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One great feature of Windows XP is the ability to send the computer into “Hibernation.” Although it may sound like you won’t be able to use your computer for several months, I assure you this is not the case. What the computer does do is save your computer’s current state (open windows, uptime, processes running, etc.) and turns off the power. This is very similar to Standby, except that while in Hibernation, the computer consumes absolutely no power at all. Some practical uses of this are: Having to change your laptop’s battery, or having to leave the computer for the night at the office, but wanting to come back in the morning with everything as it was.

As great as this is, Microsoft does not automatically enable it for us, so we must enable it ourselves. Here’s how:

1. Right click on your desktop and go to Properties. You should see the Display Properties dialog. Go to the Screen Saver tab and click “Power”

2. You should see a dialog that looks like the one below. Go to the “Hibernate” Tab. Click “Enable Hibernation,” then OK, and get out of the Display Properties dialog.

3. Now that Hibernation is enabled, let’s look at how to send the computer into hibernation. The processes for computers on a domain and computers not on a domain will be different. If you’re not sure, compare your shutdown dialogs to the ones below.

NON-DOMAINED COMPUTERS:

Go to Start, Shut down.

You should see the shutdown dialog. Hold the shift key down, and you will see that the “Standby” text transforms into “Hibernate.” Holding shift, click “Hibernate” to send your computer into hibernation.

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DOMAINED COMPUTERS:

Go to Start, Shut down.

You should see the shutdown dialog. Click on the arrow to expand the menu. Select “Hibernate” and click “OK.”

I hope this helped you, and I hope you enjoy this great feature of Windows XP.

Comments? Email me at madison@theonegreatx.com