Power Saving Modes - Standby Vs. Hibernate Vs. Sleep
Power saving features have existed in computers for donkeys’ years. With the current trend of “going green,” the newest generation of Operating Systems have provided users nice options when it comes to saving electricity. A lot of computer users are switching to laptops as well, which run on batteries if not plugged into a power source. This is even more motivation for Operating Systems to offer great power saving features. In this article we will look closely at the power saving features built into Windows XP and Windows Vista. Particularly, we will be discussing the differences between Standby Mode, Hibernate Mode, and Sleep Mode.
Standby Mode
This mode is only available in Windows XP. Standby Mode shuts down all but the essential components of the computer. When in Standby, the monitor will be blank and the computer will be unusable. However, your computer can quickly (matter of seconds) come out of Standby Mode with the press of a button. On desktop machines, any button on the keyboard should bring it back to normal operation. On laptops, sometimes you are required to press the power button to come out of standby. In any case, the computer will be in the EXACT same condition before it went into standby. For example, if you were checking your email on Outlook Express and editing a spreadsheet on Excel when you fell asleep… and the computer went into Standby… Outlook Express and Excel would still be on the screen when you decided to wake up and bring the computer out of Standby! Get it?
While in standby, the computer will still eat a small amount of power. If the laptop battery dies while in Standby, or the power cord is pulled out on your desktop PC while in Standby, ALL UNSAVED DATA WILL BE LOST. Always save your data on a regular basis while working, especially if you anticipate being away from the computer for a while.
Standby Advantages: Minimal power usage. The computer quickly goes into Standby, and quickly comes out of Standby.
Standby Disadvantages Computer will still be using power, although this is only a fraction compared to normal operation. If the power is lost while in Standby, all unsaved data is lost.
Hibernate Mode
This mode is available on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Hibernate mode basically saves a snapshot of everything happening on your computer, and then it shuts completely off. When you turn your computer back on, it will look the exact same as it did before it went into Hibernation. Lets go back to the example from above, but this time apply it to the hibernation scenario. Your spreadsheet and email will come right back up on the screen when your turn your computer on. There is no risk of losing anything when the computer is Hibernating, because it will be completely shutdown anyways. Repeating, the computer will be OFF and using NO power at all while in Hibernation. On the downside, the computer could take several minutes to go into Hibernation, and come out of Hibernation.
Hibernation Advantages: Computer uses no power while in hibernate mode. Unsaved data is safe while Hibernating. Great for laptops!
Hibernation Disadvantages: Slow procedure compared to Standby Mode. Computer can take several minutes to go into and come out of Hibernation; not ideal when quick access to the computer is necessary.
Sleep Mode
Available in Windows Vista. Sleep mode is a hybrid between the above mentioned Standby mode and Hibernate mode. Sleep mode works by first putting the computer into Standby mode. The computer will then go into Hibernation when one of the following situations occur:
1) The laptop battery becomes critically low. This will essentially save all unsaved work and shut the laptop off completely. Thus, it will now be using no power and all data will be safe.
2) A pre-determined user configurable time delay is reached. This can be configured in the power options. Essentially, you can specify how long after going into Standby before the computer goes into Hibernation.
So, sleep is a good option become it combines the best of both Standby and Hibernation. It is particularly good for laptops that run out of battery juice - because all unsaved work will be saved to the hard drive before it shuts down (Hibernates).
Windows XP users can change their power saving options by doing the following:
1) Click the Start button
2) Click Control Panel
3) Click the Display icon
4) Click the Screen Saver tab
5) Click the Power… button
Windows Vista users can play with their power saving modes by doing the following:
1) Click the “Start” button which has the Windows logo on it (bottom left hand corner)
2) Click Control Panel
3) Click the “System and Maintenance” group.
4) Click Power Options
I will be greatly pleased if this guide was able to help clear up the confusion between these common power saving modes. I encourage anybody to ask any question they have on the subject just below in the comments section. Please feel free to comment, and don’t be shy!
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June 21st, 2008 at 12:34 pm
my notebook always hibernate…
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Hello Chicken Say,
Thanks for commenting.
Is this hibernating behaviour exhibited by your laptop desired, or undesired?
If you are seeking some help, please ask me a question and I will do my best to steer you in the right direction.
All the best.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Will the hard drive be parked when in standby or sleep mode?
July 12th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Karl,
The hard drive will in fact be shut down during both standby and sleep mode.
