electronics and gadgets

We’ve worked hard to reduce overall memory requirements in Windows 7. For example, hundreds of runtime components now use less memory, while the core memory needs are smaller when the computer is idle. Windows 7 can reduce the memory requirements for each open window by up to 50 percent. In addition, we’ve introduced trigger start services, an innovative feature that launches system services only when they’re needed and reduces the number of programs competing for system memory.

Solid State Drives

Solid-state drives (SSDs), an alternative to traditional hard disk drives, are becoming more popular. This popularity is partially due to the fact that SSDs are typically faster than conventional hard disk drives. We designed Windows 7 to work well with SSDs so you’ll have a chance to experience improved PC performance, more consistent responsiveness, increased battery life, superior ruggedness, quicker startup times, and reductions in noise and vibrations. Features such as disk defragmentation, Microsoft Super-Fetch memory management technology, and ReadyBoost (described above) are designed to improve system responsiveness and performance when data is being retrieved from traditional hard disk drives. In Windows 7, these features respond to a computer’s confi guration and automatically turn themselves off for the newer, faster SSDs, where they are not necessary, which helps free up system memory.

We all know what it’s like to run out of power at a critical moment. That’s why we designed Windows 7 to extend the battery life for your mobile PC. Power-saving enhancements include increased idle time for the processor, automatic dimming of the display, and more power-efficient playback for DVDs. We’ve also made battery life notifications more prominent and accurate, so you know exactly how much power you’ve used and how much battery time you have left.

Idle Processing

When your PC is idle, it uses less power. Windows 7 reduces background activities and supports the trigger- starting of system services, so your PC’s processor can be in an idle state for longer periods of time.

Adaptive Display Brightness

The display on a typical mobile PC consumes more battery power than any other part of the PC. Windows 7 automatically reduces display brightness if you are inactive for a period time, much like cell phones do today. Windows 7 also adapts to your activity intelligently. For example, if the screen dims after 30 seconds and you immediately move the mouse to brighten the display, Windows 7 will wait 60 seconds before dimming the display again.

Power-Saving DVD Playback

With Windows 7, your PC will use less power when playing a DVD. Windows 7 requires less processing power than previous versions of Windows and is more effi cient when it spins discs.

Wake on Wireless LAN

Having your PC go into Sleep state when idle is a good way to conserve power. But what if you need to access your PC remotely? In Windows Vista, you can wake another PC in Sleep state only if it has a wired network connection. In Windows 7, you can use the Wake on Wireless LAN feature to wake the PC over a wireless network connection. Let’s say you’re using your laptop in the bedroom and want to see a photo on the PC in the kitchen. Because both are connected to your home network, it doesn’t matter if the
kitchen PC is in Sleep state, because you can use Wake on Wireless LAN and view the photo. Similarly, the IT administrator in your company can wake up wirelessly connected PCs to apply software updates or perform other maintenance—and save on power costs too.

Smart Network Power

Your mobile PC may send energy to parts of your computer even when they’re not being used—such as sending power to the network adapter when you don’t have an Ethernet cable plugged in. Windows 7 automatically turns off power to the network adapter when the cable is disconnected and restores power when the cable is connected. IT professionals can take advantage of this feature to reduce power costs.

Power Efficiency Diagnostics

In Windows 7, we’ve updated the power configuration utility to detect problems with devices, policies, firmware, system settings, programs, and other common items where settings can reduce power efficiency. The information is presented in an easy-to-understand report. Although we designed this feature primarily for developers and system integrators, it may also be useful to the tech-savvy.