Windows 8.1 refuses to sleep

[Barbee]

I always liked to leave it on for a week... that way I could run to it at any time to look something up or quickly email. My old computer used to take forever to boot up but this one is pretty fast so I guess I don't mind turning it off at night.

 

[Gork]

I've reported before that the only way I can consistently make my computer sleep is by logging in with a local account as opposed to a MS account. When I boot into the Win8.1 system with a MS account my computer sleeps normally for a few hours then stops until I reboot again.

I learned a little (mostly unhelpful) tidbit today. If I'm logged into a MS account and I log out and into a local account, then log out and back into the MS account my computer starts sleeping again. (Presumably only for a few hours, though I haven't done extensive testing yet.) So apparently logging out and into a local account resets whatever problem the MS account causes, same as when the computer is rebooted.

 

[linw]

At least two of us (Noun0 and me) have found logging out then back in resets the trigger. I didn't log out to a local a/c, though I just logged out and in to my MS a/c.

So, for a few of us at least, any solution has to take into account this time/counter effect. Nothing really gets changed except the passage of time. Except, something does change, but it seemingly has nothing to do with how we operate our computers.

I am trying a registry compare with sleep then no sleep times. No idea how that will go - probably nowhere like everything else we have tried. Just waiting for sleep to fail before taking the second snapshot.

 

[Deihmos]

I have found a hidden task by the name of CreateObjectTask located in the task scheduler in the Shell folder. The task is set to not start a new instance if already running but I have seen up to 15 processes running at the same time and it seems to fail on my PC and laptop. I disabled the task and the PC was able to sleep over night.

If the PC is able to sleep tonight without a need to restart then I think I can narrow it down the sleep problem to this task. I will let you know the outcome.

CreateObjectTask - Provides support for shell components that access system data

 

[NCguy]

I have found a hidden task by the name of CreateObjectTask located in the task scheduler in the Shell folder. The task is set to not start a new instance if already running but I have seen up to 15 processes running at the same time and it seems to fail on my PC and laptop. I disabled the task and the PC was able to sleep over night.

If the PC is able to sleep tonight without a need to restart then I think I can narrow it down the sleep problem to this task. I will let you know the outcome.

CreateObjectTask - Provides support for shell components that access system data

What about the shell components that need access to system data? I can only speculate but in my mind I would worry about some critical update possibly failing. Or possibly maintenance tasks?

 

[Deihmos]

I have no clue what the tasks actually does but the PC is functioning as normal with it disabled. That's the only way I can narrow down why the PC stops sleeping around a certain time. The PC will always stop sleeping around 7pm and based on the logs it is around the time this task is triggered.

 

[NCguy]

I have no clue what the tasks actually does but the PC is functioning as normal with it disabled. That's the only way I can narrow down why the PC stops sleeping around a certain time. The PC will always stop sleeping around 7pm and based on the logs it is around the time this task is triggered.

I concur with the methodology for eliminating the root cause. i'd be a bit concerned though about the long-term affects. It might hose something in the future and you may never even know this was the underlying cause. This is what I might classify as a drastic move without more info on the process.

 

[Deihmos]

I don't see how a scheduled task will hose my pc and that isn't something I am concerned about.

 

[Deihmos]

Well my PC slept like normal for the entire day and that hasn't happened in a long time.

I noticed that my bedroom HTPC was still on so I checked the task scheduler and it has the same running task that does not seem to ever complete. I checked the history and it never succeeds but keeps creating new instances. There is something wrong with this task and I will report it to Microsoft.

Specs
Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit
Microsoft account enabled

 

[Gork]

To bring up an old theory, I think the fact that my computer sleeps fine when logged in under a local account and doesn't when logged in under a MS account pretty much rules out this being a driver issue.

For testing I created a local account awhile back and am currently in the process of making that account my main one. I'm about done, other than a few odds and ends I'm sure I'll run into as the weeks go by. I'll report back as to whether or not this solves my sleep problem long term, but I fully expect it will.