Thanks for leaving your question!
August 8th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Thanks for tour guide. I have a question about troubleshooting though - perhabs you have some advice for me.
My XP MCE doesn’t go into Standby mode when asked for - instead it just starts right up again asking me to input my non-excisting password.. “Same” thing happens when trying to shut down the PC - it just reboots instead..
Have you heard of this before?
August 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hello Eee PC blog,
I’m not too sure that I fully understand what you say is happening. However, it would appear that your power management implementation is indeed not functioning as you would like it. This could be software, or hardware related; its hard to say in my position. In any event, it would seem that you could benefit from the services of a computer professional. If you cannot diagnose the problem by playing around with the power management settings, call in a professional to take a look.
Good Luck!
August 11th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I have windows vista. I can not hear my mail notifier from incredimail when my computer goes in hibernation. What can I do to allow new messages to wake up the computer.
Thanks
August 18th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hi Joann,
When your computer is in hibernation, it is essentially off. I don’t believe that there is a simple way that an incoming event could wake the computer out of hibernation. You will either have to leave your computer on, or perhaps purchase a mobile email-capable phone which can stay with you at all times.
All the best Joann!
August 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I have a queries….regarding data card in sleep and standy mode
in both desktop and laptop.
Suppose we have connected the data card to the CPU in desktop. And made the connection to the network.Now suppose we make the system in standby mode in XP and sleep and standby in vista. Again we wake up the system by pressing any key from keyboard or clicking the mouse, then whether the connection will be there or not in case of datacard..
Please reply soon
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Hello Sankar Prasad Rounier,
Thanks for commenting!
I’m not sure if I 100% understand your problem. I believe you are wondering if the network connection should become active when the computer wakes up from standby. The answer to this questions is yes - the network connection should be active and ready to go when the computer comes out of standby mode.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:35 am
From a Mac user who has recently had to learn Windows …thanks for clarifying!
September 9th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Yay, you have answered my question as to what happens if my laptop goes past min bat level that activates hibernation, while in sleep mode. Now I can use sleep mode and not worry about an improper shut down due to the battery completely running out.
Thanks
September 16th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Why would the computer programmers have it so you lose all data if you go into stand-by mode? Essentially, whenever you go into stand-by mode, you are putting your computer at risk of losing all data if you computer freezes and the ONLY way to get it out of stand-by mode is to unplug it. I do not understand this…
September 16th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Is there any way a computer can be left in a low-power state and still able to receive incoming emails? e.g. to set macros on standby mode so some programs keep running and the connection stays active? If I understand right, standby, hibernate and sleep all stop Outlook Express and other clients from receiving any new emails.
My problem is that I have high-volume incoming email and want to be away from my computer for several days at a time without my server mailbox becoming full. To stop this from happening, I would like to leave OE running while I’m away. At present this means I have to leave the computer running. I’d really like a lower-energy alternative to this.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
HI there M,
I’m glad this entry was of help to you! Thanks for taking the time to leave a token of your appreciation.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Hey Jeff,
You got it boss. If the computer is set to sleep mode, improper shutdowns become non-existent. Thanks for dropping in!
September 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Hey Stand-by Mode,
I don’t think that any legit programmer would ever design software to purposely freeze. Unfortunately for various reasons, computers do freeze; irrespective of whether the computer is in standby mode, or not. For example, if the computer is in normal operating mode and freezes, what happens to all unsaved data? It is lost, because you are still forced to pull the cord.
So the morale of the story? Save your data at regular time intervals. And if you know you are going to be away from the computer for any extended length of time, why not save your work before you leave? It will only take 2 seconds and could be a life saver in the rare unfortunate event that the computer freezes.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Hi Andy,
I see what you’re saying, and the simple answer is no, it can’t be easily done. Standby and Hibernation essentially place the computer into a non-operational state. The closest thing would be to just have the computer turn off the monitor and hard disk after a certain length of time, essentially keeping the rest of the machine operational at full power.
Thanks for the question Andy.
December 1st, 2008 at 8:52 am
RE Andy
Outlook Express solution.
Use Auto Power On & Shutdown from Lifsoft (http://www.lifsoft.com/).
This little Program allows scheduling of Power on, Hibernate, Standby etc.
Schedule PC at any time of day to Power on automatically from Hibernation.
Start Outlook Express and get mail.
Then schedule PC to Re Hibernate 10-15 mins later to keep PC dormant.
