Power Options and Sleep Mode Problems

How to Troubleshoot a Vista or Windows 7 Sleep Mode Problem​

   Information

This will show you some steps to help you troubleshoot and find out what is causing your sleep mode problem. These are the usual reasons for sleep mode problems. For more information, see: Windows Help and How-to: Turn Off a Computer FAQs

   Note

• When your computer is in hibernation, the only way to wake it is to tap the case power button.
• If this sleep mode problem just started recently, then you might consider doing a System Restore before or after trying the steps below if they do not help.

Common Problems:

• Computer will wake up for no reason.
• Sleep mode does not work any more.
• Hibernate option is not available in Power Options, then you accidentally deleted the Hibernation file Cleaner in Disk Cleanup.
• Screen saver not working.

   Tip

BEFORE STARTING:Make sure you have the latest device drivers and BIOS installed for your motherboard.NOTE: A out-of-date video driver or other drivers are sometimes the source of sleep mode problems. It is best to keep these up to date to resolve issues found with them.

STEP 1

Check Your Mouse and Keyboard

NOTE: A wireless mouse and keyboard can cause your computer to wake up for no apparent reason, and to not wake up from sleep mode when you press a key or move the mouse. This may also cause your screen saver to not work to. If the computer is using an optical mouse, changes in light can cause the computer to wake.

For a USB Mouse or Keyboard:​

1. Check the BIOS settings to make sure that you have a Legacy USB option enabled.​

​

For a Wireless Mouse or Keyboard:​

​

1. Unplug the receiver on the back of the computer and test.​

​

2. If sleep or hibernation works now, then try:​

A) Download new drivers for you wireless mouse and test again with the receiver plugged in.​

NOTE: Always get your drivers from the source, never from Windows Updates. They do not work properly sometimes.​

​

B) Disable the wireless mouse and/or keyboard wake up option in Step Five below. If you have to disable both of them, then you can wake the computer up by pressing the power button on the case.​

​

C) Time to get a new mouse and/or keyboard that is compatible with Vista.​

​

For a Optical Mouse:​

1. Try not to have direct bright light shining on the sensor or moving around it.​

​

STEP 2

Check Advanced Power Plan Settings

NOTE: Power settings control the computer’s ability to go into and come out of sleep/standby mode.

​

1. Open the Control Panel. (Classic View)​

​

2. Click on the Power Options icon.​

​

3. Click on the Change plan settings link under your power plan. (See screenshot below)​

​

​

4. Click on Change advanced power settings. (See screenshot below)​

​

​

5. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable. (See screenshots below step 10)​

NOTE: This will allow any Power Options that are grayed out to now work and not be grayed out.​

​

6. Recommended Settings for Sleep​

NOTE: Sleep saves any open documents and programs to memory only, and then puts the computer into a low-power state.​

WARNING: If you lose power to the computer, you will also lose what is in memory.​

​

​

[TABLE=class:-grid,-width:-700][TR][TD]
Main Setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Sub Setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Recommendation
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Hard disk
[/TD]
[TD]

[/TD]
[TD]
Set to at least 1 minute before the computer (Sleep after setting below) is set to sleep.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Sleep after
[/TD]
[TD]
This is for the computer. Set to at least 1 minute after Hard disk and Display is set to turn off.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Allow hybrid sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to Off.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Hibernate after
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to Never.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
USB settings
[/TD]
[TD]
USB selective suspend setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to Disabled.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Power buttons and lid
[/TD]
[TD]
Start menu power button
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to Sleep.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
PCI Express
[/TD]
[TD]
Link State Power Management
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to Off.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Display
[/TD]
[TD]
Turn off display after
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to at least 1 minute before the computer (Sleep after setting above) is set to sleep. Usually set this as the same as the Hard drive is set to turn off.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Multimedia settings
[/TD]
[TD]
When sharing media
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to Allow the computer to sleep.
[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

​

7. Recommended Settings for Hybrid Sleep​

NOTE: Hybrid sleep saves your open documents and programs to memory and to the hard drive, and then puts the computer into a low-power state. After the Hibernate after time you set, it will then put the computer into hibernation. ​

