What is hibernation?
Like sleep, hibernation is a power-saving state. But while sleep typically saves your settings in memory and draws a small amount of power, hibernation saves your open documents and programs to your hard disk and then turns off your computer. Of all the power-saving states in Windows, hibernation uses the least amount of power. To put your computer into hibernation, click the Start button , click the small arrow next to the Lock button , and then click Hibernate. Windows automatically puts a mobile PC into hibernation mode when the computer’s battery grows critically low. On a mobile PC, use hibernation when you know that you won’t use your mobile PC for an extended period and won’t have an opportunity to charge the battery during that time. On most computers, you can resume working by pressing the power button. However, not all computers are the same. You may be able to wake your computer by pressing any key on the keyboard, clicking a mouse button, or opening the lid on a mobile PC.
Animals enter hibernation during winter to conserve energy by going into a deep sleep-like state. Mammals, such as gophers, bears, skunks, raccoons, hamsters, and bats, lower their metabolism and enter a state of torpor, but they are not asleep. With a slowed heart rate and lowered body temperature, these animals have adapted to survive cold winters with little or no sustenance. The dormant state means the hibernating animals minimally eat, drink, move, think, or defecate. Some “deep” hibernators, like bears, never rouse themselves once they are secure in their den. Other animals, especially rodents, frequently come out of hibernation to snack on food they harvested during the summer and fall. Cold-blooded creatures, such as reptiles and amphibians, also can be said to hibernate. But because they are always the same temperature as their surroundings, hibernation means something different. For instance, wood frogs actually freeze solid over winter, while a natural antifreeze, glucose su
