Since a lot of users like to let their systems run all the time, the monitor can waste a great deal of power. Fortunately, almost all modern computer monitors offer power conservation features that allow the monitor to power-down without powering down the system. This is much better than a screen saver, because screen savers still continue to run the monitor at full power.

On your PC, click Start, highlight Settings, then select Control Panel. Double-click the Power Management icon and select the Power Schemes tab. Locate the "Turn off monitor" entry and select the desired length of delay that will activate this feature from the drop-down menu. Click Apply and OK to save the changes. When the system remains idle for that delay period, the monitor will power-down. Any mouse movement or keystroke will revive the monitor.

Formerly part of Computer Currents, Stephen J. Bigelow's Computer Advisor column has been resurrected on computeruser.com as a daily tech tip column. Find Stephen at www.dlspubs.com.