here you go - still nothing: # grep VERBOSE /etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf VERBOSE_OUTPUT=1 # /etc/init.d/laptop-mode status # /etc/init.d/laptop-mode restart but, looking into the init.d script above, it starts with: # Check that laptop-mode is enabled if [ -f /etc/default/laptop-mode ]; then . /etc/default/laptop-mode; fi hm, I don't have such a file - should it have come from the package? looking on: # FIXME: this shouldn't be configured there if [ -f /etc/default/acpi-support ]; then . /etc/default/acpi-support; fi I have this file, but here, laptop mode is disabled: # grep ENABLE /etc/default/acpi-support ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE=false this file comes from the acpi-support package. I removed it, actually had to purge it so that the this config file is removed. now I get: # /etc/init.d/laptop-mode status Laptop mode status: Mounts: /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-05 on / type ext4 (rw,noatime,errors=remount-ro) proc on /proc type proc (rw) none on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev) none on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw) none on /sys/kernel/debug type debugfs (rw) none on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw) udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755) none on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=0620) none on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev) none on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755) none on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev) none on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755) /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-01 on /mnt/windows type fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,default_permissions,blksize=4096) /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-02 on /mnt/recovery type fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,default_permissions,blksize=4096) binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev) gvfs-fuse-daemon on /home/maroy/.gvfs type fuse.gvfs-fuse-daemon (rw,nosuid,nodev,user=maroy) Drive power status: /dev/sda: drive state is: active/idle /dev/sdb: drive state is: active/idle /dev/sdc: drive state is: unknown /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-0: drive state is: unknown /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-01: drive state is: unknown /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-02: drive state is: unknown /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-03: drive state is: unknown /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-05: drive state is: unknown /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-06: drive state is: unknown (NOTE: drive settings affected by Laptop Mode cannot be retrieved.) Readahead states: /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-05: 128 kB /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-01: 128 kB /dev/mapper/isw_cdfcbdcfed_RAID-02: 128 kB Laptop Mode Tools is NOT allowed to run: /var/run/laptop-mode-tools/enabled does not exist. /proc/sys/vm/laptop_mode: 0 /proc/sys/vm/dirty_ratio: 20 /proc/sys/vm/dirty_background_ratio: 10 /proc/sys/vm/dirty_expire_centisecs: 3000 /proc/sys/vm/dirty_writeback_centisecs: 500 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu6/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu6/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu6/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu7/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu7/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq: 1600000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu7/cpufreq/cpuinfo_min_freq: 933000 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu6/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu7/cpufreq/scaling_governor: ondemand /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID0/state: state: open /proc/acpi/ac_adapter/ACAD/state: state: on-line /proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/state: present: yes capacity state: ok charging state: charged present rate: 0 mA remaining capacity: 4768 mAh present voltage: 12447 mV /proc/acpi/battery/BAT1/state: present: no /sys/class/power_supply/ACAD/online: 1 # /etc/init.d/laptop-mode restart * Disabling laptop mode... [ OK ] * Enabling laptop mode... [ OK ] and now I get: # cat /proc/sys/vm/laptop_mode 2 so the question is, why is acpi-support sabotaging laptop mode? or, actually the init script itself says: # FIXME: this shouldn't be configured there if [ -f /etc/default/acpi-support ]; then . /etc/default/acpi-support; fi