Comments on: The skinny on power management in Windows 7

Microsoft has gotten religion on energy efficiency and Windows by enhancing the default power management features for end users and IT pros, company executives say.

[darkxeno]

I have to say I've seen the battery last longer on my DV7 with windows 7 than I ever have with Vista about an hour more at the default settings. Let hope they dont mess with it too much from there cause works very nice right out of the box. I know that not all laptop makers are the same and tweak things in Bios and on boards so we will have to wait and see how well it turns out.

[jedmmj11]

(unrelated to above comment)
i think one of the problems with windows is that they don't point out the new features. when u go to the apple site and look up leopard, every tiniest addition is highlighted. just a thought...

[DakkonA1]

Is it just me, or does that first screenshot have a different taskbar? Looks more like Vista with some tweaks.

[monkeyfun14]

It's just late reporting by Cnet this was made when 7 was in alpha.

[Seaspray0]

I still haven't seen one feature I'd like... the ability to connect to a wireless network prior to logging onto the computer.

[SkippyDM]

If I'm not mistaken about what you're talking about, Windows already accomplishes that task. If the network you are attempting to connect to is already setup as a preferred wireless network, and the computer has the various wireless security credentials stored, it should log onto the network at bootup, not log in.

[Vegaman_Dan]

SkippDM's right- just having the system powered up with a trusted wifi connection available will make it accessable. It won't connect wily nily though- you have to make that a trusted connection.

It's been that way for years.

[MythicalMe]

Windows 7 also tries to save power on desktop machines too. When devices are not needed they seem to be put in stand-by mode. For hard drives this means that the drive is spun down. Last night I switched from Vista to 7 after not using 7 for a few days and realized that it took a second for the drive to respond after typing a long e-mail and hitting send. At first I thought the drive was going bad but then realized it was spinning up. Maybe that's not a bad thing for the other 2 drives in my system, but I think perhaps the system drive should be on and spinning unless the system is in sleep or hibernation.

I'll have to explore the power settings to see if the drive can be tweaked to remain on longer.

[sythara]

Its all in the power settings. If my memory serves me right its in the advanced ones where you configure tonns of different options for power in drop down menu format. Sorry if I'm being vague

[ColonelSharp]

Thank god for the better DVD drive management!

It'll be really quiet while I'm taking notes and then *RUMMMMM* the DVD drive randomly goes off...prompting everyone to stare at me. :P

[Vegaman_Dan]

Easier solution- don't leave discs in the drive unless you're actually watching them. :)

[shellcodes_coder]

Ya it's great. Can't wait for it go RTM

[Vegaman_Dan]

Do you mean public retail release (Oct 22nd) or the Relaase to Market/Manufacturers date, rumored to be in July sometime based on CNET stories?

One of the biggest complaints about Windows 7 is all the people foced to having to wait for the release. After seeing RC1, it's hard to believe it could be better.

[shellcodes_coder]

second one, RC is damn damn stable so I really can't wait for RTM release :)
Yes it will be even more stable and from what I have heard they will replace Aero skin with new ones

[shellcodes_coder]

*@Vegaman_Dan

[AppleSuxLeo]

Anyone remember what the $50 pre-order date is for "7" ? I`m in !

[carlhage]

One of the problems I have with Windows XP (not sure of Vista/7) is that the system does not detect "idle" correctly. Apparently, lack of keyboard or mouse activity is considered idle, so the system will go into standby/hibernate during a Skype call, while watching a Flash video, or writing/verifying a DVD. If Microsoft really wanted to do something good for the planet, they would issue a fix for the brain-damaged power management in existing computers-- for free. People disable power conservation because it screws up.

[hafenbrack]

why would they do this for free?

[razartech]

Windows needs to keep improving on these features...but there is just nothing quite like POWERING OFF a PC.

Secondly, businesses need to look at other ways to reduce their energy consumption. There are so many solutions to help reduce the carbon footprint of a company and I hope that not just for the cost savings, but for the environment, top executives take these into serious consideration!

[antevans]

None of this is new, including tech journos recycling press releases so they can go home early.