In the context of energy-saving features, Windows from Windows 98 upwards (Windows Vista in the NT product line) offers the possibility to set the system to either standby or hibernation mode (if the latter is activated in the energy options of the control panel). The computer is set to a state in which no energy is consumed, but the session is saved and restored on the next start. Putting a computer into hibernation mode as well as reactivating it will usually take a far shorter time than a complete system shutdown and startup.

Windows configuration

• Click on the Windows Taskbar on the Start button and select "Control Panel".
• Click on the icon "Performance and maintenance" (XP view) and then click "Power options", or directly on "Power options" (classical 2000/ME view).
• Once the dialog box appears, go to the tab "Sleep".
• Here, turn on the check box "Activate hibernation mode".

Hibernate

Switch computer to hibernation mode with a schedule

Z-Cron can be used to set the computer into hibernation mode and optionally wake it up again after a specified period of time. If, for example, the computer should be hibernated from 1:00 to 6:15 o'clock, just create a job with the HIBERNATE command and let Z-Cron start the job at 1:00 o'clock. Set the WakeUp time period to 5 hours and 15 minutes.

The Z-Cron command HIBERNATE also offers the possibility to start a defined task directly after the reactivation from hibernate mode. In the example above, the module Z-ParSwitch (which has been created as Z-Cron job 01) will be started directly after the computer's "wakeup" to switch on some lights in the building, for example.