Re: Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate

On 2026-01-23, knuttle <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 01/23/2026 9:15 AM, Maria Sophia wrote:
>> Windows 10 and 11 power state habits: shutdown, sleep or hibernate?
>> 
>> I am curious how people actually use Windows 10 and 11 at the end of the
>> day. Different hardware and different habits lead to very different power
>> state choices, so I would like to better understand what most users do.
>> 
>> This question came up in a technical discussion with Frank about how
>> different usage models lead to different security choices. In my case,
>> I am on older hardware, so some of my model choices are dictated by the
>> age of the system. Others may have newer hardware that supports Modern
>> Standby or more reliable wake behavior, which changes their routine.
>> 
>> If you are willing to share, which of the following options do you 
>> prefer on your Windows PC and why do you prefer it (e.g., SSD's boot 
>> really fast).
>> 
>> A. Full shutdown
>>    i. You shut down every day.
>>    ii. You shut down most days.
>>    iii. You shut down only when needed.

Only when needed.

>> B. Restart
>>    i. You restart daily.
>>    ii. You restart only for updates.
>>    iii. You rarely restart.

Rarely.

>> C. Sleep
>>    i. You use sleep every day.
>>    ii. You use sleep most days.
>>    iii. You never use sleep.

By sleep, do you mean screen saver blanking?
I never use the sleep GUI command.

>> D. Hibernate
>>    i. You use hibernate daily.
>>    ii. You use hibernate occasionally.
>>    iii. You never use hibernate.

I use it on my laptop only.

>> E. Hybrid sleep
>>    i. You use hybrid sleep.
>>    ii. You do not use hybrid sleep.
>>    iii. You are not sure if it is enabled.

Not sure what it is.

>> F. Fast startup
>>    i. Fast startup is enabled.
>>    ii. Fast startup is disabled.
>>    iii. You are not sure.

Fast startup is disabled. It gets confused if there are multiple
bootable hard drives online.

>> G. Wake credentials
>>    i. You type a password or PIN when waking.
>>    ii. You do not type a password or PIN when waking.

I don't think so. Maybe it prompts on a wake up from Hibernate?
 
>> H. Lock screen only
>>    i. You leave the system running and only lock it.
>>    ii. You do not use this method.

No. Both at home and at the office, I do not explicitly lock.
 
>> I. Laptop lid behavior (if you use a laptop)
>>    i. Closing the lid puts it to sleep.
>>    ii. Closing the lid hibernates it.
>>    iii. Closing the lid does nothing.
>>    iv. You are not sure.

Not sure. I think it puts it to sleep (but I rarely boot Windows on my
laptop, it usually boots up in Linux.)
 
>> We can all benefit from each other if you can add additional details 
>> about your hardware age or why you prefer your current routine.
>> nntpresult=Connection Closed Gracefully.
> When ever I am going to leave my computers for hours, I run
>
> C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 0
>
>  From a short cut on the tool bar.

I leave it running (but power off my monitor).
I like to be able to remotely access it with TigerVNC.
-- 
Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California