windows 8.1 goes to sleep within a few mins - Please help

[Jason2014]

Hi all,

This is making me frustrated.My win8.1 pro desktop system,is going to sleep after a few mins of staying idle.I was having windows 7 before this and I never faced any issue.It was recently that I upgraded my OS to windows 8.1 pro. This is a clean install of the OS.

By staying idle, I mean, I am reading some newspaper or some pdf file or something like that online without any activitiy on the keyboard.After a few mins, it automatically goes into sleep mode. This is making me mad, as I could be in the middle of something while reading documents and it goes into sleep. Please help.
In the power options, I have changed it to High Performance plan, I have verified that, "Turn of Display" and "Put the computer to sleep" options are "Never". When I click on "Advanced Power Settings" , I can see that , under sleep, "sleep after" is never. Allow Hybrid sleep is "Off". Hibernate after is "Never". Please help.

I just wanted to add, that the event viewer shows the following entries...

The system is entering sleep.
Sleep Reason: System Idle

The kernel power manager has initiated a shutdown transition.

The system firmware has changed the processor's memory type range registers (MTRRs) across a sleep state transition (S4). This can result in reduced resume performance.

The system has returned from a low power state.
Sleep Time: ‎2014‎-‎06‎-‎21T05:51:33.970250600Z
Wake Time: ‎2014‎-‎06‎-‎21T05:52:23.968079800Z

I also tried to create a new power profile but this did not help. I ran sfc scanow and also fixed errors. I have all latest windows updates.
I have also tried DISM

Please help. I can't even read something without fear and I have to keep moving my mouse every minute and I can't even concentrate.

 

[Jason2014]

Ok, these are some observations.

If I wake the PC from sleep by touching keyboard then it goes to sleep in 2 mins
But If I use the power button to wake the PC, it does not go to sleep.

So, I downloaded a software called Insomnia for testing. This time, when I wake up the PC using keyboard and run the Insomnia software, it does not go to sleep.

So I guess my options are to always use power button to start up.Incase, I use the keyboard to awaken the PC, I have to remember to quickly open the Insomnia application to prevent the sleep mode.
This is ridiculous!

 

[Brink]

Hello Jason, and welcome to Eight Forums.

If you are leaving the computer sit idle as soon as you wake it without any activity for those 2 minutes, then this is most likely the return to timeout period for an unattended wakeup. Since there was no activity, Windows thinks it was an unattended wakeup.

If so, then you can adjust the timeout period using an option in the tutorial below.

Sleep Return Timeout for Unattended Wake Up - Windows 7 Help Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Jason2014]

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for the reply.

As soon as I wake up the PC, I could be browsing online or typing something. But if I stop doing that and if 2 mins pass by, it goes to sleep.So I am not leaving the computer idle as soon as I wake it up.

 

[Brink]

Yeah, that doesn't sound like it would be the issue then, but it wouldn't hurt to test with a longer time just to rule it out for sure.

If this is for a PC that came with Windows preinstalled, then check to see if it has came with it's own power management software that may be overriding Windows.

 

[Jason2014]

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for the tip and sorry for the late reply. For me the setting, "System unattended sleep timeout" doesn't even exist under "Sleep" in advanced power options!
this PC had windows 7. I formatted it and installed windows 8.1 pro.

 

[hawkman]

error message

Hi Jason,
only heard about this error once before, AND your PC was W7, it might apply to you.
as it only appeared on older UEFI hardware, booted in "legacy" or BIOS compatibility mode.
Might point someone else in the right direction thou

Roy
comp specs would be usefull

 

[Brink]

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for the tip and sorry for the late reply. For me the setting, "System unattended sleep timeout" doesn't even exist under "Sleep" in advanced power options!
this PC had windows 7. I formatted it and installed windows 8.1 pro.

Yeah, it's not there by default, but it uses 2 minutes as the default for the setting. You'll need to use the link in step 1 in Option One to add the setting to be able to change it.

Sleep Return Timeout for Unattended Wake Up - Windows 7 Help Forums

That 2 minute default time and your first description is what made me think that this may be a possibility. I'm not sure after your second description addition, but it won't hurt anything to try and hopefully get lucky.

