Accessing Mobile Settings with Windows Mobility Center

Windows Mobility Center gives you quick access to a range of settings:

show Brightness Click the icon to show the Edit Plan Settings window for your current power plan. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the brightness of the show.

Volume Click the icon to open the Sound dialog box. Select the Mute check box to mute the volume completely. Otherwise, drag the slider to set the volume.

Battery Status

Wireless Network Click the icon to launch the Connect to a Network Wizard, which you can use to connect to a network or to view your connection status. Use the status readout to see details of your current wireless network connection. Click the Turn Wireless Off button when you need to turn your wireless network adapter off. Click the resulting Turn Wireless On button to turn it back on.

External show Click the icon to display the Display Settings dialog box. Use the status readout to check whether Windows has detected an external display. If you’ve connected an external show, and Windows hasn’t recognized it, click the Connect show button to make Windows scan for the show.

Sync Center Click the icon or the Sync Settings button to open a Sync Center window, in which you can create and manage synchronization partnerships.

Presentation Settings Click the icon to show the Presentation Settings dialog box see the section “Choosing Presentation Settings,” later in this article. Click the Turn On button to turn on presentation mode; click the resulting Turn Off button to turn it off again. The easiest way to open Windows Mobility Center is to click the Power icon in the notification area and then click the Windows Mobility Center link in the pop up window. You can also choose Start Control Panel, and then click the Adjust Commonly Used Mobility Settings link in the Control Panel window. To close  button.´Windows Mobility Center, click the Close button the

Using the Power Management Features for Portable Computers

To get the best balance of performance and battery life from your portable, you’ll probably need to configure its power settings carefully. In addition to the power-management features discussed in the previous article, Windows provides several power management features for portable computers.

Using the Power Icon in the Notification Area

To work with power management features on a portable computer, you use the Power icon in the notification area. Windows automatically displays this icon for a computer configured with a battery, so the icon should be there unless you’ve chosen to hide it. The icon shows a battery on its own when the computer is running on battery power. It shows a battery with a power lead when the computer is plugged in and receiving power.

Adding the Power Icon to the Notification Area

If the Power icon doesn’t appear in the notification area, you can add it as follows:

1. Right click the Start button, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

2. On the Notification Area page, select the Power check box.

3.

Choosing Power Settings for Running on Batteries

As you saw in the previous article, the Edit Plan Settings dialog box for a portable computer lets you choose different settings for when the computer is running on batteries and when it is plugged in. When you need to maximize battery life, set short delays for turning off the show and putting the computer to sleep. For example, if you work steadily at your computer, you might choose a delay of 2 minutes or 3 minutes for turning off the show and 5 minutes or 10 minutes for putting the computer to sleep. If you use your computer to work on documents that require pauses for reckon, you may need to set a longer delay on turning off the show - having the screen black out when you’re constructing a formula or a sentence can be very distracting.

Setting Battery Alarms, Notifications, and Actions

Sooner or preferably later, your battery will run out. To choose what Windows does when this happens, follow these steps:

1. In the Power Options window, click the difference Plan Settings link for the power plan you want to affect. Windows displays the Edit Plan Settings window for the plan.

2. Click the difference Advanced Power Settings link. Windows displays the Power Options dialog box.

3. Expand the Battery category so that you can see its settings

4. Expand the Critical Battery Action item, and then choose the action you want Windows to take when the battery reaches the critical level. You’ll define this level in a minute. Your choices for when the computer is running on battery are Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. When the computer is plugged in, you can also choose Do Nothing. Hibernate is usually the best choice, as it protects your data better than Sleep does. Shutting down the computer also protects your data, but it means that you’ll need to perform a full startup when you plug in the computer rather than simply awaken it from hibernation.

5. Expand the Low Battery Level item, and then specify the percentage of battery power that Windows should treat as the low level. The default setting is 10 percent, which works well for many people.

6. Expand the Critical Battery Level item, and then specify the percentage of battery power that Windows should treat as the critical level - the point after which it’s not safe to keep the computer running. The default setting is 5 percent, which should give enough battery life to ensure a successful hibernation or shutdown.

7. Expand the Low Battery Notification item, and then choose On or Off to control whether Windows warns you when the battery reaches its low level. Most people find the warning helpful, but you may prefer to work straight through to the critical level.

8.Expand the Low Battery Action item, and then choose the action you want Windows to take when the battery reaches the low level. Your choices are Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. Do Nothing is normally the most useful setting.

9. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Power Options dialog box and returns you to the Edit Plan Settings window.

10. Click the Save Changes button. Windows closes the Edit Plan Settings window and returns you to the Power Options window.

Troubleshooting: Recovering a Hung Laptop

Configuring Tablet PC and Pen and Input Settings

Configuring Tablet PC Settings

To configure Tablet PC settings, take the following steps:

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. In Control Panel Home view, click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Tablet PC Settings link. Windows displays the Tablet PC Settings dialog box.

4. Choose Settings on the General page .

Handedness In this group box, select the Right-Handed option button if you’re right-handed and the Left-Handed option button if you’re left handed. This setting controls where Windows displays the menus, so that they’re not covered by the hand you’re using.

Calibration Select the orientation in the Orientation drop down list: Primary Landscape, Primary Portrait, Secondary Landscape, or Secondary Portrait. You can then click the Calibrate button and use the resulting wizard to calibrate the digitizer.

5.Choose settings on the Handwriting Recognition page :

Use the Personal Recognizer Select this check box to make Windows use personal handwriting recognition to improve its recognition of your handwriting. This feature is usually helpful.

Automatic Learning In this group box, select the Use Automatic Learning option button if you want the recognizer to store the words you use so that it can recognize them more easily in future. You get better results by using this feature at the expense of a minor security concern someone might be able to raid the recognizer and learn what you’ve been writing. Select the Don’t Use Automatic Learning, and Delete Any Previously Collected Data option button if you want to guard against this concern.

6.Choose settings on the show page :

Orientation In this drop down list, select the screen orientation you want to use: Primary Landscape, Secondary Portrait, Secondary Landscape, or Primary Portrait. The Preview area shows an icon representing the orientation.

Sequence

7. On the Other page, click the Go to Pen and Input Devices link if you want to open the Pen and Input Devices dialog box. Otherwise, click the OK button. Windows closes the Tablet PC Settings dialog box and applies your changes.