Disclosed is a method relating to implementation of a power management utility. The method relates to adjusting the hardware performance settings of particular hardware devices on a computer in order to extend the charge of an attached computer battery. As the user adjusts the hardware settings, the computer notifies the user whether the performance of any software applications loaded on the computer would be adversely affected by the hardware settings. In a preferred embodiment, the computer automatically detects all software applications on the computer and inputs the minimum operating requirements for each application into a data structure. As the user manipulates the hardware power settings, the computer accesses the data structure and compares it to the power settings. The computer then notifies the user if the power settings are set below desired levels for any of the applications on the computer.