Hibernate - An alternative to shutdown

Windows XP - Press SHIFT key to change "Stand By" to "Hibernate"

Windows 7

• What is Hibernate:
• The contents of RAM and the entire system state are written to a file (Hibernate.sys).
• The system is turned off (no power consumption).
• It is perfectly safe to disconnect the power source.  

• Advantages:
• Resume is faster than normal power on/boot process.
• The system state is restored on resume - looks just the way you left it.
• Saves power - no power consumption.
• The power source can be disconnected. 

• Disadvantages:
• Requires additional space on the hard drive (The size of Hibernate.sys is almost the same as the amount of RAM).
• The process of hibernate/resume might be slow on some systems.
• Some devices may not work after resume (problem with the device driver).
• Windows may not be able to hibernate on some systems (problem with some device).

• Configuring Windows XP:
1. Go to Desktop->Right click->Properties.
2. Go to the "Screen saver" tab->Press the "Power" button under "Monitor power".
3. Go to the "Hibernate" tab and enable hibernation.
4. Press OK/Apply.
   

• Configuring Windows 7:
1. Go to "Start"->type "Power options" in the search box->Enter.
2. Click on "Change plan settings" for the current plan.
3. Click  "Change advanced power settings".
4. Navigate to "Sleep"->"Allow hybrid sleep"->set it to "Off".
5. Press OK.

• How to hibernate: Any one of the following:
• Press the "Hibernate" key combination on your keyboard.
• Select "Hibernate" option from the shutdown menu (You can also Press "h" when in the shutdown menu)
• Configure Power options.

Note: Under Windows XP, if the hibernate option is not displayed in the shutdown menu, hold down the SHIFT key.

• How to resume: Press the power button.

• When to use: Anytime (For short durations, I would use sleep/standby).

• When not to use: If your system is not stable after you first tried it.

Note:

• The power source can be completely disconnected.
• Windows 7 has a feature called "Hybrid sleep" which is a combination of sleep and hibernate.