This allows you to save your computer’s state, including all your open programs and data, and come back to it later. When you boot up the PC, it loads the previous state from your hard drive back to memory.
Everything will be right where you left of, including running apps and open documents. When you turn on the PC, it snaps back to life quickly-you won’t have to wait for it to boot up. The PC’s state is kept in memory, but other parts of the PC are shut down and won’t use any power. Sleep: In sleep mode, the PC enters a low-power state.Depending on your system, this can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. However, when you want to use your PC again, you’ll have to turn it on and go through the typical boot-up process, waiting for your hardware to initialize and startup programs to load. A PC that’s shut down uses almost no power. When you shut down your PC, all your open programs close and the PC shuts down your operating system. Shut Down: This is the power-off state most of us are familiar with.RELATED: What's the Difference Between Sleep and Hibernate in Windows?Įach of the four power-down states appears to shut off your computer, but they all work differently.
