How to disable power management for a network adapter when you deploy Windows XP

When you deploy Microsoft Windows XP with the Microsoft Windows System Preparation Tool (Sysprep), you may want to disable the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power network adapter power management setting on some computers. If you disable this setting on portable computers, it may help preserve battery power when the network adapter causes the computer to resume unexpectedly.

You can use Device Manager to change the power management settings for a network adapter. To disable this setting in Device Manager, expand Network Adapters, right-click the adapter, click Properties, click the Power Management tab, and then clear the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power check box.

However, with some Windows XP installations, you may want to use the Windows XP registry or the Sysprep utility to disable the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power network adapter power management setting.

How to use Registry Editor to disable network adapter power management on a single computer

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To use Registry Editor to disable the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power network adapter setting for a single computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002bE10318}\DeviceNumber
   NoteDeviceNumber is the network adapter number. If a single network adapter is installed on the computer, the DeviceNumber is 0001.
3. Click PnPCapabilities.
4. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
5. In the Value data box, type 38, and then click OK.
   
   Note By default, a value of 20 indicates that power management of the network adapter is enabled. A value of 38 will prevent Windows XP from turning off the network adapter or let the network adapter wake the computer from standby.
6. On the File menu, click Exit.

How to disable network adapter power management with a registry file that you can include with your Windows XP deployment

You can create a registry (.reg) file that disables the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power setting. When you use the Sysprep utility, you can include the registry file as part of your Windows XP deployment. To create the registry file, follow these steps:

1. Start a text editor such as Notepad.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. Type or copy the following text:
   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE- BFC1-08002bE10318}\DeviceNumber]
   "PnPCapabilities"=dword:00000038
   NoteDeviceNumber is the network adapter number. If a single network adapter is installed on the computer, the DeviceNumber is 0001.
4. On the File menu, click Save.
5. Save the file with the .reg file name extension.
6. Quit Notepad.

For additional information about how to use the Sysprep utility to deploy Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: