How to Monitor Your Laptop’s Battery in Windows Vista

Displaying the battery icon in Windows Vista

To ensure that the battery icon shows up in the notification area, heed these steps:

1. Choose Control Panel from the Start menu.

   
   



2. Click the Taskbar and Start Menu icon in the Control Panel window.

   
   



3. Click the Notification Area tab.

   
   



4. Put a check mark by the Power item.

   
   



5. Click OK.

   
   

You can also monitor battery usage from the Control Panel's Windows Mobility Center in Windows Vista.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-monitor-your-laptops-battery-in-windows-vis.html