Managing Power

    While your notebook is running on battery power, you should manage power consumption to get the most use out of the battery. Read this chapter to learn how to:

Check and recharge the battery
Recalibrate the battery
Change batteries
Extend the life of the battery by conserving battery power and using alternate power sources
Change power-saving settings

Monitoring the battery charge

    Closely monitor the battery charge. When the battery charge gets low, change the battery or connect to AC power immediately to prevent losing any unsaved work.

    Monitor the battery charge by:

Double-clicking the power cord icon  or battery icon  in the taskbar. The Power Meter dialog box opens.

    Important

    If the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the taskbar, click the show hidden icons   button.

    Pressing Fn+Status to view the power status box, which opens in the upper-left corner of the screen. The power status box shows the current power source, the battery charge level, and the power management mode.
    Looking at the battery charge indicator:
    LED green - battery is fully charged.
    LED orange - battery is charging.
    LED red - battery is malfunctioning.

      Important

      This LED only lights up when the notebook is connected to AC power. For the location of the battery charge indicator, see "Front".

      Waiting for a Low Battery warning message to appear.

        If your battery charge indicator displays what looks like an inaccurate charge, you may need to recalibrate the battery. For more information, see "Recalibrating the battery".

      Recharging the battery

        The battery recharges while it is installed and your notebook is connected to AC power. While the battery is recharging, the battery charge indicator turns orange and the battery icon in the taskbar has a lightning bolt  .

        Important

        If the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the taskbar, click the show hidden icons   button.

        Recalibrating the battery

          If your notebook unexpectedly goes into Standby mode while you are using it but the battery charge is not low, you may need to recalibrate your battery. You should also recalibrate the battery periodically to maintain the accuracy of the battery gauge.

        To recalibrate the battery:

          1. Connect the AC adapter, then turn on your notebook.

          2. As soon as it starts and you see a startup screen, press F2. The BIOS Setup utility opens.

          3. Open the Advanced menu.

          4. Highlight Battery Auto Learning, then select Enabled by pressing the spacebar.

          5. Open the Exit menu, then highlight Exit Saving Changes and press Enter.

          6. Select Yes, then press Enter.
            The battery recalibration process begins and a screen opens showing you the progress. The entire process will take several hours.

          Important

          Do not interrupt the battery recalibration process. If recalibration is interrupted, you must start the process over again.

              When the recalibration has finished, the message "Press [Esc] key to exit" appears.
            1. Press Esc. The battery charge indicator now displays an accurate battery charge. If the battery charge indicator does not show an accurate charge, contact Gateway Technical Support.

          Changing the battery

            If your notebook is plugged into an AC outlet, you can change the battery while the notebook is turned on. If your notebook is not plugged into an AC outlet, you must turn the notebook off while changing the battery.

            Warning

            Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

            Replace only with a Gateway 400SD4 battery. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions.

            The battery used in this device may present a fire or chemical burn hazard if mishandled. Do not disassemble, heat above 212°F (100°C), or incinerate. Dispose of used battery promptly. Keep away from children.

            Replacing the battery

            To replace the battery:

              1. If your notebook is on and is plugged into an AC outlet, go to Step 2.
                -OR-
                If your notebook is on and is not plugged into an AC outlet, save your work and turn off the notebook.

              1. Close the LCD panel.

              2. Turn your notebook over so that the bottom is facing up.

              3. Slide the battery release latch and lift the battery out of the bay.

              1. Place a recharged battery into the bay and press down until it snaps into place.

              2. Turn your notebook over.

              3. Open the LCD panel and press the power button.

            Extending battery life

            Conserving battery power

              While using the battery to power your notebook, conserve power by:

            Dimming the display as low as is comfortable.
            Removing PC Cards when you do not need them. Many PC Cards use a small amount of power while inserted, even if they are not being used.
            Modifying the power management settings for maximum power savings. For more information, see "Changing power settings".
            Closing the LCD panel to turn off the display while you are not using your notebook. The display stays off until you open the panel again.
            Using Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while your notebook is not in use. For more information, see "Activating and using Hibernate mode".
            Using the CD, DVD, or recordable drive only when necessary. These drives use a large amount of power.
            Recharge the battery often, take an extra battery, and fully recharge the batteries before traveling. For more information, see "Recharging the battery" and "Changing the battery".

