How do I access / adjust / enable / disable these ?

On Tue, 09 May 2023 17:46:25 -0400, casagiannoni@optimum.net wrote:
> How do I access / adjust / enable / disable these ?

The only true wake timer setting which can wake a computer from a completely
off state, is in the computer BIOS/firmware. But some computers may fail to
wake up from a completely off state due to incorrect motherboard jumper
setting, or if the power supply doesn't provide enough power for wake timer
(i.e. low quality power supply).

An OS may have such setting, but it can not wake the computer from a
completely off state. It can only wake the computer from a deep sleep state
- which is not a complete off state.

casagiannoni@optimum.net wrote:
> How do I access / adjust / enable / disable these ?

I don't know how to 'access' or 'adjust' them, but you can enable and
disable them in the 'Power Options' Control Panel applet.

In Windows 11, it's Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Power
Options -> Change plan settings -> Change advanced power settings ->
Power Options.

As far as I remember, the path was similar for 8.1, so 7 is probably
similar as well.

The 'Allow wake timers' settings is in the 'Sleep' subtree.

On Windows 11, there's not just Enable and Disable, but also
'Important Wake Timers Only'. I don't know if pre-11 has that as well.

On 5/9/2023 5:46 PM, casagiannoni@optimum.net wrote:
> How do I access / adjust / enable / disable these ?
>
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/63070-enable-disable-wake-timers-windows-10-a.html

"A wake timer is a timed event that wakes the PC from sleep and hibernate states
at a specific time. For example, a task in Task Scheduler set with the
"Wake the computer to run this task" check box checked.

Important wake timers are a new class of wake timer in Windows 10 that includes
things like reboots after a Windows update that requires one.
"

That means the wake timer uses the BIOS alarm clock register in the RTC.

It's being used as an adjunct to Scheduled Tasks, so events scheduled
for a time when the PC is not in S0, get executed by waking the computer
and doing them. Not every item in Scheduled Tasks causes that behavior,
as some tasks can wait until the PC is running again, to trigger.

The RTC alarm clock, has limited range, and can wake any time in the month.
To time an interval of eight months, requires waking the computer eight
times or so, to "check whether it is time yet". Normally, sequential events
(loading the alarm register according to the computed calendar of events)
does not require time intervals like that. The person who put that limit
in the RTC was a silly person, but it is what it is. A computer could have
ten billion transistors, and they couldn't afford a handful to fix that.
There is a rigid defacto design for the RTC and that's why it has a limit.

At one point, W10 Windows Update was setting one of those, the computer
would wake up, and then the computer could not figure out why it was
awake. The icing on the cake, was the computer also did not go back
to sleep or hibernate or whatever. They seem to have fixed that.

I don't know if Windows 7 has quite the same fixation. It has that
function, but it may not be using it to the same extent as attempts
on Windows 10. You can certainly buy and install software, where
a side effect is the computer waking up at night. But I don't
recollect Windows 7 doing that for its own self.

The computer can wake, as long as +5VSB is available. And it probably
works in S5 (soft off), based on the erroneous W10 activity at night.

And while the description "Wake Timers" is plural, there is only
one alarm register in the RTC (via standards definition). All waking
activity is done by multiplexing, by studying all the events and
working out the time until the next one comes along, and then setting
the alarm register via a BIOS call at shutdown. So if the Task Scheduler
has three events, they are worked on one at a time, using the one alarm
register. If the computer happens to be awake and running, when a
Task Scheduler event comes along, the OS has other timing logic for
that. If defragmentation is scheduled at 10AM, the OS has a timer it
can use, to inform it that "something in Task Scheduler is due".
And then it checks scheduled tasks, for that item. The RTC is not
used while the PC is running and the fan spins. Timing while running, runs off
other hardware. The RTC interface is "too slow" to be helpful in S0.

*******

The other kind of waking, is moving the mouse or striking a keyboard key,
when the Device Manager "allow this device to wake the computer" tick box
is enabled for a hardware device. Visiting Device Manager and disabling
those, prevents bumping the computer table and starting it. Some mice
(like mine right now), do not sense movement, and mine only triggers
if I click a mouse button. Whereas my Microsoft Mouse on the other machine,
detects mouse movement, which is why the tick box has to be turned off
or it would be a pest.

Mouse
Keyboard
Network Interface (Wake On Carrier, being the worst option they've got)

Those are ones you check in Device Manager and their Properties : Power Management.

The powercfg /lastwake , could report whether it was the mouse that woke a computer.

Paul

I don't see anything after Change Advanced Power Settings -> Power
Options. See : https://postimg.cc/xckRbzpS

casagiannoni@optimum.net wrote:
> I don't see anything after Change Advanced Power Settings -> Power
> Options. See : https://postimg.cc/xckRbzpS

For me it's in the '[+] Sleep' part'. If I click on the '[+]' to open
the subtree, I get '[+] Allow wake timers'. Click again on that '[+]'
and you get the Enable/Disable settings.

BTW, what's your computer, a laptop or a 'desktop'? I have a laptop,
which has 'On battery:' and 'Plugged in:' sub-settings

Please clarify / elaborate etc.

Where's the [ + ] ?

12 year old Dell desktop.

Thanks.

casagiannoni@optimum.net wrote:
> Please clarify / elaborate etc.
>
> Where's the [ + ] ?

The '[+]' is ASCII-art for the plus symbol in a square.

No offense, but look on *your* posted screenshot where it says
'Sleep', click the plus-symbol before 'Sleep', etc..

> 12 year old Dell desktop.
>
> Thanks.