Conserving Power; Power Conservation Modes; Power Options Properties; Standby Mode - Dell Inspiron 4100 Service Manual

Back to Contents Page

Conserving Power

Dell™ Inspiron™ 4100
Conservation Tips
Power Conservation Modes
Power Options Properties
Conservation Tips
You automatically conserve battery power each time you attach your computer to an electrical outlet. When the AC adapter is attached, the battery is
l
charged while the computer uses AC power. Your battery's life expectancy is largely determined by the number of times it is charged, so use an AC
power source to run the computer if one is available.
When the computer is using battery power, remove the PC Cards that you are not using.
l
When possible, attach your computer to an electrical outlet when you play CDs and DVDs. Playing a CD or DVD uses a lot of battery power.
l
Place the computer in standby mode or hibernate mode when you leave the computer unattended for long periods of time.
l

Power Conservation Modes

Standby Mode

Standby mode conserves power by turning off the display and the hard drive after a predetermined period of inactivity (a time-out). When you exit standby
mode, the desktop is restored to the same state that it was in before the computer entered standby mode.
To activate standby mode:
Click the Start button, click Shut down (Turn Off Computer in the Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition operating system), click Stand by, and then
l
click OK.
or
Press the power button or the power conservation key combination,
l
HINT: You can use the Advanced tab to program the display-close option, the power button, and the power conservation key combination to activate
standby mode.
To exit standby mode, press the power button, or if you activated standby mode by closing the display, open (raise) the display.

Hibernate Mode

Hibernate mode conserves power by copying system data to a reserved area on the hard drive and then completely turning off the computer. When you exit
hibernate mode, the programs and files that were open before you activated hibernate mode are still open.
Your computer enters hibernate mode if the battery charge level becomes critically low, or if either the power button, the power conservation key combination,
, or the display-close option are programmed to activate hibernate mode in the Advanced tab of the Power Options Properties window.
HINT: Some PC Cards may not operate correctly after exiting hibernate mode. If you encounter problems with a PC Card, reinsert the card or restart
your computer.
To exit hibernate mode, press the power button. The computer may take a short time to exit hibernate mode. Pressing a key or touching the touch pad or
track stick does not bring the computer out of hibernate mode.
Hibernate mode requires a special file on your hard drive with enough disk space to store the contents of the computer memory. Dell creates an appropriately
sized hibernate mode file before shipping the computer to you.

Power Options Properties

To access the Windows Power Options Properties window:
Windows XP
1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance.
3. Click the Power Options icon.
Windows 2000
, that you can program via the Advanced tab.