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Step 1
Shut down the Dell Latitude before attempting to troubleshoot a Dell Latitude's battery. Click the Start menu and select "Shut Down" from the pop-up menu. Disconnect the Latitude before continuing to troubleshoot the Dell laptop's battery.
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Step 2
Inspect the Dell Latitude battery's connections and physical hardware. Turn the laptop upside down and remove the battery from the laptop's body. Visually inspect the connectors on the battery and within the laptop to look for any physical damage or corrosion which may be preventing the laptop from fully utilizing the Latitude battery.
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Step 3
Press and hold down the status button on the front of the actual battery. A row of lights will become illuminated. All of the lights will be illuminated if the battery is fully charged, with the number of lights decreasing the less charge the battery holds. If the battery is low on a charge, replace it in the Dell Latitude and plug the laptop into a power source to charge the battery.
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Step 4
Turn on the Dell Latitude by pressing on the power button below its screen. Click Start and select "Run." If you're using a Dell Latitude 3000-series laptop, type "batrecal.exe" in the dialog window. If using a 5000- or 7000-series, type "i75brca0.exe." This launches the Dell Latitude's troubleshooting utility. Follow the on-screen prompts to re-calibrate the Dell Latitude battery. This re-syncs the battery's charge with the laptop, resolving most common charge-related battery problems.
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Step 5
Reset the Dell Latitude's BIOS software, which governs internal operating system mechanisms such as handling the battery's charge. Launch your Web browser and navigate to the Dell support website. Select your Latitude's model and series number in the left-hand menu. Click "Downloads." Select your current operating system and click "FlashBIOS Updates." Press the "Go" button to download the update. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen prompts to reset and upgrade your BIOS.
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Step 6
Purchase a new AC adapter power cord from the Dell support site (see Resources). The errors you're trying to troubleshoot in the Dell Latitude battery may be provoked by a faulty power cord.
