Windows’s default standby mode is neither the most effective nor the surest. A slightly hidden option in the settings, however, activates a watch that is both more economical and more secure.
We are extinguishing our digital devices less and less. This is obviously true for smartphones, but also for computers, whether portable or fixed. It must be said that standby rather than extinction has at least two advantages: the computer restarts much faster and we can resume its activity exactly where it had been left.
When you close the hood of your laptop where you can quickly press the button Power From its desktop PC, the computer is also on standby rather than getting off. Very practical, but not the most effective or secure behavior. Because the “classic” Windows watch keeps the complete state of the PC (in particular all open applications with their data in use) in the RAM (RAM), which presents risks and disadvantages.
Unlike long -term storage systems, such as hard drives, USB keys or SSDs, RAM is volatile, which means that it loses all the data it contains as soon as it is no longer supplied with electricity. In fact, when Windows passes in standby, the PC must continue to feed the memory so that it retains its precious content. This power supply consumes energy, which slowly exhausts the battery in the case of a laptop. And when it is empty, or if there is a power outage in the case of a fixed PC, everything is lost!
Windows, however, has a more economical and more reliable standby mode: prolonged watch. This created a complete copy of the computer condition on its long-term storage device (hard drive or SSD) and recharging during restart. All the applications and the current tasks are therefore restored, exactly as with the classic watch, but in addition this mode no longer consumes any energy and the data is not lost in the event of a power outage.
Unfortunately, the prolonged watch is masked by default on Windows 10 and 11. To activate it, go to the Configuration panelchoose the option Value by large iconsthen click on the section Food options and then on Choose the action of the power buttons In the menu on the left. In the window, then click on Change the settings currently not availablethen check the box Prolonged watch and finally click on the button Save changes.
From now on, you will then have access to a new option entitled Prolonged watch When you click on the button Power in the menu To start upor when you use the shortcrush shortcut Alt+F4 on the desk. The prolonged standby outlet is a little longer than that of the classic watch, but faster than the complete start of the computer. And on PCs with an SSD storage system, the difference is completely negligible. The difference is more felt on PCs with a mechanical hard drive (HDD) but these devices are increasingly rare.
However, despite the convenience of the different standby modes, do not forget that it is good to turn off and restart your computer regularly, for example once a week. This makes it possible to finalize the installation of certain updates, to reset background processes and services and to empty certain data covers, which is necessary to maintain a computer in an optimal operating condition.