WARNING: Use the same Recommended Settings for Sleep in step 6 above, except for these changes:​

​

​

[TABLE=class:-grid,-width:-700][TR][TD]
Main Setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Sub Setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Recommendation
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Allow hybrid sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to On.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Hibernate after
[/TD]
[TD]
Set to at least 1 minute after the computer (Sleep after setting above) is set to sleep.
[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

​

8. Recommended Settings for Hibernation​

NOTE: Hibernation is a power-saving state that saves your open documents and programs to the hard drive and then turns off your computer. If Hibernate after is not listed, then make sure that you have the Hibernation File enabled or restored to. It is by default unless it was cleaned in Disk Cleanup.​

WARNING: Use the same Recommended Settings for Sleep in step 6 above, except for these changes:​

​

​

[TABLE=class:-grid,-width:-700][TR][TD]
Main Setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Sub Setting
[/TD]
[TD]
Recommendation
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Sleep after
[/TD]
[TD]
Set it to Never.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Allow hybrid sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Set it to Never.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Sleep
[/TD]
[TD]
Hibernate after
[/TD]
[TD]
Set it to at least 1 minute after Hard disk and Display is set to turn off.
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Power buttons and lid
[/TD]
[TD]
Start menu power button
[/TD]
[TD]
Set it to Hibernate.
[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

​

​

9. Click on OK to apply​

​

10. Just exit out the other windows.​

​

​

11. Test sleep mode. If it is still not working correctly, then continue to the next step.​

​

STEP 3

Check Sleep State Settings in BIOS

NOTE: Make sure you have the latest Video drivers and BIOS for your motherboard. Read your motherboard manual to see if you have any jumpers or settings that sets different sleep voltages for USB.

​

1. Open the Start Menu.​

​

2. In white line (Start Search) area, type cmd and press Enter.​

​

3. In command prompt, type powercfg -a and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: This will give you a report of the available sleep states for your computer and will attempt to report reasons why sleep states are unavailable. You will want to see if the ACPI S1 and/or S3 is listed. ​

​

​

4. Restart the computer into the BIOS settings, and go into the Power Management section in the BIOS.​

NOTE: Usually you will press the F2 or Delete key as soon as your computer starts booting to enter the BIOS. ​

​

5. Make sure ACPI mode: S3 or S1 is enabled.​

WARNING: S1 (Sleep) and S3 (Hybrid deeper sleep). If you are running an incompatible video card, some or all of these states below may be unavailable. If one of the settings causes your computer to not wake back up afterwards, then reset the CMOS on the motherboard and restart the computer, or unplug the computer for a moment and plug it back in, and reset the BIOS back to the factory default settings.​

​

​

​

6. Make sure Wake on Ring and Wake on Lan are disabled.​

NOTE: This will help keep the computer from waking up on its own.​

​

7. Save the BIOS setting changes and exit to restart the computer.​

​

8. Test sleep mode. If this does not help, then move on to the next step.​

​

STEP 4

To See what had Waken Up Windows Last

NOTE: This will give you a list of items that woke up the computer last that may help narrow down what is waking up the computer.

​

1. Open the Start Menu.​

​

2. In white line (Start Search) area, type cmd and press Enter.​

​

3. In command prompt, type powercfg lastwake and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: Notice that I had USB\ROOT\HUB listed. For me, this would be the USB wireless mouse. Your list results will vary of course.​

​

​

STEP 5

To List, Enable, or Disable Device Names Currently Configured to Wake Up the System From any Sleep State

NOTE: This will show you a list of devices that are able to wake up your computer to help you narrow down a device that may be responsible for waking up your computer. It does not mean that these devices are the ones that woke up your computer though, just that they are able to.

