Sleep/Standby - An alternative to shutdown

Windows XP

Windows 7

• What is sleep/standby:

• The system is in low power state (processor and RAM are in low clock mode).
• Most peripheral devices are turned off.
• Power consumption of the entire system is negligible, but not 0.
• All data is lost if the power source is disconnected.

• Advantages:
• Fast - Standby and resume are really quick < 2 secs.
• The system state is preserved on resume - looks just the way you left it.
• Saves power - very little power consumption.

• Disadvantages:
• System still consumes little power.
• All data is lost if the power source is disconnected.

• How to standby: Any one of the following:
• Press the "Sleep" key on your keyboard.
• Select "Sleep/Standby" option from the shutdown menu. (You can also Press "s" when in the shutdown menu)
• Configure Power options.

• How to resume: Depending on your system:
• Press any key.
• Press the wake-up key.
• Press the power button lightly.

• When to use: When you go on a short break..

• When not to use:
• When you go on a long break ( > 30 minutes). It's better to hibernate.
• If there are chances of a power failure.

Note:

• Take care not to disconnect the power source. A laptop's batter will drain at a lower rate. 
• Windows 7 has a feature called "Hybrid sleep" which is a combination of sleep and hibernate.