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Power Conservation: Dell Inspiron 3800 System Reference
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Power Conservation: Dell™ Inspiron™ 3800 System
Reference
In general, the lower the value you set for each power conservation feature, the longer
the battery's charge lasts. On the other hand, setting high values tends to optimize the
computer's performance.
To evaluate the way that different settings affect how long you can operate the
computer on battery power versus the relative efficiency of how the software performs,
experiment as follows:
- Use the computer with all the options set at their default values.
- Use the computer with all the options disabled or set to Off.
- Use the computer with all the options set to their minimum or maximum values.
 |
NOTE: For Advanced Configuration and
Power Interface (ACPI)-compliant systems, power management settings are controlled from
the Power Management Properties window in the Control Panel. In other
systems, power management settings are controlled from the System Setup program. |
Table 1 identifies the power management key combinations.
|
NOTE: To use key combinations on an
external keyboard, enable the External Hot Key option in the System Setup program,
and press <Scroll Lock> instead of <Fn>. |
Table 1. Key Combinations to Activate/Deactivate Features
| Feature |
Activate/Deactivate |
| Turn off display |
To activate, press <Fn><d>.* To deactivate, move the cursor or press a key on the integrated or external
keyboard. (If nothing happens, the computer may be in standby mode. Press the power button
to resume normal operation.) |
| Turn off hard-disk drive |
To activate, press <Fn><h>.* Automatically deactivates when the hard-disk drive is accessed.
NOTE: If a modular hard-disk drive is installed in the media
bay, you cannot turn off the hard-disk drive by pressing <Fn><h>. |
| Standby mode Sleep mode (ACPI-compliant systems)
Standby mode (Microsoft® Windows® 98 systems) |
To
activate, press <Fn><Esc>. To deactivate, press the power button. |
| Save-to-disk suspend mode |
To activate, press <Fn><a>. (On a French keyboard, press
<Fn><q>.)* To deactivate, press the power button. |
* These key combinations may not function with the ACPI if
the settings have not been activated with the Power Management Properties window in
the Control Panel.
One way to conserve power on the computer is to close the display
when the computer is not in use. When you close the display and an external monitor is not
connected, the computer's liquid crystal display (LCD) shuts off automatically. If you set
the Display Close option in System Setup to Standby, the
computer enters the standby mode when the display is closed. If you set the Display
Option to Active, the display shuts off when it is closed and
the computer does not enter the standby mode.
|
NOTE: If an external monitor is connected when you
close the display, the computer does not activate standby mode. You can still use the
external monitor. |
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
such input/output (I/O) activity ceases, the computer waits 1 minute before reactivating
standby mode.
To resume work, open the display. (The computer may take several
seconds to resume operation.)
|
NOTE: With systems running under ACPI, settings
for these features are controlled from the Power Management Properties window in
the Control Panel. To conserve power, use the sleep mode. Activate the sleep mode
by selecting Sleep from the Power Management Properties window. |
If your computer is running the Microsoft Windows NT® operating
system, suspend mode stops almost all computer activity, but leaves the computer ready to
resume operations immediately in about 20 to 30 seconds. Use suspend mode whenever you
leave the computer unattended.
Suspend mode conserves battery power by turning off the microprocessor clock; the
display; the hard-disk drive; the CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or LS-120 drive module (if installed);
the external monitor connector; the external keyboard (if attached); the parallel port;
the serial port; the touch pad; and the diskette drive.
You can activate suspend mode immediately by pressing <Fn><Esc> (or
<Scroll Lock><Esc> on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key
option is enabled in the System Setup program).
|
NOTE: With systems running under ACPI, settings
for power management features, such as key combinations, External Hot Key,
and sleep mode are controlled from the Power Management Properties window in the Control
Panel. To activate sleep mode, make sure that you have configured the appropriate key
combinations from the Power Management Properties window. |
When your system is in suspend mode, the power indicator is not lit.
Resume from suspend mode by pressing the power button. The computer may take several
seconds to return to normal operation.
|
NOTES: On resumption from suspend mode, if a
password is set, the system displays the password prompt screen. At the password prompt
screen, if you do not enter a password within 2 minutes, the system returns to suspend
mode. Suspend mode is known as standby mode under
the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system. For systems with ACPI compliance,
hibernate mode is known as sleep mode. |
If your computer is running the Microsoft Windows 98 or Windows 2000
operating system, standby mode turns off the display, stops the
hard-disk drive, and turns off other internal devices so that the computer uses less
battery power. When the computer resumes operation from standby mode, the desktop is
restored exactly as it was before entering standby mode.
| NOTICE: Windows 98 and Windows 2000
save data to random-access memory (RAM), not to your hard-disk drive, before entering
standby mode. If the computer enters standby mode while running on battery power, data
loss from RAM can occur if the battery discharges completely. |
You can activate standby mode by pressing
<Fn><Esc>. To resume operation from standby mode, press the power button.
|
NOTE: With systems running under ACPI, settings
for power management features, such as key combinations, External Hot Key,
and sleep mode are controlled from the Power Management Properties window in the
Control Panel. To activate sleep mode, make sure that you have configured the appropriate
key combinations from the Power Management Properties window. |
Windows with Advanced Power Management (APM) allows you to set power
conservation features for your computer.
