Connect the computer to an electrical outlet when possible because the battery life expectancy is largely determined by the number of times it is charged.
Place the computer in standby mode or hibernate mode when you leave the computer unattended for long periods of time.
To exit a power management mode, press the power button.
Standby mode conserves power by turning off the display and the hard drive after a predetermined period of inactivity (a time-out). When the computer exits standby mode, it returns to the same operating state it was in before entering standby mode.
NOTICE: If your computer loses AC and battery power while in standby
mode, it may lose data.
To enter standby mode:
In the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system, click the Start button, click Turn off computer, and then click Standby.
In Windows® 2000, click the Start button, click Shutdown, click Standby, and then click OK.
or
Depending on how you set the power management options on the Advanced tab in the Power Options Properties window, use one of the following methods:
Press the power button.
Close the display.
Press
.
To exit standby mode, press the power button or open the display depending on how you set the options on the Advanced tab. You cannot make the computer exit standby mode by pressing a key or touching the touch pad.
Hibernate mode conserves power by copying system data to a reserved area on the hard drive and then completely turning off the computer. When the computer exits hibernate mode, it returns to the same operating state it was in before entering hibernate mode.
Your computer enters hibernate mode if the battery charge level becomes critically low.
Depending on how you set the power management options on the Advanced tab in the Power Options Properties window, use one of the following methods to enter hibernate mode:
Press the power button.
Close the display.
Press
.
HINT: Some PC Cards
may not operate correctly
after the computer exits
hibernate mode. Remove
and reinsert the card, or
simply restart (reboot)
your computer.
To exit hibernate mode, press the power button. The computer may take a short time to exit hibernate mode. You cannot make the computer exit hibernate mode by pressing a key or touching the touch pad. For more information on hibernate mode, see the documentation that came with your operating system.
The Power schemes pull-down menu displays the selected preset power scheme. Depending on your operating system, typical power schemes are:
Portable/Laptop
Home/Office
Always On
Presentation
Minimal Power Management
Max Battery
Windows XP controls the performance level of the processor depending on the power scheme you select. You do not need to make any further adjustments to set the performance level. Each preset power scheme has different time-out settings for entering standby mode, turning off the display, and turning off the hard drive. For more information on power management options, see the Windows XP Help and Support Center (Windows Helpin Windows 2000).
HINT: To enable audible
alarms, click each Alarm
Action button and select
Sound alarm.
The Low battery alarm and Critical battery alarm settings alert you with a message when the battery charge falls below a certain percentage. When you receive your computer, the Low battery alarm and Critical battery alarm check boxes are selected. Dell recommends that you continue to use these settings. See the battery section in the Tell Me How help file (see "Accessing Help") for more information on low-battery warnings.
HINT: Windows XP
controls the performance
level of the processor
depending on the power
scheme that you select.
See "Power Schemes Tab."
Depending on your operating system and microprocessor, the Power Options Properties window includes the Intel SpeedStep® Technology tab. The Intel SpeedStep technology allows you to set the performance level of the processor according to whether the computer is running on battery or AC power. Depending on your operating system, typical options are:
Automatic — The processor runs at its highest possible speed (Maximum Performance mode) when the computer is running on AC power. When the computer is running on battery power, the processor runs in Battery Optimized mode.
Maximum Performance — The processor runs at its highest possible speed even if the computer is running on battery power.
Battery Optimized Performance — Processor speed is optimized for battery power even if the computer is connected to an electrical outlet.
To change additional Intel SpeedStep options:
Click the Advanced button and then click one of the following
options:
Disable Intel SpeedStep technology control
Remove flag icon (from the notification area)
Disable audio notification when performance changes
Click OK to accept any changes, and then click OK to close the Intel
SpeedStep window.
You can also change the Intel SpeedStep settings by right-clicking the flag icon in the notification area.
Battery performance varies depending on operating conditions. The operating life of the battery is significantly reduced when you perform operations including, but not limited to, the following:
Using optical drives, especially DVD and CD-RW drives
Using wireless communications devices, PC Cards, or USB devices
Using high display-brightness settings, 3D screen savers, or other power-intensive programs such as 3D games
.
.