Question How to switch on / off display to save power?


Donk

Active member
Local time
1:03 PM
Posts
126
OS
Win 11
How could one easily / fast with a shortcut or key turn the monitor off (may be on as well, but better would be if it turned on automatically when pressing any key, touching the touchpad, moving the mouse, etc.), respectively make it black WITHOUT turning off the music (played with a music player program and outputed through an external amplifier, Pioneer VSX-830-K, connected with HDMI cable to the notebook, respectively the music then is outputted over the notebooks speakers) to save power on a Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)?

Is there a way to automatically let the monitor turn off / on WITHOUT stopping the music / switching the output to the notebook (speakers)?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB
How could one easily / fast with a shortcut or key turn the monitor off (may be on as well, but better would be if it turned on automatically when pressing any key, touching the touchpad, moving the mouse, etc.), respectively make it black WITHOUT turning off the music (played with a music player program and outputed through an external amplifier, Pioneer VSX-830-K, connected with HDMI cable to the notebook, respectively the music then is outputted over the notebooks speakers) to save power on a Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)?

Is there a way to automatically let the monitor turn off / on WITHOUT stopping the music / switching the output to the notebook (speakers)?


 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
probably the easiest would be to use blu tooth / wireless speakers. If you use HDMI with integrated sound and then turn off the monitor then a laptop won't necessarily re-route the sound output to an alternative output device. In theory it should but what theory says doesn't always work in practice.

cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Is there a way to automatically let the monitor turn off / on WITHOUT stopping the music / switching the output to the notebook (speakers)?
Go to Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\Edit Plan Settings, then adjust Turn off the display to your preference.

Untitled.png

This feature switches the monitor off even if music is playing in the background and will switch back on if you press a key or move the mouse.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Why not just press WIN+L ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 RP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M75Q-1
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE @3.30 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo)
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3151
    Memory
    20 GB DDR4 2666 (1x16GB + 1x4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 2369
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 512 GB NVME + SPCC 240GB SATA SSD
    PSU
    External 65W
    Case
    Mini (1L)
BlackTop does what you want. The hot keys are Ctrl+alt+B to turn off monitor. Just wiggle the mouse or press any key to turn on again.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Please would you post the results of this command so that we can avoid misleading you.
PowerCfg -a


All the best,
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Yes, but buying extra speakers just so the monitor can be turned off might be a bit impractical.

This feature switches the monitor off even if music is playing in the background and will switch back on if you press a key or move the mouse.

I assume, it is here:
5Pc65t8.png


Yes, it does, but it it turns the music off then, respectively plays the music through the notebook speakers, no sound from the external speakers then. Or am I missing anything?

Why not just press WIN+L ?
Don't know, sorry. Because it does not switch off the display?

BlackTop does what you want. The hot keys are Ctrl+alt+B to turn off monitor. Just wiggle the mouse or press any key to turn on again.
Many thanks for the link! softonic.com shouldn't be considered that trustworthy in general, right? I downloaded it. What does that cool "Even The Demons Believe" pdf (edb.pdf) mean in the download? Is there a connection to turning off the screen (to some demons)?
I also had to install that (shown after clicking BlackTop.exe), usually also needed by some other programs, if I wanted to use BlackTop obviously:
XnDOdzz.png


Please would you post the results of this command so that we can avoid misleading you.

PowerCfg -a
Sorry, what should I do with it? Whatfor?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB
Yes, but buying extra speakers just so the monitor can be turned off might be a bit impractical.



I assume, it is here:
5Pc65t8.png


Yes, it does, but it it turns the music off then, respectively plays the music through the notebook speakers, no sound from the external speakers then. Or am I missing anything?


Don't know, sorry. Because it does not switch off the display?


Many thanks for the link! softonic.com shouldn't be considered that trustworthy in general, right? I downloaded it. What does that cool "Even The Demons Believe" pdf (edb.pdf) mean in the download? Is there a connection to turning off the screen (to some demons)?
I also had to install that (shown after clicking BlackTop.exe), usually also needed by some other programs, if I wanted to use BlackTop obviously:
XnDOdzz.png



Sorry, what should I do with it? Whatfor?
Yes it needs .NET 2.0. I use it but ignore the links in the context menu, it's an old program that still runs on 11. It's safe. Only thing with it is you can't change the hotkeys.

poVGjE8CoX.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Yes it needs .NET 2.0. I use it but ignore the links in the context menu, it's an old program that still runs on 11. It's safe. Only thing with it is you can't change the hotkeys.
OK, thank you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB
Yes, it does, but it it turns the music off then, respectively plays the music through the notebook speakers, no sound from the external speakers then. Or am I missing anything?
I have been using the feature for years and it only switches off my monitor, not my speakers.
However, I'm using a Desktop, so the effect may be different for a Laptop.
I have no way to test because I may have a Laptop, but I have no HDMI speakers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I have no way to test because I may have a Laptop, but I have no HDMI speakers.

OK, thank you.

