Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?When ever I am going to leave my computers for hours, I run
I am curious how people actually use Windows 10 and 11 at the end of the
day. Different hardware and different habits lead to very different power state choices, so I would like to better understand what most users do.
This question came up in a technical discussion with Frank about how different usage models lead to different security choices. In my case,
I am on older hardware, so some of my model choices are dictated by the
age of the system. Others may have newer hardware that supports Modern Standby or more reliable wake behavior, which changes their routine.
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you
prefer on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot
really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
ii. You shut down most days.
iii. You shut down only when needed.
B. Restart
i. You restart daily.
ii. You restart only for updates.
iii. You rarely restart.
C. Sleep
i. You use sleep every day.
ii. You use sleep most days.
iii. You never use sleep.
D. Hibernate
i. You use hibernate daily.
ii. You use hibernate occasionally.
iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
i. You use hybrid sleep.
ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
iii. You are not sure if it is enabled.
F. Fast startup
i. Fast startup is enabled.
ii. Fast startup is disabled.
iii. You are not sure.
G. Wake credentials
i. You type a password or PIN when waking.
ii. You do not type a password or PIN when waking.
H. Lock screen only
i. You leave the system running and only lock it.
ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
i. Closing the lid puts it to sleep.
ii. Closing the lid hibernates it.
iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
iv. You are not sure.
We can all benefit from each other if you can add additional details
about your hardware age or why you prefer your current routine. nntpresult=Connection Closed Gracefully.
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
I am curious how people actually use Windows 10 and 11 at the end of the
day. Different hardware and different habits lead to very different power state choices, so I would like to better understand what most users do.
This question came up in a technical discussion with Frank about how different usage models lead to different security choices. In my case,
I am on older hardware, so some of my model choices are dictated by the
age of the system. Others may have newer hardware that supports Modern Standby or more reliable wake behavior, which changes their routine.
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you prefer on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
ii. You shut down most days.
iii. You shut down only when needed.
B. Restart
i. You restart daily.
ii. You restart only for updates.
iii. You rarely restart.
C. Sleep
i. You use sleep every day.
ii. You use sleep most days.
iii. You never use sleep.
D. Hibernate
i. You use hibernate daily.
ii. You use hibernate occasionally.
iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
i. You use hybrid sleep.
ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
iii. You are not sure if it is enabled.
F. Fast startup
i. Fast startup is enabled.
ii. Fast startup is disabled.
iii. You are not sure.
G. Wake credentials
i. You type a password or PIN when waking.
ii. You do not type a password or PIN when waking.
H. Lock screen only
i. You leave the system running and only lock it.
ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
i. Closing the lid puts it to sleep.
ii. Closing the lid hibernates it.
iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
iv. You are not sure.
We can all benefit from each other if you can add additional details about your hardware age or why you prefer your current routine.
nntpresult=Connection Closed Gracefully.
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
I am curious how people actually use Windows 10 and 11 at the end of the
day. Different hardware and different habits lead to very different power state choices, so I would like to better understand what most users do.
I would like to better understand what most users do.
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you prefer
on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
B. Restart
i. You restart daily.
ii. You restart only for updates.
C. Sleep
i. You use sleep every day.
D. Hibernate
iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
F. Fast startup
ii. Fast startup is disabled.
G. Wake credentials
ii. You do not type a password or PIN when waking.
H. Lock screen only
ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
i. Closing the lid puts it to sleep.
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
On 01/23/2026 9:15 AM, Maria Sophia wrote:
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
I am curious how people actually use Windows 10 and 11 at the end of the
day. Different hardware and different habits lead to very different power
state choices, so I would like to better understand what most users do.
This question came up in a technical discussion with Frank about how
different usage models lead to different security choices. In my case,
I am on older hardware, so some of my model choices are dictated by the
age of the system. Others may have newer hardware that supports Modern
Standby or more reliable wake behavior, which changes their routine.
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you
prefer on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot
really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
ii. You shut down most days.
iii. You shut down only when needed.
B. Restart
i. You restart daily.
ii. You restart only for updates.
iii. You rarely restart.
C. Sleep
i. You use sleep every day.
ii. You use sleep most days.
iii. You never use sleep.
D. Hibernate
i. You use hibernate daily.
ii. You use hibernate occasionally.
iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
i. You use hybrid sleep.
ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
iii. You are not sure if it is enabled.
F. Fast startup
i. Fast startup is enabled.
ii. Fast startup is disabled.
iii. You are not sure.
G. Wake credentials
i. You type a password or PIN when waking.
ii. You do not type a password or PIN when waking.
H. Lock screen only
i. You leave the system running and only lock it.
ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
i. Closing the lid puts it to sleep.
ii. Closing the lid hibernates it.
iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
iv. You are not sure.
We can all benefit from each other if you can add additional detailsWhen ever I am going to leave my computers for hours, I run
about your hardware age or why you prefer your current routine.
nntpresult=Connection Closed Gracefully.
C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 0
From a short cut on the tool bar.
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?A. 3
I am curious how people actually use Windows 10 and 11 at the end of the
day. Different hardware and different habits lead to very different power state choices, so I would like to better understand what most users do.
This question came up in a technical discussion with Frank about how different usage models lead to different security choices. In my case,
I am on older hardware, so some of my model choices are dictated by the
age of the system. Others may have newer hardware that supports Modern Standby or more reliable wake behavior, which changes their routine.
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you prefer
on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
ii. You shut down most days.
iii. You shut down only when needed.
B. Restart
i. You restart daily.
ii. You restart only for updates.
iii. You rarely restart.
C. Sleep
i. You use sleep every day.
ii. You use sleep most days.
iii. You never use sleep.
D. Hibernate
i. You use hibernate daily.
ii. You use hibernate occasionally.
iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
i. You use hybrid sleep.
ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
iii. You are not sure if it is enabled.
F. Fast startup
i. Fast startup is enabled.
ii. Fast startup is disabled.
iii. You are not sure.
G. Wake credentials
i. You type a password or PIN when waking.
ii. You do not type a password or PIN when waking.
H. Lock screen only
i. You leave the system running and only lock it.
ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
i. Closing the lid puts it to sleep.
ii. Closing the lid hibernates it.
iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
iv. You are not sure.
We can all benefit from each other if you can add additional details about your hardware age or why you prefer your current routine. nntpresult=Connection Closed Gracefully.
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you
prefer on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot
really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
B. Restart
i. You restart daily.
C. Sleep
iii. You never use sleep.
D. Hibernate
iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
F. Fast startup
iii. You are not sure.
G. Wake credentials
i. You type a password or PIN when booting.
H. Lock screen only
ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
On Sat-24-Jan-2026 3:15 am, Maria Sophia wrote:
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you
prefer on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot
really fast).
A. Full shutdown
? i. You shut down every day.
B. Restart
? i. You restart daily.
C. Sleep
? iii. You never use sleep.
D. Hibernate
? iii. You never use hibernate.
E. Hybrid sleep
? ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
F. Fast startup
? iii. You are not sure.
G. Wake credentials
? i. You type a password or PIN when booting.
H. Lock screen only
? ii. You do not use this method.
I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
? iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
....
If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you prefer
on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot really fast).
A. Full shutdown
i. You shut down every day.
ii. You shut down most days.
iii. You shut down only when needed.
....
We can all benefit from each other if you can add additional details about your hardware age or why you prefer your current routine. nntpresult=Connection Closed Gracefully.
I always shut down my desktop PC as well as switching power to the PC
off!! Basically all electronics in my room is powered off, not even in
soft standby mode.
On Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:09:35 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
I always shut down my desktop PC as well as switching power to the PC >off!! Basically all electronics in my room is powered off, not even in >soft standby mode.
I shut down my desktop PC when I need to do some work inside, which
seems to be less than once a year lately. I reboot it 2, maybe 3, times
per year, after installing updates.
I can't remember the last time I shut down my laptop. I use sleep or hibernate, depending on the circumstances. Like the desktop, the laptop
gets rebooted 2-3 times a year.
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:09:35 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang"
<toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
I always shut down my desktop PC as well as switching power to the PC >>>off!! Basically all electronics in my room is powered off, not even in >>>soft standby mode.
I shut down my desktop PC when I need to do some work inside, which
seems to be less than once a year lately. I reboot it 2, maybe 3, times
per year, after installing updates.
I can't remember the last time I shut down my laptop. I use sleep or
hibernate, depending on the circumstances. Like the desktop, the laptop
gets rebooted 2-3 times a year.
