Setting power options

Using power-saving states

The computer has two power-saving states that are enabled at the factory: Sleep and Hibernation.

When Sleep is initiated, the power lights blink and the screen clears. Your work is saved to memory, letting you exit Sleep faster than exiting Hibernation. If the computer is in the Sleep state for an extended period or if the battery reaches a critical battery level while in the Sleep state, the computer initiates Hibernation.

When Hibernation is initiated, your work is saved to a hibernation file on the hard drive and the computer turns off.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of possible audio and video degradation, loss of audio or video playback functionality, or loss of information, do not initiate Sleep or Hibernation while reading from or writing to a disc or an external media card.

NOTE: You cannot initiate any type of networking connection or perform any computer functions while the computer is in the Sleep state or in Hibernation.

Intel Rapid Start Technology (select models only)

For select models, the Intel Rapid Start Technology (RST) feature is enabled by default. Rapid Start Technology allows your computer to resume quickly from inactivity.

Rapid Start Technology manages your power-saving options as follows:

Sleep—Rapid Start Technology allows you to select the Sleep state. To exit from Sleep, press any key, activate the TouchPad, or press the power button briefly.

Hibernation—Rapid Start Technology initiates Hibernation after a period of inactivity while in the Sleep state when running on battery power or on external power or when the battery reaches a critical level. After Hibernation is initiated, press the power button to resume your work.

NOTE: Rapid Start Technology can be disabled in Setup Utility (BIOS). If you want to be able to initiate the Hibernation state, you must enable user-initiated Hibernation using Power Options. See Initiating and exiting Hibernation on page 29.

Initiating and exiting Sleep

The system is set at the factory to initiate Sleep after a period of inactivity when running on battery power or on external power.

Power settings and timeouts can be changed using Power Options in Windows Control Panel.

With the computer on, you can initiate Sleep in any of the following ways:

Briefly press the power button.

Close the display.

Click Start, click the arrow next to the Shut down button, and then click Sleep. To exit Sleep, briefly press the power button.

When the computer exits Sleep, the power lights turn on and your work returns to the screen as it was before you stopped working.

28 Chapter 6 Power management