How long does hibernation last? Hibernation mode in Windows - what it is and how to use it

Modern operating systems provide a huge variety of functions and capabilities. However, most of them remain unknown to the average user. Even if the user knows about some unusual function, he is not always ready to use it.

One of these not-so-known features is hibernation.

Hibernation Mode This is a technology that allows you to “turn off” your computer without closing open applications and without losing unsaved work results. After restoring your computer from hibernation, you can continue working from where you left off. At the same time, while in hibernation mode, the computer does not consume electricity.

Hibernation mode works very simply. When you activate it, the entire contents of the computer's RAM is written to a non-volatile medium, for example, and then the computer turns off. Then he can remain in this state for as long as he likes. You can even turn off the power completely by unplugging the plug from the socket. This will not affect the security of the private session in any way.

In Windows XP, hibernation was known as Hibernation, but starting with Windows Vista, it is simply called Hibernation.

Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of Hibernation:

  • Hibernation allows you to significantly speed up shutdown and startup of the operating system
  • Hibernation allows you to reduce the time it takes to launch frequently used programs
  • Hibernation can be turned on automatically, for example, if the battery is low or when the user closes the laptop lid
  • Using hibernation consumes a lot of hard drive memory
  • Some legacy programs may not work correctly after resuming from hibernation mode
  • With large amounts of RAM, resuming from hibernation mode may take a long time

It is important to remember that Hibernation mode should not be confused with Sleep mode (also sometimes called Sleep mode). In Sleep mode, data is not saved to non-volatile media and the computer continues to use electricity. If your computer is disconnected from the network, any data that has not been saved will be lost, and applications that were open before entering Sleep mode will close.

Many laptop users may have noticed that when turned off, lines such as “Sleep” and “Hibernation” are displayed in the main menu. If everything is clear with sleep mode, then what is hibernation on a laptop? AnyDayLife will answer this and other questions regarding hibernation, sleep and hybrid sleep mode.

Hibernation was originally developed specifically for laptops, and it is one of the energy saving modes. In hibernation mode, the computer consumes much less energy than in sleep mode. But this is not the most important difference.

When you close the laptop lid, many models go into sleep mode. Wake up the laptop from sleep mode is very simple, and it only takes a couple of seconds. Open the lid, press any key and the laptop is ready for use again. All data was recorded in RAM, which allows the computer to resume operation in a matter of seconds.

In the case of hibernation, to restore the system you will have to wait from 30 seconds to 2 minutes (standard boot time for a laptop of a particular model). During this time, the system goes into normal mode and prepares for operation all programs and files used during the previous session. You don’t have to worry about the safety of your data, since when you went into hibernation, the data was written to the hard drive in the hiberfil.sys file. The way data is saved is exactly what distinguishes sleep from hibernation.

It is convenient to use hibernation if you have to leave the computer disconnected from the network for a long time. In sleep mode, power consumption is much higher, and since the data is written to RAM, if you are not connected to the network, you can lose all unsaved data.

There's also a hybrid sleep mode, but it's primarily designed for desktop PCs. This mode combines both sleep and hibernation: data is saved on the hard drive, but the system can be restored in a matter of seconds.

Now let's figure out how to enable hibernation on a laptop if you need this mode. Firstly, to use hibernation mode, the laptop must have much more space on the hard drive than in RAM. If there is not enough hard drive space, hibernation will not be possible. Free up some hard drive space and restart your computer to make hibernation available again.

Also, hibernation is not possible in cases where the video card does not support this mode. In this case, you will have to update your video card drivers.

Hibernation can be disabled in the computer's BIOS, and therefore is not displayed in the main menu. To enable hibernation, before starting the system boot, enter the BIOS (F2 or Del key) and select the power settings menu through which you can enable hibernation.

Since laptops have different BIOS versions, it is better to initially know whether hibernation is supported or not. To do this, enter cmd in the search bar in the main menu and type the command powercfg /a in the window that opens. The window will list all the power saving modes that the BIOS does and does not support.

You can enable hibernation mode through the command line with administrator rights (cmd). To do this, enter the command powercfg /h on, which will enable hibernation on the laptop. To turn off hibernation mode, enter the command powercfg /h off.

As you can see, the hibernation mode is quite convenient and can always be used. But if there is no need for it, then just disable it so that the computer automatically goes into sleep mode.

