Hibernation vs Shutting down

Andy_Millman

Hi all,
I'm just wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are of hibernation mode. I've just tried it on my desktop for the first time (in XP) and it starts up amazingly quickly. Is a computer truly off in hibernation mode (zero power consumption) or is it in some "low powered state" as some websites claim?

If hibernation mode is so great why don't more people use it??

thanks,
Andy.

superscaper

[Wildlife analogy mode/] Same as a bear hibernating, it isn't dead before it wakes up out of hibernation. [/wildlife analogy mode].

Your pc is still on it's just consuming less power, if you want it to consume "zero" watts then you have to switch it off completely (even at the mains usually). Unless you are only leaving your pc 5 or 10 minutes at a time, I think the most eco-friendly thing to do is switch off your pc when your not using it and it isn't doing anything useful (such as downloading).