​

1. Open an elevated command prompt.​

​

2. To List Devices that Can Wake Up the Computer​

A) In the command prompt, copy and paste in bold: (See screenshot below)​

powercfg -devicequery wake_armed and press Enter.​

​

​

B) Go through the list of devices to see if you have one you do not want to wake up your system.​

EX: A Network Device (Modem, Ethernet, etc.) or Wireless Mouse.​

​

C) If you found a device that may be causing the problem, then check with the STEP SIX section below first to see if you can disable a wake up option for the device in it's Power Management settings in Device Manager to test to see if that is it before proceding.​

​

3. To Disable a Listed Device From Waking Up the Computer​

NOTE: Only do this step if you cannot do it from STEP SIX below using Device Manager instead.​

A) In the elevated command prompt, type below in bold and press Enter.​

WARNING: Be sure to write this device name down in case you want to be able to enable it again in step 4. Once you disable it, it will not be listed again in step 2A until enabled again.​

powercfg -devicedisablewake "exact name of device listed in step 2A"​

​

NOTE: For example, if I wanted to disable the listed (step 2A) High Definition device (HDAC), then I would type powercfg -devicedisablewake "High Definition Audio Controller" and press enter.​

​

4. To Enable a Listed Device Again to Waking Up the Computer​

NOTE: Only do this step if you cannot do it from STEP SIX below using Device Manager instead, or you have done step 3 above with the device.​

A) In the elevated command prompt, type below in bold and press Enter.​

powercfg -deviceenablewake "exact name of device listed in step 2A"​

​

NOTE: For example, if I wanted to reenable the High Definition device (HDAC) that was disable and removed from the list in step 3, then I would type powercfg -deviceenablewake "High Definition Audio Controller" and press enter.​

​

​

5. When done, close the elevated command prompt, and test sleep mode.​

​

STEP 6

To Disable or Enable the "Allow this device to wake the computer" Option for a Device

   Note

• Check your Network device. Network activity can cause the network hardware to wake the computer, especially when the network is always on (like cable and DSL connections).
• High Definition Audio, if listed in STEP FIVE, may also rarely cause the computer to wake from sleep mode. You can disable (only option available) the device as a test in Device Manager to see before putting the computer to sleep. Just enable it again if it is not the problem.

1. Open the Control Panel. (Classic View)​

​

2. Click on the Device Manager icon.​

NOTE: You need to be in a Administrator account.​

​

3. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​

​

4. Open the device's list that you want to change. (See screenshot below)​

EX: Network Devices​

​

5. Right click on the device name and click on Properties.​

EX: Network Devices​

​

​

6. Click on the Power Management tab. (See screenshot below)​

​

​

7. Uncheck Allow this device to wake the computer. (See screenshot above)​

NOTE: To Enable it again, just check this instead. If you need to disable the wireless mouse and keyboard, then you can wake the computer by pressing the power button on the case.​

​

8. If listed, check Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. (See screenshot below step 6)​

NOTE: This will turn the device off when the computer goes into sleep mode.​

​

9. Click on the Advanced tab. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: This is only for the Network device.​

​

​

10. Check the boxed in red Property: items below to see if they are set to Disabled in the Value: area. (See screenshot above)​

NOTE: This area may be different for your particular network device since it is based on the driver, but it should be similar. You will be looking for any Wake on type property options listed.​

​

11. Click on OK to apply and close properties window. (See screenshot below step 6 or 9)​

​

STEP 7

Check the Screen Saver

NOTE: Some screen savers can interfere with the computer’s ability to go into and come out of sleep/standby mode. Disabling or changing the screen saver may resolve the problem.

1. In the Screen saver settings, select an alternate screen saver, or set it to None, then click on OK.​

​

2. Test sleep mode.​

​

STEP 8

Check Startup Programs

   Note

• Many software components start up automatically with Vista and run in the background. Some of these programs may not be necessary, and can interfere with the sleep/standby mode. For troubleshooting purposes, use the following steps to prevent programs from starting up with Vista to see if this is the issue.
• If you are having these problems, you can avoid from having to do this completely if you logoff and put the computer to sleep from within the logon screen.

