One of the best things about laptop computers is their mobility.  There is something really great about being able to carry around a flat little rectangle that keeps you connected to the world, to your business, and to virtually any subject matter you wish to research.

Whats new with Windows 7 Power Settings?

Can you imagine lugging around your desktop – with the clunky keyboard, huge screen and stand, and that hard drive you pretty much use as a foot rest?  Remember the old days of the bulky cell phones?  I love watching the old movies that, at the time, showed savvy characters carrying around huge brick-like phones in vinyl bags!
Fortunately times have changed for cell phones and computers.  But the one thing that a desktop has that our handy laptop computers don’t is a continual power source – always plugged in, always fed with a continual supply of power.
So with the good comes the bad?  Let’s face it, there is not much more aggravating than getting situated on your patio, on the train, airplane, or in the bathroom (some people do their best work in the bathroom), and have the battery on your laptop take a snooze.  And if you have taken a nap while your battery is still chugging along, soon you will both be a on a difference schedule – because you can be sure it will fizzle out right at the exact moment you are refreshed and ready to go.
There is a solution and that is to adjust the power settings.  No it won’t tap into a universal source of electrical energy out of thin air, but configuring your power settings to optimum usage will at help match up your usage schedule to the energy level of your battery.
How do I change the settings?
It’s pretty easy to do, and using Windows 7 as our example, just follow these steps:

  • Open your Start menu and go to Control Panel.
  • Click on System and Security and then Power Options.
  • On the “Select a Power Plan” screen, and then choose from either “Balanced” or “Power Saver”.
  • Click on Choose what the power button does and adjust other settings, such as password requirements or how the power button operates.
  • You can also change the amount of inactive time before the monitor shuts down or the computer goes into sleep mode.
  • And if it turns out you liked it the way the original system was set up, just got back to default settings.  (Restore Default Settings.)
  • Further, you can create a custom plan; click on Create a power plan from the Power Options section.  Now you can design your own settings specific to your needs.

So you can see the steps are pretty straight forward, and it is easy to set up your computer to operate on your terms.  As you work with your new settings, hopefully you will see an increased amount of battery life on your laptop, and more productive time for you!