Flashing red lights on laptop - WTF

[sam h]

Hi,

Today, for no discernable reason, the power LEDs on my Dell Inspiron 600m laptop (right-front, underneath main display, four small lights) began flashing red. Generally, they only do this when the battery is about to run out, but it now seems to occur at all times no matter how charged the battery is or whether the machine is even running on battery power at all. The only time it seems to stop is when I actually take the battery out of the machine (running on AC power).

What is the computer trying to tell me? The battery seems to work alright, although it appears to be the culprit in some sense. Could it be something else wrong with the power system? Am I endangering the computer at all by continuing to use it despite these flashing red lights?

Any thoughts or suggestions concerning the above would be greatly appreciated by this relatively clueless computer user.

Thanks,

Sam