Laptop+Power+Options+in+Windows+7


 * Laptop Power Options in Windows 7 **

Conserving laptop battery power, or simply managing the energy consumption of any PC can easily be accomplished by making adjustments in Windows **Power Options**. There are a couple methods for accessing **Power Options**. One that will work in XP, Vista, or Windows 7 is through the **Run** command. **powercfg.cpl**

n Windows 7. Just type **power options** into Start search and hit **Enter** or click the **Power Options** link.

n the **Power Options** dialog box, modifications can be made to power usage settings.

. In Windows 7, the power plan choices are;-
 * Balanced**, **Power saver**, and **High performance**.
 * Power saver** offers the most conservative use of energy;
 * Balanced** combines the Power saver plan and High performance.
 * High performance** is the gas guzzler of the three.

The images shown here are from Vista, but are very similar to those found in Windows 7. Other settings options are available at the left. One of these, **Choose what closing the lid does**, is discussed below.

Clicking the **Change plan settings** link opens the **Edit Plan Settings** dialog box for the selected plan. There, settings can be tweaked to provide the desired mix of effectiveness and efficiency. Any changes made, can be undone by clicking the **Restore default settings for this plan** link.

or more control, click the **Change advanced power settings** link. This will bring up **Advanced settings** in the **Power Options** dialog box. This however, is designed for somewhat more advanced users.

Scroll down to make selections. Since conserving battery power is the focus of this section, Battery options are displayed above.

However, Power Options does not limit the user to power usage choices.

In Power Options, you can also control what happens when the lid on a laptop is closed. Just click the **Choose what closing the lid does** link.

Settings can be individually adjusted for when the laptop is running on battery, or for when it’s plugged in.

The choices are **Do nothing**, **Sleep**, **Hibernate**, or **Shut down**.



Clicking the **Change settings that are currently unavailable** link offers the opportunity to change what happens when the computer wakes up.

This will probably bring up a UAC (User Account Control) warning. Just click **Continue**.

You can then choose whether or not to require a password on wakeup.