To set the power management features through Windows 98, perform the
following steps:
- Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control
Panel.
- Double-click the Power Management Properties
icon.
- Set the power management features in the Power
Management Properties window.
To set the power options features through Windows 2000, perform the
following steps:
- Click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
- Double-click the Power Options
icon.
- Set the power management features in the Power
Options Properties window.
The Power Schemes tab allows you to select the power scheme (Always
On, Home/Office Desktop, and Portable/Laptop)
and power mode settings for your computer. For Windows 2000, the Power Schemes
tab allows you to select the battery settings for your computer. The following power
scheme settings are available.
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NOTE: With systems running ACPI, select the Portable/Laptop
setting as the Power Scheme to conserve battery operating time while the
system is in standby mode. If the Always On setting is selected, battery
operating time may be much shorter when in standby mode. |
- Turn off monitor — Turns off the monitor so
that the computer uses less power. You can press any key to turn on the monitor. The
Windows desktop is restored exactly as it appeared before the monitor was turned off.
- Turn off hard disk — Turns off the hard-disk
drive so that the computer uses less power. You can press any key to turn on the hard-disk
drive. The Windows desktop is restored exactly as it appeared before the hard-disk drive
was turned off.
- System Standby — Turns off monitor, stops the
hard-disk drive, and turns off other internal devices so that the computer uses less
power. When the computer resumes from standby mode, the Windows desktop is restored
exactly as it appeared prior to entering standby mode.
|
NOTE: Windows may take several seconds to resume
from the power scheme settings. |
The Advanced tab allows you to display the
Power Management icon on the Windows 98 taskbar, and the Power
Options icon on the Windows 2000 taskbar. You may also select a password prompt
when the system resumes from standby mode. For Windows 2000, you may set the system to
power off or to enter standby mode when the power button is pressed.
For Windows 2000, the following tabs are included in the Power
Options Properties window:
- The Hibernate tab allows you to enable
hibernate support and displays available disk space for hibernation.
- The UPS tab displays the status of the
uninterruptible power supply (UPS), if installed.
Dell provides Softex software compatible with the Power Management Controller, which
allows you to suspend and resume operation of your portable computer without affecting
your ability to use the docking station or its media bay.
Save-to-disk suspend (S2D) mode copies all system data to a reserved
area—the S2D partition—on the hard-disk drive and then turns off all power to
the computer. When you resume normal operation, the same programs will be running and the
same files will be open that were loaded before you activated this mode.
Place the computer in S2D mode if you intend to store the computer
for longer than 40 days. S2D mode preserves the configuration information stored in
nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM). Typically, the reserve battery maintains this
information, but it may run out of energy after 40 days.
|
NOTE: S2D mode helps preserve system
data by saving it to the hard-disk drive if you are about to run out of battery power. |
To activate S2D, press <Fn><a> (or <Scroll
Lock><a> on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key option is enabled
in the System Setup program). On a French keyboard, press <Fn><q> or
<Scroll Lock><q>.
|
NOTE: With systems running under ACPI, settings
for power management features, such as key combinations, External Hot Key,
and S2D mode are controlled from the Power Management Properties window in the Control
Panel. The key combinations of <Fn><a> or <Scroll Lock><a> may
not function with ACPI if the settings have not been activated from the Power
Management Properties window. The S2D mode is
referred to as the hibernate mode for systems running ACPI. To activate the hibernate
mode, make sure that you have configured the appropriate key combinations from the Power
Management Properties window. |
Resume from the S2D mode by pressing the power button.
