Question: I have a 4GB RAM 500GB 7200 rpm HDD laptop and when I hibernate the laptop it takes in the region of 3 or 4 minutes(\*) to hibernate. not the 24 seconds it used to take.

It takes this long whether or not my external USB drives are plugged in.

When I got it it was pre-installed with Vista Home Premium, I have since restored the OS from the backup DVD's I created, and also upgraded to Vista Ultimate.

What should I be checking in order to track down the source of this rather sloth-like hibernate process.

I'm looking to tips, techniques and tools please peeps.

Thanks in advance.

I will be back to update / answer this question as I investigate, and also if I find a solution.

(\*) Timed it - it took 4 minutes 38 seconds.
31 seconds after enabling disk write caching

Answer: 
Some advice for speeding hibernation:

1. See if there are any suspicious events in the Event Log.
2. Disable Readyboost and Superfetch (if enabled).
3. Run Windows Update, paying attention to optional driver updates.
4. Check new versions for non-Microsoft drivers and especially for display, bluetooth, USB.
5. Download [TweakVista](http://www.stardock.com/products/tweakvista/) - it may tell you which parts of the system are affecting sleep/hibernation performance
6. Remove the hibernation file by switching the feature off and defrag your primary drive (ensure you have at least 20% disk space free), then re-enable hibernation.
You can decrease the size of hiberfil.sys...dunno if that will make it any faster.

1. Open a command prompt as administrator
2. Type `powercfg -h -size 50` to reduce it down to 50% size (the minimum).