Hi, The battery light on my Inspiron 6000 flashes 3 times red and then green repeatedly. What does this mean? Also, after the computer is plugged into an outlet for an extended period of time the power pack light goes off and it no longer charges my computer. In order to charge the computer I need to switch the plug to another outlet.

here ya go

http://www.fixya.com/support/r3696096-dell_portable_battery_led_flashes_orange

That is normal, to flash green during charging. Once charge is complete it should go solid green.

remove the battery
clean the connecting ends of ur laptop & battery,
plug it back in & then start it...

Battery.

Dell has a chip internal to the battery programed to shut down after a certain number of charge cycles. This means every time you plug the laptop in with the battery installed. When it reaches this determined number the battery effectively shuts down, even though technically it's still good. There have been loads of complaints on the net toward Dell over this issue. I have myself experience this. Battery good one day, powered down, went home, powered up... only to receive the deadly flashing light. Only cure is to replace battery. Several hacks trying to get around this but they're all horrible. Bad Dell - bad, bad Dell!

We had the same problem. I figured out it was NOT the main battery, but the auxilary battery. The batter life WITH the auxiliary was 68% total, when I removed the 2nd battery the battery life shot back up to 98% AND the flashing orange / red lights were gone (both on the power source and off). I then replaced the auxiliary battery with a spar back up to make SURE that it was not a fluke and with the new backup battery firmly in place the lights still did not flash. Problem solved.

The machine is telling you the battery is not charging or is otherwise no good.

The battery for this unit is subject to a recall, if it has part #OU091 or W1435. This recall started in October 08. Go to:

http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/

for more info.

Alternatively, bring your power supply to a Radio Shack, and make sure it is putting out the requisite 19V DC power.

I have had three different laptops, last one an XPS from DELL which did the same thing. Replacing the battery solved all three laptops. How old is the battery you have in there now?

Hi, the orange light is meant to show a charging status, so if you have orange light and its running on electric it just means its plugged in and charging.

Check your users manual. Normally if it is blinking it is powering up, but may be different depending on model.

maybe..or it's deeply discharged..you may need to run the computer, sans the battery, then install battery while the computer is up, and then do a full recharge.