We launched XP’s standby system with a full battery to see how long it would last. After 45 hours, we resigned ourselves to turn our machine back on. We noted that the battery was depleted by around 80%. Knowing that the system shuts down when the battery power left is 5%, it’s reasonable to estimate that standby mode would last approximately 62 hours.

We now understand why Microsoft don’t hesitate to favour the use of standby. This mode, which only supplies the central memory, is extremely frugal (it requires 30 times less energy than the system’s default). We can only recommend this to those who stop using their computer for a certain amount of time while still wishing to preserve their battery life.

Our constraints did not permit us to repeat this test with Vista before the publication of this article. Since only the memory is supplied with power and it will keep the same level of consumption no matter what operating system, it didn’t seem too crucial to us; they should be roughly the same. We will proceed with this test and update this article when the results are known regardless.

The more processes an operating system has running in the background, the more power it will consume. It is at least a supposition which has been circulating around the internet. In principle, any change in the number of programs used brings about a change of access to both disk and memory as well as the rise in the number of calculations performed by the processor. This is the reason why many recommend to limit the amount of programs and services launched if you’re trying to extend battery life.

Minimise the services running

To help anyone looking to minimise the number of programs and services running, we have establishes a list of services which can be deactivated with Vista. Be careful though, each PC and its user are different. This list is extremely restrictive and will not suit everyone.

In principle, we aim to stop all processes not necessary to Vista (those dedicated to networks, Aero, audio, etc.), whether they’re automatic or manual (certain services turn themselves on for no apparent reason). We recommend that you pay particular attention before turning everything off. We have listed summary notices in order to guide you through this method. If you’re deactivating your services for the first time, proceed slowly in order to be able to backtrack easily if a program or application no longer works properly.

Finding the applications

To deactivate the applications in question, press the “Windows” button, hold it while pressing “R” (or go to “Start” and then “Run”). Then type “services msc” into the window that opens. A list of applications will come up. To stop a service just double click it. If it’s already running, stop it and change its status to “deactivate” or “manual” accordingly. Click on “OK” to save your preferences and move on to another application.