HP nc6140 - Notebook PC User manual

Power
Document Part Number: 396324-001
December 2005
This guide explains how the computer uses power.

Power ii
Contents
1 Power control and light locations
2 Power sources
Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2
3 Standby and hibernation
Standby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–1
Hibernation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–2
Initiating standby, hibernation or shutdown. . . . . . . . . . . 3–4
When you leave your work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–4
When a reliable power supply is unavailable . . . . . . 3–5
When using wireless communication, or readable or
writable drive media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–6
4 Default power settings
Turning the computer or display on or off . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–2
Using emergency shutdown procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–3
Initiating or resuming from standby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–4
Initiating or restoring from hibernation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5
5 Power options
Accessing Power Options Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
Displaying the Power Meter icon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–2
Setting or changing a power scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–3
Setting a security prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–3

iii Power
Contents
6 Processor performance controls
7 Battery packs
Identifying battery packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–2
Inserting or removing the primary battery pack. . . . . . . . 7–3
Charging multiple battery packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–5
Charging a battery pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–6
Monitoring the charge of a battery pack . . . . . . . . . . 7–8
Managing low-battery conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–10
Identifying low-battery conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–10
Resolving low-battery conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–12
Calibrating a battery pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–14
When to calibrate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–14
How to calibrate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–14
Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–19
Conserving power as you work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–19
Selecting power conservation settings. . . . . . . . . . . 7–20
Storing a battery pack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–21
Disposing of a used battery pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–22
Index

Power 1–1
1
Power control and light
locations
The following illustration and table identify and describe the
power control and light locations.
Component Description
1Display switch Puts the computer in standby if the display
is closed while the computer is on.
2Power lights* (2) Green: The computer is on.
Blinking green: The computer is in standby.
Off: The computer is off or in hibernation.
(Continued)

1–2 Power
Power control and light locations
3Power button When the computer is
■Off, press to turn on the computer.
■In standby, briefly press to exit standby.
■In hibernation, briefly press to exit
hibernation.
If the computer has stopped responding
and Microsoft® Windows® shutdown
procedures cannot be used, press and hold
the power button for at least 5 seconds to
turn off the computer.
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 computer is plugged into an
external power source, the light is turned
off when all batteries in the computer are
fully charged. If the computer is not
plugged into an external power source, the
light is turned off until the battery reaches a
low-battery condition.
*There are 2 power lights. Both display the same information. The light on
the power button is visible only when the computer is open; the other power
light is always visible on the front of the computer.
Component Description

Power 2–1
2
Power sources
The computer can run on internal or external AC power. The
following table indicates the best power source for common
tasks.
Task Recommended Power Source
Work in most software
applications
■Charged battery pack in the computer
■External power supplied through one of
the following devices:
❐AC adapter
❐Optional docking device
❐Optional power adapter
Charge or calibrate a battery
pack in the computer
External power supplied through
■AC adapter
■Optional docking device
■Optional power adapter
ÅDo not charge the computer battery pack
on board aircraft. Charging the battery
pack may damage aircraft electronic
systems.
Install or modify system
software or write to a CD
or DVD
External power supplied through
■AC adapter
■Optional docking device
■Optional power adapter

2–2 Power
Power sources
Connecting the AC adapter
ÅWARNING: To reduce the risk of electric shock or damage to
your equipment:
■Plug the power cord into an AC outlet that is easily accessible
at all times.
■Disconnect power from the computer by unplugging the power cord
from the AC outlet (not by unplugging the power cord from
the computer).
■If provided with a 3-pin attachment plug on your power cord, plug
the cord into a grounded (earthed) 3-pin outlet. Do not disable the
power cord grounding pin; for example, by attaching a 2-pin
adapter. The grounding pin is an important safety feature. It is
possible to receive an electric shock from a system that is not
properly grounded.
To connect the computer to external AC power:
1. Plug the AC adapter into the power connector on the
computer 1.
2. Plug the power cord into the AC adapter 2.
3. Plug the other end of the power cord into an AC outlet 3.

Power 3–1
3
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 the
computer in standby for extended periods. Connect the computer to an
external power source.
Standby reduces power to system components that are not in use.
When standby is initiated, your work is stored in random access
memory (RAM), and then the screen is cleared. When the
computer is in standby, the power lights blink. When you resume
from standby, your work returns to the screen where you left off.
ÄCAUTION: To reduce the risk of information loss, save your work
before initiating standby.

3–2 Power
Standby and hibernation
Hibernation
ÄCAUTION: If the configuration of the computer is changed during
hibernation, resuming from hibernation may not be possible. When the
computer is in hibernation:
■Do not dock the computer in or undock the computer from a
docking device.
■Do not add or remove memory modules.
■Do not insert or remove hard drives or optical drives.
■Do not connect or disconnect external devices.
■Do not insert or remove an external media card, such as a
MultiMediaCard or a PC Card.
Hibernation saves your work to a hibernation file on the hard
drive, and then shuts down the computer. The power lights are
turned off. When you restore from hibernation, your work returns
to the screen where you left off. If you have set a power-on
password, you must enter that password to restore from
hibernation.
ÄCAUTION: To reduce the risk of information loss, save your work
before initiating hibernation.

