Manuals

Power Management: Dell™ Latitude™ CP and CPi

Using Power Management | Power Saver Window | Power Management Features | Setting Time-Outs in the System Setup Program | Suspend Mode | Suspend-to-Disk Mode | Configuring Wakeup Event Response

Using Power Management

You automatically conserve battery power each time you attach an AC power source to the computer. The battery's life expectancy is largely determined by the number of charges it receives, so always use an AC power source to run the computer, if available.

When the display is closed and an external monitor is not connected, the computer automatically activates suspend mode.

NOTE: If an external monitor is connected when the display is closed, the computer assumes that you want to use the external monitor and does not activate suspend mode.

If the computer detects a wakeup alarm or receives a modem call while the display is closed, the computer handles the alarm or answers the call. After I/O activity ceases, the computer waits 1 minute before reactivating suspend mode.

To resume work, open the display. (It may take several seconds for the computer to resume operation.)

Power Saver Window

You can set all power conservation features in the Dell Control Center Power Saver window. Changes to power management options take effect immediately.

For best results, choose Custom Power Savings and customize the power options to suit your needs.

NOTE: If your computer uses the Microsoft� Windows NT� operating system, you must use the System Setup program to set power conservation features.

Power Management Features

Setting Time-Outs in the System Setup Program

To set a time-out using the System Setup program, complete the following steps:

1. Save any open files and start the System Setup program by pressing <Fn><F1> (or <Scroll Lock><F1> if the External Hot key option is enabled).
2. Press <Alt><p> to move to Page 4 of the program.
3. Use the up- or down-arrow key to highlight one of the time-out options available in the AC or Battery category:

Display Time-Out
Disk Time-Out
Suspend Time-Out
S2D Time-Out
Smart CPU Mode
Brightness

4. Use the left- or right-arrow key to select a setting.
5. Press <Esc> to exit the System Setup program.

Suspend Mode

Suspend mode conserves battery power by turning off the microprocessor clock, the display, the hard-disk drive, the CD-ROM drive (if installed), the external- monitor connector, the external keyboard (if attached), the parallel port, the serial port, the touch pad, and the diskette drive. Installed PC Cards are put into low-power mode if possible.

Suspend mode can be activated by pressing <Fn><Esc>, (or <Scroll Lock><Esc> on an external keyboard if the Hot Key option is enabled in the System Setup program), or by setting a time-out with the Suspend After option in the Dell Control Center Power Saver window. To set the time-out in MS-DOS, use the Suspend Time-Out option in the System Setup program. When suspend mode is activated, the power indicator is not lit.

Deactivate suspend mode by pressing the power button. The computer may take several seconds to return to normal operation.

You can select whether the computer responds to wakeup events while in suspend mode (see Configuring Wakeup Event Response). Wakeup events include calls to an installed PC Card modem and alarms generated by the computer's clock.

Suspend-to-Disk Mode

NOTE: Suspend-to-disk mode requires an S2D partition on the hard-disk drive that reserves enough disk space to store the contents of the computer's memory. Dell creates an appropriately sized S2D partition before shipping the computer to you. Use the Suspend-to-Disk utility to remove the file, to increase the size of the file, or to add the suspend-to-disk file if you removed it. For instructions, see Suspend-to-Disk Utility.

Suspend-to-disk mode copies all system data to a reserved area on the hard-disk drive and then turns off all power to the computer. This feature allows you to turn off the computer and return to the same system status when the computer is turned on again.

NOTE: Suspend-to-disk mode helps preserve system data by quickly saving it to the hard-disk drive if battery power is about to run out.

Suspend-to-disk mode can be activated by pressing <Fn><a> (or <Scroll Lock><a> on an external keyboard if the Hot Key option is enabled in the System Setup program). On a French keyboard, press <Fn><q> or <Scroll Lock><q>. You can also set a time-out with the Suspend To Hard-Disk Drive After option in the Dell Control Center Power Saver window.

To set the time-out in MS-DOS, use the S2D Time-Out option in the System Setup program.

Deactivate the suspend-to-disk mode by pressing the power button.

To resume using the computer after the activation of suspend-to-disk mode, press the power button.

If you connect or remove devices while the computer is in suspend-to-disk mode, the computer automatically recognizes the newly connected devices when it resumes normal operation.

Some PC Cards may not operate correctly after resuming from suspend-to-disk mode. If there are problems with a card, remove and reinsert it.

Configuring Wakeup Event Response

The computer can be configured to respond to or ignore a modem call while in suspend mode. Or, the computer can respond to or ignore a wakeup alarm while in suspend mode. If the computer uses the Microsoft^� Windows 95^� operating system, use the following instructions. In Windows NT, use the Ring/Event Resume option and Alarm Resume option in the System Setup program.

1. Click the Wakeup icon in the Dell Control Center. The Wakeup window appears.
   
2. Select the computer's response to calls received by a PC Card modem.
   
   Use the top check box. An "x" in the box indicates that the computer will respond to calls received while it is in suspend mode; an empty box indicates that the computer will not respond.
   
3. If desired, set a daily wakeup time.
   
   Adjust the time setting by clicking the up and down arrows.
   
4. Click OK.