Solve Sleep Mode Problems on a Dell Computer
When Microsoft patched the power-saving features of Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Vista, certain Dell computers were affected by various issues where the computers would go into sleep mode and be unable to come out of it or error out and not go into sleep mode. Sometimes the computers would go into sleep mode and wake up only when a USB mouse was jostled. Pressing keys on the keyboard would not wake the computer because the keyboard would stop functioning.
Instructions
Windows XP Service Pack 3
1. Open the Dell support page on your Internet browser. See the Resources section for a link. Make sure to have your seven-digit alphanumeric (letters and numbers) service tag. Place that information into the Choose by Service Tag option.
2. Make sure that the option for the Operating System is correct.
3. Go to +Bios and click on the + symbol. Click on Download at the far right, save and run the downloaded file.
4. Restart your computer after installing the file.
5. Test the Power-saving feature once you have rebooted.
If Section I Does Not Resolve the Issue
6. Go to Display Properties by right-clicking in an open area on your desktop and left-clicking on Properties. Click on the Settings tab.
7. Check if the Display midway down is saying Plug and Play Monitor on... If it is not, go to the Device Manager. Left-click on the X in the top right corner of the Display Properties menu.
8. Go to Start, left-click, and then open the Control Panel (or Settings and then Control Panel depending on your system is set up).
9. Select System, go to the Hardware tab, and left-click on it. Left-click on Device Manager about 1/3 of the way down that page.
10. Look at Monitors and see a + symbol. Left-click on it once and see if it has an exclamation point,!, with a yellow circle around it. If it does, right-click on the Plug and Play Monitor and left-click on Update Driver.
11. Choose Yes, this time only and then left-click on Next. The wizard will update the monitor drivers automatically, if possible. Restart if necessary once updated.
12. Test theSleep mode again. The computer should go into sleep mode and then wake up successfully.
If Section I and II Do Not Work
13. Left-click on Start and then Control Panel (or Settings and then Control Panel, depending on your system's setup).
14. Double-click on Power Options to open it. Open the Hibernate tab and click on Enable Hibernate. You may have to reboot again.
15. Test the Sleep mode function again.
Windows Vista
16. Open the Dell support page in your Internet browser. See the Resources section for a link. Make sure to have your seven-digit alphanumeric service tag. Place that information into the Choose by Service Tag option.
17.Make sure that the option for the Operating System is correct. Go to +Bios and click on the + symbol. Click on Download on the far right. Save and run the downloaded file.
18. Restart the computer after installing the file.
19. Test the Power-saving feature once you have rebooted.
If Section IV Doesn't Work
20. Reboot the system and press F2 or Del to get into Bios. Make sure that the Legacy USB option is enabled.
21. Save and exit the Bios and start Windows Vista. Go to Start and then Control Panel.
22. Switch to Classic View on the left side. Click on Power Options.
23. Click Change Plan Settings and then Change Advanced Power Settings.
24. Set the SleepSleep After to Never.
25. Set the SleepAllow Hybrid Sleep to Never.
26
Set the Sleep Hibernate After to one minute after the monitor and hard drive are set to turn off.
27
Set the Power button and LidStart menu power button to Hibernate.
28
Restart the computer and test the Power Sleep mode.
If Section IV and V Do Not Work
29
Find the Windows sidebar at the bottom right corner. Right-click on it to disable it.
30
Test the Sleep mode again. If the computer does go to sleep, enable the Windows sidebar by going into the Control Panel and enabling it again.
31
Start turning off each gadget one by one, and test the Sleep mode to see which gadget is causing the problem.
32
Look at the system and see if you have a Google sidebar. If you do have Google sidebar, then pick only one to use, or choose not to use either of them.
33
To remove the Google sidebar, left-click on Start, then left-click on Control Panel. Double-click on Programs and Features. Wait for the computer to populate installed software on your computer. Find the Google sidebar and remove it by left clicking on it and left click Uninstall.
34
If you want to remove the Windows sidebar, right-click on it, left-click on properties to open Properties, then remove the check from the Start Sidebar When Windows Starts, selection and click OK.
Tips Warnings
Check your software and hardware. When it comes to Sleep mode, if one of the settings are incorrect or software is configured improperly, Sleep mode will not properly work. If your computer goes into Sleep mode and you can't wake it up, reboot it by pressing the Power button to make sure that the computer wakes up with the proper information. If these steps do not remedy your computer's Sleep mode problem, Dell will be able to answer any of your questions for free while your computer's warranty is still valid. After that, you will have to pay for Dell tech support All written errors should be researched through Microsoft's Knowledge Base to pinpoint exactly what is causing the computer's inability to wake from sleep mode. See the Resources section for a link.
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