Dell Inspiron 5160 - Manual (Page 28)

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Using a Battery
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CAUTION:
Do not dispose of batteries with household waste. When your battery no longer holds a
charge, call your local waste disposal or environmental agency for advice on disposing of a lithium-ion
battery. See "Battery Disposal" in the Product Information Guide.
CAUTION:
Misuse of the battery may increase the risk of fire or chemical burn. Do not puncture,
incinerate, disassemble, or expose the battery to temperatures above 65°C (149°F). Keep the battery
away from children. Handle damaged or leaking batteries with extreme care. Damaged batteries may
leak and cause personal injury or equipment damage.
Checking the Battery Charge
The Microsoft
®
Windows
®
power meter window and icon, the battery charge gauge, and the
low-battery warning provide information on the battery charge.
Microsoft Windows Power Meter
The Windows Power Meter indicates the remaining battery charge. To check the Power Meter,
double-click the
icon on the taskbar. For more information about the Power Meter tab, see
"Power Management" in the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access help, see page 10.
If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, a icon appears.
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. For
more information about low-battery alarms, see "Power Management" in the Dell Inspiron Help file.
To access the help file, see page 10.
Charging the Battery
NOTE:
The AC adapter charges a completely discharged battery in approximately 3 hours with the
computer turned off. Charge time is significantly longer if the computer is on and running at high
processor speeds and system activity levels. Running the computer at high system activity levels for
extended periods of time may prevent the battery from charging.
When you connect the computer to an electrical outlet or install a battery while the computer is
connected to an electrical outlet, the computer checks the battery charge and temperature. If
necessary, the AC adapter then charges the battery and maintains the battery charge.
If the battery is hot from being used in your computer or being in a hot environment, the battery
may not charge when you connect the computer to an electrical outlet.