Time/batteries

I have just got a laptop up and networking. It was a gift with no insructions.
There is an ac power cord that runs from the outlet to a rectangular heavy device. I'm guessing this a transformer to change the 120 volts to whatever the pc wants to accept. the cord then goes from this rectangular device to the laptop.
Question - How long should either of these be plugged in? I guess the battery is in the computer but I don't want to burn either out.It is a Dell 5150 Inspiron and I hve set the power and discs to shut off after 15 minutes.
Thank you

Hey Gramps…. Your power cord and charger should not be plugged into the laptop for periods any longer than eight (8) hours. It is recommended that you should drain your battery once a week for peek performance and entend the life of your battery. General tips for laptop care include: avoid extreme temperatures, don’t leave a laptop outside in cold weather or leave it in a hot car. Cold batteries can’t create very much power and hot batteries will discharge very quickly. Take care…. Paul

I think I'll leave both chager and pc on ac power for up to 8 hours then just run the battery down next time or so. The charger is probably best left in wall receptale up to 8 hours also. I appreciate the information.

Hi Grampy Pete, I agree with the above recommendations, but would add that the battery should be removed "most of the time" if possible. Run your laptop from the a/c power supply most of the time if possible. Heat is the enemy of electronic parts and of batteries. When the battery is in the laptop it receives heat from the machine, and gives heat off to the machine's components. That's a lose-lose situation. I have a 7 year old Dell laptop with two batteries. I keep them both in cool, dry, dark storage most of the time. They both give factory spec service when I need them. Best Regards

I understand the ideas but am surprised to hear about runin the pc with the charger and cord only. I know all pcs are different but tell me a little about battery removal and any cautions, please. Thank you,

Have a look here, for the Dell Documentation of your machine.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/syst…00/en/index.htm

Select: Inspiron 5100 and 5150 Owner's Manual (a pdf file)

*** While you're at it……. Have you checked that batteries serial number against the Recall List?

Doug's correct about removing the battery if you are using the power cord. I do that too….. Cheers

Yes, I read about that recall and my daughter missed it by a few months so I have some checking out to do;I'll let you know. Thank you for the manual and it looks pretty easy. I always wondered what that little button was on the bottom.