If you are a notebook computer user, you may know the frustration of running out of battery power, sometimes, at critical moments. However, knowing how to set a proper power management is not just about extending battery life of your laptop. Configuring power management also can reduce electrical usage on your laptop and desktop computer as well. And it can lower your electric bill and save environment.
Why some users do not turn off their computers for long, even during the nights? The reasons can be different. Some people prefer to keep unfinished tasks in the same order - they leave documents and programs opened. Others prefer to start working immediately. Some users consider PC rebooting as a waste of time - often MS-Windows start-up process takes too much time. The last issue may be resolved in the future with faster computers, Solid-State Disks, and optimized operating systems. Nevertheless, it is good to have some options not to shut down computers completely in order to be able quickly to resume working.
What options do we have these days to balance power consumption and working convenience? Except screen saver mode that does not save too much energy with new types of LCD screens, there are other power saving options - “Stand By” and “Hibernate”. These two options allow users harmonically combine the convenience of smooth work and energy saving. These are also ways to prolong your notebook battery life. What are the differences between Standby and Hibernate? How to activate these modes and choose their settings correctly?
“Stand By” means that PC is ready to go once called. Your computer returns to a state of readiness when you press a key or move the mouse. It only takes a few seconds to resume a computer from Standby. Computer recovers quickly because data are stored in RAM. It is a low power consumption mode. However, energy saving is moderate because power has been cut only to hard drive and monitor. This power saving option is good for a short-term while you take short breaks. Another disadvantage is that power disappearance in this mode can cause your data loss.
Hibernate is similar to Standby and it also enables recovering your working space. It is a good state for a long-term to save energy because it allows reducing power consumption of your PC to a few watts. In this mode, data are saved to your hard disk (not RAM). So that in case of power interruption, your data are protected. On the other hand, it takes longer to recover from hibernation when you need to use your computer again.
MS Windows operating systems allow you to set various power options. These options make it easy to conserve power after a certain period of inactivity. You may create a few profiles that first switch automatically your computer into Standby mode and then after a while into Hibernate mode if no activity. To create a Power Profile in Windows XP, go to “Start“ menu, “Control Panel“, then “Power Options“. First, if you are going to use Hibernate mode, you need to activate it. Go to Hibernate tab-page and check box “Enable hibernation”. This will create a special file called “hiberfil.sys” where the data from RAM and other info will be saved.
Notebooks have extra settings relating to using battery. Also on notebook computers, you can significantly extend the battery life by setting the “When I close the lid on my portable computer” option to “Stand by” (“Advanced” tab). Note, you can switch also anytime to Standby or Hibernate mode manually. Go to “Start”, and then “Turn Off Computer”. You should see dialog with “Stand by” button. If you press and keep the Shift key, “Stand by” button changes to “Hibernate”. But do not forget, in order to see and use Hibernate option, it needs to be enabled - Hibernate does not show by default.
© Alec Smith. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Showing posts with label PC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PC. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
How to Make Your Notebook Run Faster and Last Longer
Newly bought notebook worked fast. Then after a while the performance of your notebook dropped noticeably. Startup process became longer and the software programs that worked fast before became slow. It is time to perform some maintenance.
Normally when you just bought your notebook and started using it, you are happy how it works. However, in most cases, after several months the performance of your notebook starts to degrade noticeably. It takes longer and longer to start up your computer. The software programs that worked fast before become sluggish. And eventually, your overall productivity starts depending on speed of your computer. What happens? How to restore the performance of your “assistant”?
Maybe it is hard to believe but your notebook is slow because it is dirty. To fix this issue you need to clean software and hardware. Yes, the hardware too. The reason is that dust clogs the vents, which causes CPU to heat up. When temperature increases, Pentium 4 and later models go slower until they are no longer at a critical temperature. Your notebook even can burn if you do not keep it clean. Generally, heat is the biggest cause of component failure in computers. So that regular cleaning also can help to avoid costly repair and replacement costs.
For mentioned reason, it is important to limit the use of your laptop at high temperature and to keep your notebook in a open area that has a good air circulation during the power on. Clean your notebook regularly. You may use an old tooth brush to rid of the dust in the area around the fan. Shut it down before cleaning. Keep drinks and any liquids away from your notebook because short circuits by liquid destroy notebooks quite often. Also it is wise to not eat over because crumbs can go easily in the keyboard that cause PC to fail eventually.
Now software. The first step is to rid of unwanted and not-used-anymore programs. Normally programs are provided with uninstall option that can be used to completely uninstall programs and their components form your PC. If some software does not have this option, the best way is to use the Add or Remove Programs tool in the Control Panel of your MS Windows. Doing so ensures that any registry items associated with that application are removed safely.
