Gateway 200arc User Manual

							151
Extending battery life
www.gateway.com
Extending battery life
Conserving battery power
To conserve power while using the battery to power your notebook:
■Dim the display as low as is comfortable.
■Remove PC Cards 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.
■Modify the power management settings for maximum power savings. For 
more information, see “Changing power settings” on page 153.
■Close 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.
■Use Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while your notebook is 
not in use. For more information, see “Activating and using Hibernate 
mode” on page 157.
■Use the CD or DVD 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” on page 147 and “Changing batteries” on page 149.
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 EmPower™ in-flight power receptacle or an 
automobile cigarette lighter, use an airplane/automobile power adapter or 
power inverter. 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. 
						

							152
Chapter 8: Managing Power
www.gateway.com
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” on 
page 157.
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 notebook saves all memory information to the 
hard drive, then turns the power completely off.
If your notebook 
is......and you want to... ...then
On Enter Standby mode Press FN+STANDBY.
-OR-
Close the LCD panel.
On Enter Hibernate mode 
(must be activated)In Windows XP, click Start, then click 
Tu r n O f f C o m p u t e r. Press and hold 
SHIFT, then 
click Hibernate.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click Start, then click Shut 
Down. Click the arrow button to open the What do 
you want your computer to do list, then click 
Hibernate. Click OK.
In Standby or 
Hibernate modeExit Standby or 
Hibernate modePress the power button. 
						

							153
Changing power settings
www.gateway.com
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:
1In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel 
window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click 
Performance 
and Maintenance
.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click 
Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control 
Panel window opens.
ImportantThe 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. A 
SpeedStep-equipped 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. In Windows XP, power schemes also set the 
speed of an Intel
® SpeedStep™-equipped processor. To 
change the SpeedStep settings in Windows 2000, see 
“Changing SpeedStep settings in Windows 2000” on 
page 159. 
						

							154
Chapter 8: Managing Power
www.gateway.com
2Click/Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power 
Options Properties dialog box opens.
3Click the arrow button to open the Power Schemes list, then click the power 
scheme you want.
- OR -
Set the timers, then click 
Save As and type a name for the scheme.
4Click OK.
Help and 
SupportFor more information about changing the power scheme 
in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.
Type the keyword power scheme in the Search box 
, then click the arrow. 
						

							155
Changing power settings
www.gateway.com
Changing alarm options
To change the alarm options:
1In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel 
window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click 
Performance 
and Maintenance
.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click 
Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control 
Panel window opens.
2Click/Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power 
Options Properties dialog box opens.
3Click the Alarms tab.
4Adjust the alarm settings.
5Click OK. 
						

							156
Chapter 8: Managing Power
www.gateway.com
Changing advanced settings
To change advanced power management settings:
1In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel 
window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click 
Performance 
and Maintenance
.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click 
Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control 
Panel window opens.
2Click/Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power 
Options Properties dialog box opens.
3Click the Advanced tab.
Help and 
SupportFor more information about changing the alarm options in 
Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.
Type the keyword alarm options in the Search box 
, then click the arrow. 
						

							157
Changing power settings
www.gateway.com
4Click the arrow button to open a Power buttons list, then click the power 
setting mode you want to use.
5Click OK.
Activating and using Hibernate mode
To activate Hibernate mode:
1In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel 
window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click 
Performance 
and Maintenance
.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click 
Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control 
Panel window opens.
2Click/Double-click the Power Options or Power Management icon. The Power 
Options Properties dialog box opens.
Help and 
SupportFor 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 Search 
box  , then click the arrow. 
						

							158
Chapter 8: Managing Power
www.gateway.com
3Click the Hibernate tab.
4Click 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 Tu r n O f f C o m p u t e r 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. 
						

							159
Changing power settings
www.gateway.com
■As a manually-selected power savings mode:
In Windows XP, click 
Start, then click Tu r n O f f C o m p u t e r. Press and hold 
S
HIFT, then click Hibernate.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click 
Start, then click Shut Down. Click the arrow button 
to open the 
What do you want your computer to do list, then click Hibernate. 
Click 
OK.
Changing SpeedStep settings in 
Windows 2000
To change SpeedStep settings in Windows 2000:
1Click Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window 
opens.
2Double-click the Power Management icon. The Power Options Properties dialog 
box opens.
Help and 
SupportFor more information about using Hibernate mode in 
Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.
Type the keyword hibernate in the Search box 
, then click the arrow.
ImportantFor information about changing SpeedStep setting in 
Windows XP, see “Changing power settings” on page 153. 
						

							160
Chapter 8: Managing Power
www.gateway.com
3Click the Intel SpeedStep technology tab.
4Change any of the following settings:
■To run the processor at full speed regardless of the power source, click 
the arrow button to open the 
Running on batteries list, then click 
Maximum Performance.
■To run the processor at reduced speed (using less power) regardless of 
the power source, click the arrow button to open the 
Plugged in list, 
then click 
Battery Optimized Performance.
■To turn off the SpeedStep technology control, click the Advanced 
button, click the 
Disable Intel SpeedStep technology control check box, 
then click 
Apply.
■To remove the SpeedStep icon from the taskbar, click the Advanced 
button, click the 
Remove icon from taskbar check box, then click Apply.
5Click OK.