Can you please stop being sensible!? :-) Don't you know that Windows systems must be shutdown/rebooted at least once a day and preferably
more often.
Hi Frank Slootweg,
For what it is worth, my "sensible" situation (like that of many on this newsgroup) is that I don't throw away hardware that has worked for years.
My decisions are dictated, in part, by my hardware, where my desktop is
from around 2009 and therefore it cannot support Windows 11, S0 low power idle, or any of the newer sleep/hibernate mechanisms. The firmware in my desktop only exposes S1 and S3, and hibernation is not available at all.
Modern systems use S0 Low Power Idle (Modern Standby), which the firmware
on my desktop (and that of many on this newsgroup) does not support.
Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:09:35 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang"
<toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
I always shut down my desktop PC as well as switching power to the PC
off!! Basically all electronics in my room is powered off, not even in
soft standby mode.
I shut down my desktop PC when I need to do some work inside, which
seems to be less than once a year lately. I reboot it 2, maybe 3, times
per year, after installing updates.
I can't remember the last time I shut down my laptop. I use sleep or
hibernate, depending on the circumstances. Like the desktop, the laptop
gets rebooted 2-3 times a year.
Can you please stop being sensible!? :-) Don't you know that Windows
systems must be shutdown/rebooted at least once a day and preferably
more often.
I'm not talking about any 'modern' power states, like Modern Standby,
but like old-fashioned Sleep (S3), which you do have, and old-fashioned >Hibernate (S4).
You say that you don't have Hibernate, but I think it's more likely
you have not enabled Hibernate or/and do not have a hiberfil.sys file.
Hibernate exists since decades, so it's unlikely that a 2009 machine
doesn't have it.
Anyway, with just Sleep most things - except RAM - should power down
or go to a low-power state, ready to resume all your active programs in >seconds (if that) instead of the time you now need to get a coffee.
But how you use your system is your choice and your choice only.
My little sting about being sensible was just in jest (hence the
smiley). Many people shutdown their systems for no reason. They just
think that's the way to do it and do not realize what their options are.
When I'm going to use my computer, I don't have to turn it on, I don't
have to boot it, I don't have to wait for Windows to fully start, I don't >have to wait for a sign-on to finish to the Desktop and I don't have to
wait to restart all my programs/windows. I just tap the keyboard or the >'mouse' and am back where I left off, in a few seconds (if that much).
It's notable that people Char and I, who are used to (also) work with
laptops, use the sleep/hibernate mechanisms, while people who only
use(d) 'desktops' have a strong tendency to shutdown/turn-off at the end
of the day and turn-on/boot_etc. in the morning.
[...]
On 25 Jan 2026 19:01:27 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid>
wrote:
I'm not talking about any 'modern' power states, like Modern Standby,
but like old-fashioned Sleep (S3), which you do have, and old-fashioned
Hibernate (S4).
You say that you don't have Hibernate, but I think it's more likely
you have not enabled Hibernate or/and do not have a hiberfil.sys file.
Hibernate exists since decades, so it's unlikely that a 2009 machine
doesn't have it.
Anyway, with just Sleep most things - except RAM - should power down
or go to a low-power state, ready to resume all your active programs in
seconds (if that) instead of the time you now need to get a coffee.
What I do notice is that if I leave my desktop computer (running Win
XP) for a couple of hours, it goes to sleep, orn at lease the screen
goes off, but I just have to move the mounse to wake it up.
When my Win 10 laptop goes to sleep because I haven't used it for a
couple of hours, it won't wake up by just moving the mouse -- I have
to start it up again before shutting it down -- like when I go off to
watch TV for a couple of hours and decide to go to bed rather than
continue working, I have to effectivle start the laptop up and log in
before I can stop it.
I shut down my desktop and laptop at least once a day, when I go to
bed at night, and I switch them off at the wall plug, mainly to keep
my electricity bill down. Even when the machines themselves are not
running, the transformers consume electricity if not switched off or unplugged.
My desktop computer has a couple of hard disks, and I have a funny
feeling that if I leave it running all the time, even when I'm not
using it, the bearings will wear out faster.
