Solved Turn on the display when resuming from sleep

fruh · Mar 12, 2022

Hi, I have disabled Modern Standby on my laptop so now, with S3 sleep, when I press the power button to wake up the device from sleep, the PC comes up but I then have to wait for it to register another input (keyboard or mouse) and then I have to wait for the display to turn on. It's just a few seconds but it's still kinda annoying.

Since I cannot use Modern Stadby, is there any way to automate the display turn on process? I'm not an expert but I was thinking about a Scheduled Task for every time I wake up the device, though I've looked on the web and I haven't found any command for turning on the display to put in the hypothetical Scheduled Task yet.

Thanks to anyone that will try to help :)

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

I know how I'd do it for Windows 10 and I have no reason to think Windows 11 is any different. But I have not done all these things in Windows 11 yet.

I assume you have run the command

Code:

PowerCfg -a

to prove that S0 is disabled and that S3 is.

I suspect that the problem is being caused by Bios/Display driver design assumptions. They might assume they are working only with S0 so your problem might be a by-product of that. You might usefully reinstall the display driver in the hope that it has been disrupted by the changeover but will cooperate if reinstalled.
- go to Dell Drivers n downloads,
- put in your Dell Service tag,
- choose to check yourself manually,
- set the list to date order,
- look down the list to the latest display driver,
- download it,
- run it [it will be an .exe file].

The solution will be
1 You can monitor wakeup in Event viewer, and
2 you can set the relevant EventID to trigger a Task in Task scheduler, and
3 you can make that task run a vbs script, and
4 that vbs script can wake up the monitor.
If you are prepared to be guided through all this then I am prepared to guide you. Just let me know.

By the way, I'm jealous. I have an S0 computer and it refuses to allow S3 to be enabled. The procedure you followed to disable S0 just leaves me without S0 or S3 & gave me problems with WiFi connections. I have set up an alternative that actually works very well by letting S0 stay enabled but stopping S0 ever being triggered. Might you be interested in that as an alternative?
- I set my monitor to always stay on [it's the monitor going off that triggers S0, that glorified & debilitating idle condition]
- I set a screensaver to kick in at my desired time [it's 2 mins whether on battery or power]
- At times when I would manually S3 Sleep on my decent [i.e. non-S0] computers, I have use to use Hibernate instead but that's only a minor inconvenience.

All the best,
Denis

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

Step 1 - You can monitor wakeup in Event viewer

I had this written out already.
Event viewer, Custom view definition - Power - Sleep-Hibernate-S0 transitions [my post #40] - TenForums
If you set up that Custom view then look at its entries, I expect you will find that it identifies wakeup EventIDs. If so then you are on your way.

Denis

fruh · Mar 12, 2022

@Try3 thank you for your fast and comprehensive reply

Regarding S3, I understand your jealousy, I'd be glad to be able to help you too. Fortunately my 9th gen Dell still supports it, since if I leave S0 enabled, the secondary HDD in my laptop keeps spinning and/or is randomly woken up during sleep, which is not a good idea for moving around my portable PC. Dell would definitely have a bad time because of me if that was the case (or maybe it's just my fault clean installing windows right after purchasing the laptop). Anyway, thank you for your S0 workaround but I don't think it's good for my situation.

About my display's issue it definitely looks like a bad design assumption, I have downloaded all the possible latest drivers from my PC's service page but nothing has been implemented to properly support S3.
I will try the custom Event Viewer definition you have posted, if my understanding is correct I have to run it with S0 enabled so that I see what EventID turns on the display right?

Thank you for your help :)

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

Step 2 - you can set the relevant EventID to trigger a Task in Task scheduler

Look at the Custom view you have just set up and select an EventID 1

then look at the right-hand side and click on Attach task to this Custom view

Just tell it to run notepad.exe for now so you can prove the mechanism works.

You'll be able to edit the task in Task scheduler later on to do what you want.

[I'll await your reply before posting steps 3 & 4]

Denis

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

fruh said:
if I leave S0 enabled, the secondary HDD in my laptop keeps spinning and/or is randomly woken up during sleep

Just to avoid confusion down the line, your S0 computer does not sleep.
S0 Modern standby [aka S0 Low power idle] is an aggressive idle condition not a sleep condition.

