How to See Available Sleep States on Your Windows 8 PC
Information
This tutorial will explain and show you how to see the available sleep states on your Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1 PC.
System Sleeping States
Only states S1, S2, S3, and S4 are the sleeping states. A system in one of these states is not performing any computational tasks and appears to be off. Unlike a system in the shutdown state (S5), however, a sleeping system retains memory state, either in the hardware or on disk. The operating system need not be rebooted to return the computer to the working state.
Some devices can wake the system from a sleeping state when certain events occur, such as an incoming call to a modem. In addition, on some computers, an external indicator tells the user that the system is merely sleeping.
With each successive sleep state, from S1 to S4, more of the computer is shut down. All ACPI-compliant computers shut off their processor clocks at S1 and lose system hardware context at S4 (unless a hibernate file is written before shutdown), as listed in the sections below. Details of the intermediate sleep states can vary depending on how the manufacturer has designed the machine. For example, on some machines certain chips on the motherboard might lose power at S3, while on others such chips retain power until S4. Furthermore, some devices might be able to wake the system only from S1 and not from deeper sleep states.
System Power State S0
System power state S0 is the working state where your Windows PC is turned on and awake. This is not a sleep state. It has the following characteristics:
System power state S1 is a sleeping state with the following characteristics:
System power state S2 is similar to S1 except that the CPU context and contents of the system cache are lost because the processor loses power. State S2 has the following characteristics:
System power state S3 is a sleeping state with the following characteristics:
System power state S4, the hibernate state, is the lowest-powered sleeping state and has the longest wake-up latency. To reduce power consumption to a minimum, the hardware powers off all devices. Operating system context, however, is maintained in a hibernate file (an image of memory) that the system writes to disk before entering the S4 state. Upon restart, the loader reads this file and jumps to the system's previous, prehibernation location.
If a computer in state S1, S2, or S3 loses all AC or battery power, it loses system hardware context and therefore must reboot to return to S0. A computer in state S4, however, can restart from its previous location even after it loses battery or AC power because operating system context is retained in the hibernate file. A computer in the hibernate state uses no power (with the possible exception of trickle current).
State S4 has the following characteristics:
In the S5, or shutdown, state, the machine has no memory state and is not performing any computational tasks. The only difference between states S4 and S5 is that the computer can restart from the hibernate file in state S4, while restarting from state S5 requires rebooting the system. State S5 has the following characteristics:
Connected Standby (New to Windows 8)
Connected Standby brings the smartphone power model to the PC. It provides an instant on, instant off user experience that users have come to expect on their phone. And just like on the phone, Connected Standby enables the system to stay fresh, up-to-date, and reachable whenever a suitable network is available.
Connected Standby occurs when the system is powered on but the display is off. In this state, the device appears “off” until the user turns it back on. In Connected Standby, the system remains powered on and in the ACPI S0 state the entire time. Connect standby is neither a physical power state nor does it specify deterministic system or hardware power states. Instead it is a logical power state where the user considered the device to be “off” in a similar manner to how a smartphone functions.
When in Connected Standby, applications are automatically suspended so the system is idle. As a result, the platform is able to engage fine-grained power management features in the hardware. The power demands of the platform are low enough to enable the system to remain in Connected Standby for long periods of time.
Windows 8 supports Connected Standby on low-power PCs platforms that meet specific Windows Certification requirements. Systems that are not specifically designed for Connected Standby continue to use the traditional PC power model that is fully supported in Windows 8. Connected Standby is automatically disabled at runtime if any of the following hardware requirements are not met:
System Sleeping States
Only states S1, S2, S3, and S4 are the sleeping states. A system in one of these states is not performing any computational tasks and appears to be off. Unlike a system in the shutdown state (S5), however, a sleeping system retains memory state, either in the hardware or on disk. The operating system need not be rebooted to return the computer to the working state.
Some devices can wake the system from a sleeping state when certain events occur, such as an incoming call to a modem. In addition, on some computers, an external indicator tells the user that the system is merely sleeping.
With each successive sleep state, from S1 to S4, more of the computer is shut down. All ACPI-compliant computers shut off their processor clocks at S1 and lose system hardware context at S4 (unless a hibernate file is written before shutdown), as listed in the sections below. Details of the intermediate sleep states can vary depending on how the manufacturer has designed the machine. For example, on some machines certain chips on the motherboard might lose power at S3, while on others such chips retain power until S4. Furthermore, some devices might be able to wake the system only from S1 and not from deeper sleep states.
System Power State S0
System power state S0 is the working state where your Windows PC is turned on and awake. This is not a sleep state. It has the following characteristics:
- Power consumption Maximum. However, the power state of individual devices can change dynamically as power conservation takes place on a per-device basis. Unused devices can be powered down and powered up as needed.
- Software resumption Not applicable.
- Hardware latency None.
- System hardware context All context is retained.
System power state S1 is a sleeping state with the following characteristics:
- Power consumption Less consumption than in S0 and greater than in the other sleep states. Processor clock is off and bus clocks are stopped.
- Software resumption Control restarts where it left off.
