Windows 8.1 refuses to sleep

[magilla]

I am certainly happy for those whose computers have been 'fixed' by the latest batch of Microsoft Windows 8.1 patches. The patches did not help my situation. I still have a computer that will not sleep (unless placed in sleep mode) and which wakes up spontaneously of its own free will. I have followed all the other suggestions -- including those on page 17 -- and have not been able to resolve this issue. I think it is time to revert to re-installing windows 8.0 as much as I hate to do so -- but at least I had no problems with that version of windows. Congratulations to those whose computers are now sleeping without problems!

 

[S Malik]

Good news, Microsoft has resolved this issue in today's Windows 8.1 updates.

The update you cite has done nothing for my issue -- my computer still refuses to sleep and continues to wake up spontaneously after it is manually put to sleep.

Have you tried uninstalling and then re-installing the Network adapter?

 

[magilla]

I did delete and reinstall the network connection. No change in sleep status.

 

[Gork]

Good news, Microsoft has resolved this issue in today's Windows 8.1 updates.

Nope.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Good news, Microsoft has resolved this issue in today's Windows 8.1 updates.

Nope.

Welcome to Eight Forums all new members.

No here also although there's been a change. I'll fall asleep to a flic using Netflix Modern/Metro Store app to find it open, but not active (It's shown in the "Open" slide-out menu left) with the PC locked. Before I would unlock and find it full window.

I see it helped some users, but I think they have a ways to go on this one. There's a lot of variables reading through the thread.

 

[johnpombrio]

So far, so good.

Note to those who THINK they have ORIGINAL problem that started this whole, huge post. Try unplugging your network cable and see if the computer sleeps. If it DOES, then you MAY the same problem that plagued the original 15-20 of us from the beginning and that seems to have been fixed by the latest update. If it does NOT, then look around on the most common of the sleep issues.

There are literally dozens of reasons why sleep will not occur on a PC/laptop/ or tablet. We turned up a whole bunch of them in this post! I will try a subset of them here:

1. Hibernation issues.
2. Media sharing in advanced power settings.
3. Having anything EXCEPT the keyboard able to wake the computer in device manager properties.
4. Network adapter causing wake ups or no sleep.
5. Homegroup networking keeps a constant connection.
6. Skydrive is keeping a constant connection.
7. Certain apps are open and prevent sleep.

I am sure there are more, but that is what I can remember us trying. You are not allowed to say "nope, MS did not fix it" without going through all the work we went through to finally figure out that it was MS's fault! Heh.

 

[magilla]

Then what -- no internet connectivity??

So far, so good.

Note to those who THINK they have ORIGINAL problem that started this whole, huge post. Try unplugging your network cable and see if the computer sleeps. If it DOES, then you MAY the same problem that plagued the original 15-20 of us from the beginning and that seems to have been fixed by the latest update. If it does NOT, then look around on the most common of the sleep issues.

There are literally dozens of reasons why sleep will not occur on a PC/laptop/ or tablet. We turned up a whole bunch of them in this post! I will try a subset of them here:

1. Hibernation issues.
2. Media sharing in advanced power settings.
3. Having anything EXCEPT the keyboard able to wake the computer in device manager properties.
4. Network adapter causing wake ups or no sleep.
5. Homegroup networking keeps a constant connection.
6. Skydrive is keeping a constant connection.
7. Certain apps are open and prevent sleep.

I am sure there are more, but that is what I can remember us trying. You are not allowed to say "nope, MS did not fix it" without going through all the work we went through to finally figure out that it was MS's fault! Heh.

I don't know what it proves if the unplugging of the network cable proves to be the issue (which was not present with windows 8.0) if there is no way to connect to the internet or other parts of the network!

 

[Wynona]

Ummm . . . not to sound like a jerk, even though the below does look like it . . . just trying to clarify what John said.

What John actually said:

IF you unplug the network cable and the computer sleeps properly, THEN you have the problem that started this whole gigantic thread.

IF the above proves TRUE and you install the latest update, your sleep problem SHOULD be solved.

What John did NOT say:

John did NOT say to LEAVE the network cable unplugged. That would just defeat the purpose of installing the updates . . . and yes, it would keep you from connecting to the Internet and your network.

