Good News, Bad News

Good News: My laptop is speaking to me through the battery light.
Sort of Bad News: No one, not even Dell, seems to know exactly what it means. This might be because I haven't paid them $40 to tell me, but I'm thinking it's because they don't know anything (it's definitely not the hinge cover, which is what the first tech told me for free). It is generally agreed that the battery is on it's way out. Frustrating, since it's only a year and a half old, and since I haven't used the 300 charge cycles it's supposed to take to kill it. Grr....
Really Bad News: The light wouldn't stop flashing. I can work without a battery, but not with a blinking red light.
Good News: I took the battery out altogether. The light stopped blinking, and my laptop is now about 2 pounds lighter.
What I learned: Dell technical service is basically a waste of time. I lack patience when it comes to blinking lights and tech support. I'm going to need a new laptop battery soon-ish.