>>> This communication is a modification of an old recall that happened in year 2000. This is merely an update to the communication to note the 2 for 1 battery exchange offer expired 12/04/2002 and that the Sony Battery Recall progam in all regions will be shut down as of July 1, 2003. <<<

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Compaq Computer Corporation announced a worldwide voluntary recall and replacement program for approximately 55,000 battery packs used in Armada E500 and V300 notebooks. The affected 9-cell battery packs were distributed worldwide in notebooks, as separate options, and as replacement spares.

Compaq and the battery manufacturer identified a manufacturing defect in one battery pack manufactured between June 2, and July 10, 2000. The failed battery pack overheated and released smoke, damaging the notebook computer. Although there have been no injuries reported, Compaq considers this defect a potential risk due to the high levels of heat produced and is taking these proactive measures to ensure the safety of its customers.

NOTE: The Armada notebooks themselves are not affected by this recall.

To determine if a battery is affected by this recall, remove the battery from the Armada E500 or V300 notebook and look at the end of the battery to the right of the connector.

The recalled battery packs can be identified by a white manufacturer's label to the right of the battery connector. The label consists of a 4-letter date code and a 5-digit serial number. The last three digits following the serial number can be ignored. If the label on your battery pack matches these date codes and is within the following serial number range, it should be replaced immediately through the process detailed below.

NOTE: Any Armada E500 or V300 9-cell battery pack found that does not match the date codes and serial numbers or which does not have a label in that location, is NOT suspect and does not need to be replaced.

Battery Discharge Instructions: Use one of the following two methods to discharge the battery.

Manual Discharge Process Windows 9x, ME, 2000:

• Close applications to avoid loss of data or data corruption.
  
• From Control Panel, double click the Power Icon. Click the Power Schemes tab. Set the Power Schemes to Always On. Set all the power settings for Always On to Never and click the Apply Button. Click the OK Button. Close the Control Panel Window.
  
• Remove AC power from the Notebook and allow the Notebook to run until it automatically turns off.
  
• Remove the recalled battery and return the defective battery as per the instructions that come with the replacement batteries.

Automated Discharge Process:

• The CHECKBAT.EXE utility available for down load from http://www.compaq.com/products/notebooks/batteryrecall . This utility will automatically detect if the battery pack is affected by this recall and give the option to discharge the battery.
  
• To use:
  1. Download the file from the above location.
     
  2. Insert a formatted blank floppy diskette into the Armada E500 or V300.
     
  3. Double click the down loaded CHECKBAT.EXE file.
     
  4. This will build a floppy diskette for you with CHECKBAT.EXE on it.
     
  5. Once the diskette is built, boot from the diskette and it will check your Armada E500 and V300 battery packs.

Replacement Order Information:
Customers with batteries within the affected serial number range may obtain replacement batteries via:

• The WEB based ordering site: http://www.compaq.com/products/notebooks/batteryrecall
  
• An Authorized Compaq Service Provider
  
• Order by one of the following phone numbers:

Upon receipt of the battery replacement (WEB or Phone) order, Compaq will ship a replacement battery at no charge to the customer within 2-3 days for U.S./Canada and 3-5 days for international shipments. To be eligible for the battery replacement program, please use the WEB or Designated Phone Order process.

NOTICE: All Recalled batteries must be returned to Compaq.