Yes, that was a pretty rough version. It wasn't really functional until 3.1. You'd probably be better off sticking to DOS.
Look for the battery management program. That's where you can find setting for how long until it sleeps/shuts down when on battery and when plugged in, what happens when you close the lid, etc. Generally you'll want to set it to run like a desktop when plugged in, but have to balance how long you need the battery to last vs. convenience for battery operation.
As to accessing files - are you logged in as administrator or under a user ID? Are the files in the cloud, or did you move them over by email or memory stick?
I moved them by memory stick