This article discusses how to use the Windows Vista features that are mostly oriented to portable computers rather than desktop computers. You’ll start by learning how to use Windows Mobility Center to access mobile-computing features, configure power-management settings for portable computers, and choose settings for Tablet PCs. After that, you’ll find out how to choose settings for giving presentations on your laptop, how to connect an external monitor, how to create different locations to simplify dial-up networking in different places, and how to transfer and synchronize files between two computers.

Accessing Mobile Settings with Windows Mobility Center

Windows Mobility Center gives you quick access to a range of settings:

Display Brightness Click the icon to display the Edit Plan Settings window for your current power plan. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the brightness of the display.

Volume Click the icon to open the Sound dialog box. Select the Mute check box to mute the volume completely. Otherwise, drag the slider to set the volume.

Battery Status Click the icon to open the Power Options window. Use the status readout to see how much battery power remains. Use the drop-down list to switch from one of your current power plans to another.

Wireless Network Click the icon to launch the Connect to a Network Wizard, which you can use to connect to a network or to view your connection status. Use the status readout to see details of your current wireless network connection. Click the Turn Wireless Off button when you need to turn your wireless network adapter off. Click the resulting Turn Wireless On button to turn it back on.

External Display Click the icon to display the Display Settings dialog box. Use the status readout to check whether Windows has detected an external display. If you’ve connected an external display, and Windows hasn’t recognized it, click the Connect Display button to make Windows scan for the display.

Sync Center Click the icon or the Sync Settings button to open a Sync Center window, in which you can create and manage synchronization partnerships.

Presentation Settings Click the icon to display the Presentation Settings dialog box see the section “Choosing Presentation Settings,” later in this article. Click the Turn On button to turn on presentation mode; click the resulting Turn Off button to turn it off again. The easiest way to open Windows Mobility Center is to click the Power icon in the notification area and then click the Windows Mobility Center link in the pop-up window. You can also choose Start Control Panel, and then click the Adjust Commonly Used Mobility Settings link in the Control Panel window. To close Windows Mobility Center, click the Close button the  button.

Using the Power-Management Features for Portable Computers

To get the best balance of performance and battery life from your portable, you’ll probably need to configure its power settings carefully. In addition to the power-management features discussed in the previous article, Windows provides several power-management features for portable computers.

Using the Power Icon in the Notification Area

To work with power-management features on a portable computer, you use the Power icon in the notification area. Windows automatically displays this icon for a computer configured with a battery, so the icon should be there unless you’ve chosen to hide it. The icon shows a battery on its own when the computer is running on battery power. It shows a battery with a power lead when the computer is plugged in and receiving power.

Adding the Power Icon to the Notification Area

If the Power icon doesn’t appear in the notification area, you can add it as follows:

1. Right-click the Start button, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

2. On the Notification Area page, select the Power check box.

3. Click the OK button. Windows closes the dialog box and adds the icon to the notification area. To see how much battery power you have left and whether the battery is charging, hover the mouse pointer over the Power icon to display a pop-up window, as shown here. To switch quickly from one power scheme to another, click the Power icon, and the select the appropriate option button in the pop-up window, as shown here. To open the Power Options window, click the Power icon in the notification area, and then choose More Power Options from the pop-up window. If you choose not to display the Power icon, choose Start Control Panel, click the Hardware and Sound link, and then click the Power Options link.

Choosing Power Settings for Running on Batteries

As you saw in the previous article, the Edit Plan Settings dialog box for a portable computer lets you choose different settings for when the computer is running on batteries and when it is plugged in. When you need to maximize battery life, set short delays for turning off the display and putting the computer to sleep. For example, if you work steadily at your computer, you might choose a delay of 2 minutes or 3 minutes for turning off the display and 5 minutes or 10 minutes for putting the computer to sleep. If you use your computer to work on documents that require pauses for thought, you may need to set a longer delay on turning off the display - having the screen black out when you’re constructing a formula or a sentence can be very distracting.

Setting Battery Alarms, Notifications, and Actions

Sooner or preferably later, your battery will run out. To choose what Windows does when this happens, follow these steps:

1. In the Power Options window, click the Change Plan Settings link for the power plan you want to affect. Windows displays the Edit Plan Settings window for the plan.