Frank Slootweg wrote:
My decisions are dictated, in part, by my hardware, where my desktop is
from around 2009 and therefore it cannot support Windows 11, S0 low
power
idle, or any of the newer sleep/hibernate mechanisms. The firmware in my >>> desktop only exposes S1 and S3, and hibernation is not available at all. >>>
Modern systems use S0 Low Power Idle (Modern Standby), which the
firmware
on my desktop (and that of many on this newsgroup) does not support.
I'm not talking about any 'modern' power states, like Modern Standby,
but like old-fashioned Sleep (S3), which you do have, and old-fashioned
Hibernate (S4).
You say that you don't have Hibernate, but I think it's more likely
you have not enabled Hibernate or/and do not have a hiberfil.sys file.
Hibernate exists since decades, so it's unlikely that a 2009 machine
doesn't have it.
Anyway, with just Sleep most things - except RAM - should power down
or go to a low-power state, ready to resume all your active programs in
seconds (if that) instead of the time you now need to get a coffee.
But how you use your system is your choice and your choice only.
My little sting about being sensible was just in jest (hence the
smiley). Many people shutdown their systems for no reason. They just
think that's the way to do it and do not realize what their options are.
When I'm going to use my computer, I don't have to turn it on, I don't
have to boot it, I don't have to wait for Windows to fully start, I don't
have to wait for a sign-on to finish to the Desktop and I don't have to
wait to restart all my programs/windows. I just tap the keyboard or the
'mouse' and am back where I left off, in a few seconds (if that much).
It's notable that people Char and I, who are used to (also) work with
laptops, use the sleep/hibernate mechanisms, while people who only
use(d) 'desktops' have a strong tendency to shutdown/turn-off at the end
of the day and turn-on/boot_etc. in the morning.
Hi Frank,
Thanks for requesting me to clarify my situation with this particular
machine with respect to whether hibernation is possible if desired.
Here is my "powercfg -a" output:
Runbox > cmd {ctrl+shft+rtn} > UAC > Yes
powercfg -a The following sleep states are available on thissystem:
Standby (S1 S3)
The following sleep states are not available on this system:
Standby (S2)
The system firmware does not support this standby state.
Hibernate
Hibernation has not been enabled.
Standby (S0 Low Power Idle)
The system firmware does not support this standby state.
Hybrid Sleep
Hibernation is not available.
Fast Startup
Hibernation is not available.
At first, I interpreted that to mean Hibernation is not possible, but in reality, after deeper inspection, that hibernation line is ambiguous unless
I test further, because Windows uses that same wording at different times.
A. Hibernate exists but is disabled because hiberfil.sys is missing
B. Hibernate does not exist because the firmware does not expose S4
To know for sure, at an admin prompt, I tried to turn it on:
powercfg /hibernate onHibernation failed with the following error: There is not
enough space on the disk.
The following items are preventing hibernation on this system.
The system could not create the hibernation file. The
specific error code is 0xc000007f.
So, as you kindly had suggested, hibernate does exist on my machine.
Windows attempted to enable it, and the firmware did not block it.
If the firmware did not support S4, I would have seen:
"The system firmware does not support hibernation."
Instead, Windows tried to create hiberfil.sys and failed due to disk space. The error code 0xc000007f is STATUS_DISK_FULL.
Since I have 16GB of RAM, about 16 GB of free space is required for a full hibernation file, whereas a fast-startup reduced hibernation file might
only require about 40% of my RAM (or 6.4GB free space on the C: drive).
All machines except the daily driver are off.
Nothing ever enters sleep state or hibernate state.
Nothing can Fast Startup, with no hiberfile.
I shut down my desktop and laptop at least once a day, when I go to
bed at night, and I switch them off at the wall plug, mainly to keep
my electricity bill down. Even when the machines themselves are not
running, the transformers consume electricity if not switched off or unplugged.
My desktop computer has a couple of hard disks, and I have a funny
feeling that if I leave it running all the time, even when I'm not
using it, the bearings will wear out faster.
Hi Frank,[...]
Thanks for requesting me to clarify my situation with this particular
machine with respect to whether hibernation is possible if desired.
Here is my "powercfg -a" output:
Runbox > cmd {ctrl+shft+rtn} > UAC > Yes
Hibernate
Hibernation has not been enabled.
To know for sure, at an admin prompt, I tried to turn it on:
powercfg /hibernate onHibernation failed with the following error:
There is not enough space on the disk.
The following items are preventing hibernation on this system.
