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Windows 7 Mobility Features : Power Management (part 1) - Battery Meter, Power Plans

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4/26/2013 3:59:07 PM

Although even desktop-based computers running Windows 7 support various power management features, this functionality is much more relevant on portable computers, . Windows 7's power management functionality can be accessed throughout the user interface in various ways, but the easiest way to understand power management in Windows 7 is to realize that it comprises three basic areas: a system notification battery meter icon, a Power Options control panel, and a simplified set of power management plans. This section examines each of these features.

1. Battery Meter

Mobile computing users are quite familiar with the battery meter that has resided in the tray notification area since Windows 95. This handy icon has been updated yet again in Windows 7 and can appear in various states, each of which changes the look of the icon. The state you see depends on whether the machine is connected to a power source, and how well the battery is charged. Table 1 summarizes the various icon types you can expect to see.

Table 1. Windows 7 Battery Meter States
IconStateWhat It Means
Charged, plugged inThe battery is completely charged and the system is plugged into a wall outlet.
Charging, plugged inThe battery is charging while the system is plugged into a wall outlet. (This icon is animated.)
On battery powerThe battery is discharging because the system is operating on battery power.

NOTE

Although the battery meter now offers far more functionality than before, you may find it a bit bewildering. That's because the Windows 7 battery meter offers a completely different experience depending on how you decide to interact with it. Here are the various actions you can perform with the battery meter:

  • Mouse-over: If you move the mouse cursor over the battery meter, it will display the pop-up window shown in Figure 1. This pop-up window summarizes the state of the battery, but unlike Vista, it no longer includes information about the currently used power plan.

    Figure 1. This pop-up provides you with an at-a- glance look at the state of your battery's charge, but it no longer provides info about your power management plan.
  • Single-click: If you click the battery meter icon once, you'll see the larger and interactive pop-up window shown in Figure 2. This pop-up window provides more information than the mouse-over pop-up, and it enables you to select from one of two preset power plans (Vista offered three), which are discussed in the next section. You can also access other power management– related OS features from this window. (Note that the plans shown in the figure are a subset of Microsoft's defaults: PC makers often replace at least one of these power plans with their own custom plan, so what you see here may vary.)

    Figure 2. This pop-up offers a wealth of power management functionality in a relatively small space.
  • Right-click: If you right-click the battery meter, you'll see the pop-up menu shown in Figure 3. From this menu, you can adjust the screen brightness, access Power Options , access Windows Mobility Center, or click an option titled "Turn system icons on or off" (It was called "Show System Icons" in Windows Vista), which brings up the new System Icons control panel, from which you can determine which system icons appear by default in the tray.

    Figure 3. This pop-up menu offers a way to access the Windows 7 mobile and power management features.

If you're running a desktop PC, the Power tray notification icon is unavailable, so there's no obvious way to enable it; but that doesn't mean you can't change the power management settings on a desktop PC. To access Windows 7's Power Options on a desktop PC, just open the Start menu and type power options in Start Menu Search. Alternately, you can access the new System Icons control panel directly by typing system icons in Start Menu Search.

NOTE

Curiously, if you double-click the battery meter, nothing happens.

2. Power Plans

Microsoft has further simplified the power plans in Windows 7, compared even to the work that began with Windows Vista. These power plans are used to manage your PC's use of its power resources, both while attached to wall power and while running on battery. Three preconfigured power plans are included in a stock installation of Windows 7, though only two of them are available from the Power icon in the tray for some reason. But you can choose any of them, modify each to suit your needs, and even create your own power plans.

Confusingly, your PC maker might make its own machine-specific power plans as well, so if you purchased a notebook with Windows 7 preinstalled, you might see additional plans listed. You can edit any plans, however (including those made by Microsoft or your PC maker), and create your own plans. You can also delete plans added by your PC maker, though this isn't necessarily a great idea, as the PC maker probably knows more about the power management characteristics of their hardware than you do.


The three built-in power plans are Balanced (the default on all stock Windows 7 systems), Power Saver, and High Performance. By default, only Balanced and Power saver are available from the Power icon in the system tray, but each is discussed in the following sections.

2.1. Balanced

This default plan balances power management between power consumption and performance. It does this based on how you're using the computer at the time. If you begin playing a game or accessing Windows 7's multimedia features, the system automatically ratchets up the processor speed and other hardware features to ensure that you don't experience any slowdowns. Similarly, if you're just browsing the Web or reading text documents, Windows 7 will slow the processor down as much as possible, conserving battery power.

