Computer won't sleep

[SJPatrick]

I like the Endless Slideshow Screensaver, it is better that the Vista photo screen saver in many ways, and especially in that it will allow Vista power management to turn off the monitor. However it won't let power management on my windows Vista system put the system to sleep.

I assume the feature that closes the screensaver on monitor power off would allow this to happen. Either I can't find how to activate this feature, or it doesn' work.

I'm using ESS version 1.5.

Has anybody had experience with this problem? Thanks for any help.

SJPatrick

[Maxim]

I need some additional information on this.

1. Does your computer go to sleep when Endless Slideshow Screensaver is disabled?

2. In your Vista Power settings do you turn off monitor before making your computer sleep?

3. What exactly happens? Computer just won't do anything when it's supposed to go to sleep? Or is it trying to go to sleep but then restores immediately?

[SJPatrick]

Thanks for your help Maxim.

Yes the computer sleeps fine when ESS is disabled.

Yes I turn off the monitor before having the computer put in sleep mode. With my Vista power management interface it won't let you do anything in any other order.

I haven't watched it at the precise time it is supposed to go to sleep, I've just noted that it never goes to sleep. I will need to do an experiment with it to see what it does when it should be going to sleep, and post another response. Thanks.

SJPatrick

[SJPatrick]

Okay, here's information for the third question.

When ESS isn't enabled, the computer sleeps the monitor, then 2 minutes later there is a flurry of disk activity, and then the computer goes to sleep.

When Ess is enabled, the computer sleeps the monitor, but 2 minutes later there is no disk activity and the computer remain running.

I assume the closing of ESS when the monitor goes to sleep is done to allow the system to go to sleep. But apparently that isn't happening. Of course there is no way to know for sure because the monitor is sleeping.

A feature that would be helpful for this situation would be to allow the user to specify a time window when the screensaver should be allowed to run. Normally I would only like to see the screensaver run from 9AM to 9PM. Outside of those times it wouldn't run and the system would be able to sleep.

Thanks for your help

SJPatrick

[Maxim]

OK, thank you for the information! I'll try to find out what's the problem.

[SJPatrick]

I haven't heard anything from Maxim. So I coded a batch program work around.

I really only want the system to sleep at night when I'm not using it. I use it most of the day, so sleeping then isn't required then.

The batch program copies the photos I want to the folder from which ESS takes the photos to display. It does this between 8 and 9AM. Later, between 9 and 10PM it removes the photos from the folder. ESS then doesn't make the disk accesses to display the photos, thus allowing the system to sleep. The program checks 2 times per hour to see if it is time to copy/delete the photos. I put the batch program in the startup folder so it runs all the time.

I suppose this would work too with the Microsoft photo screensaver.

It would be nice if ESS would let the user specify the hours he would like the screensaver to run and not run it when it isn't wanted. This would allow the system sleep to work.

[Maxim]

I'm still trying to find out the real reason that makes ESS wake up the computer. I'll let you know when the solution is found.

[SJPatrick]

Thanks for your help Maxim. I ran an experiment to verify if ESS stops running when the monitor is put to sleep by the power management process.

Instead of displaying a folder of photos from the hard drive I used a CD containing the photos. This will allow me to tell if the CD is still be accessed by ESS after the monitor is put to sleep.

I found that ESS doesn't stop running when the monitor is put to sleep. The CD is still being accessed 10 minutes after the monitor has gone to sleep. And as soon so as I move the mouse the monitor wakes up and the CD stops. So that is the problem, ESS doesn't stop running when the monitor is sleeping.

What mechanism does ESS use to determine that the monitor has been put to sleep? I am a software engineer and might be able to test if it works with Vista.

SJPatrick

[Maxim]

ESSS checks incoming messages from the system. If it finds WM_SYSCOMMAND with wParam = SC_MONITORPOWER and lParam = 2 then it closes itself. Works perfectly on all test machines.

[SJPatrick]

What piece of software sends the WM_SYSCOMMAND message?

Thinking the display adapter driver might do it I updated it to the latest version and there is no change, ESS doesn't stop when the monitor sleeps.

I'm wondering if the lParam return value you mention is being returned with 1 rather than 2. A 1 would indicate the monitor was going into standby mode.

What is the difference between them? The only thing I could find was the sleep turns it off and standby was low power. Kind of odd because sleep is low power too, there has to be some power for it to know when to turn back on.

Thanks for your help.