What is the difference between sleep mode and hibernate mode?

Question

I have my laptop in sleep mode when I close it.

What is the difference?

Which one is better to use for the long term care of my laptop?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Sleep and hibernate are the same thing.

XP called it hibernate and Vista called it sleep.

They are the same

Answer 2

Sleep mode is when your computer shuts down but the battery slowly drains if it's not plugged in, Hibernate is more like Shut Down only when u boot it back up it has everything u were previously doing...In my opinion Hibernate is better but everyone is different

Answer 3

Hibernate IS a sleep mode

there are 2 sleep modes

standby (which turns off monitor and hard disk)

and

hibernate (which shuts down everything until mouse is moved)

both are sleep modes

Answer 4

i agree with kepster93

it is perfect answer.

Answer 5

Sleep mode suspends your computer into ram, and turns off everything but your ram and fan. Hibernate dumps your ram onto your hard drive, and turns off your system. The key difference is that hibernate uses a lot less power, but takes longer to boot. Personally, I like sleep better, as I only leave it alone or about 1 hour at most, but longer than that hibernate is your better choice.  

Answer 6

if it hibernates it wont wake up until spring.  

Answer 7

Hibernate and sleep is different in both windows XP and Vista so both of them are wrong.

Sleep in vista is just like stand-by mode in XP which is going to shut off the computer screen and go in to low power state to where if you want to resume working you just move the mouse or pushbuttonion on the keyboard and it will wake and also the powbuttonion and power light will flash.

Hibernate is different to where it will save what is on the screen and and shut down but to bring up or resume your work you will have to turn on the computer by the pushing power button and sign back in to the user account aresumeume working.

If you are going to be off the laptop for a short time then put in Sleep mode and if you are going to off of the computer for a longer time then put in hibernate mode. It all depends on  how long you will be off of the laptop. but if you are going to be off the computer for a long long time or for about a more then a couple days and nothing you need to save for when you power up the computer then shut it down by the start menu.  

Answer 8

If I'm sleeping, you can wake me up with good coffee and a bit of a shake.

Hibernation? Requires humping, slapping and a bacon sandwich.

I think computers are the same, but don't quote me on that ;o)