Standby and Sleep are not the same

[Clayto2]

On my Windows 8.1 Tablet I have the Sleep power option which I use a lot.  I have just installed a power gadget which provides easy access buttons for turning the PC off in different ways.  It does not have Sleep but it does have Standby instead.
But they are not the same thing. With Sleep I can turn the PC on rapidly with the Enter or other keys and it takes me back directly to where I was.  In Standby this does not work.  To turn back on I have to press the power on button.  The computer is again back in action quite quickly, but does briefly go through some start up stages, showing the splash screen / manufacturer's name (Quantum) and logo for example.

I would like to know more about these two options, especially how they differ in the effect they have on the computer.  Can someone explain to me what the essential differences between Sleep and Standby are?  Is one for some reason better than the other?

Clayto2

[Geek-9pm]

The following terms have technical meanings
Hibernate
Hybrid
Stand By
Sleep
Power Off

The last one provides only aery small bit of power to an Ethernet device that can allow the network to turn on computer.

Hybrid is now the preferred method on modern computers.

The Windows Knowledge Base has been updated to explain in more detail the power options.
Here three of the terms are explained:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/how-shut-down-turn-off-pc
The "allow hybrid sleep" is covered here:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/what-does-the-allow-hybrid-sleep-option-in-power/bc7e46c5-b6a5-47e0-afe1-12e15b8078e6
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Sleep-and-hibernation-frequently-asked-questions

The objectives can be:
1. Lowest power consumption.
2. Quickest reboot time.
3. Easy configuration.
In general, you can have any two of the three. Pay special attention the "hybrid" option. It claims to be the best of all. You decide. 

It is hard for me to make a concise answer. Maybe somebody else can pick this up with a simple answer. 

[Clayto2]

Thanks for that reply and the links, which I will follow up in due course.

I have not come across the 'Hybrid' mode before but have now read a bit about it.  It is not available on my quite new Tablet ---- I have done a search for it.  I find Sleep and Standby is often conflated (I think it is the first time I have used that word), including in Help articles in Hope, eg. 'referred to as sleep mode, Standby or Stand by', or  'Standby Alternatively referred to as sleep mode', etc.

And there is the statement in a well known textbook: 'To resume, wake, or wake up a computer in Standby mode move the mouse, press a key on the keyboard, or press the power button on the computer without holding it down for more than a few seconds.'  With my computer the first part does not work from Standby, you have to hold the on/off button, but the first part does apply to Sleep --- so the behaviour is significantly different for the two modes.  When  I first used Standby I was alarmed as I thought startup had failed, because the Tablet would not wake up by pressing Enter.  In 'the missing manual' for W8.1 there is some good explanation on pages 30-32, including detail about why Standby was not so good as it continued to use a trickle of power,  resulting eventually in exhausted batteries and loss of data.  It is more than a question of different terminology.

clayto

[soybean]

On my Windows 8.1 Tablet I have the Sleep power option which I use a lot.  I have just installed a power gadget which provides easy access buttons for turning the PC off in different ways.  It does not have Sleep but it does have Standby instead.
But they are not the same thing.

Yes, they are the same thing.

With Sleep I can turn the PC on rapidly with the Enter or other keys and it takes me back directly to where I was.  In Standby this does not work.  To turn back on I have to press the power on button.

Then, your computer was not in Standby mode, it was in Hibernation.  If you don't know how it got to Hibernation, then that may be automatically happening due to the power settings in your system.

I believe you need to get more familiar with the power settings in your computer.  Do you know where to find them in Control Panel? 

I'll explain how my laptop works with my current power settings.  If running on battery, it goes into Sleep mode after 10 minutes of inactivity; if plugged in, it waits 15 minutes before going to Sleep.  If I do not resume using the computer for 3 hours after it has gone into Sleep mode, it goes into Hibernation.  This combination of settings indicates I'm using a Hybrid power setting.  To wake up from Sleep mode, touching any key or moving the mouse will wake it.  And, perhaps I should add that closing the top while the computer in on puts it into Sleep mode and opening the top will wake it.   If the computer has gone into Hibernation by itself, as explained above, I need to press the power button to bring it back on.  If the computer is awake and I want to go to directly into Hibernation, I press the power button.  Again, all of these behaviors depend the power settings in a specific computer. 

Hibernation is a completely powered-down state.  The computer can be unplugged and the battery removed, and you can get right back to where you were before Hibernation by powering up.  As you have discovered, this usually takes less time than normal startup.