i just got a pc for my birthday. it was working fine until a few days ago. it went into hibernation and the screen went black. i tried following the directions, but i still couldn't get it to work. i'm rather computer illiterate, so i need help....PLEASE!!!
Windows XP computers have four distinct states:
When a computer is on, it's on (okay, pretty obvious there).
When you turn off a computer, active memory is cleared and the computer completely shuts down. When you reboot the computer, the operating system loads fresh and a new session begins. You'll need to reopen any documents or programs you had running.
Standby and hibernate are the most confusing, since each is designed to help conserve energy when the computer is not being used. In standby mode, the computer will keep memory active and shut down non-essential components (like the monitor, hard disk, etc). Resuming from standby is very fast since active memory is retained, and everything you were doing will still be there when you resume.
Hibernate is a lot like shutting the computer off, but has some of the same benefits as the standby mode. When you hibernate, the contents of active memory and your session is cached to the hard drive, and the computer essentially shuts down. It's just like if the computer were turned off. Moving the mouse or pressing a key won't do anything. In order to resume your session, you need to hit the power switch again. The computer won't go through the normal boot process, but it will still take a little time to resume. As it starts up again, it will load your session from the hard drive and resume as if you never left, with your documents and applications still running.
If you have follow up questions, I'd be happy to answer them.