Battery Monitor trick

I don't know if everyone has this problem or not, but my battery indicator in the system tray does not show all of the time (It only shows when plugged in and when the battery is low, I think.) . So I wanted a shortcut to check my battery when Windows CE does not feel like showing it. The shortcut keys across the top row On the keyboard has a button that looks like a battery with a check mark in it. (It is actually a button to check tasks.) It looks like a perfect "battery check" button to me.

1. Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel

2. While holding the "Alt" key on the keyboard, tap on the "Power" icon and a menu will come up that says, "Desktop Shortcut". Clicking on this will put a shortcut on my desktop, where I do not want it. It will also name the shortcut "Shortcut to Power". Close the Control Panel.

3. Back on the desktop, hold the "Alt" key on the keyboard, and tap on the "Shortcut to Power" link. In the menu that comes up, click on "Rename". Rename the link to "Power.lnk". (That extension, if it were Upper case letters, would be LNK not INK.) Then hit the "Enter" key on the keyboard. The extension will not show after you hit the "Enter" key, but it is still there.

4. Double-tap the "My Computer" icon, and double-tap your way to \Windows\Desktop . Highlight the "Power.lnk" icon, and go to Edit > Cut. Then go back to the Windows folder, and click on Edit > Paste . Now you won't have that shortcut cluttering your desktop.

5. Now go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > MobilePro Settings, and in the "Q Launch" tab, use the "Custom Settings" to define a new value for "Hot Key 5". The new value is "\Windows\Power.lnk" (without the quotes).

If you have not used the Custom Settings before, I think it will ask you to soft reset. Then the key that looks like a battery with a check mark will open the Power status applet. Hit the "Enter" key on the keyboard to close it.

Edited by theoak 2007-03-19 11:16 AM

Yes, there is that.....or you can just install WR-ResInfo (freeware) which sits in the tray bar and constantly monitors your batteries!

Does this utility shorten battery life?

Not that I've noticed!

Microsoft plus! isn't free?

Sure it is - and that's another option. (I like ResInfo best, though, because it constantly shows the percentage in the system tray, and takes up less space there than Microsoft's Resource Meter. )

Edited by CE Geek 2007-03-19 5:10 PM

I agreed with Hurricane John for WR-ResInfo, and the developer update the software quite often.

OK. I've installed ResInfo. Very nice. Thanks!!

gsbattmon_tsy takes up even less space, very neat.

I'll second CmoneX, gsbattmon_tsy is great, I have it on all my HPC's - MP 900, MP900, J720's & J728.