Does Hibernation Have Any Effects On Your PC?

Discussion in Software PC & Mac started by GLOGIK • Aug 1, 2014.

  1. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

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    Hi everyone, I was wondering what the effects of hibernation could be on a PC. Frankly speaking, I often hibernate my PC, even turning it on and off to hibernate for days. I sometimes notice some unusual behavior on my PC, especially in terms of speed, after hibernating for a long period of time. What are your thoughts on this. Have you had such experiences, or similar?
     
  2. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    I noticed that several times before I decided to opt for sleep mode instead of hibernation. You could wonder if it consumes more power. The difference is hardly noticeable. Try using sleep mode and see if the problem persists. If it does then you'll need to open your task manager and find out which program/file is slowing down your PC.
     
  3. troutski

    troutskiWell-Known Member

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    You should try turning your PC off a little more often than you currently do. Constantly using Sleep and Hibernate can make your device sluggish. Perhaps your PC could use a RAM upgrade or some other optimizations. If it's an older device, then it could be getting to the point where it needs replacing or repairs. However, I suspect that your problems will go away each time you turn your device off and then back on. Try using the task manager to see what's causing heavier usage and slowing the PC down.
     
  4. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

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    Thank God I'm not alone in this experience. I was actually worried. In fact, at some point I was thinking my system had been infected by a virus. I also agree to the fact that the difference is hardly noticeable.

    Considering the sleep mode option however, I don't know how I can use that, since I use Windows 7 Ultimate, and the sleep option is disabled on the shut-down cascading menu. Is there any work-around for this?
     
  5. cedrickismw

    cedrickismwMember

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    I want to go back to Windows 2000 Server Edition. To me the newer versions since have this problem where they just become sluggish and error prone over time for no particular reason. Most of the time the internet is blamed however developers should probably stop allowing software to go haywire with anonymous downloading on our internet connections in the background and mysterious software will probably cease to show up and chew up CPU cycles and memory. Also Microsoft should probably come up with a better way of implementing updates that don't force so many restarts, create a billion KB##### in your Control Panel. Also there should probably be more security over what programs are allowed to run as services because nasty malware can sneak in and hide there.
     
  6. MindyT

    MindyTActive Member

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    I like to turn mine completely off. I don't use it very often, and I want to save on electricity and my electricity bill. I don't really know if sleep mode uses a lot of electricity. Is one mode better for your computer than another one?
     
  7. cedrickismw

    cedrickismwMember

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    That's a good question. I think they still do have both for some reason, in the case of typical Windows PCs it may be best to do what you do and turn it off completely since I think the effects are worse. Plus if I remember Windows stores information on your disk about the state of the machine before hibernation ultimately wasting more space. It's probably best to start it up again fresh when you're ready to use it.
     
  8. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I rarely shut down my laptop and I do notice that it gets a bit sluggish whenever I go for days without giving it a proper rest. I don't know exactly why this is but I do notice the difference although fortunately my laptop is good enough in quality that it doesn't really give me that much problems even after days of only sleep and hibernation. Whenever it gets too leggy for my taste only then do I completely shut it down and I'm sure it can't be that good of a practice but my laptop is old so I don't really care that much anymore.
     
  9. cedrickismw

    cedrickismwMember

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    I prefer server editions of OSes that are designed for continuous up time for these reasons. It just seems weird that it slows down from doing nothing, how is that possible? If you aren't using it what slows it down? Again I think Windows 2000 SE is probably the best released in terms of performance. I have no experience with Windows 2003 SE to be fair though.
     
  10. daimashin

    daimashinActive Member

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    It's always better to shut down the PC completely than to use Hibernation or Sleep mode. For one, you save on electricity. Hibernation consumes energy because it needs the power to keep everything running even though they are not being used. Actually I've also noticed that hibernation slows down the computer after waking up. Anyway, if you're not using your computer for an extended period of time you should shut down and let it cool off. The parts will live longer, and it clears up memory.
     
  11. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    I don't know if this would help you fix the issue but you should take a look

    Log In


    Or ask the forum members questions on the best ways to fix the issue 'cuz heck, you got nothing to lose.
     
  12. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

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    Hi troutski, thank you so much for stopping by. I really believe you're correct. I noticed a number of times that restarting my computer system after a long period of hibernation totally freed it from that clumsiness. I'm really wondering what hibernation does in the background once activated. The process must be taking-up a huge amount of system resources when initiated.

    Anyways, thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate.

