A multimedia/personal computer-based system for operating information, communication, and entertainment devices in a mobile vehicle uses a power management strategy which reduces power consumption and boot-up time in a manner which facilitates use of a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor system. A power management fault strategy detects fault conditions and restores proper operation without user intervention. A low power microprocessor off-board of the main motherboard switches a plurality of regulated voltages to the main motherboard and other devices. The main application microprocessor on the main motherboard sends periodic status messages to the low power microprocessor. Various strategies are provided for limiting attempts to correct a fault, monitor the state of the application microprocessor, and transition between states.