Many users of various operating systems sometimes can not clearly tell about the hibernation mode. What is it, not only not everyone knows, but not everyone has heard. In our article, we will try to fill this gap. Hibernation is a very useful thing. It allows you to save battery power by moving the contents of RAM to a hard or solid-state storage medium. Thus, the power supply to the elements of the device is interrupted. Accordingly, it works longer.
First samples
The hibernation mode first appeared in Windows XP, but it had a slightly different name - "Sleep mode". The term familiar to us got a place only in the Vista version. There, he was even somewhat supplemented and received new features, subsequently removed from the system.
How to activate?
Hibernation mode in Windows 10 is disabled by default. To turn it on, you need to right-click on the battery icon in the tray, then on the item "Power". In the list on the left, select "Actions of the power buttons", then "Change settings that are currently unavailable", click on the empty check box and save the changes. If you are the owner of the seventh version of Windows, then you should not worry about these nuances, because the hibernation mode in Windows 7 is provided and installed by programmers.
In what cases may the inclusion of hibernation be impossible?
- If this feature is disabled in the device BIOS. To solve the problem, go to the BIOS and enable the necessary mode. We draw your attention to the fact that in some models of computers and laptops this may not be possible. In this case, try updating the BIOS or change your PC to a newer one.
- If
- The video card does not support hibernation. Often this is just a software problem solved by updating the drivers of the video adapter. You can download them on the manufacturer’s website.
Waking device
If you activated the function, but don’t know how to exit the hibernation mode correctly, then don’t worry, this is done very simply. When using a portable device, just open its cover, and in some cases, you may need to press the power key. If you have a computer unit, click on the "Power" button. During the process, it is not recommended to forcefully disconnect the device, since the process of recovering data from the media is in progress, and data may be lost during a forced power outage.
Turn off hibernation
The function in question can be turned off by going to the power settings, then in the "Actions of the power buttons", then proceed by analogy to the above instructions.
Pros and cons
Should I turn on hibernation at all? Or can you limit yourself to "Sleep"? Let's try to figure it out. This function has its advantages and disadvantages.
Let's start with the pros:
- The ability to quickly complete and resume the work of a personal computer. This is a very significant advantage, because at the start of the operating system loads a lot of services, drivers and various programs necessary for the system to work. If you use solid-state media, this may not be so noticeable, because the launch will take a matter of seconds. But when the hard drive is running on the computer, the difference becomes very noticeable.
- There is no need to worry about the safety of documents, since all data is written to another medium directly from RAM. It also saves time.
- Auto shutdown computer. When a low charge level is reached, as well as when the user is absent for a long time, the laptop can go into hibernation mode by itself, bypassing confirmation, thereby saving battery power.
There are also disadvantages:
- Part of the software supplied for the components of your computer may not work correctly after exiting hibernation, namely: generate errors, disconnect certain devices.
- There may be problems with the computer if the contents of the disk are changed before working with the operating system itself. Simply put, some file position records, file indexing data, and others are outdated.
- Some operating systems do not have file encryption in sleep mode. If your activity in any way depends on the security of the information on the disk, we advise you to approach the choice of OC wisely.
- Failure of components can also cause problems with exiting hibernation mode.
Sleep or hibernation?
There is no clear answer to the question posed, since the choice of mode depends solely on the personal needs of the user and the circumstances in which he works.
In case you need not to use a computer for a long time, it will be more profitable to turn on hibernation mode. Your files will be saved in the form in which they were at the time of shutdown, and the battery will retain charge for a long time. Even if the laptop is discharged, the user will still have the opportunity to continue his session exactly from the place where he completed it. But do not forget about the minuses and risks, which were discussed above.
Sleep mode will be preferable in situations that do not require long-term operation of the device. This will be most relevant at home, where you want to quickly start Internet surfing or your favorite game. This advantage is made possible by the almost instantaneous waking up of the computer and the resumption of its operation.
In sleep mode, all information continues to be stored in RAM, and power is still supplied to the motherboard and some components of the device. This is not noticeable in normal use, but in cases of long downtime, the battery charge can drop significantly. The downside of this mode is the risk of data loss, so it is highly recommended not to remove the battery, as the power supply will stop and information will be lost.
Hybrid sleep mode
This is a separate form of hibernation. Let's see what the features of her work are.
Firstly, the computer does not shut down completely. For some time it is in the usual "dream", that is, it continues to function and consume energy, albeit in a small volume.
However, the data is still copied to the hibernation file, so their loss will not occur if the computer suddenly loses its power source. Such a "sleeping" state of the computer will remain for two to three hours (the duration changes in the power settings), after which the device will go into the hibernation mode that we have considered.
When the computer turns on, data from the hard drive is again transferred to the RAM, and the user can continue to work.
This mode is a compromise in the choice between hibernation and hibernation of your computer, as it allows you to provide protection against crashes and emergency power off, while temporarily maintaining the ability to quickly continue working.
Hiberfil.sys file
On devices running Windows, the hiberfil.sys file is automatically created on the system drive, which can take up significant space on the media. If you use a hard drive, this should not cause a problem. If your choice fell on the SSD, then they will certainly arise.
The size of this file is usually equal to the amount of your RAM, and is set in the system settings.
Alas, it is impossible to free up the space allotted for the possibility of using the hibernation mode without deleting this file and disabling the deepest sleep.
If you decide that there is no need for the functioning of hibernation mode, you can delete this file. For this you need:
- Log in to your Windows user account with administrator privileges.
- Go to the control panel -> power options.
- Disable hibernation.
- Open the Run window (this can be done using the Win + R keyboard shortcut).
- Enter the following command "powercfg -h off", then press the confirmation button.
Thus, the file will be deleted, and the disk will have more free space for your needs. Do not forget that in doing so you will lose the ability to enter hibernation mode.