Three months ago, I noticed a small 1-millimeter crack under my laptop, between the keyboard and the base. I thought: it's just cosmetic - maybe I broke some plastic parts when I tried to vacuum off the dust?

This week, I noticed that the crack has enlarged to about 5 millimeters. I asked around and realized that I have a swollen battery in the laptop.

According to DELL forum, a swollen battery, if not removed promptly, could catch fire and burn down my house. This means, there has been a ticking time bomb under my palm for the past few months.

Following the procedure, I carefully disassembled the laptop and gently took out the battery. It's a 4-cell battery, and two of the battery cells have expanded to twice of the normal thickness. I'm glad that I caught this safety hazard in time.

Please regularly inspect your battery operated devices, including laptops, phones, drones, and IoT gadgets. If you notice a swollen battery, unplug the power supply and run the device until the battery is drained, then disconnect and remove the battery.
Because safety matters.