Standby and hibernation
Power 3–3
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.
Be 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 > Power Schemes tab.
2. Click one of the intervals in the System hibernates list.

3–4 Power
Standby and hibernation
Initiating standby, hibernation or
shutdown
The following sections explain when to initiate standby or
hibernation and when to shut down your computer.
✎You cannot initiate any type of networking communications or
perform any computer functions while the computer is in
standby or hibernation.
When you leave your work
When standby is initiated, your work is stored in random access
memory (RAM), and then the screen is cleared. When the
computer is in standby, it uses less power than when it is on. Your
work returns instantly to the screen when your resume from
standby.
Hibernation saves your work to a hibernation file on the hard
drive, and then shuts down the computer. When the computer is in
hibernation, it uses much less power than when it is in standby.
When the computer will be unused and disconnected from
external power for an extended period, shut down the computer
and remove the battery pack to extend the life of the battery pack.
For details on battery pack storage, refer to “Storing a battery
pack.”

Standby and hibernation
Power 3–5
When a reliable power supply is
unavailable
Be sure that hibernation remains enabled, especially if you are
operating the computer 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
computer.
If you pause your work when the power supply is uncertain, take
one of the actions:
■Save your work, and then initiate standby.
■Initiate hibernation.
■Shut down the computer.

3–6 Power
Standby and hibernation
When using wireless communication, or
readable or writable drive media
ÄCAUTION: To prevent loss of information, or 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,
a DVD, or an external media card.
Standby and hibernation interfere with the use of infrared,
Bluetooth®, and wireless communication.
Note the following guidelines:
■If the computer is in standby or hibernation, you cannot
initiate an infrared, Bluetooth, or wireless transmission.
■If standby or hibernation is accidentally initiated during
playback of a medium such as a CD, a DVD, or external
media card
❏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 media to resume audio and
video playback.

Power 4–1
4
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 the computer, refer to
“Power options.”
The controls and lights discussed in this chapter are illustrated in
“Power control and light locations.”

4–2 Power
Default power settings
Turning the computer or display
on or off
Task Procedure Result
Turn on the
computer.
Press the power button. ■The power lights
are turned on.
■The operating
system loads.
Shut down the
computer.*
1. Save your work and close all
open applications.
2. Shut down the computer
through the operating
system by selecting
Start > Turn Off
Computer > Turn Off.†
✎If the system is
unresponsive and you are
unable to shut down the
computer with these
procedures, refer to “Using
emergency shutdown
procedures.”
■The power lights
are turned off.
■The operating
system shuts down.
■The computer is
turned off.
Turn off the
display while the
power is on.
Close the computer. Closing the computer
activates the display
switch, which initiates
standby.
*If the system is unresponsive and you are unable to shut down the computer
with these procedures, refer to “Using emergency shutdown procedures.”
†If you have been registered to a network domain, the button you click will be
called Shut Down instead of Turn Off Computer.

Default power settings
Power 4–3
Using emergency shutdown
procedures
ÄCAUTION: Emergency shutdown procedures result in the loss of
unsaved data.
If the computer 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 button for at least 5 seconds.
■Disconnect the computer from external power and remove
the battery pack. For more information about removing and
storing the battery pack, refer to “Battery packs.”

4–4 Power
Default power settings
Initiating or resuming from standby
Task Procedure Result
Initiate standby. ■With the computer on,
press fn+f3.
■In Windows XP Home, select
Start > Turn Off Computer >
Stand by.
– or –
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 computer.
■The power lights
blink.
■The screen clears.
Allow the system
to initiate
standby.
No action required.
■If the computer is running on
battery power, the system
initiates standby after
10 minutes of computer
inactivity (default setting).
■If the computer is attached
to external power, the
system initiates standby after
25 minutes of computer
inactivity (default setting).
■Power settings and timeouts
can be changed using Power
Options in Windows Control
Panel.
■The power lights
blink.
■The screen clears.
Resume from
user-initiated
standby.
Press the power button. ■The power lights
are turned on.
■Your work returns to
the screen.
*If you have been registered to a network domain, the button you click will be
called Shut Down instead of Turn Off Computer.

Default power settings
Power 4–5
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 lights
are turned off.
■The screen clears.
(Continued)

4–6 Power
Default power settings
Allow the system
to initiate
hibernation (with
hibernation
enabled).
No action required. If the
computer is running on battery
power, the system initiates
hibernation
■After 30 minutes of computer
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 lights
are turned off.
■The screen clears.
Restore from
user-initiated or
system-initiated
hibernation.
Press the power button.†■The power lights
are turned on.
■Your work returns to
the screen.
*If you have been registered to a network domain, the button you click will be
called Shut Down instead of Turn Off Computer.
†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 button. (The system may not respond if the drained battery pack is the
only power source.)
Task Procedure Result

Power 5–1
5
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 button.
By default, when the computer is on:
■Pressing fn+f3, called the “sleep button” in the operating
system, initiates standby.
■By default, the display switch turns off the display and
initiates standby. The display switch is activated by closing
the display.
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.