Denis
I'll read the rest of your post now.

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

fruh said:
Regarding S3, I understand your jealousy, I'd be glad to be able to help you too.

No, I've given up.
I'd been trying for four years. I could point you to a long string of TenForums & ElevenForum discussions I've been involved with on the subject.
My S0 computer is a Chuwi Hi10 Pro, a tablet-with-integrated-keyboard [so it looks like a 10 inch laptop]. I bought it as a travel computer. It does the job. It even fits in the poacher's pocket of my coat so it's really handy.
I had never heard of S0 before I bought it. I'll never buy one again.

fruh said:
Fortunately my 9th gen Dell still supports it, since if I leave S0 enabled, the secondary HDD in my laptop keeps spinning and/or is randomly woken up during sleep, which is not a good idea for moving around my portable PC. Dell would definitely have a bad time because of me if that was the case (or maybe it's just my fault clean installing windows right after purchasing the laptop).

If you ever do a clean install again, do consider using this procedure first
Backup and Restore Device Drivers - TenForumsTutorials
There isn't an ElevenForum tutorial on the subject yet but I'd bet the procedure is exactly the same.

I backed up my S0 computer's drivers before reinstalling Windows straight after delivery. I'm very glad I did. I had to rescue a few of the drivers because Chuwi's driver download includes the wrong hardware manifest; I've been able to help out several other Chuwi users by posting the correct drivers for them.

fruh said:
Anyway, thank you for your S0 workaround but I don't think it's good for my situation.

Understood. If I could enable S3 instead, I'd do so like a shot. I think you are better off already.

fruh said:
About my display's issue it definitely looks like a bad design assumption, I have downloaded all the possible latest drivers from my PC's service page but nothing has been implemented to properly support S3.

I assume you've reinstalled them after enabling S3.
It just occurs to me that display drivers can be finicky and some people have solved quite baffling problems by reinstalling them.

fruh said:
I will try the custom Event Viewer definition you have posted, if my understanding is correct I have to run it with S0 enabled so that I see what EventID turns on the display right?

No.
I'm trying to guide you through how to handle your current situation, S3 enabled & the cursed S0 disabled.
- Oh, I included S0 in the title of the custom view, didn't I.

- - I just named it that way because I write the same custom views for all my computers and it did not occur to me that it would cause confusion in this case.

- - I use the same custom view definition in my S3 computers and it works just as well for them.

Once you've done Steps 1 & 2 and seen that Notepad does indeed run as expected, I'll post steps 3 & 4. I didn't have anything already written out for them and I think the explanations might be a bit awkward to word. If you were familiar with any scripting at all in conjunction with Task scheduler then it would be easy but I assumed you had not [not many people have and I have only one task set up this way].

All the best,
Denis

fruh · Mar 12, 2022

@Try3 thank you for your time, I really appreciate all of this.

I'm aware of all the Microsoft-wanting-PCs-to-"sleep"-as-smartphones-do nonsense so yes, I do use the "sleep" term in a broad way; I do think S0 makes little sense for the vast majority of Windows devices and their respective usage type.

I'm sorry to hear about your Chuwi device; I've been just lucky with my PC, though I think I might switch to S0 if I will swap my secondary HDD for an SSD, just to quit dealing with it.

I didn't know it was possible to backup the drivers until now, lol; anyway, I will keep it in mind for the future, thanks. This is the first PC I own just for myself, so I've learnt a lot of things afterwards.
I've installed and updated all the available drivers for my PC since then, including the Display driver (multiple times because of the Intel dwm.exe memory leak bug), S0 being disabled the whole time.

Alright then, I will do Steps 1 and 2, but it will take me some time, I hope it's not a waste of your time, sorry.
Also yes, I'm definitely not familiar with anything advanced, though I'm trying to solve problems out of my reach all the time

Again, thank you for your time :)

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

Step 4 - that vbs script can wake up the monitor.

