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May 20, 2026

Disable Windows Hibernation in the Golden Image

The Windows hibernation feature creates a hidden system file, Hiberfil.sys and uses this file to store information that is needed for hybrid sleep. Disabling hibernation reduces the size of an instant clone's virtual disk.

CAUTION:

When you make hibernation unavailable, hybrid sleep does not work. Users can lose data if a power loss occurs.

Procedure

  1. In vSphere Client, select the golden image virtual machine and select Open Console.

  2. Log in as an administrator.

  3. Disable the hibernation option.

    1. Click Start and type cmd in the Start Search box.

    2. In the search results list, right-click Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.

    3. At the User Account Control prompt, click Continue.

    4. At the command prompt, type powercfg.exe /hibernate off and press Enter.

    5. Type exit and press Enter.

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