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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
Add me as well, this is a major pain because I flip between Power Saver and High Performance regularly. I'm not interested in a program to do add functionality, I want it fixed in windows to display all 3 options.
try this, it's free little tool in your tray icon :)
link (http://download.cnet.com/pow4/3000-20430\_4-75317051.html?tag=mncol;1)
Andrew
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.