1. Open the Start Menu.​

A) In the white line (Start Search) area, type msconfig and press Enter.​

​

B) Go to step 3.​

​

OR​

​

2. Click on All Programs, Administrative Tools, and System Configuration.​

​

3. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​

​

4. Under the General tab, dot Selective startup. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: When done with the test, dot Normal startup, to return to the default settings before the test, and click on OK.​

​

5. Uncheck Load startup items and click on OK and restart the computer.​

NOTE: You will get a notification that you made changes to the Startup programs in the bottom right Notification area. Just ignore it for now. It will go away when you put it back to Normal startup after you finish.​

​

​

6. Test sleep mode.​

​

7. If unchecking (disabling) Load startup items fixed the sleep problem, then enable one startup item at a time and test to see if the problem occurs again. Continue enabling startup items, until you find the program that is causing the problem. Remove or update the problem program.​

NOTE: See Method One or Two here: How to Check and Change the Startup Programs in Vista​

A) When done, change the setting back to Normal startup (step 4).​

​

8. If unchecking (disabling) Load startup items did not resolve the sleep problem, then set it back to Normal startup (Step 4) and go to the next step below.​

​

STEP 9

Check Scheduled Tasks for Programs

NOTE: Sometimes a program will have something scheduled to run that will wake the computer up. Try turning them off temporarily to see if it resolves the problem.

1. Check in the suspected program settings to see if there is a feature that may wake the computer.​

NOTE: Sometimes it can be the Auto-Update feature in the program.​

​

2. Check Task Scheduler for items that are set to Wake-Up the computer to perform it's action.​

A) Expand out the list in the left pane and click on the suspect item's folder. Double click on the task in the middle pane.​

​

B) Click on the Conditions tab.​

​

C) Uncheck the Wake the computer to run this task box.​

​

3. Check Windows Automatic Updates settings.​

​

STEP 10

Check Windows Sidebar Gadgets

NOTE: Sometimes a Windows Sidebar Gadget may cause the computer to not sleep on it's own.

​

1. Turn off Windows Sidebar as a test to see if your computer will enter sleep on it's own now.​

NOTE: Sometimes, you may need to restart the computer afterwards as well.​

​

2. If it does, then turn Windows Sidebar back on and turn off each Gadget one by one. Test sleep again after each one until you find the one causing the problem.​

​

STEP 11

Check Motherboard Jumpers

NOTE: A few motherboards have been reported has having jumpers on the board for certain functions (ex: USB device wake-up) that may need to be enabled or disabled.

1. Pull out or download your motherboard manual, and check for any such jumpers.​

​

2. If you have one that is related (ex: USB device wake-up), then test sleep mode inbetween toggling the jumper on and off.​

​

STEP 12

Reset Print Spooler

NOTE: This may help if your computer will sleep fine manually, but will not sleep automatically or not go to sleep at all. Credit to Artxie for this.

1. Open Services, and temporaily Stop the Print Spooler service.​

​

2. Open the Start Menu and type %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers in the search line and press enter, then delete all files in this folder.​

​

3. In Services, Start the Print Spooler service. Close Services window.​

​

   Note

If the print spooler issue persists, the installed printer driver may not be compatible or corrupted. Check the printer manufacturer's website to download and install the latest Windows compatible driver for it.

STEP 13

Enable or Disable Windows Media Center Updates to Wake Up the Computer

NOTE: This will show you how to enable or disable the Windows Media Center (mcupdate) task from waking up the computer from sleep when it checks for Media Center updates in Windows 7 and Vista.

​

1. For how, see: Windows Media Center Updates - Enable or Disable Waking Computer - Windows 7 Forums​

​

STEP 14

View and Override Power Availability Requests

By using power availability requests, applications, services, and drivers can temporarily disable power management features to accomplish user scenarios. Availability requests can prevent the display from turning off after inactivity, and prevent the computer from automatically sleeping, enable Away Mode, and shutting down.

1. For how, see: How to View and Override Power Availability Requests in Windows​

​

​

​

​

​

STEP 15

Try System Restore

NOTE: If sleep/standby mode previously worked, attempt a system restore back to a time when it worked. If the problem has always existed, skip this step.