The system could not create the hibernation file.
The specific error code is 0xc000007f.
So, as you kindly had suggested, hibernate does exist on my machine. Windows attempted to enable it, and the firmware did not block it.
Since I have 16GB of RAM, about 16 GB of free space is required for a full hibernation file, whereas a fast-startup reduced hibernation file might
only require about 40% of my RAM (or 6.4GB free space on the C: drive).
But when I tried to run reduced hibernation just now, I got an error:
powercfg /hibernate /type reducedA device attached to the system is not functioning.
This is not the same as the earlier disk-full error.
This is a device-level failure.
The most logical reason might be a driver or device reports that it cannot enter S4 such as an older storage controller or other device that blocks S4 but looking it up shows that it could be a GPU driver that does not support hibernation or a BIOS ACPI table that is incomplete, or something else.
I'm not going to dig further (because I don't want hibernation anyway),
but I do thank you for asking me to dig deeper to confirm it does exist.
Hi Frank,
Thanks for requesting me to clarify my situation with this particular
machine with respect to whether hibernation is possible if desired.
Here is my "powercfg -a" output:
Runbox > cmd {ctrl+shft+rtn} > UAC > Yes
powercfg -a The following sleep states are available on thissystem:
Standby (S1 S3)
The following sleep states are not available on this system:
Standby (S2)
The system firmware does not support this standby state.
Hibernate
Hibernation has not been enabled.
Standby (S0 Low Power Idle)
The system firmware does not support this standby state.
Hybrid Sleep
Hibernation is not available.
Fast Startup
Hibernation is not available.
At first, I interpreted that to mean Hibernation is not possible, but in reality, after deeper inspection, that hibernation line is ambiguous unless
I test further, because Windows uses that same wording at different times.
A. Hibernate exists but is disabled because hiberfil.sys is missing
B. Hibernate does not exist because the firmware does not expose S4
To know for sure, at an admin prompt, I tried to turn it on:
powercfg /hibernate onHibernation failed with the following error: There is not
enough space on the disk.
The following items are preventing hibernation on this system.
The system could not create the hibernation file. The specific error code is 0xc000007f.
So, as you kindly had suggested, hibernate does exist on my machine.
Windows attempted to enable it, and the firmware did not block it.
Since I have 16GB of RAM, about 16 GB of free space is required for a full hibernation file, whereas a fast-startup reduced hibernation file might
only require about 40% of my RAM (or 6.4GB free space on the C: drive).
But when I tried to run reduced hibernation just now, I got an error:
powercfg /hibernate /type reducedA device attached to the system is not functioning.
This is not the same as the earlier disk-full error.
This is a device-level failure.
The most logical reason might be a driver or device reports that it cannot enter S4 such as an older storage controller or other device that blocks S4 but looking it up shows that it could be a GPU driver that does not support hibernation or a BIOS ACPI table that is incomplete, or something else.
Testing which devices can be configured for wake we find a half dozen:
powercfg -devicequery wake_programmableHID-compliant consumer control device (001)
HID Keyboard Device (001)
HID-compliant mouse
HID-compliant system controller
Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
HID-compliant consumer control device (004)
Testing what devices are allowed to wake the system, we find 3 of them:
powercfg -devicequery wake_armedHID Keyboard Device (001)
HID-compliant mouse
Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
One by one I could disable each of those devices, and then re-try reduced hibernation, but this doesn't change that the system is unstable with it.
Personally, my use model fits me just fine where I shut down the system,
and separately I power down my astoundingly huge but old monitor each
night. In the morning, I power up the computer and go make myself a coffee.
While it works for me, the point of this thread was to survey what works
for other people, where our combined city/highway mileage may vary
depending on what works best with our particular system components.
I'm not going to dig further (because I don't want hibernation anyway),
but I do thank you for asking me to dig deeper to confirm it does exist.
On 1/23/2026 10:37 PM, Paul wrote:
All machines except the daily driver are off.
Nothing ever enters sleep state or hibernate state.
Nothing can Fast Startup, with no hiberfile.
Modern day wireless technology is absolutely terrifying. You just cannot let machines stay on **unattended**! ;)
Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
I'm not going to dig further (because I don't want hibernation anyway),
but I do thank you for asking me to dig deeper to confirm it does exist.
Quite understandable, no point spending too much time on something
you're not going to use.
