"Today In Pictures launched its new line of free computer how-to tutorials, available at www.inpics.net. There are 12 online tutorials, including OpenOffice.org. The tutorials can be used by anyone, free of charge."
Two leading computer manufacturers, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, have reported that they are implementing their own battery-saving, custom power-management settings to compensate for the drain caused by the Aero Glass interface in the Home Premium edition of Vista. For its part, Microsoft has said that it encourages PC makers to customize default power profiles for maximum efficiency.
Power Management (PM) in Windows XP
Source: Smart Computing (Dec. 2005, April 2007)
Definition of Power Management
A process whereby the operating system provides the computer user the ability to control power usage mainly to minimize power when PC is idle
Using screensaver not a power saver strictly cosmetic and entertaining
Ongoing debate re turning off power vs. leaving it run continuously
Aim of presentation
Review and demonstrate Windows XP PM
Standby mode vs. Hibernate mode
Standby mode
Low-power or sleep but PC is still on
System continues running,
Power consumption reduced greatly (turns off the most power-hungry components e.g. slows down the CPU, etc.
RAM continues to receive power thus contents of system memory are retained.
With power failure including battery, all is lost especially data
Obviously not meant for long tem use
Hibernate mode
Suspended animation with no power being used with no processing
Entire contents of memory saved to the hard drive at shut down.
With restoration of power, Window will be in the exact state prior to setting the hibernate mode e.g. application and open documents
Restoration to recover from hibernate mode dependent on amount of RAM overall speed of your system, usually 20 and 30 seconds
Especially useful for laptops
When you click Start> Turn Off Computer and only options are Stand By, Turn Off and Restart> depress Shift key to replace Stand By with Hibernate
Hybrid Sleep State (Vista) the best of the sleep and hibernate modes
Other Definitions
Turn Off Monitor
NOT all the way Off
Especially helpful with CRT
Can be turned on with movement mouse, etc
Turn Off Hard Disks
Stops HD from spinning
Much better option re power saving
PM settings
Set by default with new PC but you can customize with use of the drop down menus or keep as is and create custom schemes by modifying an existing one then click Save As button, name it and save as a new scheme.
Start> Control Panel> Power Options> Power Scheme tab (or Start> Run> type powercfg.cpl) Note lower half: steps that can be taken the longer your PC is idle
Turn off monitor: monitor darkens without turning off (note color of on/off button); better saving with CRT; can be turned on with movement mouse, etc
Turn off hard disks: big power saving; also can be turned on with movement mouse, etc
Tweaking Power Schemes
1. Desktop PC: Start> Power Options> Power Schemes> select Home/Office> e.g. set System Standby or System Hibernates to After 4 hours (ensures that you never leave the PC fully powered overnight) and set both Turn Off Hard Disks to 20 minutes.
2. Laptop PC: Start> Power Options> Power Schemes> Portable/Laptop
scheme> look at settings under Plugged In> change Turn off hard
disks to Never. Set Standby After 20 mins (Laptops get hotter
faster so let them cool down)
Some power pointers with laptops
Start> Power Options> Power Schemes> check settings under Running On Batteries> configure settings depending on type of work done while running on batteries; usually you have your monitors and HDs shut down after a few idle minutes and go manually into Standby (Start> Turn Off Computer> Standby) or Hibernation (Start>Turn Off Computer, hold down SHIFT, and click Hibernate). After setting changes, click Apply or OK.
Quote from Smart Computing (April, 2007)
Next, click the (Start> Power Options) Power Schemes tab, where you ll see that WinXP offers at least six standard power schemes to choose from. When you choose a power scheme, the settings for it will be outlined beneath it. On portable systems, two groups of settings are shown: one for when the system is running on battery power and another for when it s plugged in.
Each of WinXP s power schemes is designed for a different usage scenario. For example, the Always On and Minimal Power Management schemes will turn off your monitor after several minutes, but they ll never shut down your hard drives or put the system into Standby mode as long as the system is plugged in. When running on battery power, though, most of WinXP s power schemes will eventually shut down your hard drive and activate Standby and/or Hibernate modes to keep the battery from becoming completely drained.
If you don t like the default settings, you can customize them by using the drop-down menus. You can also opt to keep the standard power schemes as they are and create new custom schemes instead just modify an existing one and click the Save As button to give it a name and save it as a new scheme.
Once you ve configured your power schemes, click the Advanced tab to configure some additional settings. For quick and easy access to Power Options, make sure there s a check mark next to Always Show Icon On The Taskbar. That icon will either be an electric plug or a battery, and putting the pointer over the battery icon will display the approximate percentage of battery life remaining and how long you should expect it to last.
It s also a good idea to check Prompt For Password When Computer Resumes From Standby. Though it can be mildly inconvenient, it s a good security measure. (A system restored from hibernation will always start up at the WinXP Login screen as long as the logged-in account uses a password.)
Under Power buttons, you can specify what you want WinXP to do when the system's power and sleep buttons are pressed (or the lid is closed on portable systems). This offers you a more convenient way to shut down your system or put it into a power-saving mode than clicking Start and Turn Off Computer. Your choices are Do Nothing, Ask Me What To Do, Stand By, Hibernate (displayed only if you have the Hibernate feature enabled), and Shut Down.
If you re using a USB keyboard and/or mouse, they won t wake a system up out of Standby unless you configure their drivers first.
