Sleep and hibernation - what's the difference?

Windows offers the user an energy-saving mode and a hibernation. But the difference between the two switch-off modes is not explained in Windows. But in this practical tip.

If you want to go fast: the energy-saving mode

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• If you send your computer into energy-saving mode, it will not switch itself off completely. The main memory remains active and must continue to be supplied with power as long as the PC is slumbering in the "save energy" state.
• However, the power consumption is so low that, for example, you can leave a laptop active in energy-saving mode for a long time without noticeably draining the battery. You can also wake up the computer very quickly, since no data has to be read from the hard disk when it starts.
• However, caution is also required: If the power fails or the battery runs out while the computer is in energy-saving mode, the data from the last session can be lost.

The idle state for longer breaks

• In the idle state, the contents of the working memory are written to the hard disk. This also means that the main memory can be switched off, which means that you can safely disconnect the computer from the power supply.
• When restarting, the contents of the working memory are read in again and you can continue working from where you left off. However, this process takes a little more time than the energy-saving mode, but is usually significantly faster than normal startup.

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In the next practical tip we will show you how to activate the energy saving mode when you close your laptop.