Stupid laptop question

[Bucklion]

So I just got my first laptop very recently, and I have noticed that when I am on battery power instead of AC, it is about 1/2-1/3 as bright...I can barely read the screen. Presumably this is to preserve power so it lasts longer, but is there some setting I can change that makes it the same brightness as when it is plugged in so I don't kill my eyes?

It is a Compaq 8710p

 

[Best Buckeye]

The radioactivity from the mercury inside is damaging your eyeballs.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

Yep

Your screen will dim to save battery power. I have an IBM and it has a blue Fn key and a brightness up and down key that can adjust the screen brightness. Also if you go to control panel you may have a listing for power. There will be a set up on how your system handles battery power. Finally there may be HP software utilities that control this also. IBM calls theirs ThinkVantage so it might not be as easy as HP Utilities.

Let me know if you make it through those three and still need help.

 

[ArtilleryBuck]

I'll assume your new laptop is running Vista.

Right click your desktop area anywhere except on an icon.

Select "Screen Saver"

Select "Change Power Settings"

You will have a power plan radial button showing which power plan is in use...select "change plan settings" of that plan

On the left side, it will show the settings when on battery power, and on the right it will show the settings when plugged in.
Adjust your display brightness when operating on battery power to the level you want to always see when the laptop is unplugged.

Save changes, and you should be good to go.

 

[Bucklion]

Just getting back to this...thanks folks.

 

[SparkyOSU]

what is 4mb DDR2?

Is there a difference between that and DDR2 PC5300?

 

[CleveBucks]

what is 4mb DDR2?

Is there a difference between that and DDR2 PC5300?

There are different speeds of DDR2 SDRAM. Your computer will only support certain speeds.

DDR2 SDRAM - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[SparkyOSU]

There are different speeds of DDR2 SDRAM. Your computer will only support certain speeds.

DDR2 SDRAM - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nice wiki... but my problem I think is a Compaq Customer service/ website misprint problem... I have been looking all over for this mythic 4mb DDR2. I think they ment 4gb of DDR2 is my system max. What drives maximum RAM... I thought it was the operating system? Or is it the Mobo?

 

[CleveBucks]

Depends. They definitely didn't mean 4 mb of ram. 32-bit Windows XP can handle up to 4 GB of RAM. 64-bit is much bigger. If you're not sure what type and quantity of RAM you need, go to Crucial.com. You can enter your exact system and they will show you what types of RAM you need and how much you can fit.