How to Install APC's Powerchute software:

Uninterruptible Power Supplies are the best way to protect your equipment from power failures, but limited run-times mean that unless the power is restored before the battery pack is discharged, your system will still crash when the UPS power is exhausted.

APC’s Powerchute software is designed to close the gap for this situation. Powerchute monitors your APC Smart-UPS unit via a serial (RS-232) or USB connector cables, and is able to inform your system that the PC is running on line current, or battery backup, and how much charge is left. Powerchute can be configured to send a ‘Shutdown’ or ‘Hibernate’ command to the windows system, based on the amount of charge left in your batteries.

With Powerchute installed and running, if you experience a power failure over the weekend, or overnight, Powerchute will run the system on battery power until it is almost discharged, and perform a managed shutdown or hibernation before total power loss. This prevents any loss of data, or damage to the system, so when you return Monday morning, you may simply turn the UPS and computer back on.

Installing Powerchute is easy – it can be downloaded for free from www.apc.com , and runs on windows versions NT4 and up, as well as many linux and solaris installations. Check with APC for specific system requirements and recommendations. Once downloaded, simply connect your APC UPS, and execute the installation application. You may need to confirm a security warning allowing the installation of the program. We recommend using the default settings for installation location.

During the installation process, powerchute will scan your computer for compatible APC UPS units connected via USB or Serial cable, and ask you to confirm that this is the correct unit. After installing the software, we recommend that you restart your system to ensure that the APC service loads properly on startup, ensuring that your system will be protected automatically whenever it is running.
Next Article; Configuring Powerchute