XP Hibernation Issue and Resolutions

An XP hibernation issue can be a real pain in the you know what, after all like many computer users the beauty about using hibernation with your computer is the ability to leave any amount of applications open, and then have your computer boot up in seconds as opposed to minutes.

Generally XP hibernation issues fall into 4 categories although generally only 3 of them are really relevant if you are using a modern computer.

Software drivers are not hibernation compatible

Make sure your computer is using the latest drivers available, in particular the drivers for the graphics card. The standard Windows VGA drivers do not support any power management.

Corrupt video card drivers

The option can also be greyed out if any drivers have become corrupt, (usually the video card drivers), if this is the case reinstall any software drivers, as a rule of thumb the most current will work the best so check with your card manufactures web site and get the latest.

Firmware

Many earlier versions of computer and peripheral firmware may not truly support Windows power management functions, upgrading to the latest firmware is usually recommended in any case. Check and double check that you are upgrading to compatible firmware for your hardware, upgrading using the wrong firmware can render a computer or its peripherals permanently useless.

Hibernation not supported

Older systems and associated hardware may not support Windows power management functions period, generally for this to occur the hardware will be very old and it may be about time to upgrade.

In addition to the above not all software drivers for Windows even if they are pretty current may not support all the power saving functionality of Windows.

If the XP hibernation option is greyed out and it was initially working check any system changes that have been made and revert back if possible either using Windows system restore or by uninstalling any software.

As a work around if your computer does not support hibernation, try using standby mode if works faster than hibernation, but does use a small amount of electricity, and is only recommended for computer constantly plugged into the mains or laptops that are suspended for short periods of time.

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