Vista power/lid settings

[Mike Lowe]

Ok, I'm usually not such a noob with computer settings but I cannot figure this out.

I have a Gateway NV52 with Vista (still waiting for my Windows 7 disc wtf!).

I'm trying to get my computer set so that:

1) When it is plugged in, it NEVER EVER EVER goes into a standby or sleep mode. I simply want to have the screen saver come on and that is it. It the lid is closed, it is simply black. When I touch the laptop again, or open the lid, I want the screen to simply activate again and not have to wait for things to boot up, or come back from a sleep state, etc.
*I have things set to "do nothing" for plug and battery for both when I push the sleep button and for when I close the lid. Yet when I wake up in the morning, there is still a stupid screen that I have to click to activate the computer.

2) I also want my computer, when on battery, to go until about 3% left and then to simply go into a sleep or hibernate state to preserve things as is. I'm not sure if hibernate or sleep does this best, but I NEVER want the computer to get to a point, while unattended, of actually shutting off due to lose of complete battery power.
*What sucks, is I can only set things for this by time elapsed. For instance, I can have the monitor turn off after 5 minutes, or 15, etc. I can't set anything by a %. Is there an option I am missing?

Anyway, hope this is clear enough. Again, I feel like an 80 year old woman using this computer haha. Thanks for the help.

[DanGarion]

There is an advanced menu that you need to set the Lid closed settings, I'm not near my Vista laptop right now, but I had the same issue and it's in the advanced power menu there are a bunch of additional options in there.