What Is Advanced Power Management (APM)?

If you've ever wondered how your computer knows when to turn off the fans and cool down or when it should fire up the processor, then we have some good news for you. Microsoft and Intel jointly developed the Advanced Power Management (APM) API. An operating system can communicate with its BIOS for efficient power management using DPM. The API was initially developed as a standard in desktop computers. Still, it has since been adopted by other platforms such as servers and embedded systems. APM is awesome you might not realize it, but whenever your computer starts up or turns off, it's using APM to tell Windows that it's doing so. APM is also used to manage hardware power-saving features and allow systems to perform various events while idle. So next time you play with your computer, think of APM! The APM driver is a box of tricks. It's a way to communicate between your device and the operating system, but it can also make changes on the fly. The BIOS communicates with all the hardware, so if you want to change something about your mouse or keyboard, all you need to do is send a request from an APM-aware application like Device Manager or Keyboard & Mouse Center. The only thing that could stop your mouse from working? An out-of-date BIOS! So make sure yours are up-to-date so that everything works smoothly—from your keyboard to your mouse and even things like your graphics card! APM is a driver for power management, which is how your computer turns off the lights when it's not using them. It can also control how quickly your computer wakes up from sleep mode. APM works by monitoring your device activity and adjusting power settings accordingly—for example if you're playing a game and need more power, it will increase the wattage. And if you're playing a game and don't need all that extra power, it will reduce the wattage. APM can also change power states manually, such as when you're shutting down your computer or putting it to sleep.