The Power Options utility in Windows allows you to reduce the power consumption of specific devices or the entire system. You can manage power usage for the following:
- Laptop
- Hard drive
- Display
- Sleep timers
- Low-battery warnings
To configure power settings in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Power Options
To configure power settings in Windows XP, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Power Options
Laptop Power Options
If you do not want to completely shut down the laptop when you press the power button, you can adjust settings to reduce power usage.
To access the Define power buttons and turn on password protection menu in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, click the Choose what the power buttons do link on the left hand side of the Power Options utility. In Windows XP, the Power buttons settings can be accessed by selecting the Advanced tab in the Power Options utility.
In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, the options are:
- Do nothing - The computer continues to run at full power.
- Sleep - Documents and applications are saved in RAM, allowing the computer to power on quickly.
- Hibernate - Documents and applications are saved to a temporary file on the hard drive. The laptop takes a little longer than Sleep to power on.
In Windows XP, the options are:
- Standby - Documents and applications are saved in RAM, allowing the computer to power on quickly.
- Hibernate - Documents and applications are saved to a temporary file on the hard drive. The laptop takes a little longer than Standby to power on.
Figure 1 shows Hibernate enabled in the Power Options utility of Windows 7.
Hard Drive and Display Power Management
Two of the biggest power consumers on a laptop are the hard drive and display. As shown in Figure 2, you can select when to turn the hard drive or display off when the laptop is running on a battery or AC adapter.
To adjust the power settings for a hard drive, display, or other computer component in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, follow these steps:
Step 1. Click Start > Control Panel > Power Options.
Step 2. Locate the power plan.
Step 3. Click Change plan settings.
Step 4. Click Change advanced power settings.
To access the Advanced Power Settings in Windows XP, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Power Options > Advanced tab
Sleep Timers
Customized sleep timers for Windows 7 and Windows Vista Power Plans settings are shown in Figure 3. The Windows XP Power Schemes settings is shown in Figure 4.
To configure sleep timers in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, follow these steps:
Step 1. Click Start > Control Panel > Power Options.
Step 2. Click Change when the computer sleeps and select the desired time.
To configure sleep timers in Windows XP, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Power Options and select the desired time
Battery Warnings
In Windows, you can set the levels for battery warnings. The default for a low-battery warning is 10 percent remaining capacity. The default for critical battery level is 5 percent. You can also set the type of notification and the action to take, such as whether to sleep, hibernate, or shut down the laptop when the battery capacity reaches the specified level.