Hibernate HTPC when not in use!

[FoxBat]

Hi

Originally Posted by Duc Hunter

I would really like to set my HTPC up like yours, so it will hibernate most of the time and turn itself one when it needs to record. Is that any chance I can trial what you have? Our power bill went from $35/month to $75/month thanks to my HTPC running all the time. Thanks!

Duc Hunter have asked me to tell about I got my HTPC to hibernate when it is not in use. I will do it here, because I think that we all will like to save some money .

I will expect my HTPC to be running average 5 hour a day top, which is about 20% pr. day -> saving around 32$ pr. month… (in Duc Hunters case)
(This is more than 300$ a year).

I am using Windows XP with SP2 and Beyond TV3 (3.5.3), in the OS hibernate is not turned on. Instead of turning off the HTPC, I use “Poweroff”. When the HTPC have a scheduled recording it will startup, but without “picture” (I think that it is only the recording engine there is started). When the recording is over the HTPC is hibernating again.

I will expect that all computers will be able to this. But to test if you computer can please do the following:

Download Poweroff from http://users.pandora.be/jbosman/applications.html and install.

In BTV setup a recording, like 20 minutes from now.

Exit BTV (viewscape) – the HTPC can’t hibernate with viewscape running.

Run Poweroff with “poweroff.exe hibernate -warn -warntime 20”.

The HTPC will be hibernating after 20 seconds.

See if the HTPC is starting and recording the show, and go back to hibernate. If it is doing that the computer can do the job.

There 2 problem that has to be taken care of:

1. Wiewscape have to be closed the HTPC is not to be used.
2. Don’t hibernate when the HTPC is recording:
   1. The recording will be stopped.
   2. Scheduled recording will not be recorded before the HTPC have been out of hibernate...

The first point is something the uses must remember.

The second is a problem if the HTPC have 2 hours more recording and you will like to go to bed. I am working on a program to fix this, it will check BTV and call “Poweroff” 5-10 minutes after the recording is finish. But I have just found a bug – sometimes the HTPC is set to hibernate before the recording is finish… I have to do more work, before I will release it…

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or problems.