 

[magilla]

Ummm . . . not to sound like a jerk, even though the below does look like it . . . just trying to clarify what John said.

What John actually said:

IF you unplug the network cable and the computer sleeps properly, THEN you have the problem that started this whole gigantic thread.

IF the above proves TRUE and you install the latest update, your sleep problem SHOULD be solved.

What John did NOT say:

John did NOT say to LEAVE the network cable unplugged. That would just defeat the purpose of installing the updates . . . and yes, it would keep you from connecting to the Internet and your network.

Yes my computer does sleep when the network cable is unplugged. I have checked and updated the latest drivers for the Ethernet device. I still have the issue of no auto sleep. This issue did not exist with windows 8.0. I have gone over the issues and suggested resolutions in this thread. I suppose that means that there is no solution except to return to windows 8.0. Is that what you are suggesting?

 

[linw]

The update referred to above has made absolutely no difference to my comp. It regularly sleeps with a 28 sec delay which it was doing before. There is some variability (longer) but at least I can rely on it sleeping.

There is still the issue, though, as it should slam dunk every time within 7 sec like every other version I have had.

Good luck to you all.

 

[johnpombrio]

Heh, sorry if I confused folks. Yes, the one thing that seemed to be consistent with our sleep issues was that it would be fixed by either disabling networking or unplugging the Ethernet cable. Obviously, this is not the solution, just an observation that seemed to be common with most folks that commented here.

Linw, yes, my computer still has that annoying delay too but at least now it sleeps! I did not have that luxury at all before the update.

Magilla, about a hundred posts ago, I gave up on the whole "try to fix the problem" as all I was doing was coming closer to lobotomizing my computer brain. I simply put my computer power button to "sleep" the computer and used it for sleep. I had NO expectations that it would magically fix itself but it seems to have with the latest update. Hurrah for me (but no good for you). If you have tried the other fixes then you indeed have limited options. Back to Win8? Manually sleep your computer? Wait for yet another update that might fix it? That is what we all were facing for the past few months. Me, I went with door number 2. I still use it.

 

[Wynona]

Yes my computer does sleep when the network cable is unplugged. I have checked and updated the latest drivers for the Ethernet device. I still have the issue of no auto sleep. This issue did not exist with windows 8.0. I have gone over the issues and suggested resolutions in this thread. I suppose that means that there is no solution except to return to windows 8.0. Is that what you are suggesting?

No, not at all unless the computer's insomnia is something you cannot live with. You say you've updated drivers for Ethernet, but (dumb question) did you install the Windows Updates released earlier this week?

I probably wouldn't have uninstalled Windows 8.1, but my computer (first store-bought desktop in years) crashed and burned within a couple of months and I had to send it in for repair. It came back with Windows 8.0 reinstalled and I have just left it that way. For me, not reinstalling 8.1 is something I can live with(out). I thought I had to have the Start button, but find I can get along quite well with the Quick Launch and Programs tool bars.

 

[Gork]

Note to those who THINK they have ORIGINAL problem that started this whole, huge post. Try unplugging your network cable and see if the computer sleeps.

As a reminder to my first post in this thread, I have tried every single suggestion, without exception, made in this thread and more. I've easily spent over 300 hours in testing... I should say first that I haven't tried the "unplug the cable method" since installing the last Windows Updates. However, at one point before then I thought that unplugging the cable or disabling network DID solve the insomnia problem for several days. But as it turned out it was simply one of those hopeful solutions that only worked when the planets aligned; same place so much of our testing has led us.

The only thing which has seemed to allow the computer to fall asleep via timer properly and consistently for me has been to log off the MS account. Whether I sign out and remain on the sign in screen, or sign out and sign in with a local account - as long as I'm not signed into a MS account the computer falls asleep after two hours as it is set to do. I don't plan on going through the "extensive list" of testing again after applying the last MS patches, but I can confirm that the computer still isn't sleeping normally but does if I'm not logged into a MS account.

