Manually put your computer into hibernation

When you use a laptop computer, you probably try to keep your battery power usage to a minimum. You may also want to cut down on the energy consumption of your desktop computer. One way to save power is to turn the computer off when you're not using it. If you’d like to save power but do not want to wait for Windows to shut down and restart, you can use the Microsoft Windows XP hibernation capability. Hibernation saves your open windows to your computer's hard disk and shuts the computer down within a few seconds. The next time you start your computer, all of your windows open exactly where you left them.

Hibernation is an alternative to the standby capability and saves your programs and shuts your computer down completely. Hibernation uses no power, and it takes your computer just several seconds to recover from hibernation when you want to use it again. Standby reduces power usage when your computer is not in use by turning off the parts of your computer that use the most energy. Standby uses more power than hibernation, but it takes less time to start a computer from standby than from hibernation.

Note: You can learn more about the standby option in your computer's power management settings in Configure Windows XP power management.

To put your computer into hibernation
   

1.Click Start, and then click Turn Off Computer.
   

2.Click Hibernate. If Hibernate is not an option, read Configure Windows XP power management for instructions on how to enable hibernation.
Your computer goes into hibernation—a state in which it consumes no power. To wake your computer from hibernation, press the power button. If you like using hibernation, you can configure your computer's power button to automatically put your computer into hibernation.