Many modern phones, especially those brought from abroad, are charged from the USB input of a computer or laptop. Charging using a charger is not possible for them for a number of reasons. This suits users who have a PC at home or at work. Therefore, the issue of being able to charge the phone if the computer is turned off is very relevant. For example, the phone battery was low in the evening, and the computer was already turned off. So what if you leave your PC on overnight? Not at all necessary. There is a way out of this situation.We will need to make changes to the BIOS settings, after which the USB port will recharge any device connected to it, while the computer itself is turned off. The problem is that this feature is disabled by default. Our task is to enable this feature and use its capabilities.
We will need to make changes to the BIOS settings, after which the USB port will recharge any device connected to it, while the computer itself is turned off. The problem is that this feature is disabled by default. Our task is to enable this feature and use its capabilities.
The user procedure will be as follows:
1. If the PC is turned on, it must be rebooted in order to enter the BIOS settings. To do this, press one or more keys several times during the reboot process. Depending on the type of motherboard, the input will be different, since BIOS manufacturers thought little about the compatibility of their version with analogues from other manufacturers. As an example, here are the keys and shortcuts for entering the BIOS for the main types of boards:
- Award BIOS - combination Ctrl+Alt+Esc or Del key;
- AMI BIOS - F2 or Del key;
- Phoenix BIOS - combination Ctrl+Alt+Ins(S, Esc).
2. In the BIOS menu you will find a section called “Advanced”. All sections are located at the top of the screen in the form of a horizontal menu.
3. Next you need to find the “AdvancedPowerManagement” subsection. This will be a vertical menu.
4. In the menu of this subsection, find the line “Legacy USB Support”. You will see that the "Auto" option is next to it. You need to change it to "Enabled". This is done with the Enter key and cursors.
5. Exit the BIOS settings and save the settings. Typically, you press the F10 key.
After these steps, you can safely turn off your computer and connect your device to the USB port, which will charge.
Many users probably still remember those “ancient” times when there were very few devices that were charged through the USB ports of computers or laptops. For most, it was only an iPod (well, or another similar player).
A little later, it was already possible to charge some smartphones via USB. But now “some” have turned into “all”, plus all sorts of 3G routers, fitness trackers, portable speakers and a lot of other gadgets have been added to them, each of which literally cannot live without regular connections to USB.
But despite the entire Windows 10 coming into the world, the old problem with USB remains the same: as soon as the computer or laptop turns off or goes into sleep mode, its USB ports also stop “providing current” and no longer charge anything. True, Windows laptops have been produced before and are now being produced, in which USB ports continue to function in sleep mode, but, as practice shows, not all users know about them.
Therefore, the majority of users, continuing to practice the “old-fashioned” method of charging via USB, simply leave their computers turned on every time they need to charge a smartphone or some other mobile device. The method, of course, is time-tested and effective, but, unfortunately, not the most convenient and very wasteful in terms of energy consumption (including the energy that has to be pulled from the laptop battery in such cases).
In this regard, we remind you how to charge mobile electronics through the USB port of a turned off Windows computer, or more precisely, how to configure your computer so that it supplies energy to its USB ports in sleep mode.
And before setting anything up, we make sure to conduct a mini-inspection of the available USB ports to make sure that among them there are those that are configured to operate in charger mode when the computer is turned off. If your computer (more precisely, the motherboard) has such a function, then the manufacturer of the machine should have painted these so-called charge-friendly USB in a noticeable yellow color.
And to change the power settings of the USB port, go to “ device Manager " and there - in the section " USB controllers ". In the list that opens, find the line “ USB root hub «.
Most likely, there will be several of them, but you only need those whose names are indicated in parentheses. (xHCI) . These are USB 3.0 ports. Right-click on one of them and in the menu that appears, click “ Properties ". Next, go to the “ Power management ", disable the option (uncheck) " Allow this device to turn off to save power » and press OK .
Now, even when the computer is turned off, you can charge various mobile devices via this USB. If one is not enough, then try connecting the second (if you have one). But it is quite possible that you will have to limit yourself to only one, since this method cannot enable the charger mode for all USBs at once. Moreover, sometimes the USB charging option may not be activated when the computer is turned off (I won’t go into detail about why this happens). But the described method most often works.
Nowadays, RuleSmart visitors often ask questions like this, like how to enable fast charging on a smartphone. Of course, there are those who want to turn it off. In both cases, it all looks quite interesting, if not comical.
First, let's figure out what's what. Fast charging technology allows you to increase the speed of filling the battery capacity, often by multiples. This technology is relevant, at least, for batteries with a capacity of over 3000 mAh. Everything below does not make sense, you can use 1A there.
How to enable fast charging
If your smartphone does not support this technology, then no way. Well, you can’t enable software that is not supported by hardware. But don’t be upset, you can take a more powerful power supply, if the kit comes with 1A, then take 2A and the charging time will be reduced by approximately half. But don’t forget that this will not add “life” to the battery, but will shorten its service life.
Now let's move on to considering the technology itself. In fact, the “trick” is called Quick Charge - this is a development by Qualcomm, which became the first among fast charging standards. The technology is based on increasing the current strength. Nothing new, just small software improvements with a minimum of movement on the hardware.
- Quick Charge 2.0: battery charges up to 50% in approximately 30 minutes
- Quick Charge 3.0: Battery charges to 80% in about 35 minutes
- Quick Charge 4.0: 20% more efficient than the previous version and hardly heats up the case.
All the “shamanism” is concentrated in the power supply itself, while control is left to the processor (from Qualcomm, of course). Significant hardware work was carried out here.
The main function of Quick Charge is to recognize the current state of the battery and adjust the power supply correctly. In this case, charging from 0 to 60% will be much faster than from 60 to 100%. In this situation, the battery will be “filled” from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes, and thoughtful power regulation will not allow high voltage and current to harm the battery.
Which smartphones support fast charging?
Such smartphones include, for example, Xiaomi Mi6, Xiaomi Mi Max, HTC 10, Meizu MX6, LG G6, Moto X Force, Galaxy S8 and many others. In any case, Qualcomm's website provides a comprehensive list.
How to disable fast charging
Not every device can boast the ability to programmatically disable fast charging. However, if there is such an opportunity, then just go to the Settings - Battery (Power or Battery) section, where you can configure the whole thing. In addition, you can simply start using a regular 1A adapter, which will charge your gadget for a long time, but will not shorten the battery life so much. By the way, fast charging also leads to excessive heating, which is not good.