- Hardware latency Typically no more than two seconds.
- System hardware context All context retained and maintained by hardware.
System power state S2 is similar to S1 except that the CPU context and contents of the system cache are lost because the processor loses power. State S2 has the following characteristics:
- Power consumption Less consumption than in state S1 and greater than in S3. Processor is off. Bus clocks are stopped; some buses might lose power.
- Software resumption After wake-up, control starts from the processor's reset vector.
- Hardware latency Two seconds or more; greater than or equal to the latency for S1.
- System hardware context CPU context and system cache contents are lost.
System power state S3 is a sleeping state with the following characteristics:
- Power consumption Less consumption than in state S2. Processor is off and some chips on the motherboard also might be off.
- Software resumption After the wake-up event, control starts from the processor's reset vector.
- Hardware latency Almost indistinguishable from S2.
- System hardware context Only system memory is retained. CPU context, cache contents, and chipset context are lost.
System power state S4, the hibernate state, is the lowest-powered sleeping state and has the longest wake-up latency. To reduce power consumption to a minimum, the hardware powers off all devices. Operating system context, however, is maintained in a hibernate file (an image of memory) that the system writes to disk before entering the S4 state. Upon restart, the loader reads this file and jumps to the system's previous, prehibernation location.
If a computer in state S1, S2, or S3 loses all AC or battery power, it loses system hardware context and therefore must reboot to return to S0. A computer in state S4, however, can restart from its previous location even after it loses battery or AC power because operating system context is retained in the hibernate file. A computer in the hibernate state uses no power (with the possible exception of trickle current).
State S4 has the following characteristics:
- Power consumption Off, except for trickle current to the power button and similar devices.
- Software resumption System restarts from the saved hibernate file. If the hibernate file cannot be loaded, rebooting is required. Reconfiguring the hardware while the system is in the S4 state might result in changes that prevent the hibernate file from loading correctly.
- Hardware latency Long and undefined. Only physical interaction returns the system to the working state. Such interaction might include the user pressing the ON switch or, if the appropriate hardware is present and wake-up is enabled, an incoming ring for the modem or activity on a LAN. The machine can also awaken from a resume timer if the hardware supports it.
- System hardware context None retained in hardware. The system writes an image of memory in the hibernate file before powering down. When the operating system is loaded, it reads this file and jumps to its previous location
In the S5, or shutdown, state, the machine has no memory state and is not performing any computational tasks. The only difference between states S4 and S5 is that the computer can restart from the hibernate file in state S4, while restarting from state S5 requires rebooting the system. State S5 has the following characteristics:
- Power consumption Off, except for trickle current to devices such as the power button.
- Software resumption Boot is required upon awakening.
- Hardware latency Long and undefined. Only physical interaction, such as the user pressing the ON switch, returns the system to the working state. The BIOS can also awaken from a resume timer if the system is so configured.
- System hardware context None retained.
Connected Standby (New to Windows 8)
Connected Standby brings the smartphone power model to the PC. It provides an instant on, instant off user experience that users have come to expect on their phone. And just like on the phone, Connected Standby enables the system to stay fresh, up-to-date, and reachable whenever a suitable network is available.
Connected Standby occurs when the system is powered on but the display is off. In this state, the device appears “off” until the user turns it back on. In Connected Standby, the system remains powered on and in the ACPI S0 state the entire time. Connect standby is neither a physical power state nor does it specify deterministic system or hardware power states. Instead it is a logical power state where the user considered the device to be “off” in a similar manner to how a smartphone functions.
When in Connected Standby, applications are automatically suspended so the system is idle. As a result, the platform is able to engage fine-grained power management features in the hardware. The power demands of the platform are low enough to enable the system to remain in Connected Standby for long periods of time.
Windows 8 supports Connected Standby on low-power PCs platforms that meet specific Windows Certification requirements. Systems that are not specifically designed for Connected Standby continue to use the traditional PC power model that is fully supported in Windows 8. Connected Standby is automatically disabled at runtime if any of the following hardware requirements are not met:
- Firmware flag indicating support for low power idle
- Non-rotational boot volume
- NDIS 6.30 support for all network devices in the system chassis or first-party dock
- Passively cooled when in Connected Standby
Here's How:
1. Open a command prompt.
2. In the command prompt, type the command below, and press Enter.
powercfg -a
3. You will now get a report showing you the sleep states that are available, not available, and not supported on your system.
NOTE: The results below are from a Windows 8.1 laptop and desktop.
That's it,
Shawn
Related Tutorials
- How to Change Power Plan Settings in Windows 8
- How to Enable or Disable Hibernate in Windows 7 and Windows 8
- How to Run a Power Efficiency Diagnostics Report in Windows 7 and Windows 8
- How to Generate a Battery Usage Report in Windows 8
- How to See a List of Devices that are able to Wake Up the Computer
- How to Allow or Prevent Devices to Wake Up Computer
- How to See What Woke Up Your Computer Last
- Read Wake Source Log in Event Viewer for Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
- How to Create a "Slide to Shut down" Shortcut in Windows 8.1
- How to View and Override Power Availability Requests in Windows
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