Tip of the week: using standby and hibernate in Windows and Mac

October 25, 6:04 PMNY Computers ExaminerMarco Villar

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Most laptop users know that standby is useful. The computer starts up faster, and open programs are still available. However there is some confusion between standby and hibernate.

In standby the computer is not technically powered down. Power consumption is very low, but it does exist. Hibernate on the other hand, doesn’t use any power. All running programs and open documents are saved to the hard disk. The only disadvantage is that the computer will take longer to wake up from hibernate mode than standby mode.

A good rule of thumb is to use standby when the computer will be powered up again soon, and hibernate when power won’t be available and the computer won’t be used for a while. Both modes are available on Windows and Mac; it’s just a matter of enabling them.

In Windows, hibernate mode can be enabled in the Power Options section of the Control Panel. To hibernate, click the Shutdown option from the Start menu and click Hibernate. If the Hibernate option isn’t visible, press the shift key to change the Standby button to a Hibernate button as shown below.

Sleep mode is very efficient in a MacBook or MacBook pro. It’s not unusual to leave the computer in sleep mode for hours and see very little change in battery status. A MacBook will also generally wake up from sleep much faster than Windows does from standby. Unfortunately it’s also difficult to use hibernate mode, or deep sleep as it’s referred to on the Mac. An easy way to enable deep sleep, is by using a simple dashboard widget.

The widget is appropriately called Deep Sleep. After installation, click the widget to enter deep sleep, or hibernate. Be aware that your MacBook will take quite a bit longer to power up from deep sleep, so it’s a good idea to use it only when you don’t plan to power up for a while.

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