Alienware Sentia 3450 Technical Reference
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System Power Options
You can use the system power options to stop the computer’s operation and restart
where you left off. This system features Stand by and Hibernate sleep mode levels
(Hibernate mode will need to be enabled by clicking the option in the Hibernate tab in
the Power Options control panel - Figure 3 - 2 on page 3 - 7).
Hibernate Mode vs. Shutdown
Hibernate mode and Shutdown are the same in that the system is off and you need to
press the power button to turn it on. Their main difference is:
When you come back from hibernation, you can return to where you last left off (what
was on your desktop) without reopening the application(s) and file(s) you last used.
You can use either method depending on your needs.
Stand by Mode vs. Hibernate Mode
If you want to stay away from your work for just a while, you can put the system on
Stand by instead of in hibernation. It takes a longer time to wake up the system from
Hibernate mode than from Stand by mode.
Stand by
Stand by saves the least amount of power, but takes the shortest time to return to full
operation. During Stand by the hard disk is turned off, and the CPU is made to idle at
its slowest speed. All open applications are retained in memory. When you are not
using your computer for a certain length of time, which you specify in the operating
system, it will enter Stand by mode to save power.
Hibernate
Hibernate uses no power and saves all of your information on a part of the HDD
be¬fore it turns the system off. Although it saves the most power it takes the longest
time to return to full operation. You can set your computer to automatically enter
Hiber¬nate mode when the battery power is almost depleted. You will need to enable
Hi¬bernate mode from the Hibernate tab in the Power Options control panel. The
system will resume from Hibernate mode by pressing the power button.
