In Windows XP, enabling Hibernate option was a straightforward task. One could navigate to Control Panel, Power Options and then Hibernate tab to enable or disable Hibernation feature. But in Windows 7, we have to follow a different approach to do the same job.
What is the Hibernation feature in Windows?
If you are not aware of the Hibernate feature, Hibernation is a power-saving state designed primarily for laptops (works great on desktop computers as well). While sleep mode puts your work and settings in memory (RAM) and draws a small amount of power, hibernation puts your open documents and programs on your hard disk and then turns off your computer. Of all the power-saving states in Windows, hibernation uses the least amount of power. On a laptop, use hibernation when you know that you won’t use your laptop for an extended period and won’t have an opportunity to charge the battery during that time.
Enable or disable hibernation in Windows 7
So if you are going to use this feature, then you need to enable it by doing a simple procedure as mentioned below:
Step 1: Open Command Prompt with Administrator rights. To open Command Prompt, type CMD in Start menu and then hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt with Admin rights.
Step 2: Next, type the below command and hit enter:
powercfg /hibernate on
Step 3: Type exit and hit Enter key to close the Command Prompt.
Step 4: If you can’t see the Hibernate option in the Start menu, then continue with the following tasks:
A. Type Power Options in Start menu and hit enter.
B. In the left pane, open the link labeled Change when the computer sleeps and then open the link Change advanced power settings.
C. Under the Advanced Sleep options, expand the Sleep tree and turn off Hybrid Sleep.
D. Now go back to the Start menu to see the new Hibernate entry. That’s it!
How to enable Hibernate option in Windows 8, how to reduce Hibernation file size and create a keyboard shortcut to Hibernate option guide might also interest you.
