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Setting sleep time
I would like my display to go into a sleep mode at a particular time, as
opposed to after a set period of inactivity. Can this be done with W7? -- Crash "In politics, stupidity is not a handicap." ~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~ |
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#2
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Setting sleep time
On 06 Sep 2010, "Dave \"Crash\" Dummy"
wrote in alt.windows7.general: I would like my display to go into a sleep mode at a particular time, as opposed to after a set period of inactivity. Can this be done with W7? I don't know about sleep mode, but you can use the command line SHUTDOWN.EXE utility, perhaps in a batch file, to put it in hybernate mode. You can then schedule it with the Task Scheduler. |
#3
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Setting sleep time
Dave "Crash" Dummy wrote:
I would like my display to go into a sleep mode at a particular time, as opposed to after a set period of inactivity. Can this be done with W7? At a prompt in a command shell, run: powercfg /? Have it pick a custom power scheme that you defined previously that has an extremely short idle time to when the scheme would switch to a low-power mode. Then schedule powercfg.exe to load that custom power scheme at a particular time by adding an event in Task Scheduler. Create another event that has powercfg select a more reasonable power scheme during use of the computer. If you don't want to use a custom power scheme (with overly short idle timeouts), you could read: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555569/en-us If hibernate mode is enable, that is the low-power mode activated by this command. If hibernate mode is disabled, then the command puts the host into standby power mode. You would add an event in Task Scheduler that runs the command specified in this KB article. It has you use rundll32.exe to execute a method defined in the powrprof.dll file to activate a low-power state. A 3rd party solution is to use Nirsoft's nircmd.exe utility which has separate command-line parameters to specify to use standby or hibernate for the low-power mode. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html |
#4
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Setting sleep time
"VanguardLH" wrote in message
... Dave "Crash" Dummy wrote: I would like my display to go into a sleep mode at a particular time, as opposed to after a set period of inactivity. Can this be done with W7? At a prompt in a command shell, run: powercfg /? Have it pick a custom power scheme that you defined previously that has an extremely short idle time to when the scheme would switch to a low-power mode. Then schedule powercfg.exe to load that custom power scheme at a particular time by adding an event in Task Scheduler. Create another event that has powercfg select a more reasonable power scheme during use of the computer. If you don't want to use a custom power scheme (with overly short idle timeouts), you could read: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555569/en-us If hibernate mode is enable, that is the low-power mode activated by this command. If hibernate mode is disabled, then the command puts the host into standby power mode. You would add an event in Task Scheduler that runs the command specified in this KB article. It has you use rundll32.exe to execute a method defined in the powrprof.dll file to activate a low-power state. A 3rd party solution is to use Nirsoft's nircmd.exe utility which has separate command-line parameters to specify to use standby or hibernate for the low-power mode. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html That's all very useful information for me too. Thank you. -- Brian Gregory. (In the UK) To email me remove the letter vee. |
#5
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Setting sleep time
Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
"VanguardLH" wrote in message ... Dave "Crash" Dummy wrote: I would like my display to go into a sleep mode at a particular time, as opposed to after a set period of inactivity. Can this be done with W7? At a prompt in a command shell, run: powercfg /? Have it pick a custom power scheme that you defined previously that has an extremely short idle time to when the scheme would switch to a low-power mode. Then schedule powercfg.exe to load that custom power scheme at a particular time by adding an event in Task Scheduler. Create another event that has powercfg select a more reasonable power scheme during use of the computer. If you don't want to use a custom power scheme (with overly short idle timeouts), you could read: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555569/en-us If hibernate mode is enable, that is the low-power mode activated by this command. If hibernate mode is disabled, then the command puts the host into standby power mode. You would add an event in Task Scheduler that runs the command specified in this KB article. It has you use rundll32.exe to execute a method defined in the powrprof.dll file to activate a low-power state. A 3rd party solution is to use Nirsoft's nircmd.exe utility which has separate command-line parameters to specify to use standby or hibernate for the low-power mode. