5-13Lesson 2 Configuring Power Options
Lesson 2: Configuring Power Options
Windows XP Professional contains a number of features that allow the operating sys-
tem to manage the use of power by your computer and the hardware devices attached
to it. Power management features included in Windows XP Professional include Sys-
tem Power Management, Device Power Management, Processor Power Management,
System Events, and Battery Management.
After this lesson, you will be able to■
Select a power scheme.
■
Configure advanced power options.
■
Enable hibernate mode.
■
Configure Advanced Power Management.
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Configure an uninterruptible power supply.
Estimated lesson time: 40 minutes
How to Select a Power Scheme
Power Options allows you to configure Windows XP Professional to turn off the power
to your monitor and your hard disk, or put the computer in hibernate mode. To con-
figure Power Options, in Control Panel, click Performance And Maintenance, and then
click Power Options. The Power Options Properties dialog box allows you to configure
Power Options (see Figure 5-5).
F05us05.bmp
Figure 5-5
Use the Power Schemes tab of the Power Options Properties dialog box to control
automatic power-saving options.
Note Your hardware must support powering off the monitor and hard disk for you to config-
ure power schemes. Almost all modern monitors and hard disks support this feature. How-
ever, some applications (particularly older applications) do not respond well to monitors and
hard disks being turned off, causing loss of data or even crashing.
Power schemes allow you to configure Windows XP Professional to turn off the
power to your monitor and your hard disk, conserving energy. In the Power Options
Properties dialog box, click the Power Schemes tab. Windows XP Professional provides
the following six built-in power schemes:
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Home/Office Desk This power scheme is designed for a desktop computer.
After 20 minutes of inactivity, the monitor is turned off, but the hard disks are never
turned off.
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Portable/Laptop This power scheme is optimized for portable computers that
will be running on batteries. After 15 minutes of inactivity, the monitor is turned
off; after 30 minutes of inactivity, the hard disks are turned off.
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Presentation This power scheme is designed for use with presentations for
which the computer display is always to remain on. The monitor and the hard
disks are never turned off.
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Always On This power scheme is designed for use with personal servers. After
20 minutes of inactivity, the monitor is turned off, but the hard disks are never
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Minimal Power Management This power scheme disables some power man-
agement features such as timed hibernation. After 15 minutes of inactivity, the
monitor is turned off, but the hard disks are never turned off.
■
Max Battery This power scheme is designed to conserve as much battery power
as possible. After 15 minutes of inactivity, the monitor is turned off, but the hard
To select a power scheme, use the following steps:
