Quick Guide to Power Management
Windows 2000 Professional assumes the central role of coordinating power management activities for the system. Power management in Windows 2000 Professional is based on the OnNow power management design initiative. OnNow makes computers more convenient to access and more energy efficient by defining requirements for their various components to work together effectively to manage power use and conservation.
See "Power Management Features" in this chapter.
Windows 2000 Professional supports the Advanced Configuration and Power (ACPI) specification, a power management open standard that allows the operating system to optimize how hardware and legacy devices use electrical power. On computers that are ACPI-compliant, you get the full benefit of the centrally-controlled and robust power management capabilities of Windows 2000 Professional.
See "Understanding the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface" in this chapter.
A feature of the operating system-directed power management system in Windows 2000 Professional is the ability to customize certain power settings using the user interface. There is a Power Options icon in Control Panel that exposes these settings and enables the creation of custom power schemes that you can implement in specific circumstances.
See "Using the Power Management Interface" in this chapter.
In order for Windows 2000 Professional to manage power, the devices and device drivers in the computer must be ACPI-compliant. When devices and device drivers are not ACPI-compliant, unexpected behavior can occur. Using troubleshooting information, you can often determine which devices and device drivers are causing problems.
See "Troubleshooting Power Management" in this chapter.