- Using Control Panel
- Setting the Window Color
- Turning Off Aero
- Setting the Desktop Background
- Setting the Screen Saver
- Setting the Desktop Theme
- Configuring the Monitor
- Configuring the Mouse
- Configuring the Keyboard
- Configuring Sound and Audio Devices
- Setting the Date and Time
- Localizing Your System
- Accommodating Disabled Users
- Using Speech Recognition
- Using Alternative Mouse Behavior
- Conserving Power
- Managing Fonts
- Managing Visual Effects and Performance
- Getting General System Information
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Conserving Power
Environmental and money concerns make power management an issue for desktop as well as laptop users. Control Panel's Power Options utility lets you configure hardware features that reduce power consumption, affect how the power switch works, and extend the life of computer parts by turning them off or switching them to a low-power state.
To optimize your computer's power use, Windows uses a power plan—a collection of settings that reduces the power consumption of certain system devices or of your entire system. (Power plans were called power schemes in earlier Windows versions.) You can use the default power plans provided with Windows or create your own by using one of the default plans as a starting point. You can change settings for any of your custom plans or the default plans to, for example:
- Make your computer go to sleep or turn off the display after a specified idle period
- Adjust the brightness of your display
- Require a password to unlock the computer when it wakes from sleep
- Choose what your computer does when you press the hardware power and sleep buttons or (for a laptop) close the lid
To set a power plan:
Choose Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options and select a power plan (Figure 4.62).
Figure 4.62 The Power Options page is the main switchboard for choosing, creating, and editing power plans.
or
Choose Start, type power options in the Search box, press Enter, and select a power plan.
or
If the battery icon appears in the notification area on the taskbar, click it and select a power plan (Figure 4.63).
Figure 4.63 Click the battery icon to pick a power plan.
Table 4.3 describes the plans that come with Windows. Your PC manufacturer or system administrator may have added others (or customized the battery icon).
Table 4.3. Power Plans
Plan
Description
Balanced
Offers full performance when you need it and saves power during periods of inactivity. This plan is fine for most people's needs.
Power Saver
Maximizes battery life by reducing system performance. If you're a laptop user, use this plan if you travel often and rely on battery power for long periods.
High Performance
Maximizes system performance and responsiveness. If you're a desktop user, use this plan for processor-intensive tasks like editing video, playing 3D games, and doing engineering or scientific calculations.
)
)
TIPS
- If you're on a network domain, your administrator can block you from changing the power plan.
- The battery icon appears on all laptop computers. On desktop computers, it appears only if you're using a short-term battery, such as a UPS supply that plugs into a USB port.
- The battery icon also responds to hovering and right-clicks (Figure 4.64). If your laptop has more than one battery, click the battery icon to see the charge remaining on each battery. Hover over the icon to see the combined charge.
Figure 4.64 Hover your pointer over the battery icon for a status report (top) or right-click it for a shortcut menu (bottom). Choosing Power Options from the shortcut menu is a quick way to open the Power Options page (refer to Figure 4.62).
- To show or hide the battery icon, right-click an empty area of the notification area, choose Customize Notification Icons, click Turn System Icons On or Off, and then turn on or off Power. (The Power option is unavailable if no battery is installed.) You also can open this dialog box from the battery icon's shortcut menu (refer to Figure 4.64).
- The battery icon is a graphical "fuel gauge" that tells you the battery's remaining power and charging state (Table 4.4). If you've customized your power plan to let you know when your battery is low, that notification appears above the battery icon. System-intensive tasks (like watching DVDs) drain a battery a lot faster than mundane ones (like reading and writing email). Over time you'll learn how accurate the battery meter is for your laptop, battery, and computing tasks.
