Managing Power

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

Check and recharge 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:

Checking the built-in battery meter. Turn the notebook over and press the battery meter. The battery meter lights and indicates the percentage of battery power available.
Positioning the cursor over the power cord icon or battery icon in the taskbar. A battery status window opens. Move the cursor away from the icon to close the window.
Pressing Fn + F2 to view the Status display, which opens in the upper left corner of the screen. The Status display shows the current power source, the battery charge, and the power management mode.
Waiting for these other low battery warnings:
Three beeps
A red "X" appearing on the battery icon in the taskbar
A Low Battery message

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

Changing batteries

    Batteries cannot be "warm-swapped." This means that you must turn off the notebook before you change the battery.

Warning

Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with the Gateway Solo 3350 Li-Ion battery. Discard 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 100°C (212°F), or incinerate. Dispose of used battery promptly. Keep away from children.

To replace the battery:

    1. Save all work and turn off the notebook.

    2. Close the lid, turn your notebook over, slide the battery release latch, and remove the battery.

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

    2. Press the power button and resume your work.

       

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 automatic power settings in Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 2000 or "Changing power settings in Windows NT".
Closing the display 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 the notebook is not in use. For more information, see Changing automatic power settings in Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 2000.
Using the CD/DVD drive only when necessary. CD and DVD drives use a large amount of power.
Recharging the battery often, taking an extra battery, and fully recharging the batteries before traveling. For more information, see "Changing batteries".

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 on standby, it switches to a low power state where devices, such as the LCD screen 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 the notebook, it reads the memory information from the hard drive and opens the programs and documents that were open when you activated Hibernate. For more information on using Hibernate mode, see "Changing automatic power settings in Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 2000".

Using Standby mode

    Always save your work before using the Standby mode. Once in Standby, your computer reduces or turns the power off 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.

    The table below shows how to use Standby mode.

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

Off

Start up

Press the power button.

On

Enter Standby mode

Press Fn + F4.

In Standby mode

Exit Standby mode

Press the power button.

On

Shut down

Click Start, then select Shut Down, Shut down, then click OK.

Changing automatic power settings in Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 2000

    You can change the function of the power button, Standby 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 enabling Hibernate mode.

    Power schemes (groups of power settings) let you change power saving options such as when the monitor 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 key.

HelpSpot

For more information on changing power settings, double-click the HelpSpot icon on your desktop.

To change the power scheme

    1. Click Start, then select Settings, then Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If you do not see the Power Options or Power Management icon, click view all Control Panel options.

    2. Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.
    1. Select a power scheme from the Power Scheme list.
      - OR -
      Set the timers for System stand by, System hibernate, Turn off monitor, and Turn off hard disks, then save your custom power scheme by clicking Save As and typing a name for the scheme.
    1. Save the changes by clicking OK.

       

To change the alarm options:

    1. Click Start, then select Settings, then Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If you do not see the Power Options or Power Management icon, click view all Control Panel options.

    2. Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

    3. Click the Alarms tab.
    1. Adjust the alarm settings, then save the changes by clicking OK.

       

To change advanced power management settings:

    1. Click Start, then select Settings, then Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If you do not see the Power Options or Power Management icon, click view all Control Panel options.

    2. Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

    3. Click the Advanced tab.
    1. Select a power savings mode to be activated by the power button, then save the changes by clicking OK.

       

To use Hibernate mode:

    1. Click Start, then select Settings, then Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If you do not see the Power Options or Power Management icon, click view all Control Panel options.

    2. Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

    3. Click the Hibernate tab.

    1. Select the Enable hibernate support check box, then click Apply. Hibernate mode is now an option you can select on the Advanced tab and in the Shut Down menu.

    2. To use Hibernate as a power savings mode, click the Advanced tab, select Hibernate as one of the advanced power settings, then save the changes by clicking OK.

    3. To manually activate Hibernate mode, click Start, then Shut Down, Hibernate, then OK.

       

Changing power settings in Windows NT

    In Windows NT, you can monitor the remaining battery charge and set low battery warnings.

To monitor the remaining battery charge:

    1. Double-click the battery icon or power cord icon on the taskbar. The APM for NT dialog box opens.

    2. Click the Power Status tab. The current battery charge and estimated working time remaining appear.

    3. Click OK.

       

To set the low battery warning:

    1. Double-click the battery icon or power cord icon on the taskbar. The APM for NT dialog box opens.

    2. Click the Settings tab, then select the Enable Low Battery Warning check box.

    3. Click OK. When the battery charge is very low, you see a warning message.

       

Changing SpeedStep settings

    The processor installed in your notebook may use Intel ® SpeedStep™ technology to conserve battery power. A SpeedStep-equipped processor can change its operating speed according to the power source. Your notebook's default settings operate the processor at full speed while connected to AC power and at reduced speed (which uses less power) while using battery power.

To change SpeedStep settings:

    1. Click Start, then select Settings, then Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If you do not see the Power Options or Power Management icon, click view all Control Panel options.

    2. Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box opens.

    3. Click the Intel SpeedStep technology tab.
    1. Change any of the following settings:
To run the processor at full speed regardless of the power source, change the Running on batteries setting to Maximum Performance.
To run the processor at reduced speed (using less power) regardless of the power source, change the Plugged in setting to Battery Optimized Performance.
To disable SpeedStep technology control, click Advanced , select the Disable Intel SpeedStep technology control check box, then click OK.
To remove the SpeedStep icon from the taskbar, click Advanced, select the Remove icon from taskbar check box, then click OK.
    1. Click OK.