14 DAY TRIAL // A new resource offered free of charge by Microsoft comes to lend a helping hand to customers involved in diagnosing incompatibility issues between Windows power management and software applications installed on top of the operating system.
The Diagnosing Application Compatibility Issues Affecting Windows Power Management guide is up for grabs on the Microsoft Download Center, with the software giant noting that IT professionals, PC enthusiasts, software application developers and testers are the target audience.
The document only simplifies the diagnosing work that users need to do, and in this regard it might come in handy.
“Have you ever wondered why Windows power management doesn’t always seem to work as you might expect? Perhaps the display goes off while you are watching a video or you come back to your PC after being away for a while and it hasn’t automatically gone to sleep like you expected?” Microsoft asked.
The problems mentioned above are exactly the type of issues that the guide is designed to help users tackle.
According to the software giant, the guide covers Windows 7 RTM and SP1 as well as Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM and SP1.
“The two most common issues that prevent power management from achieving optimal energy savings are applications that:
• Do not interact correctly with system sleep and display power management.
• Misuse timer resolution.
When an application accidentally interferes with power management there are helpful tools included in Windows 7 for diagnosing the problems,” the company said.
Microsoft stresses that poorly developed applications can undo all the work that the company has done in collaboration with hardware manufacturers to ensure that Windows 7 consumes less energy compared to its predecessors.
“Applications that are not smart about power management can not only prevent PCs from achieving their full energy-saving potential but can also reduce the usability of PC power management,” the Redmond company revealed.
Windows 7 SP1 RTM and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 RTM are available for download here.