)
Table 4.4. Battery Icons
|
Icon |
What It Means |
|
Your laptop is plugged in, and the battery is charging. |
|
|
Your laptop is plugged in, and the battery is fully charged. |
|
|
Your laptop isn't plugged in, and the battery is draining. |
|
|
The battery is low (yellow caution sign). See "To set low and critical battery behavior." |
|
|
The battery is critically low (red circled x). See "To set low and critical battery behavior." |
|
|
Your laptop is plugged in, but the battery isn't charging. (If the battery icon doesn't fill for a long time, you may have an old battery or a hardware problem.) |
|
|
Windows can't determine the battery charge (empty battery). |
|
|
Windows can't find a battery in the battery bay (red x). Check the documentation that came with your battery or laptop to know when it's safe to remove or insert the battery. |
To set low and critical battery behavior:
- Choose Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options (refer to Figure 4.62).
- Next to the selected plan, click Change Plan Settings.
- Click Change Advanced Power Settings.
- On the Advanced Settings tab, expand Battery (Figure 4.65).
Figure 4.65 Windows monitors your battery's charge and warns you when it reaches low and critical levels. Don't set these levels so low that you won't have a chance to install a charged battery, find a power outlet, or save your work and turn off your laptop. Try 25% (low) and 10% (critical) initially.
To set the charge levels at which battery notifications occur, expand Low Battery Level and Critical Battery Level; then choose the percentage that you want for each level.
or
To set what to do when a battery notification occurs, expand Low Battery Action and Critical Battery Action; then choose the action that you want for each level.
or
To turn battery-level notifications on or off, expand Low Battery Notification, click On Battery, and then choose On or Off.
- Click OK.
- Click Save Changes.
)
To create your own power plan:
- Choose Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options (refer to Figure 4.62).
- Click Create a Power Plan (on the left).
- On the Create a Power Plan page, select the plan that's closest to the type of plan that you want to create (Figure 4.66).
Figure 4.66 If you want to create a plan to conserve energy, for example, start with Power Saver.
- In the Plan Name box, type a name for your plan; then click Next.
- On the Change Settings for the Plan page, choose the display and sleep settings that you want to use when your computer is running on battery and when it's plugged in; then click Create (Figure 4.67).
Figure 4.67 If you're using a laptop, On Battery will appear.
)
)
TIPS
- The plan that you just created automatically becomes the active plan.
- If you're using a laptop, your plan appears under Plans Shown on the Battery Meter. If you're using a desktop computer, your plan appears under Preferred Plans. The plan that you based your new plan on is moved under Additional Plans (Figure 4.68).
Figure 4.68 Your custom plans appear alongside the default plans.
)
To change an existing power plan:
- Choose Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options (refer to Figure 4.62).
- Next to the plan that you want to change, click Change Plan Settings.
- On the Change Settings for the Plan page, choose the new settings (Figure 4.69).
Figure 4.69 This page will vary depending on whether you're using a laptop or a desktop computer.
If you don't want to change any more settings, click Save Changes.
or
To change additional power settings, click Change Advanced Power Settings; then complete steps 5 and 6.
- Change the settings on the Advanced Settings tab (Figure 4.70).
Figure 4.70 Expand the category that you want to customize, expand each setting that you want to change, and then choose the values that you want to use when your computer is running on battery and when it's plugged in.
- Click OK.
- Click Save Changes.
)
)
To delete a power plan:
- Choose Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options (refer to Figure 4.62).
- If the active plan is the one that you want to delete, make a different plan the active plan.
- Next to the plan that you want to delete, click Change Plan Settings.
- On the Change Settings for the Plan page, click Delete This Plan.
- When prompted, click OK.
To configure system settings for power options:
- Choose Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options (refer to Figure 4.62).
- Click Require a Password on Wakeup (on the left).
Choose the settings for the power and sleep buttons, laptop lid, and password protection (Figure 4.71).
Figure 4.71 These settings apply to all power plans. To apply them to only a specific plan, use the Advanced Settings dialog box for that plan (refer to ).
If any settings are unavailable, click Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable.
- Click Save Changes.
)