Is there a difference between sleep and hibernate in Windows?
byMark Townsend
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03 Oct, 2018
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I can no longer find the hibernate option?
There is actually quite a significant difference between the two and when choosing which one you are going to use you should bear the following in mind. The decision is really based on how long you are planning to be away for.
Sleep mode is really the equivalent of standby. Everything on the Computer is stopped and open files and applications are placed in memory. The Computer itself goes into a low power state but is still drawing some power. As the Computer is really still on you can resume fairly quickly and therefore this method is particularly suited to taking a short break from your Computer.
Hibernate mode on the other hand is almost the equivalent of turning everything off. In this instance your open files and applications are saved to the hard disk. The Computer is effectively turned off and therefore no power is consumed at all. This is why nothing is left in memory where it would be lost. The main difference between hibernate and a total shutdown is that you can just resume from where you left off. The machine will take a little longer to get itself going again than it would in sleep mode but obviously much faster than a shutdown. This method therefore suits those going away for a longer period of time.
Ironically if you head off and don't take one of the above options your Computer tends to automatically choose an option called Hybrid Sleep. This is a combination of the two and will take place unless you have modified your Computer's power plan. In this instance your Computer goes into a low power state with your files and applications placed both in memory and saved to the hard disk. This allows you to quickly restart your work but also protects you against a power cut which might have caused you to lose your work. Hybrid Sleep is automatically enabled on Desktop Computers but not on Laptops where owners are more inclined to choose one of the other options because of the portability of the device.
Observant users of Windows 8 and 10 Desktop machines will have noticed that the hibernate option is no longer present. Well the good news is that it is still there but hidden by default. Enabling it is a fairly straightforward task. Open the Control Panel and choose Power Options. Then click 'Choose what the power button does' on the left hand menu. You now have a couple of options. You can either reconfigure the power button to be a hibernate button using the drop down menu or you can choose the option which says 'Change settings that are currently unavailable'. By placing a tick in the box next to Hibernate and saving the changes you will then add the Hibernate option back to the menu that is available when shutting down or restarting your Computer.
If you need more help with this then you can call Mark on 07557 483438, e-mail mark@churchdowncomputers.co.uk or fill out the form at the bottom of theContact page.
