates save-to-disk suspend mode.