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I'm at my dad's house and he wants help. He has cable internet access and wants to be able to leave the computer on. The computer should be able to be instructed to go into some sort of hibernation mode. Anyway, usually the screensaver won't go on, sometimes it will, but it NEVER goes into hibernation mode. This is a Windows XP desktop Dell Dimension 8400. I don't really know how hibernation/power saver modes work but I've played around on it and ordered it to go into hibernation after an hour of idleness and nothing seems to take effect. He says the computer told him this morning that it failed to hibernate, to try again, and if it still doesn't work that there was a problem with the communications port (com 1) device. How do we fix this? I don't really understand what the port thing means so please use small words for us if you have suggestions, thanks.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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right click on the wallpaper go to where you select a screen saver and look for the energy saving options.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I've already tried that, it doesn't enter the hibernate mode like it is set to do. It just doesn't do it.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Something might be making the computer think the mouse is in motion. Anything on the table/desk vibrating?
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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This is a regular old mouse, wired, with the ball. No pets here. Remember, the computer actually says that hibernation failed, so it knows something is wrong.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I can do that, but I don't think that is the problem. It wouldn't tell me it failed if it thought the mouse was in motion. Also the mininum time to hibernation I am allowed to pick is one hour, so I can't do that till later. I think this is some sort of communication or program failure.
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There may also be a setting for sleep and/or Hibernation in the Bios that will have to be turned on...
Posts: 80 | Registered: Nov 2005
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You ?are? going into Settings Control Panel Power Options setting Power Schemes and then into Hibernation ??? Doesn't sound like it from your description of a one hour minimum. But if you are, the problem may be that your father's computer is a zombie -- ie hijacked by a virus/etc -- slaved to another computer user.
Another possibility is that your father has a BitTorrent-style distributed file-sharing program on board -- possibly one not obvious, eg MovieFone -- and before the Hibernation kicks in, the distributed file-sharing program is called upon to send data to another file-share network user. Thereby resetting the Hibernation timer.
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I've tried that way of setting hibernation also. I tried it yesterday and it didn't work. I'll try that again--that one does allow shorter time periods. Here is what the computer said when I walked back in:
The device driver for the 'Communication port(com1) device is preventing the machine from entering standy. Close all applications and try again. If the problem persists you may need to update this device.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Sometimes, hibernate and standby quit working. I don't have an answer for you other than to tell you that it's not just that computer. I've had it happen on other laptops before now - 2, I think.
My current laptop stopped being able to do standby a month ago, and yesterday, decided to fail on hibernate. Well, it failed the day before as well, but last night, I tried forcing hibernate and it refused.
I'll be looking for answers to this as well.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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My Dell Inspiron 8000 laptop has never been able to go into standby or hibernation mode. I've given up trying. Last time I tried, I seemed to recall it complaining about some keyboard driver or some such (tweren't me, I keeps all my drivers current-like!)
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