The computer will, as I outlined in my first post in this thread, sleep on a timer after a reboot for awhile. But once it stops sleeping, that's it until a reboot or I log out of the MS account. After perhaps 40-50 tests I have never seen the computer not sleep properly after the two hours I have it set to sleep if I'm not logged into a MS account. And just to be clear, I have tried disabling SkyDrive via the metro options, the group polices AND the task scheduler all at once - didn't make a difference. I learned that the reboot after making the changes made a difference for a short while, but that is all.

 

[Rudy Mas]

This is my last and final update.

My PCs are still going to sleep as they should now.

The only things I have disabled are, Homegroup and the IPv6 support on my network drivers.

I disabled the IPv6, because my ISP doesn't support it yet, and I noticed that Windows 8.1 tried to contact a Microsoft IPv6 server every day which temporarily disturb the sleep function of the PC.

My PC is set to sleep after 30 minutes, and hibernate after an hour. All of this is working fine now.

I'm always logged in with my Microsoft account and SkyDrive is back in business as well. I even noticed that SkyDrive is sending the files to the server the moment I save them. (Editing or new files.)


As mentioned before, I did need to install the latest drivers of my Graphic Card, else my PC would sometimes hang with a black screen when it came out of sleep. (The only way to restart my PC was by using the Reset or Power button of my PC.)

All the previous programs I used are back on my PC, except for System Mechanic.


Like I said, this will be my last update, unless the sleep function would stop working again, which I don't think will happen after working for such a long time now.

I hope you guys will find a solution as well, the only thing I can say, "See if you can find the latest drivers for all your devices. Even for printers, scanners, Chipset, and so on."


This was it then, signing out now and wishing you all the best for the new year!

 

[johnpombrio]

Rudy, Thank you for all your help!

Wynona, good to hear you are doing fine. Sounds like you are comfortable with Win8 so stick with it, a LOT of folks have not upgraded to 8.1 so you are in good company. Thanks for your input and have fun with your tablet!

Gork, if you are able to sleep by simply not signing in on MS Live on bootup, then 95% of this whole post will be useless to you. We had a whole different problem! I (and others) tried logging off LONG AGO and it did not fix anything. You might want to start a new post on this site or do a thorough search of the internet using Google. The update only fixed our particular problem, I have no idea what will fix yours. Good luck!

 

[magilla]

Heh, sorry if I confused folks. Yes, the one thing that seemed to be consistent with our sleep issues was that it would be fixed by either disabling networking or unplugging the Ethernet cable. Obviously, this is not the solution, just an observation that seemed to be common with most folks that commented here.

Linw, yes, my computer still has that annoying delay too but at least now it sleeps! I did not have that luxury at all before the update.

Magilla, about a hundred posts ago, I gave up on the whole "try to fix the problem" as all I was doing was coming closer to lobotomizing my computer brain. I simply put my computer power button to "sleep" the computer and used it for sleep. I had NO expectations that it would magically fix itself but it seems to have with the latest update. Hurrah for me (but no good for you). If you have tried the other fixes then you indeed have limited options. Back to Win8? Manually sleep your computer? Wait for yet another update that might fix it? That is what we all were facing for the past few months. Me, I went with door number 2. I still use it.

I am trying to live with manually sleeping the computers (the two with the problem) but one of them spontaneously awakens and this is what troubles me. I don't like to get up in the night and find my computer running! But I don't want to have to reinstall all the programs I have - which I would have to do with reverting to Windows 8.0. Good for Wynona for leaving well enough alone. I am so sorry I didn't do that. I will keep following the thread and see if something else sounds useful.

 

[Tomdaws]

Well, I'm not sure if this problem is more interesting than frustrating, which is part of the attraction of the tech. side of stuff I guess, but.... I've reinstalled 8.1 & seem to be having 'moderate' success with IPV6 disabled & leaving the Homegroup. BTW I believe that the Homegroup won't work without IPV6 too.

My PC is sleeping much better now, but I do find it awake at times(when it shouldn't be), but I do wonder how many of the 'wakes' are due to legitimate activity ? scheduled maintenance for example ?

Now, here's the thing... Win 8.1 offers very little over 8 IMHO, & probably isn't worth the hassle of the upgrade if you need reliable sleep. With a little tweaking it looks like it's possible to have a reasonable compromise - I'm reasonably happy with mine just now & am certain an update will fix this issue.

