Using Standby and Battery Power

[Sand]

Could someone tell me if I need to shut down, or power off first to close the lid to not use it for a short time, and/or if I put it in standby, do I need to use FN+F4 key to do that, or can I just close the lid with full power on, like with a cell phone and it will disconnect itself?

Also, when I want to go to battery power, do I need to shut the computer off completely first, then pull the power cord out, or can I just pull it out when the full power is on, or standby is on?

I have so many newbie questions like this, and have spent much time going to IBM sites, and google, and forums, but still have not found the answers to these particular and other questions. This is my first laptop and there are many things I have to learn yet about using one. Is there a site for newbie thinkpad users so as not to irritate or bore the more experienced ones?

I appreciate your help,
sand

[RonS]

Could someone tell me if I need to shut down, or power off first to close the lid to not use it for a short time, and/or if I put it in standby, do I need to use FN+F4 key to do that, or can I just close the lid with full power on, like with a cell phone and it will disconnect itself?

It's your choice whether to standby, hibernate, or shut down. Fn+F4 puts the system in standby, which uses a trickle charge to keep the memory alive. If you're going to be gone for just a short time (say, 10-20 minutes) it makes sense to use standby. Fn+F12 starts Hibernate, which saves the state of the machine to the hard drive and completely powers down. It's handy when you want to re-start your work from where you left off. I use it when I'm boarding a plane and want to continue working in-flight.

If you right-click on the battery meter and select "Launch Battery MaxiMiser Wizard", you can set what happens when you close the display lid or press the power button. I have my system set to Hibernate when the lid is closed, and power off when I press the Power button.

When going into Hibernate mode, make sure your Thinkpad finished saving to disk before you start moving it around. If your hard drive Active Protection System detects movement, your hard drive will be locked, which in turn keeps the Hibernation from completing.

Also, when I want to go to battery power, do I need to shut the computer off completely first, then pull the power cord out, or can I just pull it out when the full power is on, or standby is on?

Just pull the power cord. You'll see your display dim (unless you changed that in the BIOS) and you'll probably hear a beep. You can safely unplug/re-plug your system at will.

I have so many newbie questions like this, and have spent much time going to IBM sites, and google, and forums, but still have not found the answers to these particular and other questions. This is my first laptop and there are many things I have to learn yet about using one. Is there a site for newbie thinkpad users so as not to irritate or bore the more experienced ones?

We were all newbies at one time. Welcome to the club.

[Sand]

RonS,

What I usually do for the short time I'm gone is use Standby, but what I don't know is if it's necessary to always use the Fn+F4 keys to do that, or if just closing the lid without using the keys will _automatically _put it in Standby. I think I read of someone doing that once, that's why I was asking if it does work that way.

Thanks for your reply,
sand