For now I'm calling this a failure on the part of MS to fully test the new MS Account features included in 8.1 before release, and also to listen and react to the huge numbers of customers reporting the insomnia problem. I don't come to this conclusion lightly - it has been, what, nearly a year that I have been pounding away at this. If it were anything short of a bug in their coding I'm fairly certain I'd have discovered a way around it by now.

Too bad, I kind of like the MS Account idea. There are a few small things about the implementation I'd add/change, but for the most part the idea is one I've liked - short of this specific sleeping issue anyway. Sadly, I doubt I'll try the MS Account idea again anytime soon - hopefully if droves of people stop using it MS will finally catch hold of a clue.

For now I look forward to my computer getting lots of rest! <crosses fingers>

@orbitalfenestra
Many thanks to you and your blunt comment about the MS Account feature being worthless. Silly I know, but for whatever reason I hadn't even considered just leaving this option behind for good until I read your post a few pages back...

 

[Noun0]

I have found a hidden task by the name of CreateObjectTask located in the task scheduler in the Shell folder. The task is set to not start a new instance if already running but I have seen up to 15 processes running at the same time and it seems to fail on my PC and laptop. I disabled the task and the PC was able to sleep over night.

If the PC is able to sleep tonight without a need to restart then I think I can narrow it down the sleep problem to this task. I will let you know the outcome.

CreateObjectTask - Provides support for shell components that access system data

How do you do that?
The system says I do not have the authorization to deactivate this task.
It's a system task.

I'm logged to an administrator account.

 

[Deihmos]

First export it to create a backup then delete it. Enable task history to check if the task ever successfully runs. On 4 of my computers it has failed every time.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Well my PC slept like normal for the entire day and that hasn't happened in a long time.

I noticed that my bedroom HTPC was still on so I checked the task scheduler and it has the same running task that does not seem to ever complete. I checked the history and it never succeeds but keeps creating new instances. There is something wrong with this task and I will report it to Microsoft.

Specs
Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit
Microsoft account enabled

It may be that you have very well you're getting close to cracking this case! You're surely onto something here. :thumb:

Geez. How many computers do you have? I'm assuming they're all running 8.1 Pro 64bit with MS accounts. Yes?

A few questions > On the same network? Home group? WiFi or hard-wired?CreateObjectTask is the task that does not seem to ever complete? I'm wondering why on the 4 and not the others. That's what's puzzling.

Can't seem to find this task with a Bing search. Only 2 MS pages it comes up with are these:

Task Scheduler Scripting Objects (Windows)

Creating a Task Object

Do you have any info on it?

 

[HippsieGypsie]

To bring up an old theory, I think the fact that my computer sleeps fine when logged in under a local account and doesn't when logged in under a MS account pretty much rules out this being a driver issue.

Agreeably with that logic it doesn't seem to be a driver issue as long as others with local accounts do not have the non sleep problem.

For testing I created a local account awhile back and am currently in the process of making that account my main one. I'm about done, other than a few odds and ends I'm sure I'll run into as the weeks go by. I'll report back as to whether or not this solves my sleep problem long term, but I fully expect it will.

Cannot blame you on this whatsoever.

For now I'm calling this a failure on the part of MS to fully test the new MS Account features included in 8.1 before release, and also to listen and react to the huge numbers of customers reporting the insomnia problem. I don't come to this conclusion lightly - it has been, what, nearly a year that I have been pounding away at this. If it were anything short of a bug in their coding I'm fairly certain I'd have discovered a way around it by now.

I know you're frustrated and disappointed to say the least. This is probably easy for me to state, for I haven't had any problem since the non sleep update KB2919394 resolution back in what? December or so? > We're not sure of just how many have this problem, but I just don't think MS would leave anyone out in the cold on this. It surely must be machine specific. Perhaps an OEM thing, although I know some have fresh installed, but that still doesn't rule out the machine specific. If it were a bug, wouldn't all systems have it?

