To Standby or Hibernate: that is the question

Computer Care: Frequent ‘naps,’ then a long rest, best to power down PC

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED June 20, 2009 12:12 a.m.

There is an ongoing debate concerning powering down computers. Should you leave them on 24/7 or turn them off when you’re done with them?

There are benefits to doing both, so I compromise with my computers. I put them to sleep. Since I use my PCs on and off most of the day, I leave them turned on, but put them in a state of hibernation.

Now let’s first discuss the difference between sleep, or standby, and hibernation. They both turn off the monitor and hard drive.

In standby mode, all that you are working on is first saved to RAM or system memory when you turn your computer off. When you wake it up, usually by moving the mouse or pressing the space bar, your system wakes up to what you were previously working on. This is nice, but if you’re using a laptop, it puts a drain on your power supply — namely the battery, if you’re not plugged in.

In standby mode, the computer is in a reduced power state, but remains on.

The difference between that and hibernation is that when the computer hibernates, the data is saved to the hard drive and then the system powers off. When you wake it up, this time via the power button, it, too, returns to where you left off, without any loss of data or power.

With a laptop, you can set it up so all you need to do is close the lid and your system will go in the sleep mode of your choice.

My experience is that with XP, there are some issues with hibernation. I choose standby mode when working with it. Whenever I use hibernate, it would inevitably fail and make me reboot the system, ultimately losing what I was working on.

To disable hibernate in XP, go to Control Panel and click the Power Option icon. From the Hibernate tab there, you can uncheck and thereby disable that function.

Vista works well with either standby or hibernate.

Again, if you’re on a laptop, remember the power drain and keep the sleep to a nap, unless you have it plugged in.

Using XP, all you need to do is right-click on a blank area of your desktop and choose Properties. From there you’ll see a tab called Screen Saver. Within that area is a button that says, Power. Click it and you will be able to customize how and when your computer turns off.

For example, you can set it up so your display goes blank in 10 minutes (of nonuse), your hard drive shuts down in 20 minutes and the system powers down in 30 minutes. Choose whatever works best for you.

With Vista, click the start button and go to Control Panel. Depending upon which view mode you’re in, either click on Power Options, or if you don’t see it, first click on System and Maintenance, then on Power Options.

From there you’ll be able to customize how and when your computer shuts down. Vista is a bit more sophisticated than XP in that it offers power plans to choose from as well as everything XP offers. You can also adjust your display’s brightness setting from there.

Alternatively, right-click your desktop and choose "Personalize" and go to "Screen Saver." At the bottom of that box click on the link to change power settings.

In both operating systems, you can set up different options for when it is plugged in or when on batter power. But Vista takes it a step further. You can choose on a sliding scale whether you want higher performance or longer battery life.

Under Power Options, choose a plan and then click to change plan settings. You could also click the Change Advanced Power Settings option to access the Advanced tab. By clicking on each plus sign you see, you’ll expand that option and have control over everything power related in your computer. It is highly customizable.

Now I have found that not all versions of Vista have exactly the same menu structure. So if you can’t find something, look around; you’re close.

Well, should you leave you computer on all the time? I don’t think it’s a good idea. It puts wear and tear on the moving parts, not to mention the power it uses. Beside, when you power-down a PC and turn it on again, it refreshes the system memory and the computer will run faster.

Also many times when you have a problem, all you need to do is reboot your computer. By turning it off and on again, many small issues are resolved.

I put mine to sleep during the day and shut them down at night. They follow my habits. We take naps during the day and when finished for the night, pull the plug.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.