Steps 3 & 4 are so intertwined that it's better to explain Step 4, the vbs script itself, first or I'd have to talk you through Step 3 once and then go back to it with amendments to it.

This is the script. You'll have to unzip it first.
- It works in both Windows 10 & Windows 11.
- Step 3 will just be about triggering it the way you want.
- The script itself can be run independently and I do so all the time. I wake up my monitor automatically, for example, after long backup scripts have completed and when scripts have encountered an error condition.

WakeMonitor.vbs

Code:

set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"

All it does is simulate the NumLock key being pressed twice [twice so it is returned to its original condition]. The key press wakes the monitor.

To test it, you'll need to insert a long timeout beforehand that exceeds your Power options timeout for the monitor.
So, you'd temporarily amend it by opening it in Notepad / dropping on an open Notepad window to something like this

Code:

set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WScript.Sleep 600000
WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"

- The number is in milliseconds so 600000 is just 10 minutes. I don't know what you have your monitor set to.
- Make sure you delete the additional line because that was only there so you could test it.

When you are happy with it then you should store it where malware cannot get at it.
I create a set of folders for all my scripts in this way:
Set up my Tools folder ditty - TenForums
- Once C:\Tools is set up, you can stick the current script anywhere you want.
- I suggest something like C:\Tools\Power\WakeMonitor so that you can find it easily if you start adding other scripts within C:\Tools.

Once you've done this you can move on to Step 3 - you can make that task run a vbs script
- I'm going to have a pot of tea but will be back shortly.

All the best,
Denis

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

Step 3 - you can make that task run a vbs script

3.1 Run Task scheduler [TS] It's somewhere in the Start menu or you can just Run the command taskschd.msc
3.2 If you've never used TS before then look on the right-hand side and click on Enable all tasks history. This makes it keep records that you might need to refer to if you ever get problems with any task.
3.2 Look on the left-hand side and double-click on Task scheduler library to expand it then select Event viewer tasks.
3.3 You'll see your Power - S0-Sleep-Hibernate transitions task there [it will have whatever name you gave to that Event viewer custom view]. Double-click on it.
3.4 Select its Actions tab

3.5 Click on Edit ...

3.6 Overwrite that notepad.exe entry with
wscript.exe
[later on you'll see that it has automatically changed to c:\windows\system32\wscript.exe but that is completely normal]
3.7 In the box for Add arguments [optional] write in the full path to your WakeMonitor.vbs including its filename. Enclose the whole thing in quotation marks so it will be something like
"C:\Tools\Power\WakeMonitor\WakeMonitor.vbs"
3.8 Click on OK then OK again.
3.9 That's it.

With many tasks you could now right click on the task & select Run to test it out but you wouldn't see anything with this particular one because your monitor will already be on.

I suggest you Sleep [S3 Sleep] the computer than wake it up again and the task should run.
- If it did not do its job correctly, you can check that it ran by double-clicking on the task again & looking in its History tab. You'll have to double-click on each of the column dividers to be able to see what it's saying [like you would in File explorer, Details view]. You should see

I blurred out some bits that might be confusing [because I'd been doing a lot of things with the task definition in the meantime].
- If it did not do its job correctly, you might have to try adding back in a time delay to the vbs script like the one you used in testing. Try an excessive one first like 10 secs [10000] and then try decreasing it to 5000,2000, ... .

Next year, you will regard all this as easy.

All the best,
Denis

fruh · Mar 12, 2022

Alright, I have managed to do everything and, aside from task scheduler giving me error if I try to modify the task instead of setting everything up while creating it from scratch, everything works flawlessly

I have tested the script even without inserting the Wscript.sleep line and it works; from my understanding I would have had to delete anyway so I think it's all good.

I am not an expert in anything of this stuff, though your guide was extremely good to follow. I cannot express how kind of you this all was, thanks a lot :)

Try3 · Mar 12, 2022

fruh said:
task scheduler giving me error if I try to modify the task instead of setting everything up while creating it from scratch

That's odd.
In the task's General tab, it should show your user account as being the one to use so I wouldn't expect any permissions problems.
I recall seeing TS being awkward in the past if I ran it without giving it Admin permission to run but I didn't think it would apply to your case. It was so long ago that I cannot remember any details now other than always running TS as Admin being the solution.