For the purposes of this setting, pressing the power button means a quick press not holding it down for several seconds, which on most systems will summarily shut it down. Also, because many computers lack sleep buttons, this particular setting may not apply to your system.
Battery Alarms (Laptops)
When configuring, click Alarms tab
Default settings: display a warning dialog box when battery power gets low (10%) and again when battery life drops to critical (3%).
Critical alarm automatically puts the system into Standby mode
Best not to disable in case your battery goes dead while Windows is running
You can adjust battery life thresholds via the slider bars, as well as click the Alarm Action buttons to change the default action.
Verify that the box labeled Force Stand By Or Shutdown Even If A Program Stops Responding Box is selected (This will ensure that a hung or crashed program can t prevent the system from reacting to a critical alarm. This setting is particularly useful when your critical alarm action is set to make the system hibernate or shut down, because sometimes things such as having a document stuck in the print queue can keep that from happening.)
(How you configure these settings depends on the type
of work you do while the notebook runs on batteries, but these days, more and
more mobile users prefer to have their monitors and hard drives shut down after
relatively few idle minutes and to go manually into Standby (click Start, Turn
Off Computer, and Standby) or Hibernation (click Start and Turn Off Computer,
hold down SHIFT, and click Hibernate). This uses a minimum of battery power on
idle computing and a minimum of time restarting the machine.)
Power Management with Vista
Article by Microsoft team (http://tinyurl.com/34psqe:
The Windows Vista power management goals were simple: 1) making turning a computer "off"/"on" as reliable, simple, and fast as turning off/on a TV, and 2) maximizing the active usage if on battery and reducing the energy consumption if on A/C power. The first goal involved not only improving the predictability of the behavior when a PC was switched "off", but more importantly changing the model for what "off" and "on" means. Everyone knows that turning a TV off doesn t really turn it off. It is still available to receive the remote control signal, etc. so that it can come back on quickly. We wanted to emulate this for Windows Vista machines.
. I strongly encourage you to use the defaults in Windows Vista. And no need to think much anymore about different power-saving modes and terms like hibernate, sleep, etc -- just hit the symbol for "on" and "off" and let the system do the thinking and power saving for you.
Laptop Batteries (Kim Komando)
What do the iPod, Sony PSP and Motorola RAZR have in common Sure, they're ultra-cool gadgets. But they, and their lesser-cool brethren, also rely on rechargeable batteries.
Batteries don't rank high on anyone's list of hot tech topics. But without them, screens go dark, calls drop and tunes die.
Today, lithium-ion (Li-Ion) is the battery of choice. Other types you may see are nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). Here are five things to remember about batteries:
1. Consider conditioning
Lithium-ion batteries typically arrive in a partially charged state. Most manufacturers will tell you to completely charge them before use. Otherwise, they don't need to be conditioned.
Nickel-based batteries require conditioning. They must be completely charged and discharged several times before initial use. Otherwise, they won't function to their full potential. Check your manual.
2. Charge them properly
Batteries can be troublesome. They lose their capacity over time. Further, they have a limited number of charge cycles.
You can prolong the lifespan. Failing to properly condition nickel-based batteries could lead to the formation of crystals. That can cause memory problems, in which batteries won't hold a full charge.
With lithium-ion batteries, partial charges and discharges are best on a regular basis. These batteries do not develop memory problems.
However, lithium-ion batteries contain a fuel gauge that must be reset periodically. The fuel gauge measures the charge left in a battery. A gauge that is not reset periodically could become inaccurate. This can be critical in laptops, because their power management may rely on the gauge. Completely discharge lithium-ion batteries about once a month to reset the gauge.
Fuel gauges should not be a problem with nickel-based batteries, assuming they are discharged and charged regularly.
3. Store them correctly
It's best to use your batteries regularly. But sometimes you have to store them. And you guessed it storage poses problems. Don't store batteries completely discharged. A 50 percent charge is optimum.
If you store them for six months or longer, re-condition nickel-based batteries. This will help regain lost capacity. Simply charge lithium-ion batteries before use.
4. Batteries don't last forever
It's a fact of life. No matter how well you care for a battery, it will eventually die.
You'll have many options when you buy a replacement battery. Third-party replacements are available online. Prices are often a fraction of manufacturers' prices. Sellers might also boast improved performance.
Fight your frugal urges. Manufacturers test their batteries to ensure a good fit. They also test the batteries rigorously for safety. If something goes wrong really wrong with a third-party replacement, you've probably voided your gadget's warranty.
And please, dispose of your batteries correctly. They contain hazardous chemicals not suitable for landfills. Many electronics retailers have in-store collection points.
5. Batteries are about to get exciting
Advancements are on the horizon for batteries. And they're exciting.
Toshiba recently announced a rapid-charge battery. This lithium-ion battery achieves 80 percent of its charge in just one minute. A few more minutes, and it's fully charged.
Additionally, the battery is smaller, less susceptible to extreme temperatures, and boasts a longer lifespan. It will debut in 2006, primarily for automotive purposes. Expect adaptations for personal technology use.
Fuel cell batteries are also coming for gadgets. Several companies are developing them. Fuel cell batteries aren't recharged, per se. Instead, they're refilled with a chemical such as methanol.
This means instantaneous power. The chemical reacts with air to produce power. Fuel cells have roughly 50 times the power potential of comparably sized lithium-ion batteries.