Hibernate Windows 2000 in the Air

I've been spending a lot of time using Windows 2000 (Win2K) on a notebook computer, and it's a big improvement over Windows NT 4.0 on a notebook. However, there is a warning in the release notes and the Win2K Help file about not using the new Standby feature while traveling on an airliner. I finally understand why.

Standby is a new option available from Start/Shutdown that puts the system into a very low-power mode but leaves data in RAM. If you use this feature on an airliner, the system can decide to wake up—even when the notebook's lid is closed—which violates federal air regulations requiring all electronic devices to be turned off during takeoff and landing.

Most up-to-date notebook PCs offer a hibernation feature, which you can use as an alternative to Standby. Instead of leaving data in RAM and running the system on low power, Hibernate copies data from RAM to the hard disk and then shuts down the system. On Restart, the process reverses. To enable Hibernate, select Start/Settings, Control Panel. Open the Power Options icon, and select the Hibernate tab (if there isn't a Hibernate tab, then your PC doesn't offer this feature). Check the Enable Hibernate support box, and click Apply. The next time you shut down the PC, you'll find Hibernate listed as an option, along with Standby. Hibernate isn't quite as fast as Standby, but it gets the job done.