Alternatively called smart battery, hibernate is a utility designed to maintain both desktop and program settings when a laptop computer suddenly loses power. After your computer has rebooted, hibernate restores it to the state it was in when it was turned off.

How to enable hibernation

To enable hibernation and related settings, follow the instructions below for the version of Windows on your computer.

Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10

  • Open the Control Panel.
  • Click the Power Options icon. If you do not see the Power Options icon, instead click Hardware and Sound, then click Power Options.
  • In the Power Options window, click the Choose when to turn off the display option in the left navigation pane.
  • You can adjust the time for when to turn off the display and to put the computer into sleep mode. If you’re using a laptop, you can select these options for using battery power and for when the laptop is plugged in to a power adapter.
  • To select additional hibernation settings, click the Change advanced power settings link below the hibernation settings.
  • Expand the Sleep section to see and change additional hibernation settings. You can also expand other sections and change those hibernation settings, if desired.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP

  • Open the Control Panel.
  • Open the Power icon.
  • In the Power Options Properties window, click the Hibernate tab and then check the enable hibernation check box.

Windows 98 and earlier

Users with laptops using Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT utilize PHDISK or HDPREP to set their computer into hibernate mode.

How to get out of hibernation mode

To get out of hibernation mode on your computer, press any key on the keyboard. Or, click a button on the touchpad or connected mouse. On some computers, you may have to press the power button to get out of hibernation mode.

HDPREP, Operating system terms, PHDISK, Power terms, Suspend

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