Comments on: Windows XP Standby and Hibernate Problem (Update 5/2009)

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:54:27 +0000

I have had this problem for years on a Dell Laptop now running XP Pro SP3 that would occur about 50% of the time upon attempt to enter standby. First, the prompt comes up “please wait while machine gets ready to stand by” (or something similar to that), then the screen goes black, and finally the machine hangs with fans on full speed. Only recourse then is to hold down the power switch until power is cut off.
The best method I have found to work around this problem seems to be to disconnect from the wireless network before trying to enter standby. (Testing of this hypothesis is ongoing since this is the first day it has been found to prevent the standby hangups). My Wifi is an “Instant Wireless” PCMCIA Card by Linksys in case anyone is interested and its driver is “lswlnds.sys”.

By: Morri Spick

Morri Spick — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:05:16 +0000

USB DRIVERS PREVENTING STANDBY MODE SOLUTION:

the solution about usb drivers devices prevents xp form enterin standby mode is to create an USB folder in the system/controlset/services of hke local machine main folder and put in it the following DWORD: USBBIOSx typing the value “0″.

As already stated.

By: Bo Donnelly

Bo Donnelly — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:35:42 +0000

I’ll defer to the experts on all PC topics, but this has worked for me without any problems. I installed Smart Shutdown and set it for 2 minutes. I also long ago turned off the Java Quick Start feature.

Before I installed the SS, I was for years experiencing chronic shutdown problems. Now it works without any exceptions that I can’t identify.

The exceptions are rare, which is the best part, but I can honestly say that they don’t bother me when they do happen.

I have had similar problems with scheduled programs set to wake from standby. Irregular behaviors from backup programs and cleaners that I have handled in the same way. I use WakeupOnStandby to wake the computer 1 minute before the scheduled operations, and since have had no problems with those.

This is with XP, so I cannot comment on Windows 7 or Vista.

RH-I downloaded dumppo. The menu pops up but disappears before I can read it. Does it set the sleep state automatically when it is run?

By: RH

RH — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:57:53 +0000

Wow 4 years later and this is still relevant. I have 2 PCs that were not automatically going into sleep states or waking randomly. In both cases Java Quick Starter seems to have been preventing sleep (Sun, help save the Earth FFS!).

I also discovered that despite having my BIOS set to use the S3 suspend state, aka STR (Suspend To Ram), Windows XP seemed to think it should be using S1. The difference in energy cost is pretty huge, yet waking from either state takes about the same amount of time. It can also be hard to notice the difference looking at or listening to the PC. A program called dumppo.exe from microsoft solved that problem (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/products/Oemtest/v1.1/WOSTest/Tools/Acpi/dumppo.exe).

dumppo admin
…lists the current settings

dumppo admin minstate=s3 maxstate=s4
…sets s3 as the minimum sleep state

Many thanks!

By: edarte

edarte — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:03:42 +0000

FINALLY SOLVED!!!!
After searching for a solution to this problem (Outlook would not allow computer to go on standby even when no documents open anywhere) I no longer have this problem. Problem started when I switched from Office 2003 to Office 2007.

I have just changed my firewall software from a product called F-Secure to McAfee. No other changes and now the computer goes on standby.

I have tried every suggested solution I could find and it now appears to have been caused by F-Secure. I have always noted that F-Secure caused a lot of page faults on all three of my computers and never found a cause for that either.

By: daniel

daniel — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:29:50 +0000

My computer has zero programs running, i click stand by and it sleep for few seconds then turns back on. I disabled the internet on it, but it to sleep, and finally works now!

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:13:51 +0000

This may seem illogical but for me (XP sp3) NOT having the display set for a screen saver intermittently prevented the screens from shutting off and no standby. Why, I have no idea. Did not have one set because I have such a short standby (15 for display, 20 for standby). I don’t want my display shutting off before 15 so I tried setting it beyond the standby period (say 25). I know, seems illogical, but it worked.

[edit, th] Using a NVIDIA graphics card, dualview.

By: Bo Donnelly

Bo Donnelly — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:18:57 +0000

Hey, Tania. All credit to Tom Harrison, I do recommend keeping a copy of the Smart Shutdown program. I keep it running in the system tray as it uses next to no resources. The main reason I am keeping it is because I have had “insomnia” creep back in, but a “Set/Activate and hide” off the system tray of Smart Shutdown has restarted the feature back to its wonderful automated self for me every time. I am VERY confident in the feature now and :)

Smart Shutdown…http://lifehacker.com/5046541/smart-shutdown-offers-more-ways-to-turn-off-your-pc

By: Tania C.

Tania C. — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:22:40 +0000

Disabling Java Quick Start also seems to have solved my XP Home SP3′s refusal to automatically go into standby!

Since applying that fix, I also found this document from EnergyStar.gov entitled “Known Causes and Solutions for PC “Insomnia”.

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/power_mgt/downloads/PC_Insomnia_Causes_Solutions_7-21-09.pdf

It includes the Java Quick Start fix, and the reference link for that actually points to this website (although that link appears to be defunct).

By: Bo Donnelly

Bo Donnelly — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:05:46 +0000

Ok, that would explain it. SodaHead has video ads. I like the Smart Shutdown program. I did notice that the autostandby went out again. I closed everything, etc., and, when I restarted the autostandby feature with Smart Shutdown, it started working again. I think maybe SS is a useful utility in that way. If autostandby goes out, right click on the SS icon in the systray, select “Action” then “Set/Activate and hide”, and autostandby starts working again. At least I can say that it has worked for me so far. Thanks for suggesting the program. It’s less than a MB, and it’s easy to use. I am just going to leave it in the systray…

Thanks again for this page devoted to this bug. I know alot of people have run up against it over the years. I have battled it since Windows 98. It’s like a living thing…and indestructable…