Thanks to a programmers forum called CodeProject.com  I have found a simple way to turn hibernation on without all the messing about in Control Panel that got me so frustrated.

Full details can be found on the Microsoft Knowledge Base  but the process is as follows.

1. Clock on the Start button and type cmd into the search box
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
3. In the command prompt window type powercfg.exe /hibernate on and press enter
4. Type exit and then press enter again to quit the window

What seems rather ironic is that we seem to be approaching a situation where it is easier to change settings from the command prompt that it is in the graphical interface. If you can remember all the commands that is.