As long as you got the job done, that's what matters but I wish I could understand that modifying problem.

All the best,
Denis

fruh · Mar 13, 2022

Try3 said:
I recall seeing TS being awkward in the past if I ran it without giving it Admin permission to run but I didn't think it would apply to your case. It was so long ago that I cannot remember any details now other than always running TS as Admin being the solution.

The user account is the right one indeed. I have tried modifying the task running Task Scheduler as admin but the result was the same. Any change to that task gives the invalid argument(s) error, though I can modify existing tasks as the one from MS office etc (both in admin and non-admin mode). Even just removing the option to start the task only when the PC is plugged-in gives this error, which clearly means there is something wrong. Ironically enough, I've just in-place-repair-updated my PC.

Unfortunately I was hoping it was possible to completely set up tasks while creating them but MS only allows to create a basic task and then to modify it. Currently the only real issue I have is that the display-turn-on task will run only when my laptop is plugged-in. Eventually I will update this thread if I find something interesting, thanks anyway though

:)

update --------

I've found what was wrong by following the first solution to this thread Task Scheduler one or more of the specified arguments are not valid, the one about changing the username.

From my understanding, under “When running the task, use the following user account”, Task Scheduler was only showing the user path but not the actual user. I have added my user in the text box found in "Change User or Group" so that the result was like "user\user" rather than just "user" (since the user path and the user have the same name) and then I was able to successfully edit the task. Might this be because of the Author being shown as "user\user" while “When running the task, use the following user account” shows just "user"?
Anyway I apparently have to do it every single time I open the task properties to edit it.

Still strange, but better I suppose

Try3 · Mar 13, 2022

I have no idea what you mean by "user\user" rather than just "user" It is possible to see the user specified in the form ComputerName\UserName. Is that what you meant?
Mine just shows me as UserName but if I change it to another user then it will show ComputerName\UserName at first.

There is absolutely no link with the task's Author property.

Now you have the task doing exactly what you want, you can back it up by exporting it.
- Just right-click on the task & you'll see the option to export it. It is exported as an .xml file
- It is not just a backup. It is also an opportunity to edit the task whilst in its xml form prior to re-importation. It can be edited in a text editor e.g. Notepad and displayed in a browser [the browser display can often be easier to read but you need Notepad or similar to do the editing].
- To import a task, select the folder Event viewer tasks as before [ or another TS folder such as the Task scheduler library folder itself that you probably use for all your other tasks] then use the Import task … control on the right-hand side.
- To import a task with the current user identified as the account to use despite what might have been used before, before importation open the exported file [an .xml file] in, say, Notepad and delete the whole line

Delete the entire line, not just the data between those markers.

This is also what you'd often do to import the task in another computer.

- If you export some other tasks so you can see the patterns and entries used for various factors, you can also learn to alter other properties [such as battery use] in the xml before importing it.

Author is one of those. You can write any old rubbish in that line of the xml <Author>ArthurMullard</Author>

- You can change the .xml file's filename and, after re-importation, it will appear as the name of the task.
- There's no limit to what you can change in the .xml once you recognise [from examples] what needs to be in each entry.

For example, you could edit this particular task's Trigger to remove the non-useful parts of the Custom view that you started with. You could change the Subscription line

from

<Subscription><QueryList><Query Id="0" Path="System"><Select Path="System">*[System[Provider[@Name='Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power' or @Name='Microsoft-Windows-Power-Troubleshooter'] and (EventID=1 or EventID=42 or EventID=131 or EventID=506 or EventID=507)]]</Select></Query></QueryList></Subscription>

to

<Subscription><QueryList><Query Id="0" Path="System"><Select Path="System">*[System[Provider[@Name='Microsoft-Windows-Power-Troubleshooter'] and (EventID=1)]]</Select></Query></QueryList></Subscription>

and it would still work as intended because that Custom view provides for several other things besides the part that you are interested in.

This would work in this case but is not at all necessary. It was merely the most complex element of the task definition .xml file for me to use as an example.

