Originally Posted April 19 2008

Are you tired of waiting forever for your Vista computer to wake-up after it goes to sleep?  Do you wish there was a way that it would just turn-on instantly when the monitor is black?  All you need to do is change the Power Plan.

-In Vista
1. Start (button) > Control Panel
2. Click 'Classic View' for easy reference in the upper left-hand margin
3. Double Click Power Options
4. Click 'Create a power plan'

5. Enter a name for the power plan in the 'Plan name:" field
6. Click Next

-In the Put the computer to sleep:
7. Select Never for On Battery and Plugged in options
Note:
-You want to have your monitor turn-off after some period of time because LCD monitors will burn-in an image over time
-Leaving your hard drive on all the time is not recommended with a laptop computer because it will greatly reduce its battery life
8. Click Create

9. Verify your custom Power Plan is selected
10. Close the window

-Your power plan is now saved and applied to your Vista computer

That's it!

Well, I have been recently asked another fundamental question about Windows - What is the difference between Standby and Hibernate?  You probably already know that both are designed as an energy conservation activity in your computer, but what is the difference between the two?  Here's a simple explanation:

Standby (Think 'Nap'):
When your computer goes into Standby, it will turn-off the power to all devices directly connected to your computer (your hard drive, modem, monitor, etc), but keeps power to your computer's memory.  This allows it to conserve power but to quickly come back when you press the power button.

Hibernate (Think 'Deep Sleep'):
When your computer goes into Hibernate, it will 'take a picture' of all the programs and files you currently have open, save it to a special part of your hard drive, then shut down the power to all parts of the computer.  When you press the power button to wake it up, it will restore power to all parts of the computer then restore your screen according to the programs and files you had open.

You can adjust how and how long it takes for either of these energy saving activities to start in the Power Management section of the Control Panel.

In Windows XP:
1. Start (button) > Control Panel > Power Options
To Customize Standby:
-In the Power Schemes tab
-In the Power schemes field:
2. Select a power scheme profile from the drop-down list
Alternatively, you can:
2. Setup your own power scheme by adjusting the times in the Plugged in and Running on Batteries (if you are using a laptop) profiles.  This might be helpful if you want your laptop to stay on longer before going into Standby
To Customize Hibernate
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Select how you want Hibernate to turn-on from the drop-down lists
5. Click Apply
6. Click OK

In Vista - Standby and Hibernate have been combined
1. Start (button) > Control Panel > Power Options
2. Choose one of the three Power Plans (Balanced, Power Saver, or High Performance)
3. Exit the window
-Your power plan is saved

That's it!