More on Rollup 2 Media Center "Away Mode"
By Tim Coyle |
October 31st, 2005
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The Green Button has a new discussion on Away mode in Update Rollup 2 for Media Center and whether you actually need new hardware or not to be able to use Away mode.
Away mode
Your PC comes with the Away mode disabled by default. When the PC is in Away mode:
- The PC can still perform tasks such as recording scheduled TV programs or stream video and music files to a remote location.
- The display is turned off.
- Audio is muted.
- The PC is operational but in a reduced-power setting.
- The PC fan runs.
- The desktop can be displayed almost instantly when you press the sleep button on your remote control.
One of the members points to a Vista powerpoint document stating that no new hardware is needed and someone else points to a Knowledge Base article that infers that only OEM’s will get the ‘component’ to enable Away mode. It looks like Ian Dixon did some digging, and according to him, you do need to update your BIOS as well as getting the new ‘component’:
You DO need a update to the bios. Away mode tells the PC that it’s in the away mode and to reduce the power consumption (if the OEM sets it up that way). From the OEM I spoke too they will not be offering it as an update to the “old” products. They only will be offering it on new pc’s
Hmm, okay, so Away mode requires a separate installer not included with Rollup 2 and will probably only be given out to OEM’s and then some of the OEM’s may require a BIOS update to get it to work?
I see the same issue as the sonic encoders for DVD burning where Microsoft is 1) starting to alienate it’s power user group that do not buy from OEM’s and will build their own machine and 2) probably going to alienate some customer’s who are buying through an OEM but that OEM decides not to support the ‘old’ hardware by not offering the Away mode update
Filed in: Software