Using Windows Power Options; Windows' Power Schemes - Alienware Area-51 m5500 User Manual

chapter 3 battery power & power management

Using Windows Power Options

Windows Power Management provides basic power saving
features. In the Windows Power Options Properties [Start >
Settings > Control Panel > Power Options] dialogue box, you may
enter time-out values for the display and hard disk drive. Windows
Power Management saves power by turning off the hard drive after
1 minute of inactivity, for example.

Windows' Power Schemes

The power management control panel in Windows XP, known
as Power Schemes, is designed to provide the user with an
easy-to-use interface. The Power Schemes tab can be found
in the Power Options Properties panel that is accessible via
the control panel window. Schemes are easy to understand,
are based on notebook usage scenarios, and control not only
processor power usage but other system peripherals as well.
Go to [Start > Settings > Control Panel] and double-click the
Power Options icon.
The Always on mode puts the processor into maximum
performance mode, which provides no power saving. The
other schemes control processor performance based on
demand. For example, Max Battery mode lowers the
processor's speed and voltage to conserve power as much as
possible.
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