Hiberfil.sys - what is this? How to remove hiberfil.sys on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Can I uninstall hiberfil.sys

Modern computer technology is quite economical in terms of power consumption, however, the developers of the Windows system made sure that during periods of inactivity of the PC the amount of energy consumed in general was minimized. This is done by transferring the computer into one of three energy-saving modes: sleeping, hibernating or mixed (hybrid).

Basic sleep regimes and the difference between them

Sleeping is called a low-power mode, which does not affect memory modules with the operating data available on them, leaving them active. You can transfer the computer from this mode to the normal state in just a few seconds. A personal computer in sleep mode can be compared to a DVD player paused: in either case, the technician immediately stops the operations that are being performed, but at the same time it can immediately resume its work at the right time.

Hibernation - another energy-saving mode, first appeared in the Windows version of Vista and focused mainly on computer technology, powered by batteries (laptops, netbooks). This mode involves storing all the data from RAM on the hard drive of the personal computer before turning it off in the hiberfil.sys file. When you turn on the device returns to its previous state, including all previously opened applications or programs at the time the computer goes into hibernation mode. The consumed amount of energy in the mode of hibernation is the least of all energy saving modes of Windows, therefore it is recommended to use it in the case of a prolonged inactivity of the personal computer or the inability to recharge the laptop battery.

Mixed, or hybrid, sleep mode is a combination of normal sleep and hibernation. It is designed primarily for desktop PCs, it means saving all open documents and programs in RAM and on the hard disk with the subsequent transition to reduced power consumption. When the hybrid sleep mode is active, the computer automatically switches to it during the transition to sleep mode. Typically, this power saving mode is installed by default on all desktop computers and laptops. Unlike hibernation, in this mode, the computer should not be de-energized, but with unexpected power failure of a personal computer or laptop, data from the disk can be restored.

Hiberfil.sys is responsible for this file and can I delete it?

Let's consider in more detail, what kind of file is hiberfil.sys and what is its role in the operating system. To begin with, we note that the file of interest to us is inseparably linked to the hibernation mode. You ask how? The answer is simple - in the mode of hibernation , the data from the main memory is written to a special file - hiberfil.sys, so the sizes coincide with the capacity of the RAM. Accordingly, by removing it, you can double the amount of RAM. However, it is clear, judging by the extension of hiberfil.sys, that this is a system file, and it will not be possible to delete it simply. Since it is responsible for the operation of the hibernation mode, you must first disable this mode.

Can I turn off Hibernate and how?

Not all users use the hibernation mode, giving instead a preference for a less economical, but faster, sleep mode. Naturally, they may want to disable the hibernation mode to be able to migrate or completely remove hiberfil.sys. This is usually necessary when there is not enough memory on the hard drive, and the file reaches a size of up to 4 GB.

In the case of Windows XP, disabling the hibernation mode is done as follows. First, you need to open the control panel, then select the necessary item "Performance and Maintenance" and click on the icon "Power Supply".

In the window that appears, select the "Hibernate" tab and remove the checkmark (tick) with permission to use this mode. After these actions, the file hiberfil.sys can be unimpeded.

The way to get rid in other OS versions of hiberfil.sys (Windows 7 or Windows 8, for example) is somewhat more complicated and confusing. The first thing to begin with is to turn off the sleep mode. To do this, open the control panel on the computer or laptop and select the "Power" item, and in it go to the settings for the transition to sleep mode.

Next, you need to set all the parameters of the laptop or computer's sleep mode to "never".

After the sleep mode is turned off, it is necessary to open the changes in the additional power settings and turn off all the values in the unfolded "Dream" menu.

In theory, after all these manipulations, it should be possible to delete the file, but in reality there may be a hiberfil.sys error, and the system will continue to issue a message stating that this file is being used by another application. To get out of this situation and still delete the ill-fated file, you can use the command line without forgetting to get administrator rights.

Removing the hiberfil.sys file by using the command line

First of all, open the command line. To do this, enter cmp.exe in the search box. Next, the command prompt opens with administrator rights.
Having opened it, in the appeared window you should enter the command powercfg.exe -hoff and press the Enter key.

After that, you need to enter the Exit command to exit the command line. As a result of the performed actions, the file, most likely, does not even have to be deleted, since it self-destructs. However, if this does not happen, you should delete it manually.

Notepad is another tool for working with hiberfil.sys

Another option to remove in Windows 7 or Windows 8 hiberfil.sys is to use Notepad. This is also done quite simply. First you need to open a notepad, register the command powercfg.exe -hoff in it and save the file with the .txt resolution. After that, change the extension to .bat and run as administrator. As with the command line, the file is deleted.

Delete the hiberfil.sys file using the Windows Registry Editor

If someone wants to use it to remove the hiberfil.sys file in a more non-standard way, then you can use the Windows registry editor . To do this, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Power registry branch and set the HiberFileSizePercent and HibernateEnabled parameter values to zero. Finally, close the Registry Editor window and after all the necessary actions, restart the computer. It is not recommended to use this method for novice users.

Restore hiberfil.sys after removal

If, after some time after removing the hiberfil.sys file, you suddenly need to use the hibernation mode again, you need to restore this file. To do this, perform the following actions:

• Run the command line with administrative rights and enter the command powercfg.exe -hoff into it and press the "Enter" key;
• Open the control panel, go to the section "System and Security", select "Power", and in it go to the configuration of the power plan;
• Further select the changes to the additional power settings and in the unfolded window in all settings of the hibernation mode to set a certain time after which the computer will automatically switch to this mode;
• Click "OK" and close all windows.

After that, you can again use the hibernation mode.

How to transfer hiberfil.sys in Windows 7?

Some users, wanting to free up additional space on the system disk, run across the file hiberfil.sys, removing which, you can significantly increase the amount of free space. However, many are afraid to do this, because it is clear, judging by the extension of hiberfil.sys, that this is a system file. Quite naturally it seems the question of whether it can be transferred to another disk, preserving the possibility of using the hibernation mode and at the same time releasing an additional space on the system disk. Unfortunately, this will not work, because the operating system loader, in which the path to this file is sewn, sees only the main partition where hiberfil.sys should be located.

Conclusion

So, we figured out, hiberfil.sys - what it is, and looked at the basic ways to remove it. Each user must decide for himself how much he needs it. On the one hand, getting rid of this file, you can get a lot of additional space on the C drive, which is always missing. To say this unambiguously: removing hiberfil.sys, which is good, will not work, since there is also a negative side, which concerns first of all notebook owners. Elimination of this file automatically makes it impossible to apply the hibernation mode, which, as mentioned above, was developed, mainly for battery-powered equipment. This mode is extremely convenient to use while traveling, studying, working, as it allows you to return to any programs or sites that have been opened at any convenient moment and continue working with them without wasting time to start them up again. Depending on what is more important for you (additional disk space or the convenience of using a computer), and it's worth making your choice.