The Power Options preference item configures how Windows Server® 2003 and Windows® XP responds to power events such as pressing the power or sleep button, closing the lid on portable computers, or returning from standby.

Power Options preference items configure only Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP power options. To configure Power Options for Windows Server® 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Vista®, use the Power Management Administrative Template Settings found under:

Computer Configuration

   └ Policies

      └ Administrative Templates

         └ System

               └ Power Management

You configure Power Options items just as you would in Power Options in Control Panel. A Power Options item does not include an item action.

Creating a Power Options (Windows XP) item

To create a new Power Options preference item

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Console. Right-click the Group Policy object (GPO) that should contain the new preference item, and then click Edit.

  2. In the console tree under Computer Configuration or User Configuration, expand the Preferences folder, and then expand the Control Panel Settings folder.

  3. Right-click the Power Options node, point to New, and select Power Options (Windows XP).

  4. In the New Power Options Properties dialog box, enter power options settings for Group Policy to configure. (For more information, see Enable and Disable Settings in a Preference Item.)

  5. Click the Common tab, configure any options, and then type your comments in the Description box. (For more information, see Configure Common Options.)

  6. Click OK. The new preference item appears in the details pane.

Additional considerations

  • If a user Power Options item processes after a computer Power Options item, user settings replace the active settings, which may have been made active previously by a computer or user Power Options item.

  • The local administrator and Power Users administrative group can manually change their power settings using the control panel; other users cannot. Regardless, the settings configured for users become active when they log on and remain so even after they log off.

  • Settings applied to the computer become active when the computer is started without a logged-on user. However, Power Options preference items, which support Group Policy background refreshes, can reset power settings when computer policy is applied without a logged-on user.

  • You can use item-level targeting to change the scope of preference items.

  • Preference items are available only in domain-based GPOs.

Additional references

  • Configure a Power Plan Item (Windows Vista and later)
  • Configure a Power Scheme Item (Windows XP)