Introduction
Have you ever had your laptop unexpectedly restart when you put it to sleep? It may indicate an issue with your computer, with regard to its sleep mode. If you recognize that your laptop is turning itself off or restarting when you put it to sleep, don’t worry, as it is not a common problem, and there are several likely bases. In this post, we will run through some reasons why this may be happening and how to resolve the issue on most laptops. Let us know ‘Why Does My Laptop Restart When I Put It To Sleep?’.
Why Does My Laptop Restart When I Put It To Sleep?
It is a familiar issue that many people are conversant with, as it seems more likely on laptops than on desktops. For your laptop to function correctly, your computer needs to sleep. When your computer is in sleep mode, you disable the functionality of the power button, so in a sense, your laptop is off or turned off. However, this does not insinuate that the hardware has gone into standby mode. Instead, the battery remains fully charged, and system operations continue. When you turn off the machine by pressing the power button (or other means), it goes into sleep mode and turns off all non-essential components to save battery life.
Sleep Mode
When you put your laptop to sleep, the motherboard goes into an “off” mode where it is turned off, but the battery power is still used. This mode generates a minimal amount of heat, which will warm the base of your computer to the touch to prevent overheating. Suppose you wake up your computer before it has had enough time to cool down. In that view, it can lead to the motherboard shutting down or restarting as a part of its normal shutdown process because it has detected that the internal temperature has gone too high.
Before we divulge the probable causes of this problem on laptops, let’s look at what happens when your machine goes into sleep mode. When you put your computer in sleep mode, the motherboard is not turned off; it is put into an “off” state where the CPU and mainboard components turn off one by one. Some areas within the laptop still need the power to remain on, including a small amount of memory required to perform specific tasks. In contrast, the computer is powered off, and a small amount of power is supplied to the display, which prevents it from turning off.
Reasons Why Your Laptop Restarts Instead Of Going Into Sleep Mode
Several reasons your laptop may restart instead of going into sleep mode. The most customary grounds for this is that your hard drive has crashed. When your computer crashes, much information must be written to the system memory and hard drive. It can cause the laptop to restart to write the updates made elsewhere. Another common reason is that you have recently added new software or hardware incompatible with the motherboard and require it to be updated before you can use it properly.
If you are experiencing this problem on your laptop and cannot find a reason for it, then there is always the possibility that your hard disk is failing. You can try out this by shutting down your computer and removing the hard disk; you will need to plug it back in after a few seconds and start your computer up again. If your Windows Vista or Windows 7 system recognizes that there is no hard disk attached, then chances are it is causing the problem. If you are running Windows XP, this method won’t work as it does not recognize when a hard drive has been removed during a spell.
Best Remedy To This Problem
To test if your hard drive is the problem, press the power button for a few seconds and then release. If your computer does not restart after this, then it is highly improbable that you will be able to solve the problem just by swapping out the hard drive, so it doesn’t cause a problem. On most laptops, pressing and holding the power button while turning on your computer will force a complete shutdown. It is designed to work in the same way as sleep mode. However, if you haven’t done this recently and don’t want to reboot your machine, you can hold the power button while turning on your laptop using a wired or wireless connection. It will force a complete shutdown and prevent it from restarting.
Other Possible Solutions To The Restarting Problem
If you don’t want to mess around with your laptop too much, then one of these solutions may be the best course of action. If you are comfortable with computers, however, there are several solutions that you can do to try out and fix the issues without expert supervision.
- One of them is to update any drivers that have been out of date or have been installed incorrectly. To achieve this, visit your laptop manufacturer’s website and get any recently released drivers for your machine. Of high recommendation is that you keenly follow instructions from your laptop’s manufacturer, as they will most probably be provided with the driver download.
- Another option is to try and remove incompatible software. It can range from running out of memory space on your computer to installing faulty drivers, which could cause it to restart in sleep mode. This option may take a little time as it requires you to uninstall anything installed on your computer that may be causing issues before testing the computer for stability again. You will likely have to go into the start menu and search for “uninstall” or “remove” before following any instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Problem With Sleep Mode
The main problem with sleeping on your computer is that it can cause problems and may lead to other issues when you next use your laptop. If you notice that your system is restarting more often than usual and more than a few times in quick succession. It may be because of overheating caused by your laptop’s inability to cool itself properly while in sleep mode.
Another issue you may come across is that when you put your computer to sleep and wake it up, it recognizes that the power button has been pressed, so it restarts. Suppose this happens quite often and is not caused by other issues. In that situation, you should contemplate checking the power management settings on your computer to see if any changes can be made to prevent your laptop from restarting so often.
Conclusion
So, the issue of missing critical errors causing your laptop to restart in sleep mode is not as uncommon as you might think. The causes of this problem can vary, but the solution is generally the same. Most involve re-installing drivers, removing any extra software, and restarting your laptop. If this doesn’t work or you don’t want to mess with your system, follow the instructions in our How to Fix Sleep Mode and miss Critical Errors for help with a more hands-on solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my laptop need to be wired or wireless to go into sleep mode?
If your laptop is running Windows XP, then it is likely that your laptop does not champion going into sleep mode when connected wirelessly. However, if this feature is enabled on the computer, you can still put it in sleep mode, and if you do, it will be mostly uninterrupted.
How do I wake up from sleep mode on my laptop?
You can wake up from a sleeping laptop in one of two ways: pressing any key or moving the mouse. You must use the mouse if you want to wake up your computer without pressing any key. It can be helpful if you want to wake it up quickly and easily from the lock screen. It is also the best method if you have a laptop with no physical power button because it allows for easy access to many functions.
How do I reboot my laptop from sleep mode?
You can reboot your computer from sleep mode in two ways: either by pressing and holding the power button or by connecting it to external power. You will have to employ the use of external power if your computer’s battery becomes too low or cannot be recharged.
Why is my computer restarting in sleep mode?
There are several reasons one may want to reboot in sleep mode, some of which are harmless, while others could cause problems. For instance, if you intentionally change the amount of memory on your laptop and notice that it starts restarting every few minutes, this could be due to it trying to access more pages than what you originally gave it.
How do I troubleshoot sleep mode on my laptop?
If you have a laptop that is restarting in sleep mode, then you should check on your charging capabilities and whether the system detects any abnormalities. If you come across a problem with any of these, you should take it to your manufacturer for help. If you are more comfortable checking for these issues, at least by removing and re-installing your original storage devices, try this first.
