Portable electronic apparatus having a transfer mode for stopping an operating state of a device

1. An apparatus comprising:

a body having a CPU therein;

a lid, wherein the apparatus is used by opening the lid for the body;

a sensor circuit which determines whether said lid is opened or closed;

a first circuit, coupled to said sensor circuit, which stops a first operating state and shifts the apparatus to a transfer mode in response to sensing that the lid is closed, wherein the transfer mode stops an operating state of a device that may be damaged by a transfer of the apparatus without stopping the CPU and without stopping devices that take a predetermined amount of time to start up, wherein the devices that take a predetermined amount of time to start up comprises at least a wireless LAN device; and

a second circuit, coupled to said sensor circuit, which shifts the apparatus to the first operating state in response to sensing that the lid is opened, wherein the second circuit clears the stoppage of the operating state of the device that may be damaged by a transfer of the apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a hard disk drive, wherein the operating state of the device stopped by said first circuit is the operating state of the hard disk drive.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display device, wherein said first circuit further turns off the display device.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third circuit for saving a state of an operation performed to a predetermined memory to stop the CPU on condition that a predetermined time has elapsed since said first circuit stopped the operating state of the device.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

said second circuit allows a shift to the first operating state without requesting a user to input a password, and

in a case where a state in which the CPU is stopped by said third circuit and the apparatus shifts back to the first operating state, the user is requested to input the password.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first circuit is adapted to cause a Hard Disk Drive to enter a head unload state.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first circuit is further adapted to stop power supply to a disk drive.

8. A method comprising:

a first step of setting a portable electronic apparatus in a first operating state;

a second step of, in response to determining that a lid of the portable electronic apparatus is closed in the first operating state, shifting the portable electronic apparatus to a transfer mode in which an operating state of a device that may be damaged while the portable electronic apparatus is being transferred is temporarily stopped with a CPU of the portable electronic apparatus and devices that take at least 10 seconds to start up remaining operative, wherein said devices that take at least 10 seconds to start up comprises at least a wireless LAN device; and

a third step of shifting the portable electronic apparatus to the first operating state in response to opening of the lid, wherein the third step clears the stoppage of the operating state of the device that may be damaged by a transfer of the apparatus.

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein said third step shifts the transfer mode to the first operating state without requesting a user to input a password.

10. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising a fourth step of saving an operation performed in the first operating state to a predetermined memory after a predetermined time has elapsed in the transfer mode, and shifting the electronic apparatus to a power saving mode in which a minimum amount of power required to retain data is used.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein the second step further comprises: stopping an operation of a Hard Disk Drive.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein the second step further comprises: causing a Hard Disk Drive to enter a head unload state.

13. A method according to claim 8 wherein the second step further comprises: stopping power supply to a disk drive.

14. A computer-readable product comprising a storage medium which stores instructions which when executed by a portable computer perform a method comprising:

(a) in response to closing of a lid of the portable computer in a first operating state, shift the portable computer to a transfer mode in which an operating state of a device that may be damaged while the portable computer is being transferred is temporarily stopped with a CPU of the portable computer and devices that take at least 10 seconds to start up remaining operative, wherein said devices that take at least 10 seconds to start up comprises at least a wireless LAN device; and

(b) shift the portable computer to the first operating state in response to opening of the lid, wherein the stoppage of the operating state of the device that may be damaged by a transfer of the apparatus is cleared.

15. A product according to claim 14 , wherein the instructions are further effective to:

(c) save an operation performed in the first operating state to a predetermined memory after a predetermined time has elapsed in the transfer mode and shift the portable computer to a power saving mode in which minimum power is required to retain data.

16. A product according to claim 15 , wherein the instructions are further effective to:

(d) shift the portable computer from the power saving mode to the first operating state, and

with step (b), a shift to the first operating state is executed without requesting a password from a user, and with step (d), a shift to the first operating state is executed by requesting the password from the user.