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html That's all very useful information for me too. Thank you. Personally I don't see the point of scheduling a low-power mode transition for the host. It could be the host is running at that time either because you or another authorized user, including an admin, might be using the host. A scheduled event might be running during this time. If in a domain, it's possible a backup client is pushed by the server to commit a backup of the host at the time you have the host try to go into low-power mode. Moving into Standby mode probably won't hurt because it's easily exited; however, coming out of hibernate mode may not succeed for a particular process that expects to run. Also, on some hosts, trying to go into hibernation mode this way ends up bouncing the host: it hibernates and then reboots. When pushing the host into a low-power mode this way, you can actually accomplish just the opposite. If your power options has your hard disk spin down after a configured interval of being idle, this command may end up spinning them back up and you just blew your power savings. Rather than try to shove the host into a low-power mode using a command line and perhaps a scheduled event, I prefer just lock the workstation and rely on a well-defined power scheme to accomplish a low-power mode transition (which waits for the idle time to expire rather than try to jerk the host away). To lock the workstation, run the command: "%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe" user32.dll,LockWorkStation Notice the use of double-quotes since the path includes spaces. You can schedule this command as an event in Task Scheduler (where you also specify that it runs only if the host has been idle some minimum time interval). I instead define a programmable key on my keyboard to run the command so I just press a button and it locks up. Obviously if you leave your password blank than anyone can unlock the workstation (just hit the Enter key at the login prompt). In fact, I wrote a batch file that not only locks the workstation but also mutes the speakers. After all, if I want to lockup the host because I'm not there then I don't want the speaker blaring out some noise when I'm sleeping. So I create a batch file that runs: @REM - Mute the speakers @"C:\Tools\Nirsoft\System Tools\NirCmd\nircmd.exe" mutesysvolume 1 @REM - Lock the workstation @"%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe" user32.dll,LockWorkStation I use Nirsoft's nircmd.exe program to mute the speakers (or whatever is configured as the current or default audio device). I can even define a scheduled event to run this batch file. I have another batch file that only unmutes the speakers. That way, in the morning, if I get a VOIP call (via MagicJack), I'll hear the phone ring through the speakers (but the host remains locked). So at, say, 11PM a scheduled event could run the above batch file and at 7AM it would just run the command: "C:\Programs\Nirsoft\System Tools\NirCmd\nircmd.exe" mutesysvolume 0 Since these are scheduled events, I can specify not to run them unless the host has been idle for awhile. I have the mutelock.bat run at 11PM, wait for 20 minutes of idle time before it can run, and retry for up to 450 minutes. That way, if I'm up late playing a game, I don't suddenly lose sound in the middle of some critical gameplay. If I leave the game and go to bed, 20 minutes the speakers get muted. If I don't happen to use my host when I awake, the speakers come back on at 7AM to let me hear anyone trying to phone me via VOIP (my speakers are configured as the ringing device). At no time do I waste CPU cycles trying to put the host into low-power mode via some command whether with a programmed key or a scheduled event. Just doesn't make sense to me. I've been in the situation too many times where the host just went into low-power mode but very soon thereafter I ended up using the host. I just rely on a decent power scheme to figure out when to go into low-power mode based on how long the host has been idle. Locking the workstation is more important to me to prevent someone from happening upon my host should I forget to hit the programmed key that runs the mute & lockstation commands (and I use the screensaver for short intervals of non-use). Personally I find that repeatedly powering down and devices is not conducive to longevity. Hardware expands with heat and contracts with cold. There are surges when you apply power. A switch in power state always causes a spike (just put an oscilloscope across the contacts to see). Hard disks consume much more power when they have to spin up from a dead start with the result that far more current is needed during spin up than to keep the drive constantly spinning. Low-power mode is liked by some users to reduce their power bill (yet they'll probably wipe out most of the savings with just one extra use of their microwave to nuke a cup of java). I use a power scheme that turns off the LCD monitor after 1 hour of inactivity (used to be 4, or more, hours when I had a CRT). The hard disks spin down after 4 hours of inactivity, and which is the same interval for going into Standby mode. The only time my host goes into Hibernate mode is when I press the Power button (although I can't use Hibernate anymore because of some programs that refuse to shutdown for hibernate mode but do okay on a normal shutdown or to go into Standby mode). I use the password-protected screensaver to keep out casual intruders should I forget to hit the programmed key that does the lockout when I leave the host. I used some scheduled events to mute the speakers and lock the workstation at a particular time but only if the host has been idle since obviously I'm not interested in the host locking up when I'm trying to use it. The speakers get unmuted in the morning (but only because I want to hear when I get VOIP calls; otherwise, I'd just leave the host locked and muted until I return to the host). Most times the power schemes seem to satisfy the user's need to push the crosswalk button that isn't connected to anything: it really doesn't help but it placates the user. Constantly power cycling your computer really isn't good for it, nor for your stereo, TV, blender, microwave, and so on. Power cycling stresses the electronics but electrically and thermally. |
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