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Q:  I recently got a new Acer Aspire Timeline 5810T laptop.  It’s got an Intel Core 2 Solo CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and Visa OS.  I prefer to Hibernate my computer rather than shut it down, but I cannot find Hibernate anywhere on the new computer’s Start menu.  I’ve looked at the system’s Power Control options, expecting to find a checkbox or something to enable it, but it’s just not there.  I’ve downloaded all the latest patches and updates, and still cannot seem to locate the Hibernate function.

– Jeff W.
Bluewater Bay, Fla

A: Would you believe me if I told you this is actually a known problem in Vista?  The Hibernate option disappears from the Start menu (if it is even there to begin with) whenever you run Disk Cleanup.  Why?  Because for some reason the Disk Cleanup wizard also removes Hibernate files (thanks, Bill).  Getting it back is actually pretty easy, but the steps are not particularly intuitive.  Then again, that’s why I’m here.

To restore the Hibernate option to your menu, perform the following steps:  From the Start menu, click “All Programs” then “Accessories”.  Right-click on “Command Prompt” and from the pop-up menu, select “Run As Administrator”.  If you are prompted to enter a password, enter the administrator password.  If you don’t know your administrator password, sorry, but there’s not a lot I can do about that.  You may get a warning dialog from User Account Control asking if it’s okay to run the program.  Click “Continue” to give yourself permission.  When the command prompt appears, type the following, without the quotes: “powercfg /hibernate on”.  That’s it.  The Hibernate option is now magically back where it belongs in your Start menu.  By the way, you can prevent this problem from recurring if you deselect “Hibernation File Cleaner” from the Disk Cleanup Wizard in the future.

Q: I have been reading your articles for quite a while they are very informative especially to a person like me who is not very good when it comes to computers. My question is I can’t download a file.  I know its safe because its from a mortgage co.  When I click download a box pops up and informs me that my security settings will not allow this download.  Can you tell me what to do?

– Glenn G.
Fort Walton Beach, Fla

A: I hope when you say the file is safe because it’s from a mortgage company that you mean it’s a company with which you have a preexisting relationship, Glenn, because any spammer can masquerade as a mortgage company.  Yes, I can help you, but before I give you these instructions I must warn you that the restrictions are in place for your protection and disabling them may leave you vulnerable.  That being said, you can access these settings by clicking “Tools” menu, and selecting “Options”.  From here, the instructions differ depending on your e-mail software, but basically you want to find the security settings.  For example, in Outlook Express, there is a tab labeled “Security”.  Find the checkbox that says something like “Do not allow attachments to be downloaded that could potentially contain a virus”.  Uncheck it, and you should be able to download the file.