How do you exit STANDBY mode on your computer?

[rnmcd]

I have a Dell 2650 Inspiron laptop(WinXP Pro) and I have to press the Power Button to exit STANDBY. Any idea why pressing a key or moving the mouse won't take it out of STANDBY--that's how I take my desktop (WinXP Pro) out of STANDBY)P

Do you happen to know if the laptop can be changed to exit STANDBY with a key press or mouse move?

 

[Evadman]

It is standby, not a screensaver.

 

[notfred]

I usually use the spacebar.

 

[MC]

Originally posted by: Evadman
It is standby, not a screensaver.

:Q

 

[rnmcd]

Originally posted by: Evadman
It is standby, not a screensaver.

I didn't say it was a screensaver...it is a power management mode that, in most desktops (see notfred's reply above), can be exited with a hardware event (key press, mouse movement).

I'm just trying to figure out why my laptop takes pressing the power button instead of a key press or mouse movement.

 

[Buzzman151]

if it makes you feel any better..... all my friends Inspirons exit standby mode w/ a push of the power button

 

[prosaic]

Yup, the answer is that it was designed that way. I'm so used to only using standby with notebook computers I got all confused when I accidentally learned that it only took a keypress to make my new desktop system resume from standby!

- prosaic

 

[rnmcd]

Okay, here's my next problem: why in the heck won't my Dell Inspiron 2650 come out of STANDBY....it freezes up and I have to do a hard reboot.

Thanks.

 

[prosaic]

Sounds like at least one driver is not ACPI-compliant. That may be an oversimplification. There is software out there with components that act as though they were drivers, and those can cause power management functions to be screwed up, too. Examples of this would be some of the anti-virus and firewall software, keystroke monitors, etc.

Got any error messages in the Event Viewer's System log? (Might even be something in the Applications log. I'm not sure.) Too bad it isn't failing to go IN to standby, then at least you'd be more likely to have an error message to analyze.

Long story short, if you don't see or find any obvious error messages it's probably going to be necessary to remove all non-essential devices (and any software that might be acting like device drivers) from the system, then test the system if it will go into standby and resume correctly. If it does, then you add items back one-at-a-time until you get a failure of the function. Then you've got your bad guy. Of course, if the system won't go into standby and resume even when it is configured at its absolute base configuration, then you're talking about a problem with the MB / BIOS / basic devices. That should NOT be an issue with a recent model Inspiron, unless Dell really screwed up in the design. I hate to say it, but, if it won't standby and resume at base configuration, you have to consider the possibility that there's either a basic hardware malfunction or the basic OS install has been clobbered by something, necessitating a clean install. At least if you do that, and the power management still fails, you can be pretty danged sure Dell needs to do some fixin' or swappin'.

- prosaic

 

[rnmcd]

I talked to Dell and they told me that my problem is caused by USB devices connected to my laptop. They recommended that I disconnect the USB devices!

WTF!

Why did they even sell it with USB ports if they cause problems!

 

[prosaic]

Uh, okay, someone is a moron, and it isn't you, and it isn't me. (Well, I'm not a moron all the time, anyway.) Whoever you talked with a Dell doesn't have a clue.

I'm sitting in front of three systems with USB devices connected (one of them with a wireless USB network connection), and not one of them has any trouble with standby or hibernation. If a USB device is defeating your ability to standby or hibernate the problem is that the device itself or its driver is non-compliant OR the drivers for the USB controllers and / or the USB devices themselves have been configured in such a manner that they are interfering with ACPI. (It's VERY unlikely that any USB device driver sets up this way by default.)

Either that or the Dell tech isn't a total moron, and that unit has a serious design flaw -- which they should soon fix with a BIOS revision. (I specified total moron because, if this is the case, the person at the very least owed you, the customer, a proper explanation of the situation -- and didn't give you one.

- prosaic

 

[rnmcd]

prosaic~ I just discovered something--the system wakes from standby when I am using the DC from the battery. If I plug back into the wall AC and then go into STANDBY the laptop freezes when I try to "wake" it.

Is that a clue to what might be causing this problem?

Thanks.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

You may just need to adjust your options for the power scheme your using under power management.

 

[prosaic]

Originally posted by: rnmcd
prosaic~ I just discovered something--the system wakes from standby when I am using the DC from the battery. If I plug back into the wall AC and then go into STANDBY the laptop freezes when I try to "wake" it.

Is that a clue to what might be causing this problem?

Thanks.

All I can think of at the moment is following DAPUNISHER's advice. That is a weird problem. One I've never seen before. I don't know, offhand, of a legitimate setting through the GUI in Power Management that could cause that behavior, but, if there's a corruption / configuration error in the registry, changing the settings around and testing just might correct it.

In the meantime, I'll see if I can find any reference to this particular symptom. The fact that it won't work when plugged in but will work when not plugged in makes me wonder if there's something crossed up between the BIOS and SpeedStep on that system. Are you using SpeedStep?

- prosaic

 

[rnmcd]

Prosaic, thank you for taking the time to look into this problem with me.

I finally came across some threads that described the same problem I was having(inlcuding only being able to "wake" with the battery). The different fixes included: removing Intel Application Accelerator and updating the NIC bios.

I don't have Intel Application Accelerator and the built-in NIC is not used. So I disabled the built-in NIC and guess what....the laptop wakes!!!!!

Thank you again Prosaic.

 

[prosaic]

Oh, for pity's sake! Is Dell still using non-compliant hardware and drivers for those damned internal NICs and modems? Geez! This has been going on forever! Well, at least for three years that I know of. I think the notebook-using public ought to file a lawsuit against their butts!

Just for grins, I was wondering -- does the driver for that internal NIC provide any power management features controls? If you prefer not to disable the device altogether (After all, it might come in handy some time.) I'm thinking that it might be worthwhile to try it out using the different settings (allow, not allow) to see if that makes a difference in how the system behaves when you try to resume.

I'm glad you got it figured out. But the customers should be holding Dell's feet to the fire, especially when the issue has dragged on for so long. And what the heck was up with that support tech, anyway? Whillikers, but they've gotta do something about communications in that company!

Okay, I'm done venting. It was nice talking with you.

- prosaic