Dynamic power controller apparatus, systems and methods are provided which
utilize system and user data to control power to components. The present
invention employs dynamically controlled idle timeout values which are
based, in part, on the historical use of the component. It can also
employ user settings, event occurrences and available resources of a
system to dynamically control the power to one of the system's components
or a remote component. In an instance of the present invention related to
hard disk power control, it is employed in an operating system's kernel
where disk idleness is monitored. When the hard disk's idle time meets a
dynamically computed power control idle timeout, the disk driver is
commanded to power down the device.