Windows

Standby Or Hibernate? (XP)

Posted by on Dec 9, 2005 | 18 Comments

Power modes in Windows XP allow you to save energy by essentially putting your computer to sleep. The two options available are Standby mode and Hibernate mode. So what exactly is the difference between the two?

Standby mode is used to conserve energy. When the computer is placed in this mode it switches to a low-power state. All files and applications that you had open remain open but certain devices, including the monitor and hard disks, turn off. Everything that is in the computer’s memory stays there. It is not saved to the hard drive. This mode is ideal when you are taking a short break but it is not the ideal solution when you will be away from your computer for longer periods of time.

Hibernate mode takes everything in your computer’s memory and writes it to a file on the hard drive. The computer is then almost shut down completely. You will notice that it takes longer for your computer to go into and come out of hibernate mode than stand-by. Ideally, if you do not want to shut down your computer, hibernate mode is the better choice when you will be away from your computer for extended periods of time than standby mode.

[tags]microsoft,xp,diana huggins,standby,hibernate,energy saving[/tags]

  • http://www.danceofdelight.com Mark

    Thanks for the answer. I’ve always wondered about this.

    Your readers may not know that occasionally, hibernate mode has been known to cause unrecoverable errors; I found out because I lost a PC to this. I don’t use hibernate now.

  • doug

    Should mention that Hibernate mode TURNS OFF THE FANS.

  • Scot

    Isn’t it irrelevant that the fans are turned off if the computer is turned off also?

  • Joe Grant

    How do you get the computer to wake from standby mode ? It is amazingly hard to find out. I have looked at half a dozen Web pages, and, of course, Windows XP’s Help. I still don’t know. Do you have to press the power button, or just any key on the keyboard. OK, I know, I can find out by trial and error – but . . . .

  • Jack

    Dear Madam,

    When I press “Turn off Computer” button in Windows XP, I only have standby grayed and disabled. I do not have hibernate or standby options at the power management. My system was OK but suddenly changed. Please tell me how to fix it .

    Thank you,
    Jack.

  • Josh

    I’m not sure how you can fix it, but by clicking “Start” then “Turn Off Computer”, you can then press the “H” key to send your computer in to Hibernate or press the “S” key to put the system in Standby.

  • kabi

    just awesome explanation. its short and sweet. i gained some of my time searching all over the internet to get the right answer, and im using that time to give this feedback. well done!!

  • Phil

    When Diana wrote her article, she used the phrases “short periods of time,” “longer periods of time” and “extended periods of time.” I don’t mean to be nitpicky, but these are vague terms. Approx. how many minutes is a short period of time and longer periods of time?
    Thanks!!

  • jordan

    for me, I go into stand-by when I leave my comp. for a couple of hours. any longer I would but into hibernate. I read an article once where this guy told his employees to but the comps into standby overnite and shut down completely for the weekend. If you look at a school system you will notice that there is not a scheduled shutdown. Most lab computers go into standby mode overnight and over the weekend :)

  • Anthony

    For some reason my computer would not go into standby mode anymore. I click on standby and the computer doesn’t shut down at all. What is the fix?

  • bill

    me 2 , i don’t like it

  • http://www.g34media.com Missy

    How about figuring out which level of standby one’s computer goes into?

    There is a device which claims it puts one’s laptop on level 3 standby. And it also asserts that most desktop pc’s only go into a level 1 standby.

    If you’ve heard of this, please advise. I’ve been Googling on it, and cant seem to find much on the topic.

  • Angel

    I really appreciated the break down of the two but am left wondering what the difference between these and sleep.
    NB I’n very new to computers etc

  • faisal

    Its good to use hibernate than sleep or standby.
    In hibernation the data in the ram will be saved to the hard drive.

  • LQY

    if the data in the RAM is saved to the hard drive, will it be stored in the hard drive permanently? if so, is it possible for me to delete it manually?

  • PW

    Getting into hibernation is easy, but once there, how does one wake it up ?

  • susan

    My computer keep hiberating. I don’t know. I think my bettery geting low. Does anyone tell me why?

  • http://None Hillary chris

    Hey, am a techwiz and this topic i very easy to understand.when hibernate is activated, windows automatically uses same space on the hard drive as the space of the ram.you can wake up from hibernate by simply pressing the main power button on your pc.hibernation takes as long as the hard disk you copied the main memory is still in place.waking up from from sleep mode is as simple as pressing the sleep button on the keyboard, by default. For more info mail me at chrisojiem@yahoo.com