NOTE

The Windows 7 power management plans are far more aggressive than they were in Windows Vista. The reasoning here is simple: better power management equates to better battery life. But you may be surprised to discover how quickly the screen on your notebook dims, especially when you're running on battery power. Windows 7 is serious about saving the juice.

NOTE

By default, with the Balanced power plan, your system's microprocessor will be running at about 65 percent of its maximum performance. Based on need, Balanced enables the processor to use as little as 5 percent of its maximum performance and as much as 100 percent. This is true when the system is either running on battery power or plugged in, so don't assume that using Balanced in some way prevents your computer from working at its full potential. If you need the processing power, you'll get it.

While plugged into a power source, the Balanced power plan dims the display after 5 minutes of inactivity and turns it off after 10 minutes of inactivity. However, the computer won't normally go to sleep.

On battery power, it's even more aggressive: 2 minutes to dim the display and 5 minutes to turn it off. The PC goes to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity.

In our experience, the default Balanced plan is the optimal power plan to use for portable machines of all kinds. Heck, it's even the right plan for desktop machines. This time, Microsoft got it right.

2.2. Power Saver

This plan sacrifices performance for better battery life. It should be used only by those with light computing requirements or those who are trying to maximize uptime while on the road. We often switch to Power Saver mode when we're on a flight and need to maximize battery life in order to get some writing done or watch a DVD movie. (Hey, you gotta relax sometimes, too.) However, because Power Saver adversely affects system performance, you won't want to use this mode while performing complex tasks like playing a game or editing video.

NOTE

By default, with the Power Saver power plan, your system's microprocessor will be running at about 40 percent of its maximum performance. Based on need, Power Saver allows the processor to use as little as 5 percent of its maximum performance; and, as with Balanced, it can actually reach up to 100 percent (whereas in Vista, it topped out at 50 percent.) But unlike Balanced, Power Saver truly is a compromise: in the interests of maximizing battery life, Power Saver forces the processor to work with the lowest possible performance required to get the job done. This is a problem because the system will sometimes struggle to keep up, depending on how much you're doing.

Here's how Power Saver affects your power management settings. Windows 7 aggressively decreases the processor speed and display brightness at all times. On power, Windows 7 dims the display after 2 minutes and turns off the display after 5, and then puts the computer to sleep after just 15 minutes. On battery power, the display dims after 1 minute of inactivity and is turned off after 2 minutes of inactivity, and the computer goes to sleep after just 10 minutes of inactivity.

NOTE

Power Saver is also the only power plan to use what Microsoft calls an adaptive display. That is, if you've configured your system to use the Windows Aero user interface and you switch to battery power while using the Power Saver plan, Windows automatically switches the display to Windows Standard, removing translucency and other Aero effects. Once you plug in the system again, the Aero effects return automatically. Power Saver does this because certain Aero effects are unduly taxing on the system from a power management perspective.

2.3. High Performance

The High Performance plan provides the highest level of performance by maximizing the system's processor speed at the expense of battery life. This plan is aimed at those who spend most of their time playing modern video games or working in graphic-intensive applications. While this used to be the default power plan for all desktop PCs in Windows Vista, that's no longer the case in Windows 7. In fact, High Performance isn't even available as an option from the pop-up menu you see when you click the Power icon in the system tray. To enable this plan, you need to visit the Power Options control panel, which is discussed in the next section.

NOTE

Yes, you guessed it: Under the High Performance plan, Windows 7 provides 100 percent of your CPU's processing power, all the time.

Under the High Performance plan, Windows 7 will dim the display after 10 minutes of inactivity when on wall power and turn it off after 15 minutes of inactivity, but never put the PC to sleep. On battery power, you're looking at 5 minutes until the display dims, and 10 minutes until the display is turned off. But again, the computer is never put to sleep.

NOTE

Desktop PCs utilize power plans as well, and though you may believe that High Performance has some advantages over Balanced, it may not be the best option, especially if you're concerned about the environment and saving energy. Instead, we recommend leaving even desktop PCs set to Balanced. Windows will be more aggressive about putting the system to sleep and your PC will use less power (and thus draw less energy) in normal use. And, of course, if you need the full power of the processor—for example, when playing a game or using a graphics application—Balanced will provide it. This plan truly is the best of both worlds.

Scanning through the power plans, it's likely that you'll find a plan that at least somewhat matches your expectations, but you don't have to accept Microsoft's default settings. You can easily modify any of the existing plans, and even create your own power plans. You'll look at those possibilities in the next section.

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