The Best Way to Set a Computer to Standby for Energy
The computer has become omnipresent in modern life, yet users rarely consider how much energy a computer uses while it's turned on but sits unused. Most people do not realize there are power settings built into a computer's operating system that minimize energy waste. One such option is the "standby" mode, which saves the documents and programs running before going into a low-power mode, permitting the user to start again within seconds. This mode has two options: automatic programming to go into "standby" after being idle for a certain time frame or manual setting.
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Instructions
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Automatic Standby
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Hover the mouse over the desktop, and right click.
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Select "Properties" from the drop-down menu, which will cause a new window to pop open titled "Display Properties."
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Choose the "Screen Saver" tab. At the bottom of the window, click on the "Power" button under "Monitor power." This will open another window labeled "Power Options Properties."
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Under the "Power Schemes" tab, select a time frame from the drop-down menu next to "System standby." This option is up to you, though to conserve the most energy, putting the system into standby after 30 minutes of being idle is best. Click "OK" to put your selection into effect.
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If you have left the computer idle for more than the time frame selected, the computer will be in "standby." To reengage the computer, press the power button, which will power the computer back up to either the Windows log-on screen or the desktop with the documents and programs open, depending on your settings.
Manual Standby
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Return to the "Start" bar, and select "Shut Down."
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From the options selected, choose "Standby." The computer will save the documents and programs open and go into "standby" mode.
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To restart, tap the power button on the computer. Within a few seconds either the log-on screen or desktop should appear, depending on your settings.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit shutdown the computer image by Ludovic LAN from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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winja
Jun 08, 2010
Just a heads up. This is a super bad idea. There is NO windows operating system that properly comes out of stand by or sleep mode. Best idea completely disable ALL power saving options in the operating system. Just set the power option to turn off the monitor. You wont save the planet or even a millisecond of power and make absolutely NO difference what so ever.
