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Windows 7 is better than Vista in so many ways, but it's actually a lot worse in some others. Take, for example, choosing power plans from the system tray.
In Windows Vista, you could click on the battery meter and choose between the 3 plans: High Performance, Balanced, and Power Saver.
Now, for some idiotic reason, Microsft decided to limit our choices to only TWO plans from the system tray: your current plan + Balanced (if balanced is selected I believe it defaults to Power Saver for the 2nd one). To change it to the 3rd one I have to actually click on "More Power Options" and then select the plan.
Microsoft is requiring you to take extra steps for doing something that was easier before. I thought Windows 7's mantra was "do things faster" (i.e. Jumplists, Aero Peek, Accelerators, etc.) Who was the moron who made this decision, and how can I get my Vista-style Power tray back?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Um maybe if you read my original post (or if use Windows 7 itself), Balanced is ALWAYS shown, even if it wasn't your 'old' plan. So you can't flip-flop between Power Saver and High Performance, which is what I want.
What if I deleted the Balanced power plan? Is there a way to delete the default plans?
Yes, there is a way.
FlyoutAutoPowerScheme: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749282(WS.10).aspx
Rating posts helps other usersMark L. Ferguson MS-MVP
Please add me to the list of Win7 users who finds this totally annoying. I switch power plans all the time on my laptop. When I'm not around, I have power saver on so that the screen is darkest and turns off the screen after a while. A few other things. Then, I flip back to performance. But like is said, you have to take all the extra steps.
And I'm going to say this. Making statements like ".... , the power feature is by design, and expected behavior for Win 7", to me, is one of the most copout statements someone could make and it's very insulting to the intelligence.
If it is as designed, then it was designed foolishly and not listening to what THE CUSTOMER likes.
If you want to talk design... let's be honest, because you know, that we could make, literally thousands of examples of POORLY DESNGED functions in (PICK A VERSION) Windows that were later "fixed" ... or is that *cough* redesigned.
Sorry, I just don't like those types of condesending statements.
I'd bet that after is all said and done, it's nothing more than a few registry tweaks to return the power options fly out as it is in Vista.
Thanks
Firstly, I'd like to add an emphatic bump. Seriously--this is a dumb, tiny issue that shouldn't be a problem to fix.
As a workaround: use the windows+x shortcut to bring up the mobility center, then choose your power plan from the dropdown menu. It's not a perfect solution (or even that great as a solution) but it seems to work faster than using the taskbar clicking ____.
Anyway, this needs fixing. This shouldn't be something we have to go to 3rd party apps for. I'd take a registry tweak, but I haven't found one yet...
Oi.
Yet another vote here for "just fix it already"
Why do people not want to add third party software or registry fixes? 1. Because it's so stupid to need additional fixes to correct a problem that shouldn't be a problem at all, it should be able to work out that you don't want a jumplist that includes something you have never EVER used, you want the last 2 things you used so you can toggle between them and 2. Because have you read a license and support agreement lately? It's pretty much along the lines of "if you download a third party fix and it messes up your computer in ways that you couldn't possibly have foreseen then you are 100% on your own, Schmuko, and your fix is to reinstall your computer and put it back to how it was, including putting back the problem.
Are Microsoft trying to score environmental points, pretending they are "encouraging" people to save power. Do they try to force desktop users to use half their machine also?
Another great example of "Windows can do all sorts of great things but if you choose any of them except the one we already chose for you then don't expect your computer to work"
If there are this many people actively complaining, and the usual customer service rule that for every person who complains an additional huge number will be unhappy but didn't complain out loud then there are large numbers of people upset about this. You wouldn't affect all the people out there who supposedly like the "balanced" option if you put in a fix that the user can specify how many power plans to keep in the tray icon, or that it will toggle between the 2 most recently used. People who like "balanced" would still get it, people who don't can see the back of it at last.
What a bunch of idiots. People who came up with this "idea" as well as those who implemented it. Stuff like this is why get angry at Windows. I can't wait to afford an Apple computer.
