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Always Un-Hibernate

Start a computer from a default memory dump
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The "hibernate" option in a Windows shutdown copies the memory to the hard drive, and when the machine is restarted, it loads the image where the user left off. Proposed is a default memory image, stored in a clean state, that loads when the computer is started. Minimal checks could be made on startup (like whether hardware is still present), and a "real" bootup could be done if anything looks off. (The snapshot would be refreshed after a long boot.) This will provide a fast boot while avoiding boot-to-boot memory leaks and resident programs.
kevinthenerd, Mar 07 2012

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       I may be showing my ignorance here, but isn't this pretty much what the iPad does?
Alterother, Mar 07 2012
  

       yeah, I think thats what an iPad can do, not to mention the iPhone, and the iPod Touch. From memory, havent used any three of them in a while   

       But still a good idea :D [+]
christjan08, Mar 07 2012
  

       While an ok idea, something I've often wished for is multiple hibernation slots. Quit working on one thing, boot up into a completely different session, swap between them at will, etc.
mitxela, Mar 07 2012
  

       issa good idea, except any programs that use date/time may be thrown off.   

       //Minimal checks... like whether hardware is still present//
That's always annoyed me: how often do you change out hardware ? yet eeeeevery time you boot the hardware has to check... then the OS has to check again.
  

       <note to self: while either maple-syrup or bacon is a welcome addition to any meal, maple-bacon doesn't belong in spaghetti sauce... just sayin'>
FlyingToaster, Mar 07 2012
  

       // Quit working on one thing, boot up into a completely different session, swap between them at will, etc.// I know nathing about hibernation, but on Macs you can create multiple "Spaces". For instance, you can flip between your "Work" space and your "Home" space, and this seems to do what you want to do.
MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 07 2012
  

       No what this is a like virtual machine boot. It is useful for secure machines to do banking, but annoying for the rest of the time. This isn't what the iPad or iPhone do as they keep the programs running and never really hibernate, just doze. This is what a Chromium machine does. The problem is that people like the machine to store little bits of information between sessions, like that you had Word open, etc. Ask yourself what settings are in the default memory image and how do you get it to subtly modify the default image each time to get you to continue your work. Google tries it by storing all your settings in the "cloud" and that works for all your cloud like stuff, but if you were in the middle of tweaking a photo in Photoshop, you probably want to continue where you left off when you come back, not find a perfectly clean desktop waiting for you. Also this has issues for security and software patches, but that isn't too bad as even if you got a virus, it would vaporize as soon as the machine hibernated. So, baked in Chromium and VM and a bit annoying even there. (-)
MisterQED, Mar 08 2012
  

       [Max] the thing with spaces is that I'm fairly sure most of it remains in RAM.   

       On this little windows laptop, if Photoshop is taking up several gigabytes, and I start browsing the web, it's fairly slow but noticeably speeds up if I close photoshop. This is because it started using virtual memory (using the hard drive as RAM).   

       Many programs have an option to move their working memory onto the hard drive when minimised, which is great, but rather than relying on every single program correctly managing itself, it'd be far more convenient to just throw an entire session onto the hard drive and boot up another.
mitxela, Mar 08 2012
  

       That's why you should upgrade your laptop to 6GB of RAM. I have never used pagefile (dumping RAM to hard drive) and I have so much left over that I can store whole programs in Ramdisk.
DIYMatt, Mar 11 2012
  
      
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