How to Configure APC's Powerchute software:

Configuring Powerchute is also simple and straightforward- Simply open the application from your ‘Start’ button, and ‘All programs’ list, then click the ‘Add New’ button to initiate a scan for attached APC UPS devices. After your UPS is found, click the ‘Apply’ button to save the changes. Your UPS is now in communication with your PC. If you do not find the unit in your scan for new devices, check that the unit is powered on, and that your cable connection is snug and secure.

After establishing communication with the UPS, you will now want to configure the unit to deal with power loss situations. To do this, simply double click the Icon for your Unit to display the device properties page. This page shows a tree menu on the left hand side. In that menu, first select ‘Power Failure’, and the right side of the properties page will display the current power failure instructions. Here you can select if you want the unit to shut off the attached computer immediately upon losing line current, after a specific number of minutes of battery run time, or when the run time limit is exceeded.

We recommend using the ‘Runtime limit” option, as an ‘Immediate shutdown’ can be inconvenient if you experience momentary outages, since the system will be shutdown each momentary event. Setting the unit to run for a specific time on batteries can also be problematic, since your power load may change as devices are added, and also your runtime will change as your batteries age. We recommend replacing mission critical UPS batteries at least every 24 months, and sooner if extended outages occur several times a year. You can find a replacement battery solution for all your APC UPS needs at the RefurbUPS.com APC replacement battery center.

After configuring the power failure options, you will want to set one more thing- the ‘Shutdown type’. Select ‘Shutdown Type’ from the tree menu, and you can select either ‘Shutdown’, or ‘Shutdown and Off’. We recommend using the ‘Shutdown’ option. Shutdown will cause the system to shutdown, but save to a file the system state, so that when you restart, the system will return to exactly the same state as when it was shut down, similar to the ‘Hibernate’ function on many laptops. Shutdown and off will shut the system down as if you had selected ‘Shut Down’ from the start menu, and any unsaved documents may be lost.

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