While my PC gently sleeps...

[Albédo]

Hello.
I'm writing from France, using the French XP SP2 (maybe 3
tomorrow if it works fine?), and having a problem I have
never been able to solve from French forums.
If I turn the computer on, let it load XP and don't touch a
key, if will go into "prolonged sleep" (I don't know the
English for "veille prolongée") on it very own after 4
minutes, although every single option has been turned off,
unchecked, etc., every possible place I know throughout XP.
If I touch the computer within those first 4 minutes, it
won't go to sleep.
I always thought that was because I once probably installed
a software that had an option that tweaked that feature, and
it probably uninstalled unproperly. Of course I have tried
to declare new settings in the reguler XP interface and then
shutting it all down, but at no avail: the computer still
behaves the same.
Therefore, I would very much like to know whichever way I
could try to get hold on the computer again, either by
installing soemthing new (and maybe uninstalling properly?),
or by diving into the depths of the Register--if only I knew
where to go.
Thanks in advance for any kind of help!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hello.
I'm writing from France, using the French XP SP2 (maybe 3
tomorrow if it works fine?), and having a problem I have
never been able to solve from French forums.
If I turn the computer on, let it load XP and don't touch a
key, if will go into "prolonged sleep" (I don't know the
English for "veille prolongée") on it very own after 4
minutes, although every single option has been turned off,
unchecked, etc., every possible place I know throughout XP.
If I touch the computer within those first 4 minutes, it
won't go to sleep.
I always thought that was because I once probably installed
a software that had an option that tweaked that feature, and
it probably uninstalled unproperly. Of course I have tried
to declare new settings in the reguler XP interface and then
shutting it all down, but at no avail: the computer still
behaves the same.
Therefore, I would very much like to know whichever way I
could try to get hold on the computer again, either by
installing soemthing new (and maybe uninstalling properly?),
or by diving into the depths of the Register--if only I knew
where to go.
Thanks in advance for any kind of help!

You need to work out if the sleep mode is initiated by
Windows or by your BIOS. Turn it off it the BIOS, then
check if it still happens.

If it still happens, check if it also happens in Safe Mode.

veille prolongée=extended sleep mode

 

[Albédo]

"Pegasus (MVP)" :
| You need to work out if the sleep mode
| is initiated by Windows or by your BIOS. (...)

I can't find any such feature along the BIOS settings. The
machine is some 5 years old, with the BIOS version being
copyrighted 2002: Could it be that the feature just does
note exist?

| (...) If it still happens, check if
| it also happens in Safe Mode.

I will, but as I mentioned it does not happen after the
first run of the day (unless I turn it all off), so I'll
have to try that tomorrow maybe.

| veille prolongée=extended sleep mode

Your French is excellent.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

"Pegasus (MVP)" :
| You need to work out if the sleep mode
| is initiated by Windows or by your BIOS. (...)

I can't find any such feature along the BIOS settings. The
machine is some 5 years old, with the BIOS version being
copyrighted 2002: Could it be that the feature just does
note exist?

Could be - not all BIOSs have a sleep mode. Make sure to
check the "Energy Saving Mode" if there is one.

| (...) If it still happens, check if
| it also happens in Safe Mode.

I will, but as I mentioned it does not happen after the
first run of the day (unless I turn it all off), so I'll
have to try that tomorrow maybe.

| veille prolongée=extended sleep mode

Your French is excellent.
--

Nowhere near as good as your English.

 

[Albédo]

"Pegasus (MVP)" :
| Could be - not all BIOSs have
| a sleep mode. Make sure to
| check the "Energy Saving Mode"
| if there is one.

Couldn't find anything close to it. So I guess it don't
happen from the BIOS, and then it has to take place within
Windows. Would you know of any place in the Register where I
could try and find relevant keys, please?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

"Pegasus (MVP)" :
| Could be - not all BIOSs have
| a sleep mode. Make sure to
| check the "Energy Saving Mode"
| if there is one.

Couldn't find anything close to it. So I guess it don't
happen from the BIOS, and then it has to take place within
Windows. Would you know of any place in the Register where I
could try and find relevant keys, please?

On my machine there are two ways to turn off the current
screen:
a) With the Screen Saver
b) With Control Panel / Power Options
I don't know what option b) is in French but you can launch it
from a Command Prompt by typing this command: powercfg.cpl

 

[Albédo]

"Pegasus (MVP)" :
| (...)
| a) With the Screen Saver
| b) With Control Panel / Power Options
| I don't know what option b) is in French
| but you can launch it from a
| Command Prompt by typing this command:
| powercfg.cpl

I'be been through all this before, at no avail. Once again
the only way for me to get hold of the machine again is to
find the relevent entries in the Register and correct them
by hand, only I've never been able to find out which keys
are relevent. Thanks for helping, but I'm afraid there's no
going farther here...