This is going to be the default option to switch off in the new Windows Vista. It still takes a while to shutdown becuase it has to dump anything in RAM to the hard drive, but its very good if you NEED to power down your computer and you don't want to loose what is open.
I don't see the advantage either, if I want to leave my computer on, I set it up to shut off my Monitor and Hard drive after 5 minutes of my screensaver.
Hibernation used to be built into my computer case, I would press the reset button and it would hibernate, but not many motherboards use that feature anymore. It's a nice trick though, and could be useful for people who are in a hurry to leave and have tons of things up, just hit Hibernate and your pets can't accidently screw up your work .
Reached 5000 Credits! The highest of any member on Smokyhosts! New milestone for Me!