| Windows XP’s
UPS service and your APC UPS
Did you know that Microsoft
included a UPS management software package for free with windows XP? Actually,
Microsoft partnered with APC to produce a windows service that supports many
of the features of Powerchute. This service is turned off by default, but can
be turned on in moments, and can read the charge status of the battery pack,
as well as perform a managed shutdown in the event of a power loss.
To turn on the XP UPS service,
open the control panel and select ‘Power Options’. This will bring
up the ‘Power Options properties’ page, with 4 tabs at the top.
The fourth and final tab is marked ‘UPS’ Click on the ‘UPS’
tab, and you will see 3 sections- ‘Status’, ‘UPS details’,
and a warning that the service is not running if you have not yet configured
it. To add you APC UPS, simply click the ‘Select’ button in the
‘UPS details’ section. This will bring up a dialog box that prompts
you to select the manufacturer. Please note that American Power Conversion is
already in the list.
Simply select APC, then
select the family of UPS that you have installed. Next plug in your UPS via
serial
cable or USB, and select the connection type from the drop down at the right
top of the page, then hit ‘OK’ to save the settings. When you return
to the ‘Power Options’ properties page, click ‘OK’ or
‘Apply’ to save the settings, and start the UPS service.
Now that the service is
running, you can return to the ‘Power Options’ properties page at
any time to edit the ASR ( Automated Shutdown and Recovery ) settings, specifying
if you want the machine to hibernate or shutdown, and after how long.
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