hibernation

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week readers wrote in with questions on PDF files appearing black in Safari, whether one can copy the password tools from the OS X installer drives to a working OS X volume, iTunes not reading discs it just burned, and how to tackle a system always going into hibernation instead of sleep mode. We welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Black PDF files in Safari MacFixIt reader … Read more

A computer's sleep process is helpful in a couple of ways. First, it reduces the power consumption of the computer, saving you a few pretty pennies in the long run. Second, it can prevent pieces of your desktop from getting forever burned into your monitor.

When your computer does not enter sleep mode like it's supposed to, it can become rather annoying. Really, who likes a glaring (literally) distraction while watching a movie or having a bright light on in the room when you're trying to sleep. Oh right, nobody. If your computer won't acknowledge its … Read more

Even though your computer is still working, you might not want, or need, to be there while it finishes up the job at hand. PC Sleep is a simple tool that lets you shut down your computer at a specific time or within a specific time frame, so you can set it and walk away.

Installing PC Sleep requires a Dot Net Framework, but the process is simple. While it offers eye-friendly and mouse-friendly features, the small interface is designed to do the job as quickly and efficiently as possible in two basic steps: choosing the action you want to … Read more

Maybe the biggest piece of Microsoft news this week was about Windows 8 startup times. For good reason. It's one of those nuts-and-bolts issues that affects (plagues?) every Windows user. But Windows 7 startup can be pretty snappy too with the right hardware, and it should improve later this year.

Let me begin by saying I am also a little skeptical of Microsoft's claims of eight-second bootup times for Windows 8 (see: Microsoft promises faster startup for Windows 8). My third-generation MacBook Air with a solid-state drive takes about 16 seconds from power-up to the main OS X … Read more

Microsoft, addressing a painful part of using the company's operating system, says Windows 8 starts up 30 percent to 70 percent faster than the same machines running Windows 7.

That's music to my ears.

Alas, I've heard Microsoft say it's speeding up Windows startup so many times over the years that I'm skeptical it'll ever really happen, especially given that part of the responsibility lies with third-party software out of Microsoft's direct control. This time, though, Microsoft is tackling the problem with a more dramatic approach that preserves some of the computer's … Read more

Auto Shutdown Genius provides users with an innovative way to monitor and control the hows and whens of computer shutdowns. This program offers a wide selection of choices that can help customize every user's system.

This program has a very scientific-looking interface. The CPU usage monitor, similar to a heart monitor in a hospital, instantly jumps off the screen. A spiking green line shows a real-time reading of what percentage of the hard drive is being used. Above this area is a list of commands users have operating with the Auto Shutdown Genius, as well as a table of … Read more

In technology, the best indication that you've "arrived" as a company is when you get hit by a patent infringement suit. By this measure, Red Hat, which was just hit by a patent-infringement suit from little-known Software Tree, is ready to join an elite circle of premier software vendors like IBM, Microsoft, and HP, each of which spends a lot of time and money defending against patent lawsuits.

Congratulations, Red Hat. Doesn't it feel great?

This isn't, of course, the first lawsuit that Red Hat has faced. Firestar, IP Innovation, and DataTern have also launched lawsuits against Red Hat, … Read more

Don't let its name fool you; this little utility comes with a wide range of options for not only shutting down, but also for hibernating and restarting your computer at times specified by you.

Easy ShutDown has a very basic user interface. We were disappointed to find that it didn't include a Help feature, but we were able to navigate the program very easily. Using either the menu options or toolbar commands, you can add multiple shutdown actions. When adding a new action, you can opt to activate the action after a certain amount of time, at a … Read more

My Vista laptop kept losing its Internet connection when it came out of sleep mode. It turns out that the problem was related to the Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) Client service, or dhcpcsvc.dll, which tried to rewrite routing information to the network store interface. This caused a failed write operation that deleted the routing information.

Microsoft released the fix for the problem last September, though the patch didn't find its way onto my notebook until several months later. The machine's network link still hiccups for a few seconds when it comes out of sleep mode, but … Read more