HP Desktop PCs - Managing Power Options (Windows 10)

This document pertains to HP and Compaq desktop computers using Windows 10.

This document provides information about working with Windows power plans. In addition, this document provides methods for shutting down your computer, using various power modes, and troubleshooting power issues.

A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manage how your computer uses power. You can use power plans to reduce the amount of power your computer uses, maximize performance, or balance the two. The power management options available on your computer might be slightly different than those shown in this document.

Windows provides the following default plans to help you manage your power usage:

This section provides three different procedures for shutting down your computer.

A normal restart of the computer takes you to the Windows sign-in screen. If you want to get to Troubleshooting options, including restore, recovery, and reset options, do the following:

note:

The Choose an option screen also has options to go back to Windows 10 or shut down the computer.

1. Right-click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner.
2. Select Shut down or sign out, then hold the Shift key and click Restart. Continue holding Shift until the Choose an option screen is displayed.

By default, when you select the Sleep option, Windows enters sleep mode. This saves the current work session in memory and puts the computer in a low-power state. Any opened programs or documents stay open allowing you to quickly resume your work when you return to the computer.

Different shutdown options are available by default. You might decide you want to add or remove certain shutdown options based on your needs. If you want to add or remove Sleep or Hibernate from the shutdown options, use the steps in this section.

To add or remove shutdown options, do the following:

1. In Windows, search for and open Power Options.
2. Click Choose what the power buttons do.
   Figure : Choose what the power buttons do

   
3. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
   Figure : Change setting availability option

   
4. In the Shutdown settings section, make sure the check boxes next to the shutdown options you want to see in the shutdown options are checked.
   Figure : Sleep and Hibernate shutdown options

   
5. Click Save changes. The options you chose are now displayed in the shutdown options.

To adjust the amount of time before your computer enters Hibernate Mode, do the following:

1. In Windows, search for and open Power Options.
2. In the Choose or customize a power plan window, click Change plan settings next to the plan you want to change.
3. In the Change settings for the plan window, click Change advanced power settings.
   Figure : Change advanced power settings

   
4. Click the plus sign (+) next to Sleep to expand the list, then click the plus sign (+) next to Hibernate after.
5. In the Setting (Minutes) drop-down box, set the time for the computer to be idle, in minutes, before the computer goes into Hibernate Mode.
   Figure : Setting hibernate time

   
6. Click OK, then click Save changes. The computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.

Away Mode enables your computer to continue performing tasks, such as recording television programs or sharing video and music, even if you walk away from the computer. Specifically, when the computer is in Away Mode, the following occurs:

• The computer can still perform tasks such as recording scheduled TV programs or stream video and music files to a remote location.
• The display is turned off.
• The audio is muted.
• The computer is operational but in a reduced-power setting.
• The computer fan runs.
• The desktop displays almost instantly when you press the Sleep button on the remote control.

To enable Away Mode, complete the following steps:

1. In Windows, search for and open Power Options.
2. In the Choose or customize a power plan window, click Change plan settings next to the plan you want to change.
3. In the Change settings for the plan window, click Change advanced power settings.
   Figure : Change advanced power settings

   
4. In Advanced settings, click the plus sign (+) next to Multimedia settings to expand the list, then click the plus sign (+) next to When sharing media.
5. In the Setting drop-down box, select Allow the computer to enter Away Mode.
   Figure : Allow the computer to enter Away Mode

   
6. Click OK, then click Save changes. Windows automatically goes into Away Mode when sharing media files.

You can save power by specifying what the computer does when you press the Power and Sleep buttons. You can assign the Power button to do one of the following: Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down, or Turn off the display.

You can assign the Sleep button to do one of the following: Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Turn off the display.

To change what the computer does when you press the power and sleep buttons, do the following:

1. In Windows, search for and open Power Options.
2. In the left pane, click Choose what the power buttons do.
   Figure : Change what the power buttons do

   
3. To change settings for the power button, click the drop-down arrow next to When I press the power button, select the setting you want to use, then click Save changes.
   Figure : Changing power button settings

   
4. To change the sleep settings, click the drop-down arrow next to When I press the sleep button, select the setting you want to use, then click Save changes.
   Figure : Changing sleep button settings

   

The Windows Power troubleshooter can be used to find and fix problems with computer power settings.

To run the Power troubleshooter, complete these steps:

1. In Windows, search for and open Troubleshooting.
2. In the Troubleshoot computer problems window, under System and Security, select Improve power usage.
   Figure : Improve power usage

   
3. Click Next in the Power window. The Power troubleshooter starts detecting issues.
   Figure : Detecting issues

   
4. When the detection process is complete, recommended actions are displayed. Follow the on-screen instructions to fix any detected problems.