Some devices include specialized tabs on the Properties dialog box available from Device Manager. Controls on these additional tabs allow you to change advanced settings and properties for devices.
For example, Network cards and modems typically include a power management tab that allows you to control whether the device can force the computer to wake up from standby mode. This option is useful if you have fax capabilities enabled for a modem, or if you use the Remote Desktop feature over the Internet on a machine that isn’t always running at full power. On portable computers, you can also use this option to allow Windows to turn off a device to save power.
On disk drives, the Volumes tab contains no information when you first display the Properties dialog box for that device.
Click the Populate button to read the volume information for the selected disk; you can then choose any of the listed volumes, and click the Properties button to check the disk for errors, run the Defrag utility, or perform other maintenance tasks.
DVD drives offer an option to change the DVD region, which controls what disks can be played on that drive.
Caution: The DVD Region setting actually increments a counter on the physical drive itself, and that counter can be changed only a limited number of times. Be extremely careful with this setting, or you might end up losing the capability to play any DVDs in your collection.
Network cards often allow you to work with a plethora of settings on an Advanced tab, as shown in this example. Randomly tinkering with these settings is almost always counterproductive; however, you may be able to solve specific performance or connectivity problems by adjusting settings as directed by the device manufacturer.
Self-powered USB hubs (those that are connected to an AC power source) include a Power tab like the one shown. Use this information to calculate the amount of power required by devices that draw power from the hub. If the total power requirement is more than the hub can supply, you might need a new hub.
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