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How to Change the BIOS Battery Charge Mode to Primarily AC Use on Alienware Laptops

Summary: This article serves as a guide to change the BIOS battery charge mode to Primarily AC Use on Alienware laptops.

This article applies to   This article does not apply to 

Instructions


AW Alien head

Set Primarily AC Use to maintain battery Health

Many users have been using their Alienware laptop in AC mode during the coronavirus pandemic period. In order to maintain the battery health, you may see a notification to change the battery charge mode to Primarily AC Use. The notification (see Figure 1 [English Only]) is displayed during the BIOS update.

The notification seen during BIOS update to set the settings of express charge to Primarily AC Use
Figure 1: The notification that is seen during the BIOS update to set the settings of express charge to Primarily AC Use.
 

Platform Name Implemented BIOS version Release date Default setting of Battery Charge Mode
Alienware 13 R3 1.12.2 July 30, 2021 Auto
Alienware 15 R3 1.12.2 July 30, 2021 Auto
Alienware 17 R4 1.12.2 July 30, 2021 Auto
Alienware 15 R4 1.13.2 July 30, 2021 Express Charge
Alienware 17 R5 1.13.2 July 30, 2021 Express Charge
Alienware Area 51m 1.14.0 June 8, 2021 Adaptive
Alienware Area 51m R2 1.8.1 July 30, 2021 Adaptive
Alienware m15 R2 1.8.1 July 30, 2021 Adaptive
Alienware m17 R2 1.8.1 July 30, 2021 Adaptive
Alienware m15 2.7.0 April 21, 2021 Express Charge
Alienware m17 2.7.0 April 21, 2021 Express Charge
Table 1: BIOS releases that would show the notification.


Set Primarily AC Use

You can follow one of the methods below to change the Express Charge settings.

Method 1: Set Primarily AC Use in BIOS

  1. Turn the laptop on.
  2. Press F2 key during the startup to enter the BIOS.
  3. Switch to the Advanced tab.
  4. Locate Express Charge (see Figure 2 [English Only]) or Battery Charge Configuration (see Figure 3 [English Only]).
    • For Alienware 13 R3, Alienware 15 R3, Alienware 17 R4, Alienware 15 R4, Alienware 17 R5, Alienware m15, and Alienware m17

      BIOS - Advanced - Express Charge
      Figure 2: Express Charge

    • For Alienware Area 51m, Alienware Area 51m R2, Alienware m15 R2, and Alienware m17 R2

      BIOS - Advanced - Battery Charge Configuration
      Figure 3: Battery Charge Configuration

  5. Change the value to Primarily AC Use.
  6. Press F10 to save the change and exit.

    BIOS Prompt - Save configuration and reset
    Figure 4: BIOS Prompt - Save configuration and reset


Method 2: Load BIOS default

  1. Turn the laptop on.
  2. Press the F2 key during POST to enter the BIOS.
  3. Press F9 to load default settings.
    BIOS Prompt - Load Optimized Defaults
    Figure 5: BIOS Prompt - Load Optimized Defaults
  4. Press F10 to save the change and exit.
    BIOS Prompt - Save configuration and reset
    Figure 6: BIOS Prompt - Save configuration and reset

ALIENWARE logo

  Alienware Support twitter   Alienware Support channel on Youtube   Alienware Support channel on facebook   Alienware Forum

Affected Products

Alienware 13 R3, Alienware 15 R3, Alienware 15 R4, Alienware Area-51m, Alienware 17 R4, Alienware 17 R5, Alienware Area-51m R2, Alienware M15 R2, Alienware M17 R2
Article Properties
Article Number: 000184707
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 10 Jul 2024
Version:  3
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