Comments

2015-03-31 21:07:11.58461 - Nina Fedorovna Maslova

I have hibernation on my laptop. I want to replace it with sleep or standby mode. how to do it?

2015-06-18 13:14:08.509624 - Adofya

Maslova, well, you and Gee gY

2015-06-27 20:38:01.211775 - Shake

I opened the laptop and hibernation was loading. What to do to turn it off and start working

2015-08-14 12:23:45.44461 - Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

Useful article.

2015-08-16 18:27:48.01547 - Tatyana

and there is no end to this hypernation. And there is no way to turn on the laptop either. And how it fell on my head. I didn’t turn it on. I’ll have to take it for repairs. Hypernation has a beginning, but hypernation has no end ((

2015-10-19 15:01:54.231709 - ala

I bought a new laptop yesterday. I was working last night and I closed it. Now I’m writing hibernation all day long and I can’t boot. Can you please tell me how to turn off hibernation???? You're welcome.

2015-12-19 06:36:52.563147 - Lex

I have an old laptop, manufactured in 12... It's weak, but it gets the job done. But I don’t play with toys... Initially (on factory 7k) hibernation was present, and in theory it suited me - I closed it, opened it and everything was already on) after updating to Windows 8, and then to Windows 10, hibernation disappeared... When I enter the power-on command through the command line, it gives an error 0x65b... I don’t even know whether I need hibernation (there is a sleep mode) or not at all) And what does this error mean? Google doesn't know this one)

2017-07-14 16:00:17.680681 - Shevchuk Svetlana

When I turned on the laptop, hibernation was activated. I was freaking out for a very long time and didn’t switch off. I tried removing the battery and putting it back in. When I turned it on again, the laptop turned on without any problems.

2017-12-26 05:11:53.848667 - Milkovich

I opened the laptop, and hibernation got scared, I rebooted, and now I’m sitting waiting for it to go away, and the Acer computer model

  • 1. Ways to disable hibernation
  • 2. Proper exit from hibernation mode
  • 3. Advantages and disadvantages of the regime
  • 4. When and why to use hibernation mode?

Many Windows users, most of them laptop owners, often wonder what is hibernation? This mode is similar to sleep mode, with the difference that it saves all open applications, the clipboard and other user information not in RAM, but in a separate system file and turns off the laptop or computer. Then, when you turn it on again, all the necessary things are loaded from this file. But that is not all. In this article we will explain in detail what hibernation is on Windows 7.

Ways to disable hibernation

Since many users do not know what Windows 10 hibernation is and how to work with this mode, in this article we will talk about the features of this mode and how to turn it off. How to disable hibernation on Windows 10 - everything is extremely simple: just open the Windows command line and write in it powercfg -h off. After this, windows hibernation will stop working on your computer and you will no longer have to worry about the unfamiliar mode. Hibernation in a laptop is disabled in exactly the same way and does not require any additional actions.

Since many laptops with a high-quality operating system can use older versions, it is worth noting that in Windows 8, disabling hibernation occurs in exactly the same way as in Windows 10. We also draw the attention of Windows 7 users that the hibernation mode on their operating system is identical to that on later versions of Microsoft OS.

Proper exit from hibernation mode

Enabling hibernation mode is as easy as disabling it. In this case, the hibernation function must be returned through the same computer command line.

An equally common question is how to get out of this mode. To do this, we have compiled a whole set of instructions, following which you can safely leave hibernation mode.

  1. Try moving the mouse or pressing some keys on the keyboard. As a rule, users simply confuse standby, sleep and hibernation modes, which is why they may experience some problems. Hibernation in Windows will not turn on by itself, so often after these steps the laptop or computer wakes up from sleep or standby mode.
  2. The second way is to select the Ctrl-Alt-Delete key combination or the power off button, which will restart your computer or laptop and also wake it up from hibernation mode.
  3. If these points do not help, then you should use the small Reset button. Don't worry about open files, as all your files will be saved in a dump and will be loaded when you turn on your computer.
  4. Extreme measures should be taken after the failure of the previous three points and disconnect the power from the motherboard. In this situation, you may lose unsaved data, so before using this feature, you should make sure that our previous tips do not help.

