Number 201 - February 2000
Laptop Battery Life Gauge Gives False Readings
from Patrick Marshall column, Seattle Times 5 Dec 1999
    Q. I have a Dell Latitude laptop running Windows 98. The problem I'm having is that the Power Meter doesn't recognize when I'm running on battery. The meter displays two battery icons, and says both are not present. It even does this when I'm running the computer without the AC adapter attached. How could this be? How do I get Windows to show me how much battery life I have left? Brad Austen

    A. Hmmmm. Had the same problem myself. Generally, the Power Meter didn't even show that I had a battery in the unit. On occasion it would it would show the battery but would give an inaccurate reading. One time when I booted, I was informed that I had 27 percent battery power left. I rebooted a couple of more times and was informed I had 32 percent power.

    I finally solved the problem by forcing the laptop to use APM 1.0 instead of the Automatic Power Management 1.2 that is, by default, activated with Windows 98. I haven't been able to get a definitive answer as to what the specific problem might be with APM 1.2, however.
    To force the laptop to use APM 1.0, go to the Control Panel and select the System icon. Choose the Device Manager, then select System Devices from the list that pops up. Choose the Advanced Power Management item and then click on the Settings tab. Finally, check the box that says "Force APM 1.0 mode."

TOGGLE Editor's Note:
    Even though you may not own a Dell Latitude laptop computer, the technique described here may be useful to you to solve a similar problem with another computer. Don't be afraid to explore a bit in the Control Panel/System area, but do be careful to keep notes on anything you DO change, recording values BEFORE and AFTER any change, so you can change them back if you don't achieve the desired result (read really screw things up). If you are afraid, or uncertain about changing anything like this and really need some help, call someone on the Help Line. The advice is free and depending on who lives where, you will certainly get some hand-holding and might even get some hands-on help.
 
  Number 201 - February 2000