ResetPwrMgr is brought to you by Randall Voth, the creator of BatteryMinder 2.0.
BatteryMinder is a shareware PowerBook utility that is especially useful for Duo owners because it implements the Duo’s flimsy brightness and contrast controls in software. This can save potential repair expenses to your lcd screen or, if they are broken already, give you back the usefulness of your computer.
It is not only for Duo owners, however, because it implements the following features:
- Screen Controls window for adjusting brightness (on all models) and contrast (on Duo models)
- Backlight toggle between preset values depending on charger status
- Force Appletalk to load at startup, so that it is always available
- Silence that startup sound!
- Toggle Appletalk, sound and modem on/off with button control
- Monitors battery voltage (on all PowerBooks) and watts (on Duo or later)
- Predict battery life with count up and count down timers
- User selectable status information conveniently displayed in menu
- Change screen color depth via BatteryMinder menu
- Open PowerBook Control Panel from menu or an option-click in BatteryMinder window
- Open Sharing Setup Control Panel from menu or a control-click in BatteryMinder window
- Put your PowerBook to sleep with a double-click in BatteryMinder window
- Balloon help for menus and dialog boxes
And now, back to our program...
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What is the PowerManager and why reset it?
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Inside your PowerBook, there is a processor that handles all battery and PowerBook specific features. It is called the PowerManager. This can sometimes become corrupted and needs to be reset.
You may have heard of the Duo battery bug. Duos sometimes decide not to charge their battery anymore -- you need to reset the PowerManager. Apple recommends pressing down the power switch at the back of the machine for 15 seconds. This doesn't always work. I resorted to unplugging the backup battery deep inside my computer, but this is not a good way for those who don't like taking their machine apart!
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Enter ResetPwrMgr
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Run the program, click OK and it resets your PowerManager. It attempts to quit all running programs first and they will hopefully ask you to save any unsaved documents, but don't say I didn't warn you that you could lose unsaved work!
When your computer is restarting, it will take awhile because the hard drive needs to be rebuilt after this kind of system reset. It is the same thing as turning off your computer without choosing shutdown from the Finder first -- not recommended but, in this case, unavoidable.
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Legal stuff
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This program is copyright (c) 1995, Randall Voth. It is free and may not be distributed for any $$$ whatsoever, except on non-profit items like the AMUG CD-ROM.
There is no warranty, implied or otherwise. Use this little gem at your own risk.