Run it, copy its results, post them here.
OK, here they are:
tlMt8Va.png


C:\Users\Don>PowerCfg -a
The following sleep mode features are available on this system:
Standby (S3)
hibernation
Hybrid sleep mode

The following sleep features are not available on this system:
Standby (S1)
The system firmware does not support this standby state.

Standby (S2)
The system firmware does not support this standby state.

Standby (S0 Low Power - Idle)
This standby state is not supported by the system firmware.

Quick Start
This action is disabled in the current system policy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB
Thanks for posting that.
I can see from your results that the situation is not being complicated by the presence of S0.

I use a shortcut to NirCmd, a third-party utility, to turn off my display.
C:\PathToTheCommand\NirCmd.exe monitor off

My equipment is nothing like yours so I cannot pretend to know if this solution is suitable for your situation.
- If I have audio & video set to only come out of my laptop & its speakers then using the shortcut blanks my laptop's screen and audio continues uninterrupted.
- If I have audio set to only come out of my [HDMI] external monitor's external speakers then using the shortcut blanks both the external monitor & my laptop's screen and automatically switches audio back to my laptop's speakers.
I had to check your available power states first because, for an S0 computer, the response when a display turns off is entirely different.


All the best,
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
I can see from your results that the situation is not being complicated by the presence of S0.
What is SO?

I use a shortcut to NirCmd, a third-party utility, to turn off my display.

C:\PathToTheCommand\NirCmd.exe monitor off

Yes, I do / did / tried to as well:

"J:\Programme\WSCC\Apps\NirSoft Utilities\x64\nircmd.exe" monitor off

Turns of the music from the amp. Directs it to the speakers of the notebook.

- If I have audio & video set to only come out of my laptop & its speakers then using the shortcut blanks my laptop's screen and audio continues uninterrupted.
Yes, the same here (without using that HDMI connection).

- If I have audio set to only come out of my [HDMI] external monitor's external speakers then using the shortcut blanks both the external monitor & my laptop's screen and automatically switches audio back to my laptop's speakers.
Yes, same here.

I had to check your available power states first because, for an S0 computer, the response when a display turns off is entirely different.
Yes, I understand, thank you for testing / trying.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB
What is SO?
S0 is an increasingly prevalent power state that replaces the S3 Sleep that we have known for years.
Its proper names are S0 Lower power idle, S0 Modern standby.​
Once the display is off, S0 progressively inhibits all user tasks to achieve a low power consumption state that Intel thinks is worthwhile [MS & many device manufacturers are also joining in].
It's based on the assumption that people never want any applications to keep running when the screen is off.
I don't like it.​
- I tried several workarounds on the computer that had it until I finally gave up and disabled S0.​
- I could not run my backup routines or some other long-running scripts unless I deliberately made the display stay on.​
Some people like it.​
- There are lots of S0 threads in the forum and you'll see a range of opinions in them.​

Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
S0 is an increasingly prevalent power state that replaces the S3 Sleep that we have known for years.
Its proper names are S0 Lower power idle, S0 Modern standby.
OK, obviously not available on my Win.

paoxW4C.png


It's based on the assumption that people never want any applications to keep running when the screen is off.
Very strange. So synchronizing / backing up and such are inhibited as well then?

- I could not run my backup routines or some other long-running scripts unless I deliberately made the display stay on.
Oops, the answer already. OK. Can't understand how something like this can even be constructed.

- There are lots of S0 threads in the forum and you'll see a range of opinions in them.
OK, thank you. Don't know how many hours I have already spent to get such a ridiculous (standard) option to turn off the display working the last few days (and showing the weekday, seconds in the taskbar, etc.) to save power. Causing some uncertainties / problems / risks when testing such.

So I guess, I will leave it now like it is.

Thank you very much for your help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB
OK, obviously not available on my Win.
It's the manufacturer who designs the device [computer & components] for S0 not Windows. According to some people, it can be introduced by a Bios update.
Windows merely has the ability, in most cases I've seen, to disable it albeit not always perfectly.
That's why I had to ask you to run that PowerCfg -a command to find out what states you had available.

So synchronizing / backing up and such are inhibited as well then?
MS has built-in bypasses to allow some of their components to keep running [email app, Windows update and, optionally, network connectivity are the only ones I know of].
I imagine that some software publishers have done the same [if MS allows them].
There is no publicly-available information on how it is done so we cannot do anything about it for other applications or for our own scripts.

I will leave it now like it is.
If a computer is not supplied with S0 then the user cannot choose to convert it to S0 anyway.


All the best,
Denis
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
It's the manufacturer who designs the device [computer & components] for S0 not Windows.
Ah, OK, so one with each new computer (from another brand) had to deal again with those settings.

I imagine that some software publishers have done the same [if MS allows them].
So one just had to try it.

There is no publicly-available information on how it is done so we cannot do anything about it for other applications or for our own scripts.
So the best is not to deal with such at all, I guess.

If a computer is not supplied with S0 then the user cannot choose to convert it to S0 anyway.
Good to know.

Many thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17ABA7 Laptop - Type 82RQ (Lenovo IdeaPad 3 82RQ003EGE)
    Memory
    16 GB

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom