HP Compaq nx6115 User manual

Power
Document Part Number: 383370-001
May 2005
This guide explains how the notebook uses power.

Power ii
Contents
Power
Power Control and Light Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Power Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Standby and Hibernation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Standby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Hibernation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Initiating Standby, Hibernation or Shutdown . . . . . . . . 7
Default Power Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turning the Notebook or Display On or Off . . . . . . . . 10
Initiating or Resuming from Standby . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Initiating or Restoring from Hibernation. . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using Emergency Shutdown Procedures . . . . . . . . . . 14
Power Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Accessing Power Options Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Displaying the Power Meter Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Setting or Changing a Power Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Using a Security Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Processor Performance Controls (Select Models Only). . . 18
Battery Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Identifying Battery Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Inserting or Removing a Primary Battery Pack. . . . . . 22
Charging Battery Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Charging a New Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Charging an In-Use Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Monitoring the Charge of a Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Obtaining Accurate Charge Information . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Displaying Charge Information on the Screen . . . . . . 26

iii Power
Managing Low-Battery Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Identifying Low-Battery Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Resolving Low-Battery Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Calibrating a Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
When to Calibrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
How to Calibrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Conserving Battery Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Conserving Power As You Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Selecting Power Conservation Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Storing a Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Disposing of a Used Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Index

Power 1
Power
Power Control and Light Locations
The following illustration and table identify and describe the
power control and light locations.
✎Your notebook may look slightly different from the
illustrations in this section.

2Power
Component Description
1Display switch Puts the notebook in standby if the
display is closed while the notebook
is on.
2Power/standby lights* (2) Green: The notebook is on.
Blinking green: The notebook is in
standby mode.
Off: The notebook is off or in
hibernation.
(Continued)

Power 3
3Power/standby button When the notebook is
■Off, press the button to turn on the
notebook.
■In standby, briefly press the button
to exit standby.
■In hibernation, briefly press the
button to exit hibernation.
If the notebook has stopped
responding and Microsoft® Windows®
shutdown procedures cannot be used,
press the power/standby button and
hold for at least 5 seconds to turn off
the notebook.
4fn+f3 Initiates standby.
5Battery light Amber: A battery pack is charging.
Green: A battery pack is close to full
charge capacity.
Blinking amber: A battery pack that is
the only available power source has
reached a low-battery condition. When
the battery reaches a
critical
low-battery condition, the battery light
begins blinking more quickly.
Off: If the notebook is connected to an
external power source, the light is
turned off when all batteries in the
notebook are fully charged. If the
notebook is not connected to an
external power source, the light is
turned off until the battery reaches a
low-battery condition.
*There are 2 power/standby lights. Both display the same information. The
light on the power button is visible only when the notebook is open; the
other power/standby light is always visible on the front of the notebook.
Component Description

4Power
Power Sources
The notebook can run on internal or external AC power. The
following table indicates the best power sources for common
tasks.
Task Recommended Power Source
Work in most software
applications
■Charged battery pack in the notebook
■External power supplied through one of
the following devices:
❐AC adapter
❐Optional docking device
(select models only)
❐Optional power adapter
Charge or calibrate a battery
pack in the notebook
External power supplied through
■AC adapter
■Optional docking device
(select models only)
■Optional power adapter
Install or modify system
software or write to a CD
or DVD
External power supplied through
■AC adapter
■Optional docking device
(select models only)
■Optional power adapter

Power 5
Standby and Hibernation
Standby and hibernation are energy-saving features that conserve
power and reduce startup time. They can be initiated by you or by
the system. For more information, refer to “Initiating Standby,
Hibernation or Shutdown.”
Standby
ÄCAUTION: To avoid a complete battery discharge, do not leave your
notebook in standby for extended periods. Connect the notebook to an
external power source.
Standby reduces power to system components that are not in use.
When standby is initiated, your work is saved in random access
memory (RAM) and the screen is cleared. When you resume
from standby, your work returns to the screen where you left off.
■Saving your work before initiating standby is not usually
necessary, but it is a recommended precaution.
■When the notebook is in standby, the power/standby lights
blink.

6Power
Hibernation
ÄCAUTION: If the configuration of the notebook is changed during
hibernation, resuming from hibernation may not be possible. When the
notebook is in hibernation:
■Do not dock the notebook in or undock the notebook from a
docking device.
■Do not add or remove memory modules.
■Do not insert or remove any hard drives or optical drives.
■Do not connect or disconnect external devices.
■Do not insert or remove a Digital Media Slot card, a PC Card, or
an ExpressCard (select models only).
Hibernation saves your work to a hibernation file on the hard
drive, and then shuts down the notebook. When you restore from
hibernation, your work returns to the screen where you left off. If
a power-on password has been set, the password must be entered
to restore from hibernation.
You can disable hibernation. However, if hibernation is disabled
and the system reaches a low-battery condition, the system will
not automatically save your work while power is on or when
standby has been initiated.
Use Power Options in Microsoft® Windows® Control Panel to
reenable hibernation:
»Select Start > Control Panel > Performance and
Maintenance > Power Options > Hibernate tab. Make
sure that the Enable hibernation check box is selected.
To set the time interval after which the system initiates
hibernation:
1. Select Start > Control Panel > Performance and
Maintenance > Power Options.
2. Click one of the intervals in the System hibernates list.

Power 7
Initiating Standby, Hibernation or Shutdown
The following sections explain when to initiate standby or
hibernation and when to shut down your notebook.
✎You cannot initiate any type of networking communications or
perform any computer functions while the notebook is in
standby or hibernation.
When You Leave Your Work
Initiating standby clears the screen. When the notebook is in
standby, it uses less power than when it is on. Your work returns
instantly to the screen when you resume from standby.
Initiating hibernation clears the screen and saves your work to the
hard drive. When the notebook is in hibernation, it uses much less
power than when it is in standby.
Shutting down the notebook and removing the battery pack is
recommended to extend the life of the battery pack when the
notebook will be unused and disconnected from external power
for an extended period. For details on battery pack storage, refer
to “Storing a Battery Pack.”
When a Reliable Power Supply Is Unavailable
Make sure that hibernation remains enabled, especially if you are
operating the notebook on battery power and do not have access
to an external power supply. If the battery pack fails, hibernation
saves your work to a hibernation file and shuts down the
notebook.
It is recommended that if you pause your work when the power
supply is uncertain, you do one of the following:
■Initiate hibernation.
■Shut down the notebook.
■Save your work, and then initiate standby.

8Power
When Using Readable or Writable Drive Media
(Select Models Only)
ÄCAUTION: To prevent possible audio and video degradation, or loss
of audio or video playback functionality, do not initiate standby or
hibernation while reading or writing to a CD or DVD. To prevent loss of
data, do not initiate standby or hibernation when writing to a CD or
DVD.
If standby or hibernation is accidentally initiated during playback
of a drive medium (such as a CD or DVD):
■Your playback may be interrupted.
■You may see the following warning message: “Putting the
computer into hibernation or standby may stop the playback.
Do you want to continue?” Click No.
■You may need to restart the CD or DVD to resume audio and
video playback.

Power 9
Default Power Settings
This section explains the default standby, hibernation, and
shutdown procedures. For information about changing the
function of some of the power features on your notebook, refer to
“Power Options.”
The controls and lights discussed in this section are illustrated in
“Power Control and Light Locations.”

10 Power
Turning the Notebook or Display On or Off
Task Procedure Result
Turn on the
notebook.
Press the power/standby button. ■The power/standby
lights are turned on.
■The operating
system loads.
Shut down the
notebook.*
Save your work and close all
open applications. Then either
■Press the power/standby
button and follow the
on-screen directions (if
displayed) for shutting down
the notebook.
– or –
■Shut down the notebook
through the operating
system.
❐In Windows XP Home,
select Start > Turn Off
Computer > Turn Off.
❐In Windows XP
Professional, select
Start > Turn Off
Computer > Turn Off.†
■The power/standby
lights are turned off.
■The operating
system shuts down.
■The notebook is
turned off.
Turn off the
display while the
power is on.
Close the notebook. Closing the notebook
activates the display
switch, which initiates
standby.
*If the system is unresponsive and you are unable to shut down the notebook
with these procedures, refer to “Using Emergency Shutdown Procedures.”
†Depending on your network connections, the Turn Off Computer button may
be called the Shut Down button.

Power 11
Initiating or Resuming from Standby
Task Procedure Result
Initiate standby. ■With the notebook on,
press fn+f3.
❐In Windows XP Home,
select Start > Turn Off
Computer > Stand by.
❐In Windows XP
Professional, select
Start > Turn Off
Computer > Stand by.
(If Stand by is not
displayed, press the
down arrow, select
Stand by from the list,
and then click OK.)*
■Close the notebook.
■The power/standby
lights blink.
■The screen clears.
Allow the system
to initiate
standby.
No action required.
■If the notebook is running
on battery power, the system
initiates standby after
10 minutes of notebook
inactivity. (Default setting)
■If the notebook is attached to
external power, the system
does not initiate standby.
■Power settings and timeouts
can be changed in the Power
Options window.
■The power/standby
lights blink.
■The screen clears.
Resume from
user-initiated or
system-
initiated standby.
■Press the power/standby
button.
■If the display was closed
while the notebook was in
standby, open the display.
■The power/standby
lights are turned on.
■Your work returns to
the screen.
*Depending on your network connections, the Turn Off Computer button may
be called the Shut Down button.