Thanks for all the contributions that helped highlight how this issue might be solved

 

[Gork]

Gork, if you are able to sleep by simply not signing in on MS Live on bootup, then 95% of this whole post will be useless to you. We had a whole different problem! I (and others) tried logging off LONG AGO and it did not fix anything. You might want to start a new post on this site or do a thorough search of the internet using Google. The update only fixed our particular problem, I have no idea what will fix yours. Good luck!

Thanks. Been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt! Well, all except starting a new thread which doesn't seem very productive at this point. I've pretty much given up on a solution but I'm sure I'll revisit the problem now and again. Heck, I've already given up 2-3 times and later revisited it. I can't tell you the number of times I thought I had a solution with the testing I've done all to find out later that rebooting the computer only made these things temporarily SEEM like a solution. I even tried blocking all TCP/UDP traffic through my router and thoroughly checking through packet sniffs. I wish I'd have started a list of my testing procedures from the beginning that I could share in case it helped others, but unfortunately I didn't do so until close to "the end."

Just for the sake of clarity, once I verify my computer no longer sleeps I can actually sign out of the MS account, remain on the login screen or sign in on a non MS account and the computer will start sleeping. If I sign back in on the MS account it stops sleeping again. So odd. At this point I'm wondering if this, for me, is related to a change in the OS and something in my motherboard. (All drivers and firmware are up to date, btw - I truly have tried every single idea brought up in this thread as well as many other things.)

As far as 95% of the thread being useless to me - it most certainly wasn't. It gave me all kinds of ideas to try out. It'll be interesting to see if the problem remains when I build my next computer and move this one into the server room. Of course, I have to win the lottery first. /sigh

 

[Rudy Mas]

Answering the big change I noticed between Windows 8 and 8.1, is that with 8.1, there is a lot of information about your settings that is send to a Microsoft server through SkyDrive.

Like all your favorites in Internet Explorer are now shared through your Microsoft Live account on all your PCs


One thing I remember, from when my PCs didn't sleep, was that when I opened a new tab in IE, where you see the frequent visited websites, it was always blank when I rebooted my PC. Which would suggest the system had trouble connecting to the Microsoft server and probably kept my network busy until it managed a connection. That's probably why it didn't go to sleep.

After I found the program that messed up my systems, the connection to the Microsoft servers were repaired and my PCs could stop wasting time to connect to it.

This was just something I remembered just now, and is maybe something the people who still have problems with it can check. If you see the same problem, maybe you're having the same connection problems that I had.

For me, the biggest change from 8 to 8.1, is that SkyDrive is now linked into the OS and that a lot of information is being send to those Microsoft servers to share things on all my systems.

Maybe this little information can help someone to find a solution for his problem. I sure hope so.

 

[magilla]

Well, I'm not sure if this problem is more interesting than frustrating, which is part of the attraction of the tech. side of stuff I guess, but.... I've reinstalled 8.1 & seem to be having 'moderate' success with IPV6 disabled & leaving the Homegroup. BTW I believe that the Homegroup won't work without IPV6 too.

My PC is sleeping much better now, but I do find it awake at times(when it shouldn't be), but I do wonder how many of the 'wakes' are due to legitimate activity ? scheduled maintenance for example ?

Now, here's the thing... Win 8.1 offers very little over 8 IMHO, & probably isn't worth the hassle of the upgrade if you need reliable sleep. With a little tweaking it looks like it's possible to have a reasonable compromise - I'm reasonably happy with mine just now & am certain an update will fix this issue.

Thanks for all the contributions that helped highlight how this issue might be solved

just by chance, after reading your message, I disabled IPV6 again since the latest downloads from Microsoft. Voila! My computers both sleep now (they didn't before when I disabled IPV6). Perhaps something in the downloads made a difference and now with IPV6 disabled there is sleep at last AND my networking (Homegroup) does work without a problem. Thanks to you all for the multitude of suggestions. I did note one awakening, but it did go back to sleep -- it was awakening for a maintenance. Again, thanks to all of you!!