Turn your laptop’s power button into a standby button

Placing your computer into standby mode has several clear benefits. Not only does it conserve your laptop battery by placing your computer into a low-power state and switching off the monitor and the hard disk, but your computer also springs back into action more quickly than it would if you had shut it down and then booted it back up again. Best of all, when your computer does activate again, your desktop will appear exactly as it was when you entered into standby mode.

Luckily, there’s a quick way to place your laptop into standby mode while you’re traveling. To do so:

1. Open the Control Panel, and in Category view, click on the Performance And Maintenance link, and then click on the Power Options link. In Classic view, double-click on the Power Options icon.
2. Select the Advanced tab in the Power Options Properties dialog box.
3. In the Power Buttons section, display the When I Press The Power Button On My Computer dropdown list, and select Stand By.
4. Click OK to close the Power Options Properties dialog box.

Now, when you push your laptop’s power button, your system will immediately go into standby mode. Simply push the power button again to bring the laptop out of this mode.