DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING

6. Do one of the following:

Click OK to modify the existing power scheme and close the Power Options

Properties dialog box.

Click Save As to create a new power scheme.

How to Configure Advanced Power Options

To configure your computer to use advanced power options, open the Power Options

Properties dialog box and click the Advanced tab. There are two options that always

appear on the Advanced tab. If you want an icon to appear in the notification area that

displays the current power status for your computer (plugged-in or on battery power)

and provides quick power-management access, select the Always Show Icon On The

Taskbar check box. The second check box on the Advanced tab is Prompt For Pass-

word When Computer Resumes From Standby. Selecting this check box causes Win-

dows to prompt you for your Windows password when your computer comes out of

standby mode.

If you have a portable computer, you will also see a Power Buttons section on the

Advanced tab. This section allows you to configure what happens when you press the

power button on the computer, when you close the lid (thereby pressing the small but-

ton signaling that the lid is closed, and when you press the sleep button (if your com-

puter has one). Options that you can choose for each of these buttons include shutting

down the computer, sending the computer to standby mode, and having the computer

enter hibernation.

Note The Prompt For Password When Computer Resumes From Standby box will not be dis-

played if the computer does not support standby mode (this is the case with many desktop

computers).

How to Enable Hibernate Mode

Hibernate mode works in a way that is a bit different from standby mode. When a

computer enters standby mode, Windows XP turns off most of the devices in the com-

puter (including the display, hard disks, and peripherals), but keeps just enough power

flowing to keep the information in memory intact—information that includes open

windows and running programs. When you exit standby mode (typically by moving

the mouse or pressing a key), Windows is returned to the state in which you left it.

However, when a computer is in standby mode, it is still reliant on a power source. If

the power source is interrupted (for example, if the battery runs out), information in

memory is lost.

When your computer enters hibernate mode, Windows saves the information in mem-

ory (including open programs and windows) to your hard disk, and then your com-

puter shuts down. When you start the computer after it has been hibernating, Windows

returns to its previous state. Restarting to the previous state includes automatically

restarting any programs that were running when it went into hibernate mode, and it

even restores any network connections that were active at the time. The advantage of

hibernation mode over standby mode is that when a computer is in hibernation mode,

it is not reliant on a power source—the computer is completely shut down.

To configure your computer to use hibernate mode, use the Power Options Properties

dialog box. Click the Hibernate tab and select the Enable Hibernation check box. If the

Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this mode.

Hibernation works by saving the information currently stored in your computer’s mem-

ory to hard disk. To do this, Windows creates a hibernation file on the root of your sys-

tem partition. This file changes size, depending on the amount of memory you have,

but always consumes the amount of space it will need—even if you have never hiber-

nated. Unless you plan to use hibernation, you should disable this option to save disk

space.

How to Configure Advanced Power Management

Windows XP Professional supports Advanced Power Management (APM), which

helps reduce the power consumption of your system. To configure your computer to

use APM, use the Power Options Properties dialog box. Click the APM tab and select

the Enable Advanced Power Management Support check box. If the APM tab is

unavailable, your computer is compliant with a newer standard named Advanced