 

[Jason2014]

Hi Jason,
only heard about this error once before, AND your PC was W7, it might apply to you.
as it only appeared on older UEFI hardware, booted in "legacy" or BIOS compatibility mode.
Might point someone else in the right direction thou

Roy
comp specs would be usefull

Hi Hawkman,

Comp specs below:

intel DH67CL motherboard
16gb ram
i5-2400 CPU 3.10GHz
250gb HDD
19' ViewSonic LED monitor

 

[Jason2014]

Hi Shawn,

I will be trying out your soln. Will post the results tomorrow..

 

[Jason2014]

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for the tip and sorry for the late reply. For me the setting, "System unattended sleep timeout" doesn't even exist under "Sleep" in advanced power options!
this PC had windows 7. I formatted it and installed windows 8.1 pro.

Yeah, it's not there by default, but it uses 2 minutes as the default for the setting. You'll need to use the link in step 1 in Option One to add the setting to be able to change it.

Sleep Return Timeout for Unattended Wake Up - Windows 7 Help Forums

That 2 minute default time and your first description is what made me think that this may be a possibility. I'm not sure after your second description addition, but it won't hurt anything to try and hopefully get lucky.

Hi Shawn,

I tried your tip. The results are strange. When I added the reg key, it did not go to sleep. When I removed the reg key, it still did not go to sleep. I tried the same thing today also. Now without the reg key, it is still staying on. I can't make any sense of this.

 

[Brink]

Interesting, but I'm glad to hear that it seemed to have sorted itself out.

 

[Edwin]

Just a thought; Screen Saver settings seem to override Power Options.

View attachment 45699

 

[Jason2014]

Interesting, but I'm glad to hear that it seemed to have sorted itself out.

I now have a new problem. The computer doesn't sleep. Yes, that's right. I set the Put Computer to sleep to 10 mins and waited for 15 mins, but it doesn't sleep. I wonder if that reg key has screwed my system.

 

[Jason2014]

Just a thought; Screen Saver settings seem to override Power Options.

View attachment 45699

Hi Edwin,
Thanks , but i don't have a screen saver.

 

[Brink]

Interesting, but I'm glad to hear that it seemed to have sorted itself out.

I now have a new problem. The computer doesn't sleep. Yes, that's right. I set the Put Computer to sleep to 10 mins and waited for 15 mins, but it doesn't sleep. I wonder if that reg key has screwed my system.

The reg key would only affect unattended return to sleep.

When you say that you removed the reg key, do you mean in Option Two below? If so, that should not be deleted.

Sleep Return Timeout for Unattended Wake Up - Windows 7 Help Forums​

Double check to make sure that you set your Sleep setting in your active power plan, and didn't do so in another by mistake.

 

[Jason2014]

Interesting, but I'm glad to hear that it seemed to have sorted itself out.

I now have a new problem. The computer doesn't sleep. Yes, that's right. I set the Put Computer to sleep to 10 mins and waited for 15 mins, but it doesn't sleep. I wonder if that reg key has screwed my system.

The reg key would only affect unattended return to sleep.

When you say that you removed the reg key, do you mean in Option Two below? If so, that should not be deleted.

Sleep Return Timeout for Unattended Wake Up - Windows 7 Help Forums​

Double check to make sure that you set your Sleep setting in your active power plan, and didn't do so in another by mistake.

Hi Shawn,

In option 1, step 1, there is a link as follows,

Power Options - Add "System unattended sleep timeout" - Windows 7 Help Forums

, I first followed Step 2 in the above url,
then for the sake of confirming, i followed step 3,
Now the pc doesn't sleep.
I have confirmed that I have set the sleep settings in the active power plan

 

[Brink]

Odd. That shouldn't affect the computer not being able to sleep since it only toggles the "Attributes" value in the registry to add or remove this option in "Power Options", and doesn't add or remove anything from the registry.

See if doing a system restore using a restore point dated before this started may be able to sort this for you.