Standby and Hibernanation problems (so what else is new?)

[bxf]

I'm not sure what I changed to cause this problem, but I'm not aware of
it being like this in the past. I've been making many changes to my
machine (more RAM, new HDD, new applications, Windows Updates) and I
don't really know exactly when it started.

Laptop with Win XP Pro SP2, "all" MS updates applied.

The problem is this: I boot my machine, force STANDBY, and it does what
it should. The monitor goes off and I can hear the HDD stopping. I wake
it up (must use the power button) and all is OK. If I now try to go
into STANDBY again, the monitor goes off but the disk does not stop
spinning, the mouse is dead, and I am unable to resume - rebooting is
the only option.

I've had similar inconsistency when trying to Hibernate after an
earlier Standby. I get the "Preparing to Hibernate" display and that's
how it stays - dead.

This behaviour seems to be independent of Power Settings, etc. Also, if
the system goes into Standby automatically (in accordance with Power
Settings), I am unable to resume.

Any ideas would be apperciated.

Thanks.

B.

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

It's likely you will need a BIOS update.

 

[bxf]

It's likely you will need a BIOS update.

Probably would help. Unfortunately this is not something I can create
myself - must rely on manufacturer

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

Right. There was never any guarantee that XP woud run on all hardware. It requires a compatible BIOS, and good drivers.

 

[bxf]

OK, I solved my problem by temporarily restoring my C: drive from
several backups, and this enabled me to determine that the problem
started in conjunction with my installation of some Wi-Fi cardbus
software. However, it does not appear that this product is the cause of
the problem.

In order to speed up my boot process, I had some time ago disabled both
my 1394 and Ethernet adaptors - I don't use them. When I installed the
802.11 adaptor, I also enabled these two adaptors, not really knowing
if they are required for proper operation of the 802.11.

After determining that my Standby problem is related to this, I
restored my system to its latest (current) version. I believe that at
this point I confirmed that the problem is still present. I then
disabled the 1394 and Ethernet adapters, and the Standby problem was
gone. I then enabled the 1394, and eveything is still OK. I then
enabled the Ethernet, and everything is still OK. Go figure.

Now, to add even more confusion: I have a dual-boot configuration,
where the second OS is an almost-virgin XP SP2, with nothing installed
after the Windows install except chipset and graphics drivers. Before
solving my problem, I tried to see if it exists on this second OS, and
it did. I then found some Registry zap that is related to Power-Setting
and that was included in a delivered folder, created by the
manufacturer of the laptop. After applying this to my Registry (second
OS), the Standby problem disappeared. However, applying this same zap
to my primary OS did not solve my problem there.

The above is too hashed to be of much use, but it may provide a clue to
some people with similar problems.