Create a Unique Power Scheme

In Windows XP, you can create your own power scheme to suit your needs. To do this, make the adjustments to the values, including when to turn off the computer if it’s plugged in or on batteries, then select “Save As” to record those settings. In this example, I have created an “Airplane” setting that effectively turns off the monitor after two minutes of non-use. By turning it off, we can reduce the battery’s use during dormant times.

Using Standby to Conserve Energy

Every computer has varying power levels when not in use. You can put your computer into Standby mode or Hibernate mode, as opposed to completely turning the system off. Standby mode keeps your computer a split second away from activity. If you have your notebook with you in a meeting, for example, and you know that at some point you’ll want to access something on it, putting the notebook into Standby mode is a much better option than leaving it fully turned on for an indefinite period of time. Leaving it on will eat away at the battery life a lot quicker than having it waiting in Standby mode. When a computer is in Standby mode, data that is open at the time is saved to Random Access Memory (RAM) rather than to the hard drive. This reduces the power usage by turning off all processes and going dormant, but the beauty is that it will come alive quickly when the mouse or power button activates its senses.

To force your notebook into Standby mode, open the Control Panel.

1. Select Power Options from the available choices in the Classic View mode.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Beneath the Power buttons, select the arrow, and then select Standby.
4. Click OK.

After performing these steps, the computer should go into the Standby mode. A computer can come out of Standby when you push the power button quickly (not for an extended period of time). Other computers come back to life with a wiggle of the mouse.

How to Hibernate a Windows XP Machine

Windows XP also has the hibernate setting. This power setting turns the computer off after it saves everything to the hard disk. When the computer is powered back on again, it will show the same desktop as used during the previous use. Using the scenario of being in a meeting again, this means that you can have your document open and ready, go into Hibernate mode and when you re-activate the notebook, the document will still be open and ready to access immediately. The downside of Hibernate mode is that it takes longer to wake up than Standby mode, but it does use significantly less power than Standby mode.

1. Select Power Options from the available choices in the Classic View mode.
2. Select the Hibernate tab.
3. Check the Enable Hibernate checkbox.

Dim the Notebook Display

A notebook’s display saps the most juice from the battery. The display can be dimmed to effectively reduce its power usage over the course of a battery’s charge. You can add hours to your battery life by adjusting these settings. Most notebooks have built in keys on the face of the keyboard to adjust the brightness of the notebook screen. In Windows XP, there is no set way to adjust these settings, as it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. You should be able to find information on the manufacturer’s website or in your own documentation.