Resolved Computer Refuses To Wake From Sleep

The keyboard and mouse are set to wake the computer from sleep, but I have to do a hard boot to wake the computer up. I am running Windows 7 with SP1. PC BIOS is up to date.

The wake from sleep issue started just a few days ago. Power company installed a new meter this week, and it caused a breaker to trip power to my home office, but I had my Dell hooked up to an APC UPS. However, I wasn't aware of the breaker issue until a few hours later.

I have no problem with hibernation.

EDIT: I just wanted to add some updated information. I can put the PC into forced sleep with no issues (power button turns amber), but I am wondering if my computer is actually going into sleep mode by itself because the power icon is blue which means the computer is awake. The power button is supposed to be amber if the computer is asleep. So maybe my issue is one of a hanging mode preventing the machine to go into timed sleep.

 

Before doing a hard boot next time, try unplugging the keyboard, waiting a couple of seconds, plugging it back in, wait another few seconds and then hitting the [Spacebar]. Did it wake up?

 

Unfortunately, no. I tried your suggestion on the USB mouse, too, but it did not help.

After some trial and error, I think the issue may be tied to two different Kingston USB drives (1gb & 2gb). Kingston recommends that USB thumb drives be removed from the computer when not in use, although I kept both of them, plus another brand of USB drive (Centon) plugged into my XP machine at all times with little or no issues to speak of.

Currently, I have the Centon plugged in at all times on my W7 machine, and it has not caused any hanging sleep issues. Could Kingston be wrong about their comments?

 

Just a "theory ". The antivirus may be accessing the drives, but not necessarily scanning them.

Could any of the files on the drives be open when it goes into sleep mode?

 

Windows 7 and XP are two different animals.

Unplug the Kingston flash drives, put the computer to sleep and then see if it'll wake up.

 

Should I disable Avast and see what happens?

No, I make sure to close any open USB files when I am through with them.

 

Meaning? (concerning USB drives)

For what it's worth, I can *force* the computer into sleep and wake it up with all three (Centon, Kingston & Kingston) USB drives plugged in. It's when the computer goes into timed sleep that problems occur with waking it up. According to the color of the power button (blue), I don't think the PC is going into timed sleep. The power button should be amber colored when the machine is asleep but it isn't

I followed your suggestion and removed the Kingston drives, and the PC goes into timed sleep (power button is amber colored), and it wakes up with the click of a mouse or by pressing a button on the keyboard. I even left the older Centon USB drive plugged in too. Later on, I plugged in an extra USB drive (PNY brand), and things are working as they should.

I don't know why the Kingston drives would cause any timed sleep problems. These two USB drives are the newer of the bunch.

 

Yesterday, I plugged in a new PNY 16gb USB flash drive along with the other PNY and Centon drives. So far, the computer is not hanging when it goes into timed sleep mode. I assume the chip in the Kingston drives are not jiving with W7 for some reason, although at one time they caused no timed sleep problems.

Weird.

 

Are the USB drives V2.0 or V3.0? Just a thought. Neil.

 

2.0

I don't think Windows 7 supports USB 3.0, but I could be wrong.

 

USB 3.0 works great on my Windows 7 systems. Almost 6 times as fast as USB 2.0.

 

Did you have to install any 3rd party USB drivers?

 

Not to my knowledge. Windows handled it.

(USB 3.0 175 MB/s compared to USB 2.0 31 MB/s)

 

I going to mark this thread as resolved. I think the timed sleep issue is with the Kingston drive(s) chips.