76 Setting Up and Using Your Tablet-PC
Check the Battery Health
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 Meter in Dell QuickSet.
For information about QuickSet, right-click the icon in the Windows Notification
area, and click Help.
To check the battery health using the charge gauge, press and hold the status
button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3 seconds. 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 60 percent of the charge capacity remains, and you
should consider replacing the battery.
Low-Battery Warning
NOTICE: To avoid losing or corrupting data, save your work immediately after a
low-battery warning. Then connect the Tablet-PC to an electrical outlet, or dock the
Tablet-PC onto an optional battery slice. 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 both the main battery and the battery slice are installed,
the low-battery warning means that the combined charge of both batteries is
approximately 90 percent depleted. The Tablet-PC 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 page 79 for information about accessing QuickSet or the Power Options
Properties window.
Conserving Battery Power
Perform the following actions to conserve battery power:
• Connect the Tablet-PC 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 Tablet-PC in sleep mode or hibernate mode when you leave the
Tablet-PC unattended for long periods of time. See "Power Management
Modes" on page 77.
book.book Page 76 Tuesday, May 13, 2008 5:03 PM
