power options properties help me understand

[qcanpc18]

I have recently re done my laptop, running windows xp, sp3, I am unsure what
to set in the power options properties. My laptop is always plugged into
power sourse, so I do not keep battery in all the time. I was told to , by
dell, to shut down over night when not using it. Ok, but in the daytime if I
am away where do I leave it in- do I log off, go to standby or hibernate?I
do not see a sleep button on my keyboard- very confusing- at the moment this
is what I have done-turn off moniter-never-plugged in-turn off hard
disks-never- system standby-never- system hibernates-never-under advanced-
close lid-do nothing-press power buttonon pc shutdown- when I press sleep,
whereever it is located? I chose standby- I checked enable hibernation, right
or wrong? I do not even know how to enter hibernation- I would love some
guideness - a grandmother who is confused- thankyou all-

 

[dadiOH]

qcanpc18 wrote:
> I have recently re done my laptop, running windows xp, sp3, I am
> unsure what to set in the power options properties. My laptop is
> always plugged into power sourse, so I do not keep battery in all the
> time. I was told to , by dell, to shut down over night when not using
> it. Ok, but in the daytime if I am away where do I leave it in- do I
> log off, go to standby or hibernate?I do not see a sleep button on my
> keyboard- very confusing- at the moment this is what I have done-turn
> off moniter-never-plugged in-turn off hard disks-never- system
> standby-never- system hibernates-never-under advanced- close lid-do
> nothing-press power buttonon pc shutdown- when I press sleep,
> whereever it is located? I chose standby- I checked enable
> hibernation, right or wrong? I do not even know how to enter
> hibernation- I would love some guideness - a grandmother who is
> confused- thankyou all-

Just turn it off when you aren't going to use it for an hour or two.

Start
Turn off computer
Turn off

--

dadiOH
____________________________

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[_mikebs]

"qcanpc18" <qcanpc18@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:7A50D64A-EC1F-4CFC-B497-D264B12B5581@microsoft.com...

> I have recently re done my laptop, running windows xp, sp3, I am unsure what
> to set in the power options properties.

It's all depending on your preference. If you don't like to wait for it to wake up you can leave it on all the time, but it might cause the screen to develop a permanent shadow imprint of the open page.


> My laptop is always plugged into power source, so I do not keep battery in all the time.
> I was told to , by dell, to shut down over night when not using it.

Don't know of any reason to remove battery unless you are replacing it with a new one. It's a good idea to shut down or hibernate when not planning on using it for a long time. It and the battery will probably last longer. Also, when shut down or in hibernation, it's not necessary to leave it plugged into the wall. It should keep a charge for days and the battery charger will last longer if you let it cool off occasionally.
Make sure the laptop has good circulation of air [especially the vents underneath].


> Ok, but in the daytime if I am away where do I leave it in- do I log off, go to standby or hibernate?I
> do not see a sleep button on my keyboard- very confusing- at the moment this
> is what I have done-turn off moniter-never-plugged in-turn off hard
> disks-never- system standby-never- system hibernates-never-under advanced-
> close lid-do nothing-press power buttonon pc shutdown- when I press sleep,
> whereever it is located? I chose standby- I checked enable hibernation, right
> or wrong? I do not even know how to enter hibernation-

I like to turn the monitor off after 10 minutes of non-activity. Not sure how it is designed, but I would set it to standby after 30 minutes or so and turn off hard disk at that time. Hibernate or sleep can be activated when you close the lid. Since you leave it on most of the time, you will need to re-boot or restart occasionally to reset your standard settings.


> I would love some guidelines - a grandmother who is confused- thankyou all-


Good luck, Mike