be careful with the ebay batteries.
i saw the same thing as you, and bought 2 ebay batteries for $50 each,
and they were garbage. one died within 3 mos, and the other is not
holding a charge now for more than a half hour.
i bought them both back in jan or feb this year.

the most important thing is when the cells were born. there are some
better sites that gurarantee freshness. for batteries that were phased
out, like for the lattitude c640 like i have, i dont think those
batteries are really made new and fresh anymore, so people who have them
to sell have them sitting around on shelves possibly for a year or so.
which shortens the life. it goes by the age of the cells, not the usage.
make sure you get a good guarantee with it. at least a year.


MZB wrote:
Dell site wants $129.

EBAY wants $55 for the exact same product (not a compatible)

Mel
"Notan" wrote in message
...
MZB wrote:
I have an Inspiron 2200. I got it about 14 months ago.

It now appears that my battery goes from fully charged to 5% charged in
about 1.75 hours. It seems it used to take about 2.25-2.75 hours (never
timed it exactly).

I have used the battery a LOT. Pretty much every day.

I ASSUME this indicates I am starting to see the downside of it's
lifespan.

Is there any other way to tell?? I remember once reading about indicator
lights on the battery, but I don't see any. Am I not looking in the right
place?

Anyway, if I do need a new battery, any suggestions? Is there a less
expensive way/source than going through the Dell site?? Would EBAY be a
good
way to go (or would even new batteries bought through EBAY be a bit old
and
have less life).

BTW, I've been VERY pleased with my laptop
It sure sounds like you're due for a new battery!

And these days, with all the publicized battery problems, you'd be a bit
crazy not to invest in a Dell-branded replacement.

Notan