Too bad, I kind of like the MS Account idea. There are a few small things about the implementation I'd add/change, but for the most part the idea is one I've liked - short of this specific sleeping issue anyway. Sadly, I doubt I'll try the MS Account idea again anytime soon - hopefully if droves of people stop using it MS will finally catch hold of a clue.

For now I look forward to my computer getting lots of rest! <crosses fingers>

@orbitalfenestra
Many thanks to you and your blunt comment about the MS Account feature being worthless. Silly I know, but for whatever reason I hadn't even considered just leaving this option behind for good until I read your post a few pages back...

The MS account feature is an absolutely fantastic idea and a great feature to have and use, especially having multiple devices. Like I stated, it's easy for me to say.

Good luck to you and others. I really do wish you well! No one likes a system that doesn't work as expected. Perhaps Deihmos has begun to find a solution.

 

[Barbee]

How do you remove yourself from a thread? I keep getting notifications but none of them apply to my post.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

How do you remove yourself from a thread? I keep getting notifications but none of them apply to my post.

At the top of the page above OP > Thread tools > Unsubscribe from this thread.

 

[Deihmos]

Well my PC slept like normal for the entire day and that hasn't happened in a long time.

I noticed that my bedroom HTPC was still on so I checked the task scheduler and it has the same running task that does not seem to ever complete. I checked the history and it never succeeds but keeps creating new instances. There is something wrong with this task and I will report it to Microsoft.

Specs
Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit
Microsoft account enabled

It may be that you have very well you're getting close to cracking this case! You're surely onto something here. :thumb:

Geez. How many computers do you have? I'm assuming they're all running 8.1 Pro 64bit with MS accounts. Yes?

A few questions > On the same network? Home group? WiFi or hard-wired?CreateObjectTask is the task that does not seem to ever complete? I'm wondering why on the 4 and not the others. That's what's puzzling.

Can't seem to find this task with a Bing search. Only 2 MS pages it comes up with are these:

Task Scheduler Scripting Objects (Windows)

Creating a Task Object

Do you have any info on it?

I have not checked it on all the computers. I have so many computers but not all are actively used. 3 htpc, 3 laptops, 2 surface pros. The living room htpc is connected wired then the others are wireless. I use an Microsoft account for login on all of them running Windows 8.1 pro 64 bit. No homegroup but I have file sharing.

I too have been unable to find out what this task is suppose to be doing and why it continues to fail.

 

[bru]

I have posted several times in this thread. Unfortunately my sleep problem continues even when using a local account. While it will sleep more often than when using an MS login it still is not 100%.

I am no expert at processes, etc but I recently looked at Task Scheduler to see what tasks were being run (Deihmos' post prompted it) and I see "Idle Maintenance" listed many times in a 24 hour period. Can someone explain if this is normal and/or if it could be the cause of my sleep issue?

My simplified way of looking at it is that the system is continually performing some sort of maintenance when it is idle which is preventing sleep.

 

[Gork]

If it were a bug, wouldn't all systems have it?

Not necessarily, actually. There are lots of examples in which a software bug would show up using one piece of hardware but not another. But I don't expect everyone to agree with my conclusion - I certainly won't say that I couldn't be wrong. While I've had problems with sleep on nearly every Windows OS since 95, until now I've always been able to get it to work properly after tinkering around for several weeks. I really think there's something much bigger about this particular issue. All in all I think you and I are very close to complete agreement anyway.

We shall see what happens as time continues on. I kept my MS Account sign-on intact on my PC for testing purposes, so I haven't completely given up on the idea.

 

[Wynona]

How do you remove yourself from a thread? I keep getting notifications but none of them apply to my post.

Hypsie answered you on how to remove yourself; however, if you do, you may miss the one thing that will solve the problem for you.