Re schedule same event as many times as you like.
I use it to make my Home PC available for remote Access using Radmin.
I schedule it to power up each hour. If not used then 15 Mins later PC re hibernates.
Auto power on & shutdown in this case warns before hibernating if you are connected. It allows hibernation to be delayed to keep connection. I use a skype account to tell me when the home computer has logged in to remind me it’s available. Without connecting using Radmin I check skype to see when its logged in or out. If a connection problem occurs skype is used to check connection status.
Auto power on & shutdown can be set to operate in background as a service once schedule is set up.
Hope this helps
Nigel
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Nigel KB,
Thanks for that useful information. This means that the utility program you described can automatically power up / down a PC as per the current time. This could be used to control the computer’s power state at certain intervals. But its unclear if it will allow the computer to power up when an email arrives. This, I believe would entail a more advanced solution.
I appreciate you taking the time to respond to one of our readers. Thanks!
December 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
hi i just wanted to say thank you for your help i was woundering the difrence about them because im used to useing hybernate but it takes to long and i thout about stand by for my desktop(running xp) and sleep for my laptop but i wasnt sure if they were good alternives and with sleep i was woundering what would happen if i used it and my batterys died im so glad i came acrros your web site it helped me trimdusly because now i know i can save power and monny with out wasting so much time thank you for you help
December 15th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I have not come a desktop computer which uses NO power when in Hibernate Mode. Typycally the power supply uses ~3 to 6W unless it is unplugged from the wall or it has a mechanical swich to isolate it.
December 21st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Hey john faux,
Thanks for taking the time to show your appreciation. Best of luck!
Colin.
December 21st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Hey Tony,
That is a good point to make. It’s similar to VCR’s and Microwaves when they are not in use - they are still using micro amounts of power to display the digital clock; extremely minimal compared to normal operation. The main point for the readers is that the computer uses less power while hibernating then it does while in Standby. It is essentially in an “off” state while in hibernation. The power consumption is negligible, but still present unless completely unplugged from the wall.
Thanks for bringing attention to the specifics Tony!
Take care,
Colin.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Great article! Wish I had asked the question about 2 years ago. Not a matter of life or death, but I have been wondering. I reached your site via Google. From now on I’ll go straight to “the horse’s mouth”
Chris
January 17th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the compliment, glad you liked it! Hope to see you around some more, please feel free to leave me a comment anytime.
Thanks,
Colin.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Interesting posts. I have an issue that adds a twist. This just started last week … I am using XP and when my computer goes on standby, it drops the internet connection which comes back on its own. However, it takes a few opening and closings of the browser before I see a web page. Same thing with Outlook Express which shows an error message that the host could not be found. Again, it eventually will work but is frustrating. My IP says that it is my computer and not their service. They said I should take my computer off of standby and that will fix the problem. Thoughts?
February 17th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Hi Gayle,
Thanks for your inquiry.
The behaviour you have described is very normal. When the computer goes into standby, the wireless adapter is often shut down to conserve power. As the computer comes out of standby, the computer will need approximately 5 - 30 seconds to establish a connection to the router, receive an IP address, and regain internet connectivity. This is why you can’t access emails and webpages in the first 30 seconds or so after powering up from standby mode.
Nothing to worry about; completely normal!
All the best,
Colin.
February 17th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Hi Colin,
Thanks for your response. I don’t have a router, (no wireless at the moment) so I simply have a modem.
I did try to hook up a Linksys router last week, but the CD did not work and since I am not a techie, I returned it and will start afresh in the spring!
Thanks for your help.
Gayle
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
I was not really sure of the difference between these modes either. So I always used standby because it was quicker to wake up.
Another twist on this. My new netbook came with a protective anti-scratch microfiber sleeve that I use when I travel. One day I put the netbook in standby and then put it in the sleeve. SOMETHING woke it up and thank goodness I pulled it out a few minutes after I had stuck it in there. It was VERY warm and was basically cooking itself because it had no ventilation.
Moral of the story…NEVER put your laptop in a confined area when it’s in standby. As other people have said, no one really knows everything that will wake a laptop from standby but if it does in this case you could really destroy it due to an overheat.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:53 am
Hi there DM,
Yes that is a good point. Of course, if the laptop lid is completely closed and secured, it should not be waking up by itself. You should be able to transport the laptop in a confined area while in standby. That being said, if you laptop has a history of waking up for mysterious reasons by itself, its better to be safe than sorry; shut it down when in the case.