1. Save any open files and close all programs, then backup anything that you do not want to lose to be safe..​

​

2. See: How to Do a System Restore in Vista​

NOTE: If System Restore resolves the problem, the problem is probably caused by software that was installed after the restore point date.​

​

​

I hope this helps,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Change Power Button Settings for the Start Menu and Case in Vista
• How to Disable or Enable Password Protection on Wakeup in Vista
• How to Create a Hibernate Shortcut in Vista
• How to Use and Change a Screen Saver in Vista
• How to Create a Power Options Shortcut in Vista
• How to Restore or Disable Hibernation in Vista
• How to Changed the Return to Sleep Timeout for a Unattended Wake Up in Vista
• SP1 Causes Hibernation Error: "System was shut down unexpectantly"
• How to Restore the Default Power Plan Settings in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable Windows Media Center Updates to Wake Up the Computer
• How to Read the Wake Source Log in Event Viewer for Windows 7 and Vista
• How to View and Override Power Availability Requests in Windows

 

[Brink]

I'll admit my skill level is a zero. I'll probably take my computer back to Office Max and see if they can help. I have a HP laptop with vista. Last week I clicked the hibernation button just to see what it would do. Opening the lid, pressing any key does nothing. The computer just "dings". The word "Hibernation" is on the screen and the little blue circle to the left just rotates.

Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Scott

Hi Scott,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

Press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds to see if the laptop will reset and reboot for you. As a last resort, remove all batteries, wait a few minutes, and then replace the batteries to reset the laptop.

When the computer restarts, check your BIOS Power Management options and disable the Wake On options.


Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Cholin]

Hi Shawn ,
I seemed to have received a reply to Scott instead of response to my last commen?

NOpe, thats not it! I remember a whole list of settings options and each one was assigned to vista apart from this last one (user_feed_synchronisation) which was assigned to xp, windows 2000 and pos one other older windows system. Dont ask me why but thats what i changed to Vista.

Thanks again for your help so far!

Hi Cholin,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

Umm, I'm not sure where you changed that from the instructions above.

Check to see if you change this setting in Internet Properties, Content, Feed Settings. If so, just uncheck everything and click OK.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Brink]

Hi Shawn ,
I seemed to have received a reply to Scott instead of response to my last commen?

NOpe, thats not it! I remember a whole list of settings options and each one was assigned to vista apart from this last one (user_feed_synchronisation) which was assigned to xp, windows 2000 and pos one other older windows system. Dont ask me why but thats what i changed to Vista.

Thanks again for your help so far!

Cholin,

I'm not sure where you have seen and changed these options from either. You might consider posting this question in the General Discussion forum and Vista General newsgroup to see if someone may recognize where this may be at.

Hope you get a solution soon,
Shawn

 

[commodus]

Thanks for the informative tutorial, but I'm afraid I could use some further help!

Here's my problem: I've updated my BIOS and graphics drivers, and when I set the ACPI setting in the BIOS to S1, sleep works fine (but the computer doesn't shut off - the fans and such are all still going), and when I set it for S3 it goes to sleep (computer shuts off), but when I try to wake it up it just hangs - the HD LED is on steady, nothing shows up on the screens (I'm running a dual monitor set up), and in fact the screens themselves don't even go out of sleep mode (power LEDs keep flashing). I have to hard-reset the computer to get it back. The same hanging symptoms occur when the BIOS is set to S1 & S3.

Any clues as to what might be causing this?

Hi,

I'm facing the exact same issue:
S3: comes out of sleep but no video and no hd activity. Have to manualy power down PC.
S1: comins in and out of sleep perfect but the fans are still on.

Did you find a solution since posting?

Thanks
Commodus

 

[rightwinger59]

Thanks for the informative tutorial, but I'm afraid I could use some further help!

Here's my problem: I've updated my BIOS and graphics drivers, and when I set the ACPI setting in the BIOS to S1, sleep works fine (but the computer doesn't shut off - the fans and such are all still going), and when I set it for S3 it goes to sleep (computer shuts off), but when I try to wake it up it just hangs - the HD LED is on steady, nothing shows up on the screens (I'm running a dual monitor set up), and in fact the screens themselves don't even go out of sleep mode (power LEDs keep flashing). I have to hard-reset the computer to get it back. The same hanging symptoms occur when the BIOS is set to S1 & S3.

