3. Selecting and Optimizing Power Plans
Although computers can have multiple power plans, only one plan can
be active at any given time. To select or optimize a power plan, follow
these steps:
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In Control Panel, tap or click System And Security, and then tap or click Power Options.
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As shown in Figure 1, you can specify the power plan to use by selecting it in the plans list.
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Tap or click Change Plan Settings for the plan you want to work with. This displays the Edit Plan Settings page, shown in Figure 2. Note that mobile computing devices have separate On Battery and Plugged In settings.
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For a mobile computing device, use the Dim The Display list to
specify whether and when the computer’s display is dimmed. Choose Never
to disable this feature.
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Use the Turn Off The Display list to specify whether or when the
computer’s display automatically turns off. Choose Never to disable this
feature.
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Use the Put The Computer To Sleep list to specify whether or when the
computer automatically enters sleep mode. Choose Never to disable this
feature.
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If you want to configure advanced options, tap or click Change Advanced Power Settings. Use the settings in the Power Options dialog box, shown in Figure 3, to configure the advanced settings. Tap or click OK to save any changes you’ve made.
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If you’ve made changes to Turn Off Display After or Sleep After, tap or click Save Changes to save these changes.
In Group Policy, you can use a preference item to optimize power plans on computers throughout a domain by completing the following steps:
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Open a Group Policy Object for editing in the Group Policy Management
Editor. To configure preferences for computers, expand Computer
Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select Power
Options. To configure preferences for users, expand User
Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select Power
Options.
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Press and hold or right-click the Power Options node, point to New,
and then tap or click Power Plan (At Least Windows 7). This opens the
New Power Plan (At Least Windows 7) Properties dialog box.
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From the Action list, select Update to update the power plan’s
settings or select Replace to delete the power plan and then re-create
it exactly as you specify.
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From the selection list, choose the power plan you want to work with, such as Balanced.
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To set the plan as the active plan, select the Set As The Active Power Plan check box.
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Use the options provided to configure the settings for the power plan.
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Tap or click OK. The next time policy is refreshed, the preference
item will be applied as appropriate for the Group Policy Object in which
you defined the preference item.
