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Windows 7 goes into sleep/standby when virus scanning and defragging

Answered Windows 7 goes into sleep/standby when virus scanning and defragging

  • Sunday, November 15, 2009 6:31 PM
     
     
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    I've recently noticed that Windows 7 will apparently go into sleep mode in the middle of virus scan or hard drive defrag.  Needless to say, this is a bit annoying.  Windows is set to sleep after 30 minutes, but I can't understand why it's doing this if if the hard drive is being used for a virus scan or defrag.  I could jury rig a solution by increasing the time before Windows goes into sleep mode, but I can't understand why Windows is even eligible for sleeping in the middle of a pretty intensive system scan!  The scanning programs I use where I've noticed that this occurs are Security Essentials and Smart Defrag.

    Anyone have any thoughts on why this is happening?  
     

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  • Tuesday, November 17, 2009 3:10 AM
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    How long does the scanning procedure or defrag keep, more than 30 minutes?

     

    If certain application is running at background (such as Defrag) after 30 minutes without user operating, the monitor will be turned off but the application is still running until it completes. Then, the hard drive will be turned off and the system enter in Sleep Mode completely. The symptom is by default.

     

    If you would like to keep monitoring the status of defrag or scan, you should set the time longer than 30 minutes.

     

    Thanks,

    Novak

     

     
  • Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:13 AM
     
     
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    I experienced the same problem, but I wonder why in windows XP/Vista there is not such issue (I usually set monitor off after 5 mins and sleep after 30 mins), and it can finish the virus scanning/defragging (which last at least 2-4h) then enter sleep mode; however in windows 7 it will "force" sleep after 30 mins thus interrupt in the middle of scanning/defragging (after resume from sleep it can see virus scanning/defrag is in the middle of running).

    Its quite annoying, I can just extend the sleep time longer than the expect scanning/defragging time, any other solution?

     
  • Monday, November 23, 2009 12:34 AM
     
     
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    My guess is that it's an issue with the software we're using; perhaps somehow it's not reporting that the computer is active, so the OS ends up going into sleep?  I'm probably way off on this though, since one of the programs I'm experiencing this issue with is Microsoft Security Essentials!


     
  • Wednesday, January 20, 2010 5:21 PM
     
     
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    My experience is identical, with programs running in a Command window or DVDs being read from the system DVD drives--the computer goes into Standby, stopping the process!!! Didn't do this with XP!!!

    Setting the time to be longer than the process (and we don't know of course how long the processes will TAKE) is NOT an answer! C'mon Microsoft, why don't power settings recognize that the CPU is busy as all-get-out? What can be done to fix this?
     
  • Wednesday, February 03, 2010 1:07 AM
     
     
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    I'm experiencing the same thing
    And I'm using Microsoft Security Essentials, so you'd think, that as a Microsoft Product, it would behave appropriately
    unless, of course, you've been using windows a long time, then you'd expect, based on history/experience, that Microsoft software products are the least likely to follow the guidelines Microsoft gives everyone else

     
  • Wednesday, February 03, 2010 1:16 AM
     
     
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    I have sleep disabled on my machine, I refuse to let Windows 7 sleep, I make it work like a slave 24/7
    Vote if answered or helpful, I am running for Office (joke)! IT/Developer, Windows/Linux/Mainframe RaidMax Smilodon, 680W, Asus M2NBP-VM CSM AMD X2 4200+, 2GB DDR2-800, x600, more details on my site, need a video card for the Windows machine, the 8600 GT fried
     
  • Friday, March 05, 2010 1:40 PM
     
     
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    I have the exact same problem with Windows 7. It happened with McAfee, MalewareBytes, and now it happens with Norton. Windows 7 was supposed to make everything easier (source: Windows 7 commercials), so changing my power settings before and after every virus scan is not an acceptable solution.
     
  • Thursday, December 16, 2010 4:49 PM
     
     
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    How did you disable it?

    Renee

     
  • Thursday, December 16, 2010 11:15 PM
     
     
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    On my IT site I post Links to MSE for everybody's convenience.

    To change the power options, look in the control panel

     

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  • Sunday, December 30, 2012 5:46 PM
     
     
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    I agree with the majority of complaints about this issue; Windows 7 is supposed to be the operating system that knows what's happening with the resources; if a resource is in use, don't interrupt a process that could potentially cause a system failure. Why has no-one from Microsoft addressed this issue?

    Is it because Microsoft Windows isn't announcing that it interrupted a virus scan so people can assume that things have been running smoothly? The only reason why I noticed that my computer had gone to sleep instead of running the program with the monitor off is that the power button changes light color when the system isn't fully operational - Blue for active - Yellow for Stand-by.

    Nice Windows! Let's get some qualified programmers back on your staff, shall we?

     
  • Monday, January 07, 2013 3:20 AM
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    Please see: Windows 7 Power Options And Sleep Modes Explained

    Carey Frisch