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Step 1
In Windows XP open the ‘Performance and Maintenance’ feature in the ‘Control Panel’. From there open the ‘Power Options’. For Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 this feature is also accessed through the control panel.
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Step 2
For this guide you will only be using the ‘Power Schemes’ tab. For a Desktop or Laptop used in a Home/Office you can choose the default settings by selecting Home/Office Desk or another preset ‘Power Scheme’. For a desktop computer the ‘Running on Batteries’ will have no effect. You can customize the ‘Plugged in’ settings so that your monitor, hard disk, and system standby are set for time interval that suits your needs. This will reduce energy cost when you are not at your desktop after a certain amount of time. It is recommended that you take advantage of these settings to reduce energy consumption. If you have multiple computers running you should set the power schemes for each one.
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Step 3
After you have customized the settings in Step 2, you will need to ‘Save as’ and give your customized power scheme a unique name. If you choose a preset scheme just select ‘Apply’ to use these settings.
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Step 4
For a laptop you will want to set both ‘Plugged in’ for times your laptop is running on AC and ‘Running on batteries’ for when you using the laptop battery only.
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Step 5
For ‘plugged in’ customize your monitor, hard disk, and system standby settings that conform to your needs. These settings can be similar to your desktop settings.
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Step 6
For ‘Running on batteries’ you can choose one of the presets for a laptop or modify one of the presets to your needs and then save your customized setting. This setting will determine your battery life so choose these settings wisely.