Any clues as to what might be causing this?

Hi,

I'm facing the exact same issue:
S3: comes out of sleep but no video and no hd activity. Have to manualy power down PC.
S1: comins in and out of sleep perfect but the fans are still on.

Did you find a solution since posting?

Thanks
Commodus

Nope. nVidia just came out with some new drivers, but that didn't fix the issue either. I've run around to a couple PC repair shops and asked about this issue, and the guys at PC City informed me that NONE of their custom built machines sleep properly in Vista, and that it was a bug that hadn't been fixed yet. I don't know if that's true or not, but I have not yet found a solution, even after SP1 came out for Vista, and I can't really think of anything besides this being some sort of hardware compatibility issue. I've flashed the BIOS to the newest version, I've updated all my drivers, etc., and still nothing.

SOOOOOOOO, I'm still shutting down completely every time I turn the computer off, which is annoying because I would REALLY like to have this sleep feature, but right now it's not worth the amount of time I would spend troubleshooting when there doesn't seem to be a solution in sight.

P.S. Sorry for the pessimistic attitude.

 

[commodus]

Nope. nVidia just came out with some new drivers, but that didn't fix the issue either. I've run around to a couple PC repair shops and asked about this issue, and the guys at PC City informed me that NONE of their custom built machines sleep properly in Vista, and that it was a bug that hadn't been fixed yet. I don't know if that's true or not, but I have not yet found a solution, even after SP1 came out for Vista, and I can't really think of anything besides this being some sort of hardware compatibility issue. I've flashed the BIOS to the newest version, I've updated all my drivers, etc., and still nothing.

SOOOOOOOO, I'm still shutting down completely every time I turn the computer off, which is annoying because I would REALLY like to have this sleep feature, but right now it's not worth the amount of time I would spend troubleshooting when there doesn't seem to be a solution in sight.

P.S. Sorry for the pessimistic attitude.

Well for me it was all working fine before I installed SP1. I could enter Hybrid Sleep (S3) without issue and wake up just as fine.
But since installing SP1 I have the same issues you have.

My config:
- Asus P5B Deluxe Wifi
- 2Gb ram
- Nvidia 7600 GT (I also tried a 8400 GS)
- Hauppage PVR-500
- Vista Ultimate 32bits
- MS IR remote for MCE (USB)

 

[the_cooling]

I hope this helps you narrow down your problem down to fix it,
Shawn

Hey Shawn, thx a lot for the advice, but when i try to do the system restore, or the cmd command to restore my hibernation, it tells me in the black window that an item called LMCPorts is not allowing the hibernation to come back, can u tell me how to fix this problem plz

Note: it all started since i installed the Norton 360 - -

 

[Brink]

Hi the_cooling,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

Uninstall Norton 360 as a test to see if it will work for you afterwards.

Shawn

 

[ollyau]

Hi,

This is my first post here at Vistax64.

I have been having trouble with my computer sleeping.

I had just upgraded to Windows Vista 64 bit from 32 bit. In 32 bit, sleep worked fine and there were no issues with sleep. I installed 64 bit to (mostly) take advantage of all 4 gb of my RAM. Now, I have all the latest drivers and everything is almost back to normal (sleep and TV tuner (Aver Volar) don't work). Now some of the sleep options in the control panel's power sleep applet are gone and when I make my compuer go into sleep, my computer will always resume with corrupt video (very many white lines all over the screen) and corrupt sound/audio (static sounding).

My computer specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ overclocked to 3.15 GHz
4.00 GB of Corsair RAM
nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS 640 mb
ASUS M2R32-MVP (using integrated audio)

I would really like to get some help

Thanks in advance

-Orion

 

[Brink]

Hi Orion, and welcome to Vista Forums.

It sounds like you have a bad video driver that may be causing the white lines. Try uninstalling the video driver in Device Manager, then reinstalling it to see if that helps. You may need to do this for your audio drivers too.

What sleep options are missing from the Control Panel Power Options window?

