Difference between Hibernate and Stand By
Hibernation and standby are two features used regularly by computers. Although hibernation does not allow as much power savings as the stand by feature, it can ensure that your computer is able to restart quickly after it is shut down. Hibernation is allowed by all operating systems these days. Standby is also offered by AC’s just like hibernation. Also, many Linux based systems are today allowing stand by similar to hibernation where the data is stored in RAM before the connection to the important computer parts is cut off. Let’s look at the some other differences.
Process
With stand by, a machine is able to recuperate quickly since the information is accumulated in RAM (random access memory). In stand by the machine is operating on a low power mode. The computer is working but power to objects like monitor and hard drive is effectively shut off. The computer automatically starts after resting in standby mode and there is no need for the user to reboot the system.
In hibernate mode the machine has not switched off and also is not using any power. However the data is not at risk since it is saved on the hard disk and not in RAM. It is a slow way to shut down a PC and makes it easier to resume its normal operations. Hibernation is done automatically before shutting down a system. When it’s restarted the computer restores itself to the state it was in prior to hibernation.
Speed
Hibernating is useful when you have some important tasks to be done. It is slow because it takes more time for the system to shut down and start again. It also consumes some time for the programs running before shutdown to initiate them again on the computer. Sometimes hibernation can cause a computer to restart after some time if a problem exists with the hibernation software.
Availability
The hibernation facility is not provided on all personal computers. If you want to check as to whether your PC has such a facility and you have Windows XP installed, then shut down the computer and press the shift key at the same time. Keep in mind that other instructions exist for others kinds of operating systems.
Summary
- Use of power- Standby mode saves less power as compared to hibernation mode, so using hibernate mode is preferable.
- Data storage-There is a fear of losing the data in a stand by mode as it is stored in the volatile RAM memory of a PC in this mode. No such problem exists in the hibernation mode where the data is moved to the hard disk. But space has to be present in the hard drive or partition of a PC from storing the data present in the RAM.
- Hibernation also causes relations with other devices to disconnect. The computer should have an extreme connectivity to allow both such connections.
- Reconnection-If you want to have a fast reconnection, it’s better to use standby mode. Hibernation takes much more time in order to restart since the computer has to re-access all unused programs.
