A few questions about my new E6500

I just got my new Latitude E6500 today! I really like it, but I have a few questions. Firstly, is there a way to automatically set thresholds for the battery to start and stop charging while plugged in (like 40% and 95%)? Secondly, do the Fn-F2/Fn-F3 do that automatically? I'm a little unsure of how they actually work. Finally, is there a way to make the volume meter or the brightness meter show up when I adjust those via the volume buttons and Fn-up/Fn-down?

Thanks!

 

I don't think there is a way to automatically set the charge range. Fn+F2 toggles the battery charge control (an icon appears in the system tray when charging is disabled) while Fn+F3 displays the battery info (it loads the relevant page of Dell ControlPoint). Dell seem to have got the battery management working reasonably OK. I seem to have lost only about 15% capacity in 11 months.

You should get onscreen notification of volume and brightness changes. Dell ControlPoint manages this. You need to use Manage Display and Devices and check the notifications under display settings.

John

 

Thanks. However, I got my computer through my college--Dell had a deal with them, so it came preloaded with some college software, but I worry that some of the Dell software didn't come with it like the Dell Battery Meter (on my brother's Inspiron 15) or Dell ControlPoint. The Fn+F2/3 don't seem to work, and I cannot even find Manage Display and Devices, and I don't see a hint of Dell ControlPoint anywhere on my computer. I have the DVD with all of the drivers and utilities, but I don't know which ones to install and which ones not to do so. Do you know which ones I need?
Thanks!

 

You can download all your drivers and applications straight from Dell's support site:

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...ystemID=LAT_E6500&os=WLH&osl=en&catid=&impid=

ControlPoint software is under the heading "ControlPoint", and you're probably just looking for the application "ControlPoint System Manager". If you're using XP, you can change the Operating System to "Windows XP" and it'll give you XP drivers and applications.

 

Thanks so much to both of you!
It works perfectly!

 

hehe i had the same i8600 specs as you except with the radeon 9600 and WUXGA screen.

i upgraded to a precision (see sig). good choice getting the E6500! solid machine

 

I was looking at the M4400 as probably my top choice (except with P8700 and RGBLED (edit: and no modem)), but my college had non-customizable options with accidental coverage (service on campus) and bundles of software for a great price, so I got this. I only wish it had a backlit keyboard (it has the standard one).

 

the keyboard is very easy to replace. you can get one from ebay or from dell spare parts. its definitely a worthwhile upgrade.

i was an early adopter, so the RGBLED display wasnt available when i got mine. however reading about the issues with very wide gamut displays is making me thank my choice. only thing that irritates me about the 2CCFL display is knowing that in a year or two its gonna lose its brightness

i originally chose the P9500, but they gave me a free upgrade to the T9600, so i didnt complain lol.

love the m4400 but miss my i8600!! it was dying, was in a really bad way, then i finally (accidentally) put it out of its misery by spilling a pint of beer on it.

 

Looking at it on eBay, I'm surprised it's that cheap! I'll definitely consider it. I installed a new keyboard on my 8600 after the Enter key fell out, so I know it's not tough. By the way, I'll try to get some pictures of my 8600, but the case is so beat up that I worry if I hold it the wrong way that it'll snap in two, as one of the two connectors (I forget what they're called) from the screen to the main body has already snapped!

 

you mean the hinges?

yea, mine snapped too. i had the 3 year warranty, and by the 3rd year almost every component had been replaced. then after the warranty finished the speakers and graphics card started failing. got really bad, if i moved the notebook i'd get a blue screen lol...

beware of the rubber bumpers on either side of the palmrest, they seem to have a tendency to fall off

thankfully dell is replacing my palmrest as a goodwill gesture.