    Hi daimashin, I concur with you. I now know it makes a lot of sense to shut down a system completely, instead of using the Hibernate/Sleep options. Resuming the system after the process really affects system performance negatively as I have discovered.

    The only challenge is that sometimes you might need to get back to work from where you left-off as soon as possible. Shutting down a system completely under such circumstances might seem to make work resumption speed a little low, since the system has to boot from scratch - I think doing this one too often also has a way of damaging the motherboard.

    All-in-all, I really buy your idea. Thank you very much for your contribution. I really appreciate.

    Hi cedrickismw, Thank you very much for stopping by. Actually, I've never used any of the server editions of Windows OS, so I don't really know what the experience is like; But one question I really want to ask is: considering your comment, are you saying the Server versions of Windows OS do not suffer from Hibernation issues? Please try to clarify.

    Once again, thanks for stopping by; and thanks for your contribution. I appreciate.
     
    #12Aug 4, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2014
  13. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

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    Hi cedrickismw, I agree with the many points you've made in your response, especially the one which states that software should not begin to do background operations like downloading other programs, in the name of updates. It's really annoying.

    However, do you think all these have anything to do with system performance being affected via Hibernation?

    Thank you very much for taking out time to contribute. I really appreciate.
     
    #13Aug 6, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2014
  14. devilishomar

    devilishomarMember

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    Hibernating is a way for your PC to conserve power, and it's the best option to do so as well (even better than Sleep). It does so by close to turning off the CPU and the major parts of the PC that constantly use up heavy chunks of power. It's a great mode to have especially when you want to turn your PC off, but don't want to close the programs & tabs you have already opened.

    If you've left your PC in hibernation mode for a long period of time, it will take a while for it to come back to it's normal routine (CPU to speed up i.e. wake up), so that's why you notice weird performance issues when you come out of hibernation mode.
     
  15. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

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    Hi SeanM, thank you very much for taking the time to share. I really appreciate. I still have some questions though: In your comment above, I think you have made two(2) contradicting statements:

    This
    and this

    If I understood you correctly, that should be Hibernation doing both. My question then is: How do you reconcile the two statements?

    Also, how is that you say Hibernation stores data on the RAM, and then turns off the PC, when I hope you are aware of the fact that the RAM is actually a volatile memory which looses all its content once the PC is powered off. Are you sure these data are actually kept on the RAM?

    Again, if you insist that data are stored on the RAM before the the system is powered off, then what makes you think it could adversely affect the HDD(as indicated in the comment below), when you have clearly stated that Hibernation stores data on the RAM and not the HDD?

    Finally, what did you mean when you used the phrase "Super lower state", in your comment?

    Thanks again SeanM; I really appreciate your contribution.
     
  16. Thejamal

    ThejamalActive Member

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    There's no real difference than shutting down the computer and hibernation mode really. And Hibernation mode saves your session on your computer. So if you'r experiencing problems, it's something other than thinking hibernation mode is adversely affecting your computer.

    It is good to shut your computer off every once in awhile for things like updates to your computer and if you're going on a trip with your computer where you'll be travelling all over the place.
     
  17. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

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    Hi DrRipley, thanks for sharing; I really appreciate. Honestly, the experience you just shared is exactly what I go through as I use Hibernation. Most often than not, I power-off my PC using Hibernation, and leave it that way for days. Often, after going long on it this way(i.e. shutting down via Hibernation and resuming from the Hibernated State), I begin to notice that sluggish behavior. In fact, sometimes the system begins to act like one infected by a virus.:)

    Anyways, like you said, I'm beginning to think that using Hibernation too often might not be good for PCs.

    Thanks again DrRipley for sharing; I really appreciate.
     
  18. beccagreen

    beccagreenActive Member

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    Hibernation is putting your PC on a low-power mode kid of like sleep mode but not really. Most of the components of your PC still functions on hibernation like you hard drive. If you're using a Desktop it's not going to cause much problem but I would prefer to shut it down if you're not going to use it for extended periods of time. If it's a laptop, it's a bad idea especially when you move it around during hibernation, it can damage your drive.
     
  19. Serenity Fay

    Serenity FayMember

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    I use sleep mode instead and I've never noticed any negative effects. However I did notice that if I do this for a long period of time it slows down a bit. As a result I turn my laptop off at least once a week, especially since I can do all those annoying windows updates that pop up all the time and require a restart.
     
  20. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    I read a lot of articles online about the benefits of putting a PC in hibernation. What I can say? I would have to agree with the other members that hibernation really does nothing special to a computer. Instead of doing that, I just turn off my desktop because that will save more electricity. At least, that's what I think.