I have an old iMac that I use to charge my iPod. It needs to be "awake" to charge, but it keeps going to sleep. How can I keep it active so that I can charge my iPod? Thanks.

Charging iPods from Mac Laptops

Yes, Mac laptops won't charge through their USB ports when they are hibernating because the computer stops sending power to the ports. In fact, having an iPod plugged in when the computer isn't active will actually drain the iPod's battery. Mac designed its laptops this way to prevent external devices like iPods from overheating if they are left plugged in to the computer for too long, and to protect the computer from being on for too long, especially if you wander away. If you want to leave your iPod charging overnight, you can use an AC adaptor instead, which won't risk any damage to the computer or the device.

Getting Around iMac Sleep Settings

There are internal settings that you can change to alter the iMac's sleep settings. The thing about changing the settings is that there might be times when you want the computer to sleep when you aren't using it, and you might also want to heed the advice that warns against overheating and so you might not want to change the settings permanently. In this case, you can program your computer to keep it active. For example, keep iTunes on repeat so that the program stays on and prevents the computer from hibernating. This way you can let the iPod charge without changing the sleep settings, but be sure not to leave it on too long.

Mac Energy Conservation

To conserve energy, all Macs are programmed with the ability to sleep. When the computer isn't used for a pre-set amount of time it will go into a low-power mode until you activate it again. The sleep setting also conserves power and battery life. There are times, however, when you want to override the sleep settings in order to burn a CD, download a program or charge your iPod.

Change your Mac Sleep Settings

If you decide that you do want to change the settings, here's how to do it.

1. Open System Preferences and click Energy Saver, this will show you your current settings
2. Choose Battery or Power Adapter, or both
3. Click the Sleep tab
4. Move the arrows along the sliding scale to change the settings
5. Click the Options tab
6. Make any other adjustments that you want

Good luck!

Kate Dubensky | June 1st, 2009
Tags: change iMac sleep settings, computer sleep mode, hibernate, imac, Mac sleep mode
Categories: Mac Issues

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