The second step is not necessary but recommended. You need to find and remove all invalid registry items on your PC. It might be not easy to do manually because it is difficult to determine which items correspond to which applications (you might accidentally remove a valid registry item, causing software crashes and errors). So that for this purpose it is better to use some tool, for example, Windows Live OneCare safety scanner or Norton tools.
The third step is to delete all unnecessary data files. If some files are rarely used, you may archive them. If you have MS Windows XP or later OS, open any folder, right-click on blank area, select New, then Compressed (zipped) Folder. After creating empty zip file, move in it all files that you want to compress. Also as one-time measure to make the next step more effective, it would be good to clean Recycle Bin - right-click the Recycle Bin icon and select Empty Recycle Bin.
The final step to speed up your PC is to defragment the hard disk of your notebook. In case if you have MS Windows XP or later OS, open My Computer, right-click the local disk volume that you want to defragment, and then click Properties. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now. Click Defragment. If your OS does not have a disk defragmenter, you may use some software tool, like, Norton Utilities. For the defragmenter to properly run, ensure you have no other applications running. Also note, the defragmenter can take a considerable time to run.
© Alex Smartson. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Normally when you just bought your notebook and started using it, you are happy how it works. However, in most cases, after several months the performance of your notebook starts to degrade noticeably. It takes longer and longer to start up your computer. The software programs that worked fast before become sluggish. And eventually, your overall productivity starts depending on speed of your computer. What happens? How to restore the performance of your “assistant”?
Maybe it is hard to believe but your notebook is slow because it is dirty. To fix this issue you need to clean software and hardware. Yes, the hardware too. The reason is that dust clogs the vents, which causes CPU to heat up. When temperature increases, Pentium 4 and later models go slower until they are no longer at a critical temperature. Your notebook even can burn if you do not keep it clean. Generally, heat is the biggest cause of component failure in computers. So that regular cleaning also can help to avoid costly repair and replacement costs.
For mentioned reason, it is important to limit the use of your laptop at high temperature and to keep your notebook in a open area that has a good air circulation during the power on. Clean your notebook regularly. You may use an old tooth brush to rid of the dust in the area around the fan. Shut it down before cleaning. Keep drinks and any liquids away from your notebook because short circuits by liquid destroy notebooks quite often. Also it is wise to not eat over because crumbs can go easily in the keyboard that cause PC to fail eventually.
Now software. The first step is to rid of unwanted and not-used-anymore programs. Normally programs are provided with uninstall option that can be used to completely uninstall programs and their components form your PC. If some software does not have this option, the best way is to use the Add or Remove Programs tool in the Control Panel of your MS Windows. Doing so ensures that any registry items associated with that application are removed safely.
The second step is not necessary but recommended. You need to find and remove all invalid registry items on your PC. It might be not easy to do manually because it is difficult to determine which items correspond to which applications (you might accidentally remove a valid registry item, causing software crashes and errors). So that for this purpose it is better to use some tool, for example, Windows Live OneCare safety scanner or Norton tools.
The third step is to delete all unnecessary data files. If some files are rarely used, you may archive them. If you have MS Windows XP or later OS, open any folder, right-click on blank area, select New, then Compressed (zipped) Folder. After creating empty zip file, move in it all files that you want to compress. Also as one-time measure to make the next step more effective, it would be good to clean Recycle Bin - right-click the Recycle Bin icon and select Empty Recycle Bin.
The final step to speed up your PC is to defragment the hard disk of your notebook. In case if you have MS Windows XP or later OS, open My Computer, right-click the local disk volume that you want to defragment, and then click Properties. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now. Click Defragment. If your OS does not have a disk defragmenter, you may use some software tool, like, Norton Utilities. For the defragmenter to properly run, ensure you have no other applications running. Also note, the defragmenter can take a considerable time to run.
© Alex Smartson. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
HP 2133 Mini-Note PC
It might be small in size but its big on usability, durability, and attractiveness. Packed with an impressive combination of features, the HP 2133 offers you a full-function PC with the utmost mobility. Plus, its simple, refined design and all-aluminium case make it sleek and sturdy yet super lightweight.
Weighing in at just 1.27 kg, with a large 8.9-inch WXGA display, the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC features a durable design with a robust suite of wireless, multimedia and security capabilities to allow users to stay productive
With a starting weight of just 1.27 kg and only 1.05 inches (27 to 33 mm) thin, the HP 2133 is designed to go where you go without weighing you down. Dont be fooled by its size; this small wonder keeps you ultra-productive.
The HP 2133 comes equipped with the tools to help you conduct business efficiently on the go with features such as high-resolution, 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA display; 92% full-size, user-friendly QWERTY keyboard; and touchpad.
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