Microsoft® Windows® XP Unleashed

Setting Power Management Options in Windows XP

Since the real limiting factor for most notebook computer users is power (after all, battery life is finite), power management is an all-important feature. In the past, many of the details of power management were left up to the computer's BIOS—the built-in software that determines what a computer can do before accessing any programs on disk. With modern advances, Windows XP has taken over much of the power management from the BIOS.

Two basic power specifications can be found in computers today. These include the following:

• Advanced Power Management (APM)—Developed by Intel and Microsoft, APM is the technology that originally allowed a computer's BIOS to manage power.

  Windows XP can take advantage ...