Windows 8.1 Goes To Sleep

ronto

New Member
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My Dell laptop with Windows 8.1 goes to sleep by itself when I turn on the power. The only way to wake it up is to press and hold the "power" button down for about 10 seconds. I did a total scan and it indicated "no threats were detected" What do you think the problem is? This is intermittent and does not happen every time I turn the computer on.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/Inspiron
    CPU
    core i5
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Browser
    ie10
    Antivirus
    windows defender
As a former Dell tech, I can ask a few questions that might be helpful.
1: Have you run the system POST diagnostics? (From system off, hold Fn and turn power on, then let go of all buttons)
2: When you are turning the power on, are you resuming from Hibernate?
3: Are there any unusual sounds coming from the system, such as fan noise, etc.?
4: Have you checked the power settings?
5: Also, the Dell QuickSet software should alert you if there's any battery problems. Have you seen any of these alerts?

Without distinct identifiers of the system, I can only give you the basics. (Note: I said Former Dell tech. I'm no longer currently with Dell, although I still love their systems.)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro Media Center x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Athlon II X4 640 (Propus)
    Motherboard
    MSI MS-7388
    Memory
    4 DDR2 x2GB = 8GB Total
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon R7 250x Pro Series
    Sound Card
    Motherboard Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Westinghouse Digital 22" LED TV
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    465GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKB-00H8A0 ATA Device (ATA )
    698GB Seagate ST3750640NA PATA Device (ATA )
    931GB Western Digital WDCWD10EZEX-22MFCA0 (SATA )
    931GB Seagate ST31000528AS SCSI Disk Device (SATA )
    1397GB Seagate ST31500541AS SCSI Disk
    PSU
    Corsair CX750 Bronze PSU
    Case
    Antec 200
    Cooling
    (3) Corsair CF 120 & (1) Corsair CF140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless SB 120 Media AIO Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless SB 120 Media AIO Mouse
    Internet Speed
    250 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    System data courtesy of Speccy; Courtesy of Piriform Software.
  • PC2
    Dell Studio 1555-S
As a former Dell tech, I can ask a few questions that might be helpful.
1: Have you run the system POST diagnostics? (From system off, hold Fn and turn power on, then let go of all buttons)
2: When you are turning the power on, are you resuming from Hibernate?
3: Are there any unusual sounds coming from the system, such as fan noise, etc.?
4: Have you checked the power settings?
5: Also, the Dell QuickSet software should alert you if there's any battery problems. Have you seen any of these alerts?

Without distinct identifiers of the system, I can only give you the basics. (Note: I said Former Dell tech. I'm no longer currently with Dell, although I still love their systems.)
Thank you for your reply. The following are the answers to of your questions:
(1) I did not try this.
(2) No
(3) No
(4) Yes, they are O.K.
(5) I did not try this.

The problem disappeared as fast as it appeared. I do appreciate your suggestions and I will follow them if the problem comes back.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/Inspiron
    CPU
    core i5
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Browser
    ie10
    Antivirus
    windows defender
Yesterday I was watching a UTUBE video on full screen and exited to partial screen and the my computer screen went gray. I tried several things and finally hit "ESC" and it went back to the screen saver. So I signed in and everything was normal again. Can you figure out what happened this time? Thank you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/Inspiron
    CPU
    core i5
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Browser
    ie10
    Antivirus
    windows defender
At this point, I recommend doing a full shutdown, and doing the POST Boot Test, (*Option 1 in my previous answer.*)
As I said, I'm not currently a Dell technician anymore, but I still love their systems.
The POST Boot Test can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes in most instances, and will test hardware, software, and configurations essential to getting your system to hand off to your OS, such as Windows 8.1 in this case with your laptop.

NOTE: The Extended Test option can take an hour or more, depending on the tests the system runs.

If you have any further issues, please attach the .log file from the POST Boot Test. (I don't remember specific locations, but you can search for it with Win +Q and type in *.log, and it should find any log files, which then you can attach to your message / reply on this forum.)

**Further Note: Some newer Dell laptops do not have a log file that appears on Windows. If your system finds any errors in diagnostic mode, it is advised to use a cell phone or other device with a camera to take a picture of the error message, or write the error message down, and then research it on a computer that has access to the internet. (This assumes that there may be cases where the laptop does not connect to the internet.)
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro Media Center x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Athlon II X4 640 (Propus)
    Motherboard
    MSI MS-7388
    Memory
    4 DDR2 x2GB = 8GB Total
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon R7 250x Pro Series
    Sound Card
    Motherboard Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Westinghouse Digital 22" LED TV
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    465GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKB-00H8A0 ATA Device (ATA )
    698GB Seagate ST3750640NA PATA Device (ATA )
    931GB Western Digital WDCWD10EZEX-22MFCA0 (SATA )
    931GB Seagate ST31000528AS SCSI Disk Device (SATA )
    1397GB Seagate ST31500541AS SCSI Disk
    PSU
    Corsair CX750 Bronze PSU
    Case
    Antec 200
    Cooling
    (3) Corsair CF 120 & (1) Corsair CF140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless SB 120 Media AIO Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless SB 120 Media AIO Mouse
    Internet Speed
    250 Mbps
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    System data courtesy of Speccy; Courtesy of Piriform Software.
  • PC2
    Dell Studio 1555-S
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