2. Click the Change Advanced Power Settings link. Windows displays the Power Options dialog box.

3. Expand the Battery category so that you can see its settings

4. Expand the Critical Battery Action item, and then choose the action you want Windows to take when the battery reaches the critical level. You’ll define this level in a minute. Your choices for when the computer is running on battery are Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. When the computer is plugged in, you can also choose Do Nothing. Hibernate is usually the best choice, as it protects your data better than Sleep does. Shutting down the computer also protects your data, but it means that you’ll need to perform a full startup when you plug in the computer rather than simply awaken it from hibernation.

5. Expand the Low Battery Level item, and then specify the percentage of battery power that Windows should treat as the low level. The default setting is 10 percent, which works well for many people.

6. Expand the Critical Battery Level item, and then specify the percentage of battery power that Windows should treat as the critical level - the point after which it’s not safe to keep the computer running. The default setting is 5 percent, which should give enough battery life to ensure a successful hibernation or shutdown.

7. Expand the Low Battery Notification item, and then choose On or Off to control whether Windows warns you when the battery reaches its low level. Most people find the warning helpful, but you may prefer to work straight through to the critical level.

8.Expand the Low Battery Action item, and then choose the action you want Windows to take when the battery reaches the low level. Your choices are Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. Do Nothing is normally the most useful setting.

9. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Power Options dialog box and returns you to the Edit Plan Settings window.

10. Click the Save Changes button. Windows closes the Edit Plan Settings window and returns you to the Power Options window.

Troubleshooting: Recovering a Hung Laptop

If your laptop gets so thoroughly hung that it no longer responds to the power button, even when you hold the power button down for four or five seconds, you may need to disconnect the laptop from the AC wall socket and remove the battery in order to reset it. But before you do, make sure that you’re not missing a hardware reset button on the laptop. Many laptops have these, but to prevent you from pressing them accidentally, they’re usually located in a really awkward position. For example, on some computers, you need to poke the end of a paper clip or a similar thin, blunt instrument through a small hole in the bottom of the machine to press the reset button. If in doubt, consult the manual for your laptop before poking it in a sensitive area.

Configuring Tablet PC and Pen and Input Settings

If you have a Tablet PC one that accepts input via a stylus on its screen as well as via a keyboard and mouse, you can use the Tablet PC settings to control how the Tablet features work and the Pen and Input settings to configure how Windows reads pen input.

Configuring Tablet PC Settings

To configure Tablet PC settings, take the following steps:

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. In Control Panel Home view, click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Tablet PC Settings link. Windows displays the Tablet PC Settings dialog box.

4. Choose Settings on the General page .

Handedness In this group box, select the Right-Handed option button if you’re right-handed and the Left-Handed option button if you’re left-handed. This setting controls where Windows displays the menus, so that they’re not covered by the hand you’re using.

Calibration Select the orientation in the Orientation drop-down list: Primary Landscape, Primary Portrait, Secondary Landscape, or Secondary Portrait. You can then click the Calibrate button and use the resulting wizard to calibrate the digitizer.

5.Choose settings on the Handwriting Recognition page :

Use the Personal Recognizer Select this check box to make Windows use personal handwriting recognition to improve its recognition of your handwriting. This feature is usually helpful.

Automatic Learning In this group box, select the Use Automatic Learning option button if you want the recognizer to store the words you use so that it can recognize them more easily in future. You get better results by using this feature at the expense of a minor security concern someone might be able to raid the recognizer and learn what you’ve been writing. Select the Don’t Use Automatic Learning, and Delete Any Previously Collected Data option button if you want to guard against this concern.

6.Choose settings on the Display page :

Orientation In this drop-down list, select the screen orientation you want to use: Primary Landscape, Secondary Portrait, Secondary Landscape, or Primary Portrait. The Preview area shows an icon representing the orientation.

Sequence To change the sequence in which Windows cycles through the orientations when you press a tablet button, click the Change button. Windows displays the Orientation Sequence Settings dialog box, as shown next. Use the four numbered drop-down lists to specify the sequence, and then click the OK button.

7. On the Other page, click the Go to Pen and Input Devices link if you want to open the Pen and Input Devices dialog box. Otherwise, click the OK button. Windows closes the Tablet PC Settings dialog box and applies your changes.