Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Managing Power Consumption Using the Battery Meter

Windows 7 includes a battery meter that you can use to monitor the battery power consumption on your computer. The battery meter also provides notification on what power plan is being used.

The battery meter appears in the Notification Area of the Windows Taskbar and indicates the status of the battery, including the percentage of battery charge. As the battery charge gets lower, the battery meter provides a visual indication of the amount of charge left. For example, when the battery charge reaches the low-battery level, a red circle with a white X is displayed.

The battery meter also provides a quick method for changing the power plan in use on the computer. By clicking the battery meter icon, you can select between the three preferred power plans available with Windows 7.

Using Windows ReadyBoost and Windows 7

With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced several new technologies to help boost operating system performance. Windows ReadyBoost is a technology introduced with Windows Vista that is also available in Windows 7.

Windows ReadyBoost allows for the use of multiple nonvolatile flash memory devices as an additional memory cache. When the physical memory devices become full on a computer with Windows ReadyBoost configured, data is written to the flash device instead of to the hard drive. This improves performance because data can be read more quickly from the flash drive than from the hard drive.

When a compatible device is installed on a Windows 7 computer, a ReadyBoost tab is displayed on the device's properties page that can be used to configure Windows ReadyBoost.

To use a flash memory device with Windows ReadyBoost, the device must meet the following specifications:

• It must have a storage capacity NN of at least 256 MB.
• It must support USB 2.0.
• It must support a throughput of 2.5 MBps for 4 K random reads and 1.75 MBps for 512 K random writes.

Configuring Advanced Settings

ReadyDrive is also a technology included with Windows 7 that you can use to speed up the boot process, resume from a hibernation state faster, and conserve battery power for mobile computers. ReadyDrive relies on new hybrid hard disks, which use flash memory technology in conjunction with mechanical hard disk technology.

When you use ReadyDrive, data is written to flash memory instead of to the mechanical hard disk. This saves battery power because the mechanical hard disk does not need to perform as many read/write actions. Additionally, read/write times with flash memory are quicker than with traditional hard disk media, so resuming from hibernation occurs faster.

Configuring the power options on a laptop can help save energy and extend battery life. Another important item to take into account when configuring Windows 7 is how you are managing your Windows services.