Advantages and disadvantages of the mode

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this mode compared to the usual sleep? Firstly, the benefits include a longer battery life by turning off the laptop. However, this same function is also its disadvantage, since the system file in which all the necessary information is stored often weighs several gigabytes and can provoke unpredictable conflicts if there is very little space left on your hard drive.

Moreover, unlike sleep mode, the laptop will take much longer to turn on and it may seem that something is wrong with your device. This is due to the fact that the laptop will load all the necessary information from the system file.

When and why to use hibernation mode?

Ordinary users most likely will not need this mode at all, so we recommend disabling it via the command line (how to do this is written at the very beginning of this article). For people who often work far from electrical outlets or do not have a charger with them, the hibernation mode can still come in handy. If you urgently need to put aside work but maintain your progress, then hibernation will come to your aid. Thanks to it, you will be able to continue your work exactly from the moment you entered hibernation mode.

We hope that our article helped you understand what hibernation is on a laptop, how it works, how to turn it off or on again, and how to exit this mode. Hibernation is rarely used by ordinary users, so it can cause a lot of problems for an unprepared and inexperienced user.

Surely every user of the Windows operating system has come across such a strange word as “hibernation”. However, not every user knows what it is. And this is not at all surprising. After all, the language is constantly replenished with neologisms that come from the world of IT technologies. If you don’t know what the term “hibernation” is, then this article will help you fill the knowledge gap.

To understand what hibernation is, it is worth turning to biology. After all, this term first appeared in this scientific field. So, hibernation is a period during which the metabolic process in animals slows down. To put it simply, this is hibernation. What is hibernation in a laptop? This is a special mode of computer operation that is designed to reduce energy costs.

What hibernation is on Windows 7, 8, 10 is easier to explain with a specific example. Surely everyone has encountered the so-called “Sleep” mode. The laptop screen goes dark, but all information and open utilities are saved in the device’s RAM. Thanks to this, you can continue working with your laptop at any time. In fact, hibernation on a laptop is almost the same as hibernation in Windows 10. However, there is one “but”. During hibernation, all data is stored not in the device’s RAM, but on the hard drive in the hiberfil.sys file, which leads to a reduction in energy consumption.

How to enable/disable hibernation

Although hibernation mode in Windows 10 can reduce energy costs, this feature is not always desirable. There are a number of situations in which this technology may cause you inconvenience. In such cases, you will need information on how to disable hibernation in Windows 7 and other versions of the operating system. For example, this function can be detrimental if hard drive volume is critical for you. After all, the hiberfil.sys file, which stores data about running programs, takes up quite a lot of space on your hard drive (about 70% of your RAM). And to free up memory, you need to deactivate hibernation.

There are several ways to disable hibernation in Windows 10. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Command line

Disabling hibernation in Windows 10, 8, 7, etc. can be done through the standard command panel. The following instructions must be followed:


After carrying out the above manipulations, the computer will not go into hibernation mode. At the same time, you will get a couple of free GB for the hard drive by removing hiberfil.sys. It’s also worth talking about how to enable hibernation mode. You need to enter powercfg –h on into the console and press Enter. After such manipulation, hiberfil.sys will reappear on the hard drive.

System registry

There is another way to exit hibernation once and for all. To do this, you need to use the Windows system registry. To call this utility, you need to press the hotkey combination Win + R. In the dialog box that appears, enter the regedit command and activate it by pressing the Enter key.

The system registry will launch. In it you need to open a section called HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. After that, go to the System directory and find the CurrentControlSet folder there and open it. After that, go to Control and go to the Power directory. We are looking for the DWORD value (the real name of HibernateEnabled). After that, double-click on it and configure hibernation. To deactivate this mode, you need to change the parameter value to “1”. If you need Windows 10 hibernation, then activate it by setting “0” in the desired item.

Setting up hibernation

If you don’t want to disable hibernation, but need to on a hard drive, then you can reduce the volume of hiberfil.sys. You need to configure the mode characteristics using the command panel. Remember that you need to run it with administrator rights. How do I configure hibernation settings? Opening the command panel, type in powercfg /h /type reduced and click on the Enter key.

After this, the volume of hiberfil.sys will decrease. However, you cannot manually put your computer into hibernation mode. To return everything to its original position, instead of the reduced parameter, enter full.