It would be interesting to see if sleep (manual or timed) works on
your system and if so, which parts of the system are (not) powered down,
i.e. when sleeping, is the monitor off/blank? are the disks not
spinning? is the fan not spinning?, etc.. Normally only the power supply should be up a bit, in order to maintain the content of the RAM.
Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:
[...]
I shut down my desktop and laptop at least once a day, when I go to
bed at night, and I switch them off at the wall plug, mainly to keep
my electricity bill down. Even when the machines themselves are not
running, the transformers consume electricity if not switched off or
unplugged.
If the system sleeps, it should use very little power, only for
maintaining the content of RAM.
If the system is hibernated, it uses even less or no power. Paul can probably tell for a desktop which part(s), if any, still use power. The laptop does not use any power, which you can prove by taking out the
battery (if that can be (somewhat easily) removed. After re-inserting
the battery (after a couple of hours) and shorthy pressing the power
button, the laptop will resume where you left off.
My desktop computer has a couple of hard disks, and I have a funny
feeling that if I leave it running all the time, even when I'm not
using it, the bearings will wear out faster.
Both with sleep and hibernate the disks should stop.
For details, see the settings in the Power Options applet (Control
Panel -> Power Options -> Change plan settings -> Change advanced power settings).
Bottom line: Do as you please, but don't do things a certain way for
the wrong reasons, i.e. in this case (no) electicity use and (no) disk
wear.
On Sun, 1/25/2026 10:51 PM, Steve Hayes wrote:
Summary: On balance, the answer is to turn it off,
I shut down my desktop and laptop at least once a day, when I go to
bed at night, and I switch them off at the wall plug, mainly to keep
my electricity bill down. Even when the machines themselves are not
running, the transformers consume electricity if not switched off or
unplugged.
My desktop computer has a couple of hard disks, and I have a funny
feeling that if I leave it running all the time, even when I'm not
using it, the bearings will wear out faster.
but not for any particular/strong reason.
On 1/23/2026 10:37 PM, Paul wrote:
All machines except the daily driver are off.
Nothing ever enters sleep state or hibernate state.
Nothing can Fast Startup, with no hiberfile.
Modern day wireless technology is absolutely terrifying. You just cannot
let machines stay on **unattended**! ;)
On Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:28:08 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
On 1/23/2026 10:37 PM, Paul wrote:
All machines except the daily driver are off.
Nothing ever enters sleep state or hibernate state.
Nothing can Fast Startup, with no hiberfile.
Modern day wireless technology is absolutely terrifying. You just cannot
let machines stay on **unattended**! ;)
What is it about modern wireless technology that terrifies you?
I'm wondering if I should be terrified, too. (OK, not really.)
Man-wai is worried about his supply of microwave popcorn, gettingAnd don't forget about data security! Leaving your wireless devices
popped when he isn't looking :-)
The last report I saw on bioactivity of radio waves, was around
300MHz. There seems to be a correlation between smartphone usage
(held against the ear) and glial tumors in the head.
On 1/27/2026 1:48 PM, Paul wrote:
Man-wai is worried about his supply of microwave popcorn, getting
popped when he isn't looking :-)
The last report I saw on bioactivity of radio waves, was around
300MHz. There seems to be a correlation between smartphone usage
(held against the ear) and glial tumors in the head.
And don't forget about data security! Leaving your wireless devices powered on, online and unattended is not wise.
Come to think of it, so does every bluetooth device. And every phone.
And every computer too! What's going on here. Why is there even a switch?
Why do they add such strange switches if we never need to turn it off?
<https://thingsyoudidntknow.com/nsa-says-this-is-how-often-you-should-turn-off-your-phone/> :)
The security then, would depend on when you bought your WPA3-equipped device.
Bluetooth was also a swiss cheese at one time, full of holes,
but they added some sort of encryption. It may not be as
bad now, as it was a while ago.
I think generally, our electronics are only as
good as the effort put in by the manufacturer,
and ... that's a problem. Finding holes in a standard
is one thing, having back doors in equipment is quite
another.
It likely goes back to the early history of 802.11 when power consumption
and RF interference were real problems on laptops.
....
Dunno. But that is my off-the-cuff first "serious" attempt (i.e., no longer just joking) at answering the question posed as to why the on/off is there.
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