Thanks for that insight DM.
Colin.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:21 pm
I once used sleep mode when I put my laptop away in my laptop bag for a really short time. Sleep mode is really similar to standby mode, they both use a small amount of power. Anyway, my point is thatit heated up quite a lot even though it did not “wake up”. If you make sure that you close the lid properly (even ones without a lid lock don’t come open easily), and use Hibernate Mode it is really safe. Unless you are moving less than 5 minutes away, I wouldn’t be putting a laptop in an enclosed bag on standby/Hibernate Mode.
Jeff.
April 9th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Great info and in a format that anyone can understand. I have question related to the wireless adapter. If you are in Standby or the pre-Hibernate time of the Sleep mode, are wireless routers and laptops still establishing connections? I ask because there is a vast sea of wireless signals out there and I want to know if my laptop is detecting them or vice versa when not completely powered down.
Thanks.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
All the comments comparing the modes relate to energy conservation. What I want to know is, with a desktop connected to the Internet via FiOS, which gives the PC effectively its own network, what is safest? The scenario is that some sniffer drives in front of a home, turns on a laptop in the mode to search for available networks, intercepts that of my five neighbors and me, chooses mine at random, and proceeds to infiltrate and steal my personal data, act as me on the Web, do hacker deeds, or make my PC a “slave” that involuntarily commits computer crimes. But especially the fear of invasion of my personal data. What then is the safest mode–except for total shutdown–that also saves energy as a secondary consideration?
May 9th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Andy asked this, and I want to know too, please:
Is there any way a computer can be left in a low-power state and still able to receive incoming emails? e.g. to set macros on standby mode so some programs keep running and the connection stays active? If I understand right, standby, hibernate and sleep all stop Outlook Express and other clients from receiving any new emails.
My problem is that I have high-volume incoming email and want to be away from my computer for several days at a time without my server mailbox becoming full. To stop this from happening, I would like to leave OE running while I’m away. At present this means I have to leave the computer running. I’d really like a lower-energy alternative.
May 14th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Hi Jeff,
As I mentioned to FM, as long as your lid closes securely and your laptop doesn’t have a history of waking up by itself, then it is safe to transport in a case while in standby mode. But if you are extra paranoid / cautious, then the best course of action is to just shut it down.
Thank you for the comment.
Colin.
May 14th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Hey Duff,
Thanks for the compliment, please come back again.
As I mentioned to Gayle, the computer can shut down the wireless adapter while in standby mode. This can be set in device manager & power options. These settings are not always reliable however, and vary by wireless adapter manufacturer.
There is no security risk while the laptop is in standby, even if the wireless adapter lights are flashing - the computer is essentially “off”.
Regards,
Colin.
May 14th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Hi Only Suzerain,
I appreciate the question. Perhaps it is beyond my technical knowledge, as I have no experience with Verizon’s Fiber Optic Service.
My assumption is that standby would still be your best bet when factoring security & green-thinking into the equation. How could your data be stolen if your hard drive is not spinning and computer basically “off”? I’m curious as to what makes your internet connection any different.
As for the email problem, I can lend the following 2 pieces of advice:
1) Increase the size of the mailbox on your server! There is no reason that it should become full with todays cheap cost of storage. Heck, even just use a gmail account (free) if your current provider gives you a hard time about it.
or
2) As I mentioned to Andy, turn your monitor (and speakers, printers, etc.) off and set your hard drive to turn off after 20 minutes or so. That way your computer will still receive emails while reducing the power consumption compared to normal operation. Beyond that, I have no experience with waking a computer from standby when an incoming email arrives.
All the best,
Colin.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:01 am
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Kindest regards,
Cliff
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:41 am
Is there any way to get XP to sleep instead of either standby or hibernate?
December 17th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Hi CLIFF,
You are very welcome sir. Come back anytime!
Regards,
Colin.
December 17th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Hi Jason,
Unfortunately no. Sleep was a feature introduced with Windows Vista. Windows XP can standby or hibernate, but there is no sleep feature. All this means is that if the laptop is set to standby, and is left for weeks in this state, the battery life may finally expire and the computer will shut down. Any unsaved work will be lost. This is, of course a very rare situation however. So its not a huge loss not having the sleep feature in XP. Hope this answers the question.
Regards,
Colin.