Computer Gurus: sleeping and auto start-up

[GA Russell]

I am having two problems with my desktop, and I hope that you folks can help me. I am using Windows 7 Home.

When I am away from the computer for a while, it goes to sleep, and I can't get it to wake up. How can I stop it from going to sleep? In the alternative, how do I wake it up?

The last time I upgraded Spotify, they added the feature that it would automatically boot up when I turn on the computer. Where do I find the list of programs which automatically boot up so that I can delete Spotify from the list?

Thanks!

[Ted O'Reilly]

I'm certainly no guru, but I have Windows 7 home, too, and it does the same thing. If I come back and it's a black screen I just hit "BACK" (though I think any key would work), but then have to log on again.

I don't know if that's universal or the way my machine was set up, but it works for me...

[JSngry]

The Sleep settings are in Control Panel, under Power Options, Change when the computer sleeps.

I don't have/use Spotify, but I imagine that the next time you have it open that there's a menu option somewhere that lets you disable the starting of it when the computer boots. Failing that, you can type msconfig into the search box from the Start button, and then go to the Startup tab, and then deselect Spotify.

Also - whenever updating a program, pay attention as the thing installs. Sometimes the options are presented to you there. But sometimes not! Not having Spotify, I don't know which category it falls under. But some software gets really predatory and pushy once it gets popular.

If you're feeling really frisky, you can do a Google search of all the keywords in your question, then peruse the results. Contrary to the predominant popular opinion, there is some good, useful, practical information on the internet!

For instance: https://www.google.com/#q=windows+7+programs+start+when+computer+boots

[GA Russell]

Thanks guys!

I've changed both the sleep function and the screen saver to "never", and I've unclicked the majority of the startup programs. We'll see if that all works better.

[JSngry]

Just to be sure, you do know that you can still have the screen saver - or just a plain black screen (which is really the most efficient way to go) - come on without putting the computer to sleep, right?

Also, if your computer starts buggin' next time after you boot, you might want to re-select some of those startup programs. Probably won't happen, just sayin', if it does, check there. Some of that stuff is in there for a reason, and some of it's three jsut because the software got greedy, and sometimes you don't know which is which until you experience a problem.

One more tip - if you're not already doing so, create a regular restore point, so if worse comes to worst, you can put use the recovery tool (again, in Control Panel) to everything back like it used to be. How to do that: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/create-a-restore-point

[GA Russell]

Jim, I read quite some time ago that screen savers are pointless for modern screens, so I unclicked that option as well.

I don't think I made a mistake regarding the subject matter at hand, but now I am having problems with a new USB hub I got that doesn't seem to be working. Sometimes the mouse isn't connected. I am forever getting a notice that I should be using a faster USB port. So it's kind of frustrating, but I think I'm OK.

[king ubu]

I only have this when Windows runs updates while I'm away ... it usually asks you before it does a re-start, but I guess if you're away for hours, eventually it just does it ... or not really, since it will be black and running (getting hotter than if it actually runs regularly, for whatever reason), and all I can do is keep the power button pressed until it goes off completely. After than, I need to wait a moment (a minute or so) and then it will boot again and while doing so telling me it's finishing some windows updates (it does NOT go into safe mode or tell me it had a crash or anything, although I just actually crashed it), and sometimes it even automatically re-opens whatever I had open.

Not sure if this might be what happens with your machine, GA, but it might. This happened maybe five times in the past four or five months, always when some major windows updates were running on days I wasn't home (or during the night when I was asleep).

[JSngry]

I don't use a screen-saver any more, but I do go to a blank screen. A little less heat generated overall, call it a faux-greenery I suppose...and I don't know if having something not generating light is gonna do any harm, so, oh well. Just a little jiggle of the mouse and we're back to live action.

Ubu - the forced updates/restarts can be eliminated by asking to be prompted before installing. You'll get a little pop-up in your systray (and it will stay there), but you can ignore it. Then you can install when you want, when you know you'll be there to monitor things. And you can also get a list of what you want to update or don't before doing it. They keep wanting me to update IE. Hell, I don't use it, haven't for years, so why? And you know how Microsoft like to run those proprietary changes and then say, sorry, that's just how it is.

Other than my anit-virus, I pretty much don't let anything auto-update. Good programs can go bad, get greedy, and next thing you know, you got something you don't want to act like that acting ALL like that.

[king ubu]

Ubu - the forced updates/restarts can be eliminated by asking to be prompted before installing. You'll get a little pop-up in your systray (and it will stay there), but you can ignore it. Then you can install when you want, when you know you'll be there to monitor things. And you can also get a list of what you want to update or don't before doing it. They keep wanting me to update IE. Hell, I don't use it, haven't for years, so why? And you know how Microsoft like to run those proprietary changes and then say, sorry, that's just how it is.

I know .. and I do get them! But when I'm away, somehow it doesn't work and it falls hard asleep wihle heating and fanning like crazy ... not sure what goes on there, but I must check the settings and stuff again and more closely (just had this again yesterday). But usually (if I see it, the systray icon that is) I do just as you describe ... and yeah, I think the updates were actually already running, prompted by me - but I went to bed before they were done, and wasn't there to do the restart that was required ... and then that falling asleep happens, when I'm not there to either hit the "restart now" or "restart later" thing that pop up.

[JSngry]

One time I went almost a year between updates, started to finally get with it in the early evening, and then though no, this might take a while, so waited until the next morning. It DID take a while!

However, pretty sure that one can cancel all updates while in progress and then resume at a later time, perhaps(?) even taking up where one left off previously. Downloading the updates is a separate event from installing them, iirc.

Hell, I should have bought a new..."device" a year or two ago, but this thing keeps running and doing what I ask of it. Besides, I don't want Windows 8, am not good enough a human for a Mac, don't see well enough to live on a smartphone, and lack the courage to just hackerass my way to and through everything, so...when it gets broke, I'll fix it. I just hope I'm not when it does!

But if that stuff just starts updating without permission, tha ain't right. Somebody done put a chicken head in your computer.