If you connect or remove devices while the computer is in S2D mode,
the computer automatically recognizes the newly connected devices when it resumes normal
operation.
|
NOTE: With computers running ACPI, you
cannot remove devices or undock your computer while in the S2D (hibernate) mode. |
Some PC Cards may not operate correctly after resuming from S2D
mode. If you encounter problems with a card, remove and reinsert the card.
|
NOTE: Dell creates an appropriately sized S2D
partition before shipping the computer to you. Use the S2D utility to remove the file, to
increase the size of the file, or to add the S2D file if you removed it. For more
information about altering or creating an S2D file, see the readme.S2D
file, which can be found in the Dell Utilities folder on your hard-disk
drive or on the S2D diskette that came with your computer. |
Save-to-Disk Suspend Utility (for Windows 98 and Windows NT)
The S2D utility allows you to manage the S2D partition in your file
system as your computing needs change. For instance, you can remove the S2D partition if
you need the space on the hard-disk drive for other purposes, or you can use the S2D
utility to create the partition if you have removed it.
Only computers running Windows 98 or Windows NT use an S2D
partition. If your computer runs Windows 2000, you can place the computer into hibernate
mode through Power Options Properties in the Control Panel.
If you want to use the S2D partition on your hard-disk drive for
another purpose (for instance, if you are running out of file space), perform the
following steps to remove the partition:
- Insert the System Software CD into the CD-ROM drive.
- Shut down the computer.
- If the computer is docked, undock it.
For instructions, see your Advanced Port Replicator User's Guide.
- Turn on the computer.
- Press <F2> at the Dell BIOS splash screen
to access the System Setup menu.
- Press the down-arrow key to move through the
field, and press the left- or right-arrow key to change the device setting.
Select the following boot sequence:
- Boot First Device: Diskette Drive
- Boot Second Device: CDROM/DVDROM Drive
- Boot Third Device: Internal HDD
- Shut down the computer.
- If your computer has a diskette drive attached,
make sure that the drive does not contain a diskette.
- Turn on the computer.
The computer restarts and automatically begins to run the Dell
Diagnostics.
- Type x to exit to MS-DOS.
- At the MS-DOS prompt, type r:\winx\suspend\rms2d (where winx
is your operating system) and press <Enter>.
|
NOTE: When you run the Dell Diagnostics from the
System Software CD, the CD-ROM drive letter is r. |
Status messages appear on the screen as the removal process
progresses. When the S2D partition has been removed, the following message appears:
The S2D partition was successfully removed.
|
NOTE: After you remove the S2D partition, the
computer cannot activate S2D mode until you recreate the partition. If you try to activate
S2D mode and receive the message No Save-To-Disk
Suspend partition available, you must create an S2D
partition. |
The mks2d.exe file creates the S2D partition the computer
uses to store the data that is saved when you put the computer in S2D mode. Use the mks2d.exe
file to create a new S2D partition in the following cases:
- If Dell did not install MS-DOS on your hard-disk drive
- If you increase the amount of system memory by adding a memory module
- If you used the rms2d.exe file to remove the original S2D
partition and now want to recreate the partition
- If your hard-disk drive becomes corrupted
- If you install a new hard-disk drive
- If you received the system utilities separately on diskette or CD or
if you deleted the S2D utility from your hard-disk drive
To create an S2D partition, perform the following steps.
|
NOTE: If you are creating the partition on a new
hard-disk drive, if Dell did not install MS-DOS on your hard-disk drive, or if you are
using an operating system that is not compatible with MS-DOS, read the readme.s2d
file before performing the following procedure. |
- Insert the System Software CD into the CD-ROM drive.
- Shut down the computer.
- If the computer is docked, undock it.
For instructions, see your Advanced Port Replicator User's Guide.
- Turn on the computer.
- Press <F2> at the Dell BIOS splash screen
to access the System Setup menu.
- Press the down-arrow key to move through the
field, and press the left- or right-arrow key to change the device setting.
Select the following boot sequence:
- Boot First Device: Diskette Drive
- Boot Second Device: CDROM/DVDROM Drive
- Boot Third Device: Internal HDD
- Shut down the computer.
- If your computer has a diskette drive attached,
make sure that the drive does not contain a diskette.
- Turn on the computer.
The computer restarts and automatically begins to run the Dell
Diagnostics.
- Type x to exit to MS-DOS.
- At the MS-DOS prompt, type r:\winx\suspend\mks2d (where winx
is your operating system) and press <Enter>.
|
NOTE: When you run the Dell Diagnostics from the
System Software CD, the CD-ROM drive letter is r. |
Status messages appear on the screen. If an error message appears,
it provides information about what steps to take to continue building the partition.
When the S2D partition has been built and verified, the following
message appears:
The S2D partition was successfully created.
|
NOTE: After you remove the S2D partition, the
computer cannot activate S2D mode until you recreate the partition. If you try to activate
S2D mode and receive the message No Save-To-Disk
Suspend partition available, you must create an S2D
partition. |
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