Windows 8: hibernation does not work - this may be the reason

There can be many reasons why Windows 8 hibernation no longer works properly. In this practical tip, we have summarized the most important solutions for you to get the problem under control.

Tip 1: hibernation in Windows 8 does not work - is it switched on?

First you can check whether the hibernation is actually switched on.

• Open the command prompt as administrator and enter "powercfg -a" (without quotation marks). When outputting the text, the primary focus should be on the status of the idle state.
• Alternatively, check whether the "hiberfil.sys" file is on the system drive "C: \". If this is not available, you can assume that the idle state is deactivated. Make sure beforehand that you can see hidden files with your file manager.

Tip 2: disable hybrid standby

If the hybrid standby mode is activated on your system, the hibernation does not work. In this case, you have to deactivate the hybrid standby mode:

1. Open the control panel. There you select the "Energy options".
2. Next to the energy saving plan you are currently using, click on "Change energy plan settings". Then select "Change advanced power settings".
3. Open the entry "Saving energy". There you will find the "Allow hybrid standby" option. Switch them off (if available) for battery and mains operation. You apply your changes with the OK button.

Tip 3: Free up space for hibernation on the system partition

To use hibernation, you must ensure that there is sufficient free space on the system partition. Windows 8 stores the complete contents of the working memory in the file hiberfil.sys. As a rule, the file is about the size of your RAM. So if your system has 4 GB of RAM, you will need 4 GB of free hard disk space for hibernation.

Tip 4: reactivate Windows 8 hibernation

It can also help to switch the hibernation function off and on again:

1. Run Windows 8 Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Now type the command "powercfg -h off" (without quotation marks) and confirm it with the Enter key.
3. Next, type the command "powercfg -h on" (without quotation marks) and then press Enter again.
4. Reboot the system.

Tip 5: Set the system partition as active

As already described in tip 3, Windows 8 saves the entire contents of the working memory in the file hiberfil.sys when the hibernation is activated. However, this only works if the system partition is marked as active:

1. Right-click on the start button in the task bar and select "Disk management" in the context menu.
2. Right-click on the startup partition, i.e. the partition on which Windows 8 is located. Then select the entry "Mark partition as active".

Tip 6: Detailed insights into the energy saving function

Even if you've followed all the tips and hibernation still doesn't work, you don't have to give up yet. Windows 8 provides a handy tool that automatically checks the functions of the energy saving options and detects possible sources of error.

1. Run the Windows command prompt as an administrator.
2. At the command prompt, type "powercfg.exe -energy" (without the quotation marks). Then an analysis of the energy-saving functions of Windows 8 starts. Until the test is complete, you should neither operate your mouse on your keyboard.
3. After about a minute, the test program saves the "energy-report.html" file in the "C: \ Windows \ system32" directory, which you can now open in your web browser. If you get an error message, copy the file to another directory on your hard disk beforehand.
4. Pay special attention to entries in the "Errors" section. Here you will find, for example, applications or devices connected to the PC that prevent hibernation.

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You can also use the shortcut to switch to hibernation. We will explain how this works in our next practical tip.