Is it sleep, hibernate or something else?

bob 1954 · 10 Jan 2022

version 20H2 (os build 19042.1110)
I used to be able to leave my desktop on and continue work on the bench in front of it.
After 30 mins it would go into a state that showed the screen saver, I am allowing a company called boinc to use my computer when it is 'sleeping?' but now this has stopped.
No matter what I try to do in ...control panel/power options/choose when to turn off the display/change advanced power settings/sleep... the computer switches 'off' after the time set on either 'sleep' or 'hibernate', the screen goes blank and the monitor says 'no signal'.
I used to be able to set it to 30 mins and after it 'switched off' I could press any button or move the mouse and it would return. Now the computer looks to switch completely off and I have to press the on button on the front of the computer a few times for it to return.
Can anyone see what I have lost and how I can get it back?
Thanks,
Bob.

Try3 · 10 Jan 2022

Bob,

What have you set in Power options? If you don't know how to check then you can put this in a shortcut or the Run box control.exe /name Microsoft.PowerOptions
What have you set for the screensaver? If you don't know how to check then you can put this in a shortcut or the Run box rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,1

"I have to press the on button on the front of the computer a few times"
That's a worry. It makes me wonder if the computer is locking up. I might have to guide you through using Event viewer to check just what state the computer is in when you think it is sleeping.

"I am allowing a company called boinc to use my computer"
Assuming you mean online use then do a malware scan using Microsoft defender.

Denis

bob 1954 · 12 Jan 2022

Hi Denis,
I think your help has solved my problem.
Can I first show you how I got there.

Try3 said:

Bob,

What have you set in Power options? If you don't know how to check then you can put this in a shortcut or the Run box control.exe /name Microsoft.PowerOptions

If I go to power options the power plan is balanced.
If I click on 'choose when to turn off the display' I have set both turn off the display to 'never' and put the computer to sleep to 'never'. The computer looks to do exactly what I want it to do, turn the computer into a 'sleep' state after 30 minutes and show the boinc is using the computer.
See Choosing BOINC projects for more info about boinc.
I have been experimenting with both and can get the computer to go to the state that I indicated in my first thread to one minute by setting either to 1 minute.
I am assuming from this that there is something else set somewhere that is making my computer 'sleep'? Is the state I am referring to called sleep or could it be hibernate or something else?

If I click on 'change advanced power settings' in the 'edit plans settings page above I get a small window called 'power options' which gives me a number of headings including
Turn off hard disk after :- (this is set to 0.)
Sleep (clicking on the + at the side opens)
'sleep after' – setting 'never'
Allow hybrid sleep – setting 'off'
Hybernate after – setting 'off'
Allow wake timers – setting Disabled.
Again I am assuming from this that there is something else set somewhere that is making my computer 'sleep'?

Try3 said:

What have you set for the screensaver? If you don't know how to check then you can put this in a shortcut or the Run box rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,1

I think this is the answer, the screen saver is set to show BOINC after 30 minutes. If I click on settings in the screen saver box I get the attached picture.
It does exactly what I want. I assume if I set it for one minute it will do what I want in 1 minute. I am going to monitor it for a few days and then get back to you.
Bob.

Try3 · 13 Jan 2022

Bob,

"I have set both turn off the display to 'never' and put the computer to sleep to 'never'. The computer looks to do exactly what I want it to do, turn the computer into a 'sleep' state after 30 minutes"
There seems to be a contradiction within those words. Do you mean that the display goes blank after 30 mins? That does not necessarily indicate sleep - it can just mean screensaver.

"the screen saver is set to show BOINC after 30 minutes"
I think you mean that your screensaver is set to kick in after 30 mins & Boinc is set as the screensaver.
That implies that Boinc is installed as an active type of screensaver. I've no problem accepting that even though I've never seen it before. I assume that also means that if you change your screensaver to off that Boinc never starts.

"I think your help has solved my problem"
I don't think I have.
You have shown how Boinc is implemented but "I have to press the on button on the front of the computer a few times" still indicates that you have a problem.
How familiar are you with Event viewer?
Here is an Event viewer "Custom view" definition.
Unzip it,
Run Event viewer - eventvwr.msc
In the upper-right of the window, click on Import Custom view,
Select the unzipped "Custom view" definition, Open, OK.

In Event viewer's left-hand pane, select Custom views, Power - S0-Sleep-Hibernate transitions and you will see a timed list of sleep & resume from sleep events.
If your computer sleeps, you'll see an entry The system is entering sleep when it starts sleepand an entry The system has returned from a low power state when it ends it.
If you see it sleep without a resume then the computer has crashed during sleep.
If you don't see either then no sleep has occurred.

Given what you have posted, I do not think your computer is sleeping at all. You use it then Boinc uses it. Nothing else. There is nothing to tell it to sleep [unless Boinc has that capability].

I think your first investigation step should be to turn the screensaver off so Boinc never starts and then see if the computer behaves itself.
Your second step could be to set the computer to sleep after 25 mins to check it sleeps and resumes correctly.
That will leave whatever Boinc does as the source of the problem. I do not know what those Boinc settings in your diagram mean so I cannot suggest what to do with it.

Denis