12 Power
Initiating or Restoring from Hibernation
Hibernation cannot be initiated unless it is enabled. Hibernation
is enabled by default.
To verify that hibernation remains enabled:
»Select Start > Control Panel > Performance and
Maintenance > Power Options > Hibernate tab. If
hibernation is enabled, the Enable hibernation check box
is selected.
Task Procedure Result
Initiate
hibernation.
■In Windows XP Home, select
Start > Turn Off Computer.
Then, hold down the shift
key as you select Hibernate.
■In Windows XP Professional,
select Start > Turn Off
Computer. Then, hold down
the shift key as you select
Hibernate. (If hibernate is
not displayed, press the up
or down arrow, select
Hibernate from the list, and
then click OK.)*
■The power/standby
lights are turned off.
■The screen clears.
Allow the system
to initiate
hibernation (with
hibernation
enabled).
No action required. If the
notebook is running on battery
power, the system initiates
hibernation
■After 30 minutes of notebook
inactivity.
■When the battery pack(s)
reach a critical low-battery
condition.
Power settings and timeouts can
be changed using Power Options
in Windows Control Panel.
■The power/standby
lights are turned off.
■The screen clears.
(Continued)

Power 13
Restore from
user-initiated or
system-initiated
hibernation.
Press the power/standby button.†■The power/standby
lights are turned on.
■Your work returns to
the screen.
*Depending on your network connections, the Turn Off Computer button may
be called the Shut Down button.
†If the system initiated hibernation because of a critical low-battery condition,
connect external power or insert a charged battery pack before you press the
power/standby button. (The system may not respond if the drained battery pack
is the only power source.)
Task Procedure Result

14 Power
Using Emergency Shutdown Procedures
ÄCAUTION: Emergency shutdown procedures result in the loss of
unsaved data.
If the notebook is unresponsive and you are unable to use normal
Windows shutdown procedures, try the following emergency
procedures in the sequence provided:
■Press ctrl+alt+delete. Then, select Shut Down > Turn Off.
■Press and hold the power/standby button for at least 5
seconds.
■Disconnect the notebook from external power and remove
the battery pack. For more information about removing and
storing the battery pack, refer to “Storing a Battery Pack.”

Power 15
Power Options
You can change many default power settings in Windows Control
Panel. For example, you can set an audio alert to warn you when
the battery pack reaches a low-power condition, or you can
change the default settings for the power/standby button.
By default, when the notebook is on:
■Pressing the fn+f3 hotkey, called the “sleep button” in the
operating system, initiates standby.
■The display switch turns off the display and initiates standby.
The display switch is activated by closing the display. (By
default and when using custom settings, the display switch
setting is standby mode.)
Accessing Power Options Properties
To access Power Options Properties:
■Right-click the Power Meter icon in the notification area
(at the far right of the taskbar), and then click Adjust Power
Properties.
– or –
■Select Start > Control Panel > Performance and
Maintenance > Power Options.

16 Power
Displaying the Power Meter Icon
By default, the Power Meter icon appears in your notification
area, at the far right of the taskbar. The icon changes shape to
indicate whether the notebook is running on a battery pack or
external power.
To hide or show the Power Meter icon in the notification area:
1. Right-click the Power Meter icon in the notification area,
and then click Adjust Power Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Select or clear the Always show icon on the taskbar
check box.
4. Click Apply and then click OK.
✎If you cannot see an icon you have placed in the notification
area (at the far right of the taskbar), the icon may be hidden.
Click the arrow in the notification area to view hidden icons.

Power 17
Setting or Changing a Power Scheme
The Power Schemes tab in the Power Options Properties dialog
box assigns power levels to system components. You can assign
different schemes, depending on whether the notebook is running
on a battery pack or on external power.
You can also set a power scheme that initiates standby or turns off
the display or hard drive after a time interval that you specify.
To set a power scheme:
1. Right-click the Power Meter icon in the notification area,
and then click Adjust Power Properties.
2. Click the Power Schemes tab.
3. Select the power scheme you want to modify, and adjust
options in the lists on the screen.
4. Click Apply.
Using a Security Password
You can add a security feature that prompts you for a password
when the notebook is turned on, resumes from standby, or
restores from hibernation.
To set a password prompt:
1. Right-click the Power Meter icon in the notification area,
and then click Adjust Power Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Select the Prompt for password when computer resumes
from standby check box.
4. Click Apply.