Setting Up a Portable Computer
This section identifies critical operating system components, properties, and features you need to configure before you put a portable computer into service. The information in this section is meant to be used as an administrative checklist. Use it as a quality assurance tool to help ensure that you have addressed the major configuration issues pertinent to portable computers. In-depth configuration information is provided in subsequent sections of this chapter.
If a portable computer has an ACPI-based BIOS, use the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) to verify that it is compliant with the newest ACPI standard. If it is not, upgrade the BIOS to the newest version that is compatible with the ACPI standard. If you flash an ACPI-based BIOS on to your portable computer after you have installed Windows 2000 and your old BIOS was not ACPI-based, you need to reinstall Windows 2000. For more information about the HCL, see the Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at http://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources. For more information about upgrading the BIOS in a portable computer, see the Hardware Update link on the Web Resources page at
If a portable computer has an APM-based BIOS, run the Apmstat support tool to determine whether the BIOS has any known problems. If it has no known problems and you want to use APM to manage power on your portable computer, you must manually enable APM by using Power Options in Control Panel. You can install Apmstat by running Setup.exe, which is located in the SupportTools folder on the Windows 2000 Professional operating system CD.
If you are configuring a portable computer for someone who travels frequently, add this person to the Power Users group. This allows the user to install, uninstall, and configure software and Plug and Play hardware if a device fails or software needs to be reinstalled while he or she is not connected to the network. All other types of users should be members of the Users group, which does not allow them to install, uninstall, or configure software and hardware. In general, no users should be members of the Administrators group unless they need to install, uninstall, and configure non-Plug and Play hardware and drivers.
After you finish installing hardware on a portable computer, verify that all of the devices are operational when the computer is docked and undocked. Be sure to test the devices, as well as the docking and undocking functionality, as a member of the Power Users and the Users group. This testing is necessary because some printers, scanners, and ISDN adapters can be fully installed only by a member of the Administrators group; when these devices are installed by members of the Power Users or Users group, the devices might not be fully installed. Also, verify that the properties are set correctly for both the Docked Profile and the Undocked Profile.
Configure Power Management Options
Hibernate support and APM support are not enabled by default when you install Windows 2000. If you want to use these features, and your portable computer supports them, you must manually enable them by using Power Options in Control Panel. Also, hibernate mode must be entered manually unless the computer has an ACPI-based or APM-based BIOS that supports automatic hibernation.
Verify that the power scheme is appropriate for the end-user environment. Power schemes define how power is managed on a computer. The most useful power schemes for portable computers are Portable/Laptop, Presentation, and Max Battery. Using the Portable/Laptop power scheme might not be the best configuration. By default, it powers down the monitor after 15 minutes, which could be undesirable if the portable computer is primarily used for presentations. Using the Presentation scheme is best when a user is giving a presentation and it is imperative that the computer not enter standby mode. However, Presentation does not preserve battery power. Max Battery preserves battery life by putting the computer into standby mode or hibernate mode after the computer has been idle for a relatively short period of time. This is useful if the user does not mind frequently resuming the computer from standby mode or hibernate mode.
Be sure that all software and software components (for example, add-ins and spell check tools) are installed locally and run locally on the portable computer. You should not have any partially installed programs or distributed (COM+) programs installed on a portable computer that is frequently used offline. Install all software for personal digital assistants (PDA) as a member of the Administrators group because some PDA software cannot be installed by members of the Power Users group. Finally, members of both the Users and the Power Users group cannot use the Internet Connection Wizard to configure an internet connection; this must be done by a member of the Administrators group.
Enable and configure file-storing settings on the server or network share for the files and folders that you want to make available offline. This is particularly important for folders such as My Documents if you have redirected them to a network share or a server. Also, make sure you have configured all offline files settings, including synchronization settings, on the portable computer.
If user is using an e-mail program or a Web browser, be sure to configure the e-mail program and the Web browser for offline content.
Because portable computers are vulnerable to theft, format all hard drives as NTFS and apply the appropriate permissions to files and folders that contain sensitive data. Also, encrypt files and folders that contain sensitive data, and require users to use strong passwords for logging on both locally and on the network.
Configure User Profiles and Folder Redirection
Do not use roaming user profiles or folder redirection if the portable computer is rarely connected to the network or is remotely connected to the network most of the time. These features are more suited to roaming desktop users or portable computer users who are connected directly to a network a majority of the time.