Power Options

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Windows XP Pro. I have some questions concerning the power options in the
control panel I use the home/office desk power scheme for my home computer.
The default is turn off monitor after 20 minutes, never turn off hard disks,
never use system standby, and system hibernate after 30 minutes. I assume
that this is when the computer is not being used, and the foregoing will
take effect, but I'm not sure.

Under "Advanced" option was prompt for password when computer resumes from
standby. I see no need for this so I unchecked it. Is that OK?

I don't have UPS (uninterrupted power supply) and have not investigated
this. Should I?

Thanks.
 
Regarding a UPS.

Get one; it not only protects you from power outages but protects you from
brown outs and power spikes. Get the highest capacity size your budget will
allow; any size is better than none at all.
 
On Mon, 1 Oct 2007 15:33:17 -0700, "Don Schmidt" <Don
Regarding a UPS.

Get one; it not only protects you from power outages but protects you from
brown outs and power spikes.
Click to expand...



I agree, strongly. They are inexpensive, and the sudden loss of power
that you might get without one can be catastrophic.

Get the highest capacity size your budget will
allow;
Click to expand...


I disagree, strongly. The purpose of a UPS is to give you time for an
orderly shutdown if the power fails, not to let you continue running
for substantial time in a blackout. All you need is a UPS capable of
letting you run for 15-20 minutes or so (and how big that is depends
on your hardware configuration). Anything more than that is overkill
and a waste of money.

any size is better than none at all.
Click to expand...


As long as it's big enough to give you time for an orderly shutdown,
yes, I agree.
 
The biggest is best when you have a 16 year old daughter who is a Junior in
High School and in the International Baccalaureate program doing homework to
wee hours in the morning doing a paper that absolutely must be turned in the
next day.

The incident that sold me on having a UPS was I had about 30 pages typed out
when one of our Northwest lightening storms zapped a lightening bolt across
the county; the lights did one of those quick flickers and the 30 pages went
up in cyber smoke.

I have an APC RS-1500; wasteful $'s, maybe but I don't buy bottled water at
$8 to $10 a gallon. <G>

Another reason for the 1500 is our phone system* requires 120AC and the UPS
is on for the phone as long as the power is interrupted.

*Siemens 2 line base station with 5 cordless intercom extensions.
 
Someone,
I assume that this is when the computer is not being used, and the
Click to expand...
foregoing will take effect, but >I'm not sure.
That's the way it works here.
Under "Advanced" option was prompt for password when computer resumes from
standby. I see no need for this so I unchecked it. Is that OK?
Click to expand...
Only means that anyone re-activating the computer can do so with no problem.
If you are like me, the sole user, or you don't have others you don't want
doing this, it's just one less step in resuming things.

Malv
 
Many PC users think that leaving a PC powered on at all times will prolong
its life. This is true to an extent, because it will operate at a uniform
temperature. Turning a PC on and off causes the system to cool, and powering
it back on causes it to warm up again. These heating and cooling cycles cause
the electronic components to expand and contract repeatedly. Eventually, they
become brittle and fail.
 
The other side of the story is that many devices in your PC- such as the hard
drive motor and cooling fan - are rated to perform only for a certain number
of hours. If you leave the PC on 24 hours a day these devices will run into
the ground 3 times faster than a user who only powers the PC up 8 hours a
day. A running machine also consumes electricity, which isn't free.
Of course, you should never leave a PC running unattended for extended
periods because of risk of fire. The ideal solution is a compromise: Leave
the system running if you plan on returning to it within 3 hours. This will
minimize the number of heating & cooling cycles that your PC undergoes. If
you will be away more than 3 hours, power down the system to save wear and
tear on the motors, and to reduce you electric bill and the risk of fire.
 
All newer PCs can enter what's known as "sleep mode", powering down the hard
drive and monitor if you should leave the system unattended for and extended
period of time. Such PCs, are identified as "Energy Star or Green PCs", can
cut energy costs and prolong the life of most of your components.
You can decide if you PC sleeps and, more importantly, which part sleeps at
which time. You can, for ex., have your monitor sleep after a few minutes of
no system activity, and have your hard drive sleep after an hour. You can
also set an amount of time after which your entire system will go into system
standby or hibernation mode.
 
Standby mode leaves the power on at a low level, but doesn't write your
unsaved data to disk, so a system in standby mode is somewhat vulnerable in
the event of a power loss- although, of course, you should always save your
work before leaving your PC for an extended period of time. Hibernation, on
the other hand, turns the power completely off, but only after writing your
desktop state- that is, the exact programs and files you have open on your
system at the time- to your hard disk.
Basically, the advantage of standby is that it's quicker to recover, but
hibernation is nice because it takes you back to exactly where you were when
you last used your system. This is a matter of personal preference; you might
want standby mode for long periods of inactivity during the day, and
hibernation for overnight.
Good Luck,
Attilathehun1
 
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