Dell Power Supply Inspiron 1100 Problems

The Dell Inspiron 1100 comes equipped with a 12-cell "smart" lithium ion battery. There are several factors in determining how long the 1100's battery will power the device when fully charged; the brightness of the display, the peripherals connected to the laptop and whether the optical drive is used can all contribute to the battery's charge lasting more briefly than desired. Adjusting certain system settings may help compensate for this and give you time to save your working documents.

Power Management

Optimizing your Inspiron 1100's power management settings may help extend the life of your battery's charge. To adjust these settings, begin by opening the "Start" menu and selecting the option labeled "Control Panel." Open the "Performance and Maintenance" control panel. Open "Power Options" and navigate to the tab labeled "Power Schemes." Open the drop-down menu and select the option labeled "Low Power Mode."
The Inspiron 1100 also allows you to activate a preset power management mode via keyboard shortcut ("Fn" + "Esc/Suspend"). You can change which mode is bound to this shortcut via the "Advanced" tab in the "Power Options" section.

Low Power Alerts

Use the "Performance and Maintenance" control panel to set up alerts to warn you when the battery is low; this will give you time to save the files you are currently working in or to put the laptop into standby mode (by closing the lid) until you are able to connect it to an AC adapter. Select the tab labeled "Alarms" and make the desired adjustments to the settings within. You may also adjust the type of alarm (text warning, alert sound or program launch) and whether the device performs a specific action, such as going into standby mode.

Peripherals and Wireless

Peripheral devices such as PC cards may draw power from your laptop, draining the batteries reserves. If you have no need of a certain peripheral for a certain activity, disconnect or eject it from the machine. Wireless connectivity similarly requires power to maintain; if you have no need of Internet connectivity or are connected via an Ethernet cable, disable the computer's wireless via "Dell QuickSet." Locate the "QuickSet" icon in your taskbar and right-click on it; select the option to disable wireless connectivity. You may re-enable it at a later date via the same method.

Display Brightness

If the brightness on your laptop's display is set to a high level, this requires additional energy to maintain. Lowering the brightness levels may help the battery to last a little longer. To adjust the brightness, locate the two keys on your keyboard labeled with arrows and an icon of a sun. Hold down the "Fn" key and press the key with a downward arrow to decrease brightness. You can press the other key to increase brightness.

References

• Dell Inspiron 1100 Owner's Manual (PDF)
• Dell Inspiron 1100 "Tell Me How" (Microsoft Help File)