How to Fix a Hibernating Gateway Laptop

Hibernation reduces power consumption from an idle, brightly lit Gateway laptop LCD screen.

Hibernation is a type of sleep mode and it can cause your Gateway laptop to intermittently shut down. Gateway uses Microsoft Windows on many of its computer systems, and power management is generally the same across most of the company's PCs. If you have never bothered to explore and change the factory default hibernation settings in the operating system, then this unexpected hibernation mode can cause frustration when you return to a powered down laptop. You can fix this problem by simply reviewing and changing your current hibernation settings.

Instructions

1. Click "Start" (circular "Microsoft Windows" logo) in the bottom left corner of the desktop. Type "Power Options" in the search box at the bottom of the Start menu. Press "Enter" to open the Power Options window.

2. Click "Change When the Computer Sleeps" in the left pane of the window, transitioning to the "Edit Plan Settings" page.

3. Find the "Put the Computer to Sleep" section. Open the drop-down menus under "On Battery" and "Plugged In" to see your available options.

4. Select "Never" on each menu to stop the Gateway laptop from hibernating, whether you are drawing power from the battery or wall outlet. To increase or decrease the idle time before the laptop goes into hibernation mode, change to another timeframe, such as "30 Minutes" for battery and "1 Hour" when the laptop is plugged in to an outlet.

5. Click the "Save Changes" button to save your hibernation preferences. Close the Power Options window.

Tips & Warnings

• If the "Hibernate" button is missing from the Shut Down menu, you can restore this option. Click "Start" and type "CMD" in the search box. Press "Enter." Type the following string in the Command Prompt window: " powercfg.exe /hibernate on ." Press "Enter" and close the window. (see References #3, "Let me fix it myself")

• If you frequently switch between power plans — "Balanced," "High Performance" or "Power Saver" — then you may have to repeat the steps in this article for each plan. After you open the Power Options window, fill in the radio button next to the power plan that you want to adjust for hibernation mode. Then click on "Change When the Computer Sleeps."

• Navigate to the Gateway Support website to download the user's manual specific to your model of laptop.

References

• Gateway Support: My System Shuts Down Intermittently
• Microsoft: Windows 7: Sleep and Hibernation: Frequently Asked Questions
• Microsoft Support: How to Disable and Re-Enable Hibernation on a Computer That is Running Windows

Resources

• Gateway Support: Downloads and Support Documents
• Gateway Support: How Do I Recalibrate the Battery on the Gateway 4000 Series Notebook?
• Gateway Support: Managing Power