Dell Latitude L400 - Manual (Page 5)

One way to conserve power on the computer is to close the display when the computer is not in use. When you close the display and an external
monitor is not connected, the computer's display shuts off and, depending on how you set the Lid Close option on the Power screen in the
system
setup program , the computer may enter suspend mode ( standby mode in Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows Me).
To resume work, open the display. (The computer may take several seconds to resume operation.)
Suspend Mode
If your computer is running the Microsoft Windows NT ® operating system, suspend mode stops almost all computer activity, but leaves the
computer ready to resume operations immediately in about 20 to 30 seconds. Use suspend mode whenever you leave the computer unattended.
NOTICE: Windows NT saves data to random-access memory (RAM), not to your hard-disk drive, before entering suspend mode. If
the computer enters suspend mode while running on battery power, data loss from RAM can occur if the battery discharges
completely.
Suspend mode conserves battery power by turning off the microprocessor clock; the display; the hard-disk drive; the CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or Zip
250 drive module (if installed); the external monitor connector; the external keyboard (if attached); the parallel port; the serial port; the touch pad;
and the diskette drive.
You can enter suspend mode immediately by pressing <Fn><Esc> (or <Scroll Lock><Esc> on an external keyboard if the External Hot-Key
option on the Power screen of the
system setup program is enabled).
When you enter suspend mode, the power indicator is not lit.
Resume from suspend mode by pressing the power button. The computer may take several seconds to return to normal operation.
Standby Mode
If your computer is running the Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows Me operating system, standby mode turns off the display, stops
the hard-disk drive, and turns off other internal devices so that the computer uses less battery power. When the computer resumes operation from
standby mode, the desktop is restored exactly as it was before entering standby mode.
NOTICE: These operating systems save data to random-access memory (RAM), not to your hard-disk drive, before entering standby
mode. If the computer enters standby mode while running on battery power, data loss from RAM can occur if the battery discharges
completely.
You can enter standby mode by pressing <Fn><Esc>.To resume operation from standby mode, press the power button.
Suspend-to-Disk Mode for Windows NT
Suspend-to-disk (S2D) mode copies all system data to a reserved area —the S2D file—on the hard-disk drive and then turns off all power to the
computer. When you resume normal operation, the same programs will be running and the same files will be open that were loaded before you
activated this mode.
Place the computer in S2D mode if you intend to store the computer for a month or more. S2D mode preserves the configuration information
stored in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM). The reserve battery maintains this information, but it may run out of energy after about a
month.
If the External Hot-Key option is enabled on the Power screen in the system setup program , you can enter S2D mode by pressing <Fn><a> (or
<Scroll Lock><a> on an external keyboard). On a French keyboard, press <Fn><q> or <Scroll Lock><q>.
Resume operation from S2D mode by pressing the power button.
NOTE: If an external monitor is connected when you close the display, the computer does not activate suspend (or standby) mode. You
can still use the external monitor.
NOTES: On resumption from suspend mode, if a password is set, the computer displays the password prompt screen.
Suspend mode is known as standby mode under the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system.
NOTE: The ACPI-compliant Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows Me operating systems use a similar feature called hibernate
mode .
NOTE: S2D mode helps preserve system data by quickly saving it to the hard-disk drive if you are about to run out of battery power.
NOTE: These key combinations do not function under an operating system with ACPI, such as Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows
Me.