EZ Save is a free centrally-administered software tool distributed by the EPA that:
- Polls monitors on a network to determine each monitor's power management settings
- Generates reports on the result of the polling
- Sets appropriate power management settings on monitors on the network
- Sets appropriate screen saver settings on monitors on the network so that users retain screen saver images
- Requires no special processes on the network, no special hardware, and no client installations
- Uses the existing power management functionality in Windows (95/98/ME/2000/XP)
The software is a series of small programs that either read or slightly modify workstation Windows Registry entries that control ENERGY STAR settings on the system. To use these programs effectively, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Select the settings for and create the Sample program (which polls monitor management settings) and Activation program (which sets monitor power management settings).
- Step 2: Copy the Sample and Activation programs to a publicly accessible drive on your network with the appropriate rights.
- Step 3: Add a line in your login script(s) to run the Sample program, Activation program, or both. The Sample program results are logged to the server directory for easy access. The programs do not become resident on the client systems. You also can use other workstation management tools to activate the software programs.
The software modules are:
- Administration — allows an administrator to select and save the parameters that define how the Sample and Activation programs run and what ENERGY STAR power management settings will be used on the workstations. It also reads the results of the Sample program and summarizes the information.
- Sample — can be placed in network login scripts to capture information about user ENERGY STAR power management settings.
- Activation — can be used to enable desktop ENERGY STAR monitor power management features during network login.
- Exempt — can be run on selected workstations to prevent activation. This would be used prior to activation so that systems that require that their monitors remain on do not have their ENERGY STAR power management features activated.
- Reset — can be run by a user to return an activated system’s ENERGY STAR power management settings to their pre-activation settings. This is the only program that may be installed on a user’s system during activation. Its installation is optional, and it resides on the user’s desktop for easy access.
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