            Using alternate power sources

              To extend battery life, use alternate power sources whenever possible.

            If traveling internationally, take electrical adapters. Save the battery for times when you cannot use a power adapter. If you plan on taking your AC power adapter, also take a single-plug surge protector.
            If you will have access to an EmPowerTM in-flight power receptacle or an automobile cigarette lighter, use an airplane/automobile power adapter. Save the battery for times when you cannot use a power adapter.
            To find AC power outlets in airports, look for them next to support pillars, in large areas such as boarding gates, and under banks of telephones.

            Changing power modes

              You can use the following power modes to lengthen the life of your notebook's battery:

            Standby - while your notebook is in Standby, it switches to a low power state where devices, such as the display and drives, turn off.
            Hibernate - (also called save to disk) writes all current memory (RAM) information to the hard drive, then turns your notebook completely off. The next time you turn on your notebook, it reads the memory information from the hard drive and opens the programs and documents that were open when you activated Hibernate mode. For more information on using Hibernate mode, see "Activating and using Hibernate mode".

            Using power saving modes

              Always save your work before using Standby mode. In Standby mode, your notebook reduces or turns off the power to most devices except memory. However, the information in memory is not saved to the hard drive. If power is interrupted, the information is lost.

              When in Hibernate mode, your computer saves all memory information to the hard drive, then turns the power completely off.

            If your computer is... ...and you want to... ...then

            On

            Enter Standby mode

            Press Fn+Standby.

            On

            Enter Hibernate mode (must be enabled)

            Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer. Press and hold Shift, then click Hibernate.

            In Standby or Hibernate mode

            Exit Standby or Hibernate mode

            Press the power button.

            Changing power settings

              You can change the function of the power button, Standby system key, and power-saving timers by changing power settings on your notebook.

              You can customize power settings from the Windows Control Panel by selecting power schemes, setting power alarms, adjusting advanced power settings, and activating Hibernate mode.

              Power schemes (groups of power settings) let you change power saving options such as when the display or hard drive is automatically turned off. You can select one of the defined power schemes or create a custom power scheme.

              Alarms can alert you when the battery charge is low.

              Advanced power settings let you assign different power saving modes to the power button and Standby system key. You can also select which power saving mode is activated when you close the LCD panel.

            Changing the power scheme

            To change the power scheme

              1. Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

              2. Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.
              1. Click the arrow button to open the Power Schemes list, then click the power scheme you want.
                - OR -
                Set the timers, then save your custom power scheme by clicking Save As and typing a name for the scheme.
              1. Click OK.

              Help and Support

              For more information about changing the power scheme in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

              Type the keyword power scheme in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.

              Changing alarm options

              To change the alarm options:

                1. Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

                2. Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

                3. Click the Alarms tab.

                1. Adjust the alarm settings.

                2. Click OK.

                Help and Support

                For more information about changing the alarm options in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

                Type the keyword alarm options in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.

                Changing advanced settings

                To change advanced power management settings:

                  1. Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

                  2. Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

                  3. Click the Advanced tab.

                  1. Click the arrow button to open a Power buttons list, then click the power setting mode you want to use.

                  2. Click OK.

                  Help and Support

                  For more information about changing the power management settings in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

                  Type the keyword power management in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.

                  Activating and using Hibernate mode

                  To activate Hibernate mode:

                    1. Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

                    2. Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

                    3. Click the Hibernate tab.
                    1. Click the Enable hibernation check box, then click Apply. Hibernate mode is now an option you can select on the Advanced tab in the Power Options Properties dialog box and in the Turn Off Computer or Shut Down Windows dialog box.

                  To use Hibernate mode:

                  As an automatic power savings mode:
                      Open the Power Options Properties dialog box, then click the Power Schemes tab. Click the arrow button to open a System hibernates list, then click the time you want to use.
                      -OR-
                      Open the Power Options Properties dialog box, then click the Advanced tab. Hibernate is now an option in the Power buttons lists.
                  As a manually-selected power savings mode, click Start, then click Turn Off Computer. Press and hold Shift, then click Hibernate.

                    Help and Support

                    For more information about using Hibernate mode in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

                    Type the keyword hibernate in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.