Win7 64-bit locks up after idle

**brianpio** · 2011-02-14 05:07

I recently purchased a new desktop, HP Pavilion, Win 7 Home Premium, quad core, 64 bit, 8GB RAM. Everything works great but at least three times over the past three weeks after being idle for a long period I have no desktop activity. The mouse moves around but thats it eventually forcing me to do a hard shut down. I have the monitor sleep set to never and hibernate set to never, I just turn my monitors off when I'm away. Any thoughts or suggestions?
BP

***ruirib*** · 2011-02-14 05:20

Do you have any app that is set to run when the computer is not being used?

**brianpio** · 2011-02-14 05:47

Originally Posted by ruirib

Do you have any app that is set to run when the computer is not being used?

My anti-virus runs once a week at 2 AM and my defrag software runs once a week at 2 AM other than that a sticky note on my desktop.

**Deadeye81** · 2011-02-14 07:48

Brian, check the Event Viewer Windows Logs for any critical errors that correspond to the times your HP locks up. Click on the Windows Orb, and enter eventvwr in the search box and press the Enter key. Check out the Application and System logs under Windows Logs.

Also, when you say you have no desktop activity, are you looking at a blank screen with the mouse pointer showing, or do you see your normal desktop?

I don't know if you can do so, but try calling up Task Manager by pressing CTRL- SHIFT- ESC when a lockup occurs. Try selecting the Processes tab, and also try selecting Show processes from all users. If you are successful, see if any process is utilizing 100% CPU.

**brianpio** · 2011-02-14 10:05

Thanks for the suggestions and I will try them on the next lock up. As for the desktop when lock up occurs I'm looking at my normal desktop not a blank screen, the mouse moves around but clicking anything is useless, even if I hit the Windows key, nothing until a hard shut down and re-start. Thanks again and I'll let you know.

**mlg63** · 2011-02-14 11:00

You are probably aware of this--but windows 7 requires a brief power button push to wake after extended periods of inactivity, not just a key press or a mouse move. Win 7 puts the computer into Hybrid Sleep or Hibernation which needs the power button (brief push because if you hold it down too long it shuts off) to wake it. Try that and I bet your problem goes away.

**brianpio** · 2011-02-15 08:55

I was not aware of this, thanks and I will give this a try also next time the lock up occurs.

**Zig** · 2011-02-15 11:39

Hybrid Sleep does NOT require a power button push (at least on a desktop).

**jwitalka** · 2011-02-15 12:27

See if the problem occurs in a Clean Boot Environment. If it doesn't, reenable things a little at a time to find the culprit.
Can you call up Task Manager? If so, sort the processes tab on CPU to see if something is hogging it.

Jerry

**Perrorist** · 2011-02-16 20:18

If the system is set not to hibernate - as this one is - then there's no need to press any buttons after a period of idleness. There may be a slight delay while the system suspends or terminates a background process, but that's all.

**Cecebee** · 2011-02-17 07:06

Sorry Zig, but I run a Windows 7 64 bit desktop unit and it most certainly does require a push of the power button to bring it out of deep sleep. Key presses and mouse movement have no effect on a sleep scenario.

**ingber** · 2011-02-17 08:40

There is a good chance your problem and its fix is in:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2300639

The desktop stops responding for some time after you resume the display on a computer that is running Windows 7

Lester

**Zig** · 2011-02-17 13:49

CCB,
Must be a MoBo issue or BIOS setting, as mine wakes just fine from hybrid sleep.

**posttopost** · 2011-02-17 22:45

In BIOS, set STR (sleep to ram) typ default is to disk, which has a timer to turn off in win 7 so long lag to resume from disk that is off.

**posttopost** · 2011-02-17 22:57

S3 is STR I think.

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