Why can't this laptop sleep?
July 4, 2009 12:15 PM Subscribe
Hi. I try setting this Vista Dell laptop for sleep after 1 hour. It drops off...only to come right back on -- to restart. Insomniac computer!
It also got to restarting at odd hours months ago (waking me up at night) so I finally placed it on Never sleep, cuz I hated losing all I had open. Firefox is so EZ to restore all that, so now I just wanna try to let the machine sleep. But it refuses to do that OR to even hibernate when I set the buttons for that. Meanwhile, sometimes the fans just go and go with short breaks, and other times the machine is blessedly noise-free...yet I notice it's keeping warm to the touch, like maybe the fans NEED to come on but aren't? Variations of the sleep/restart Vista problem are around the Net but not quite here to happily answer this, so I present it to you. Thanks.
It also got to restarting at odd hours months ago (waking me up at night) so I finally placed it on Never sleep, cuz I hated losing all I had open. Firefox is so EZ to restore all that, so now I just wanna try to let the machine sleep. But it refuses to do that OR to even hibernate when I set the buttons for that. Meanwhile, sometimes the fans just go and go with short breaks, and other times the machine is blessedly noise-free...yet I notice it's keeping warm to the touch, like maybe the fans NEED to come on but aren't? Variations of the sleep/restart Vista problem are around the Net but not quite here to happily answer this, so I present it to you. Thanks.
Identical problems with my dell laptop. I could have written the post myself. I'm sorry I don't have any help for you, but it's interesting to know I'm not the only one. I wonder how prevalent this problem is.
(Except I no longer have the option to hibernate; That option disappeared about 3 months after my purchase.)
posted by Lullen at 10:00 PM on July 4, 2009
(Except I no longer have the option to hibernate; That option disappeared about 3 months after my purchase.)
posted by Lullen at 10:00 PM on July 4, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks, people. Just today Dell chatted me into a BIOS revision, A16 upgrade. The fans seems quieter right now, but I've got my fingers crossed.
posted by noelpratt2nd at 11:37 AM on July 8, 2009
posted by noelpratt2nd at 11:37 AM on July 8, 2009
Response by poster: Also, I did "My Custom Plan 1" in the power options (don't forget to hit Next and complete the process): I have 30 minutes for display off, 2 hours for sleep -- and it now goes to sleep and doesn't restart! I opted for Shut Down by way of the Power button. The crescent moon Fn+F1 Sleep combo still doesn't prevent immediate restart, but as long as I can have it sleep after a set time ACCORDING TO MY PLAN, I'm good. And I can shut down at the touch of the power button.
posted by noelpratt2nd at 12:08 PM on July 8, 2009
posted by noelpratt2nd at 12:08 PM on July 8, 2009
Thank you for updating. I guess I'll look into a BIOS revision. Was it very complicated? I'm not familiar with tprocess, but I've had several recent errors saying I need some kind of BIOS update... Guess I'm supposed to read those, huh? Thank you for the follow-up!
posted by Lullen at 5:26 PM on July 15, 2009
posted by Lullen at 5:26 PM on July 15, 2009
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It also got to restarting at odd hours months ago (waking me up at night)
This can happen with automatic windows updates that might require a restart
Meanwhile, sometimes the fans just go and go with short breaks, and other times the machine is blessedly noise-free...yet I notice it's keeping warm to the touch, like maybe the fans NEED to come on but aren't?
A free utility such as speedfan will let you track cpu/gpu temps and fan activity. That should help you identify any major inconsistencies.
posted by Sparx at 9:46 PM on July 4, 2009