Save time booting up your computer

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One of the most frustrating moments of my morning is getting to work and sitting there for 10 minutes while my computer boots up. Most mornings, I can get a cup of coffee and visit coworkers while my computer starts and Outlook, IE, and the other applications I use regularly open. My wait time is even more frustrating when I have an early meeting and need a document, but spend the first half of the meeting waiting for my computer to start.

One way I’ve learned to save time in the morning is to put my PC into hibernation mode in the evening. By putting my PC into hibernation mode, all the applications and documents I had open will be exactly the same as they were when I left the previous evening. Hibernate saves an image of your desktop with all open files and documents, and then it powers down your computer.

To put your computer in hibernation:

  1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Power Options.

  2. Click the Hibernate tab and tick Enable Hibernation. Click OK.

    Hibernation mode

  3. When you leave your computer, click Start and then Turn Off Computer.

  4. Hold down SHIFT and a new Hibernate option will appear. Click Hibernate.

  5. Your computer will save its state to memory and shut down. When you turn on your computer, your files and documents will open on your desktop exactly as you left them.

This feature saves me about 15 minutes a day in the morning. Give it a try and let me know if it helps you.

—Jason Kozleski