Double check the Power Management options for devices (Ex: Network) to make sure that they are set to not wake up the computer in Step 5. Also, check to make sure that the Wake On ... options in the BIOS are not selected.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[__teardropz]

Hi brink,

I have tried every method and it still isn't working.
I did find that S1 doesn't exist on my Laptop, and Power Management is not an Option in my BIOS. I am using a Sony Laptop and could that be the reason?

The laptop was fine until 2 days ago, when it just won't go to sleep. Like the screen goes black, but nothing else shuts down (sleeps) it is fully running... Tried restoring, doing everything your tutorial said, but it still ain't working. If you can help it would be great! I am also going to put in more RAM in case that is the problem, coz the Gadget shows my RAM usage is extremely high, could that be why? Not enough RAM? =(

Thank you!!

 

[Brink]

Hi Teardropz, and welcome to Vista Forums.

More RAM should help speed things up for you, but it will not affect the sleep mode at all. Vista is designed to make use of your RAM as much as possible with Superfetch. It preloads anything it think you will need into RAM to have it ready faster. It learns as it goes with what you need.

Check to see if your hibernation file is still enabled. This tutorial will show you how to.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/63567-powercfg-sleep-problems.html#post317574


Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[__teardropz]

Hi brink,

Thanks for the reply and welcome =)
The hibernation file is still there, never deleted it.

I am contemplating to just reinstall my laptop from scratch and see if it works.
Is there any other possible ways? I don't know what caused it.
I do know I attempted to delete a program and install it again, that is the only change before it refused to sleep. But I think I did a system restore to that day, but not sure. I can't seem to go further back in the dates as the computer doesn't show.

Is there anyway to get a restore point later than the ones they give you?

Thanks and sorry to ask so many Qs...

 

[sidney1st]

3 more possibilities.
You installed a proggy which doesn't allow the laptop to sleep.
You use a MS wireless mouse, this problem if i remember occured with XP PRO, maybe a driver issue?
Try to deinstall your graphic card, reboot and then reinstall it, eventually update the drivers.

I forgot:
Install dumppo (stand alone prog to place in C\windows
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/products/oemtest/v1.1/wostest/tools/acpi/dumppo.exe
Run through command prompt "dumppo cap" and copy/past the result.

 

[Brink]

Teardropz,

I would check into what Sidney suggested to see if that helps.

You will only be able to use a restore point that is available. The older ones get deleted when you run out the set storage space and a newer one is added.

What is the name of the program that you tried to delete and re-install?

Shawn

 

[__teardropz]

sidney1st

How do I find out what graphics card I have? *cringe* Is it called 'Display Adapters' in Device Manager? (Soz I am such a newbie at this.....)

I installed Dumppo =) Here is the results..

and Brink
The program was just something for me to connect to my Uni's Internet it is called Cisco VPN Client.

And I don't think the things I installed the last few days will contribute to the problem... because it is just Adobe Reader 8 and AVG 8... both should be fine right?

Thanks for the help guys =)

 

[sidney1st]

Nothing special there, last chance (sorry not to have asked before)
Run the same way "dumppo admin" i hope there will be an issue from the video timeout

 

[__teardropz]

It is alrite... just happy you can help =)
I hope we can figure something out too... i miss my 'sleep' =(

 

[sidney1st]

The problem is that you have no options in your bios.

Try this:
Command prompt
dumppo admin /ac minsleep=s3

Check again
dumppo admin
minsleep state should be S3

Try the sleep mode now to see if it is fixed.

 

[__teardropz]

*wails*

But I can hear my computer 'trying' (very hard) to sleep, the noise is like how it is suppose to be when it goes to sleep but it just doesn't fall asleep... then when I powered off, there wasn't the sound which it usually has, so I guess it is improving? Maybe I should have waited a few more minutes for it to try and sleep? The usual sleep time for my laptop is like... 30 seconds to 1 minute... I swear I waited up to 5 minutes and then powered off... or maybe should I wait even longer? *sweats*

That is after what you told me to do...

Maybe I should just grit my teeth and reinstall the entire comp... I guess I can do that for the last last resort coz I hate reinstalling and re-organising my very neat iTunes list....

My comp is beyond help right? =(