So if you had not already solved your battery power problem with the task, you could have exported it, edited the .xml, deleted the original task in TS then imported the edited xml back into the Event viewer tasks folder or another TS folder such as the Task scheduler library folder itself that you probably use for all your other tasks.

All the best,
Denis

fruh · Mar 13, 2022

Try3 said:
I have no idea what you mean by "user\user" rather than just "user" It is possible to see the user specified in the form ComputerName\UserName. Is that what you meant?
Mine just shows me as UserName but if I change it to another user then it will show ComputerName\UserName at first.

I'm sorry for my bad explanation, I hoped to make it more general but I understand it was not clear enough. I guess attaching some screenshots right away would have been better so here they are

here's how the task looks by default

here's the path where to find users

here's the task after manually writing the user.

Probably in my case ComputerName and UserName are just equal so it's a bit messy to explain by word.

Try3 said:
So if you had not already solved your battery power problem with the task, you could have exported it, edited the .xml, deleted the original task in TS then imported the edited xml back into the Event viewer tasks folder or another TS folder such as the Task scheduler library folder itself that you probably use for all your other tasks.

I have solved my battery power problem, though I really appreciate your export-import explanation, I will experiment with it :)

Try3 · Mar 13, 2022

fruh said:
in my case ComputerName and UserName are just equal

Yes, that's what your diagrams show.
You'd also see your username presented to you that way if you entered this in a cmd or PS window
WhoAmI
The capitals are just to help me type it correctly, they are not needed but the cmd still works with them used.

I learnt to edit xml files by experimenting as well.
- The only xml files I ever work on are TS task exports & Event viewer Custom view exports and both of them have Description fields that I can use for any explanatory notes I want to keep with them.
- It is possible to add non-functional comment lines in an xml but I find the <Description> entry easier.
- I could give you links to the online articles I used to learn about xml commenting if you wanted but I don't think it's worthwhile.

There are some helpful guides to export-import [but not editing]
Export TS Tasks - TenForumsTutorials
Import TS Tasks - TenForumsTutorials
both of which also apply to Windows 11.

Denis

glasskuter · Mar 13, 2022

I'm impressed with you guys. This is all way above my head.

Try3 · Mar 13, 2022

glasskuter said:
This is all way above my head.

Oh dear.

I was thinking about putting together a tutorial but could not think where I'd find the time. Perhaps I need to think again.

Which part of this is of interest?
1 Creating an EventViewer, Custom view?
2 Attaching a TS task to an EventViewer, Custom view?
3 Editing that task in TS?
4 Editing that task in its exported xml form?
5 Waking up the display with a vbs script?

Denis

glasskuter · Mar 13, 2022

Try3 said:
Which part of this is of interest?

It's all of interest to me, just more advanced than what I am familiar with. I have always envied the folks here who have created vbs scripts to solve issues for me in the past. You're a sharp cookie, Denis.

fruh · Mar 14, 2022

Try3 said:
Yes, that's what your diagrams show.
You'd also see your username presented to you that way if you entered this in a cmd or PS window
WhoAmI
The capitals are just to help me type it correctly, they are not needed but the cmd still works with them used.

I learnt to edit xml files by experimenting as well.
- The only xml files I ever work on are TS task exports & Event viewer Custom view exports and both of them have Description fields that I can use for any explanatory notes I want to keep with them.
- It is possible to add non-functional comment lines in an xml but I find the <Description> entry easier.
- I could give you links to the online articles I used to learn about xml commenting if you wanted but I don't think it's worthwhile.

There are some helpful guides to export-import [but not editing]
Export TS Tasks - TenForumsTutorials
Import TS Tasks - TenForumsTutorials
both of which also apply to Windows 11.

Denis

Thanks again for all the insights :)

I think a tutorial with all the step I've followed in this thread would be good as an example for many other things.

Anyway, today is the next day and I'm sorry to tell you that something has stopped working :/ the task in task scheduler is successfully executed every time, I've also tried making it run notepad.exe and it works, but the vbs script seems to have no effect anymore. I've even tried putting in the delay (which wasn't necessary at first) but nothing. What could it be?