Power Saving Features: Suspend and Standby

Resolving Power Management Problems on x86-based Systems
Putting your computer on standby or in hibernation requires firmware that uses Advanced Power Management (APM), or preferably, that is ACPI compliant. To avoid problems, review your system documentation or the manufacturer's support Web page for information about determining whether your firmware is current. Using updated firmware is especially important when you use ACPI functionality.

To determine whether your system is using ACPI features
In the Run dialog box, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
In the console tree, expand the Computer folder.
If the computer description includes ACPI Windows XP Professional is using ACPI functionality.
To determine if your computer supports hibernate and standby features
In the Run dialog box, type powercfg.cpl, and then click OK.
In the Power Options Properties dialog box, verify that a Hibernate tab exists. If present, select the Hibernate tab, check the Enable hibernation box, and click Apply.
In the Power Options Properties dialog box, verify that an Advanced tab exists. If present, verify that Standby and Hibernate are selectable options in the Power buttons drop down lists.
If the Standby and Hibernate options are not present, then your computer does not support these features.

Symptoms of Power Management Problems and Their Causes
When a computer is entering or leaving hibernation or standby, the following might occur:

It displays an error message such as "Unable to enter Standby mode," or the option to configure the standby or hibernation feature is not available in Control Panel.
It cannot leave standby or hibernation.
It runs differently after leaving hibernation or standby, and you notice audio, mouse control, or video distortion problems.
It displays Stop messages, such as 0x0000009F: DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE, when the system is leaving or entering standby or hibernation.
Typical causes include:

Your hardware does not properly support standby and hibernation.
Verify with your computer or peripheral manufacturer that your hardware supports standby or hibernation. Older hardware might not be ACPI-compliant or might predate recent revisions in the Advanced Power Management standard.

Your system firmware is out-of-date.
Upgrading to the latest system firmware can resolve problems, especially for ACPI systems. For x86-based systems that are equipped with an APM-based (non-ACPI) BIOS, disabling APM might eliminate startup problems, such as instability or Stop errors, until you can obtain an update.

For more information, see MS article Q237673, "How to Troubleshoot STOP Error Messages After Enabling Advanced Power Management," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
To find this article, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

Your peripheral firmware is out-of-date.
Peripherals are typically packaged with diagnostic software that allows you to check the firmware version installed. You can then visit the manufacturer's Web site to determine whether an upgrade is necessary. Firmware updates for various devices, including SCSI adapters, modems, CD and DVD-ROM drives, and video cards, might be available. If you find updates for several devices, install them one at a time to better observe the effect of each update.

You are using outdated driver files that do not support power management.
Using out-of-date drivers might cause incompatibility problems, preventing the system from entering or resuming from standby and hibernation. Be sure to check for the latest Windows XP Professional updates to all your devices (especially audio and video). If you find updates for several devices, observe the rule of simplicity and install them one at a time to better observe the effect of each update.

You are using incompatible software that installs components that either interfere with or do not support power management. Are incompatible versions of software present on your system? For example, CD-ROM mastering software meant for other versions of Windows might appear to function properly in Windows XP Professional. However, the software might be the source of a message similar to the following:
System Standby Failed. The device driver for the 'XXXX CD-RW' device is preventing the computer from entering standby. Please close all applications and try again.

The preceding message might be misleading because the problem might not be caused by the CD rewriter driver. You query the Microsoft Knowledge Base or review messages on the msnews.microsoft.com newsgroups and find recommendations to update your CD authoring software. Following this advice, you install a Windows XP compatible update, which restores the ability to put the computer on standby and in hibernation.

Recovering from a Failed Standby
When a computer is on standby, the CPU enters a low-power state until an event, such as user or network activity, causes the computer to come out of standby. Using standby conserves power and is typically much faster than shutting down and restarting the computer.

If your computer cannot return to normal mode after being on standby, try the following:

Disconnect any devices that you attached after putting the computer on standby. Avoid plugging in devices while the computer is on standby. For best results, bring the computer out of standby first, and then attach peripherals, such as universal serial bus (USB) devices.
Avoid major changes to the computer's state after putting the computer on standby. For example, if you place an undocked portable computer on standby, avoid resuming the computer while it is docked. Computers that are not ACPI-compliant might be more sensitive to this type of state change.
Reset your computer. If your computer does not restart when you press the reset switch, turn the computer off by pressing the power switch. Some computers require that you press down the power switch for at least four seconds. If your computer does not respond to the power switch, consult your owner's manual to determine how to completely turn off the computer.
Improper shutdowns might cause unsaved data to be lost. Windows XP Professional can detect whether an improper shutdown occurred and might start Autochk to correct file system problems during the startup process. For more information about Autochk and Chkdsk, see "Troubleshooting Disks and File Systems" in this book.

Recovering from a Failed Hibernation
When you put a computer in hibernation, Windows XP Professional writes all memory content to the systemdrive\Hiberfil.sys file before shutting down the system. When you turn the computer back on, Ntldr uses firmware calls to locate the startup disk. If Ntldr finds a Hiberfil.sys file on the systemdrive root, the information is read back into memory and the computer resumes exactly where it left off without going through a full startup sequence. If the Windows loader cannot locate the Hiberfil.sys file, it processes the Boot.ini file and proceeds with normal startup.

The Hiberfil.sys file can exist in one of the following forms:

A complete memory image several megabytes in size (equal to the amount of physical memory).
A text file named Hiberfil.sys that uses a slightly modified ARC format pointing to the boot partition of the last hibernated operating system. That boot partition contains the actual Hiberfil.sys file, which is a full memory image of the hibernating operating system.
In either case, Ntldr locates and reads the Hiberfil.sys memory image and continues without displaying the Boot.ini startup menu.

The modified ARC path specified in the Hiberfil.sys file conforms to one of the following formats:

linkmulti(W)disk(X)rdisk(Y)partition(Z)
linkscsi(W)disk(X)rdisk(Y)partition(Z)
linksignature(V)disk(X)rdisk(Y)partition(Z)
Ntldr checks the integrity of the Hiberfil.sys file and if the file is damaged, displays a prompt similar to the following:

Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot menu

If you confirm the prompt by pressing ENTER, Windows XP Professional deletes the Hiberfil.sys file and proceeds with normal startup.

To minimize problems, avoid major changes to the computer's state after putting the computer in hibernation. For example, if you hibernate an undocked portable computer, avoid starting the computer in a docked state. Computers that are not ACPI-compliant might be more sensitive to this type of state change.

For more information about using the standby and hibernate features, see Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center. For more information about power management, see "Managing Devices" and "Supporting Mobile Users" in this book. For more information about troubleshooting standby or hibernation issues, see article Q266169, "Troubleshoot Problems with Standby Mode, Hibernate Mode, and Shutting Down Your Computer in Windows 2000," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. To find this article, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

gemarti:

Two Words: Crikey Moses!!! That was a lot of reading.

I don't mean to sound rude, but i'm not sure how well you read my question. I tried the things in the second paragraph....

1)devmgmt.msc....when expanded, the computer tree says APCI Uniprocessor PC

2)powercfg.cpl....i already mentioned in my question that there was no option for hibernate (be it a tab, toggle button etc)

I know for a fact my bios has been updated.

And as for recovering from a failed standby/hibernation...well, i wish i could standby/hibernate so i could fail and use your advice!

and as i said, these features worked in ME....so i dunno....

>>I have looked at the Power Options in the control panel (a friend suggested there was a check box for suspend mode in there). Alas! there is no option.

Everything you could ever wish to know about power management troubleshooting was posted above.

I don't mean to sound argumentative but, since you can't find the checkbox the problem is with your BIOS. Regardless of your claims the operating system will NOT display the power configuration options to allow the system to go into hibernation  or standby if the BIOS does not have Power Management Setup correctly.

Power Options overview
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/pwrmn_managing_power.asp

Windows XP and Advanced Power Management (APM) Support
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307525

"This will cause problems with the OS rebooting the machine."

Very interesting you should say that...sometimes when i shut down my computer restarts itself. i though that must have been some wiring thing, but i'll give those sites a look and see what i come up with....thanks for that, i'll keep you posted

Gemarti:

Thank you for the link http://www.theeldergeek.com/clean_installation_of_windows_xp.htm

It explained a few things.... here's what i did...

1) reinstalled XP. Nothing happened (ie. option for suspend did not appear)
2) booted into win98 and flashed BIOS
3) freaked out because of some CMOS checksum error (thank god for dual bios)
4) installed XP again (technically a recovery/install)
5) rebooted XP, still no option for suspend
6) installed all the drivers for my video card, motherboard etc
7) went to restart and lo and behold the suspend option was there!!!

So buggered if i know what happened but the main point it...IT'S THERE NOW!!! YAAAAY!!!

but now i have another problem in relation to xp which i'll post very shortly!!

Thank you very much indeed.

Gonzaria

Thank you.

Comment from gemarti
Date: 11/15/2003 05:49AM EST

I want to make it clear that the source of the information I posted above was from:  

XP Resource Kit Documentation
© 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The links in the post also direct you to the resource kit documentation information.