5 ms·

The first thing I always do on a new laptop (or install) is go into Power Settings and change the Closing Lid action from putting the computer to sleep to just

The first thing I always do on a new laptop (or install) is go into Power Settings and change the Closing Lid action from putting the computer to sleep to just turning off the screen. It's surprising how many people never change the settings on their computers. Whenever I saw someone with the taskbar icons combined, I always asked them if they liked it that way, and they would say "No." So I always offered and they always accepted me going into the settings for them and changing it to 'never combine'.

beagle3 8y ago
If you put it in your bag, you're more likely to fry something. Was extremely common with spinning rust media. Incidentally, the common cause was "close lid" action set to "sleep", but Windows being unable to actually put the computer to sleep for some reason.
- Casseres 8y ago
  True. In those instances, I would manually put it to sleep via the Start Menu button. However, I've had my laptop wake up from Sleep while in a bag several times, causing it to overheat. That pissed me off. If I recall correctly, I think it was a Bluetooth event causing it to wake up.
- moolcool 8y ago
  You can sleep after n minutes of lid closed. I find this a good compromise of not toasting my laptop in a bag, and being able to head to a different room without losing any application state
  - coldtea 8y ago
    Sleep doesn't lose any application state.
    - txcwpalpha 8y ago
      Sleep isn't supposed to lose any application state, but I've certainly had many issues before with applications freaking out after waking up from sleep, on both a Mac and Windows machines. Sometimes it seems like more of an issue with the way the application handles sleep/network interruptions etc, but the end result is still the same.
      - tomc1985 8y ago
        There is another comment floating around on this thread about how expecting network state to be preserved after sleep is unreasonable; when the system wakes up most likely its open connections will be stale. Might as well close them gracefully at sleep time.
    - wang_li 8y ago
      It does if your application state happens to include TCP connections. When Windows wakes, prior to powering up the NIC hardware, it sends all applications a notice indicating that the network is down so everything kills their network connections. This happens on my hardwired desktop. It's one thing if the device can potentially be roaming and changing networks while the system is asleep. But for a wired network connection it's BS.
      - coldtea 8y ago
        >It does if your application state happens to include TCP connections. That's not really what's meant by state though...
        wang_li 8y ago
        It’s what I mean. Losing the TCP session is more or less the only thing I care about with my vpn, ssh, and occasional cifs session. A dead putty window is 98% useless.
- YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
  You can have the power button put the computer to sleep. So, close the lid --> lock the screen; press the power button --> go to sleep. So you don't have to open the lid, log in, put to sleep, close the lid, put in bag- just open lid, push button, put in bag.
BinaryIdiot 8y ago
> The first thing I always do on a new laptop (or install) is go into Power Settings and change the Closing Lid action from putting the computer to sleep to just turning off the screen. Yikes! Why? I haven't had an issue with a laptop properly going to sleep and coming back in many years. This was something I used to do back in 2008 but it's hard to imagine today.
- Casseres 8y ago
  Because I close the lid when not in use, and don't want programs running in the background to stop when it goes to sleep.
  - coldtea 8y ago
    If you want some program to finish processing something (e.g. video render), there are programs on both Mac and Windows to keep the laptop from sleeping on demand. The normal situation, 99% of times, when one closes the lid on a laptop is to not use it, and to not want to have any programs run in the background. You close the lid to put the laptop in your back, take it to the office, etc. Except if you have your laptop always on your desk and never leaving it. In which case it's not really used as a laptop...
    - the_af 8y ago
      > Except if you have your laptop always on your desk and never leaving it. In which case it's not really used as a laptop... This is exactly how I use all of my laptops, both personal and at work, about 90% of the time. I consider them "portable desktops" ;)
- EpicEng 8y ago
  I close the lid of my laptop constantly and, even if (when) sleep works, I don't want to wait around. Have never had an issue.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- 8y ago
coldtea 8y ago
>The first thing I always do on a new laptop (or install) is go into Power Settings and change the Closing Lid action from putting the computer to sleep to just turning off the screen. Or you can get a Mac laptop, where getting the computer to sleep when you close the lid and start again fast when you open it just works. Why would you let the laptop keep running, waste battery, risk overheating and endanger any spinning HDs you might have in it, when the lid is closed?
- garrettdc 8y ago
  That isn't in the cards for most people considering you can buy laptops for a fraction of the price and also that most people are getting Windows PC's from their employer
  - zlynx 8y ago
    So problems with suspend aren't Windows. It's cheap crap laptops. Yep.
- james_in_the_uk 8y ago
  Or change sleep to hibernate. Noticably slower on my surface pro than sleep on my macbook, but not slow enough to actually cause a problem. We are talking difference between 'instant' (macbook) to a second or so (surface pro).
- jasonlotito 8y ago
  > Or you can get a Mac laptop, where getting the computer to sleep when you close the lid and start again fast when you open it just works. Except it doesn't "just work." It sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, and the doesn't work happens often enough that I don't close my laptop. And let's not get started with plugging into external Apple monitors.
- roryisok 8y ago
  > Or you can get a Mac laptop, where getting the computer to sleep when you close the lid and start again fast when you open it just works. With the added compromise of a touch bar instead of function keys. And a horrible typing experience. And a default OS with a recent history of downright laughable security issues.

beagle3 8y ago

If you put it in your bag, you're more likely to fry something. Was extremely common with spinning rust media. Incidentally, the common cause was "close lid" action set to "sleep", but Windows being unable to actually put the computer to sleep for some reason.

Casseres 8y ago
True. In those instances, I would manually put it to sleep via the Start Menu button. However, I've had my laptop wake up from Sleep while in a bag several times, causing it to overheat. That pissed me off. If I recall correctly, I think it was a Bluetooth event causing it to wake up.
moolcool 8y ago
You can sleep after n minutes of lid closed. I find this a good compromise of not toasting my laptop in a bag, and being able to head to a different room without losing any application state
- coldtea 8y ago
  Sleep doesn't lose any application state.
  - txcwpalpha 8y ago
    Sleep isn't supposed to lose any application state, but I've certainly had many issues before with applications freaking out after waking up from sleep, on both a Mac and Windows machines. Sometimes it seems like more of an issue with the way the application handles sleep/network interruptions etc, but the end result is still the same.
    - tomc1985 8y ago
      There is another comment floating around on this thread about how expecting network state to be preserved after sleep is unreasonable; when the system wakes up most likely its open connections will be stale. Might as well close them gracefully at sleep time.
  - wang_li 8y ago
    It does if your application state happens to include TCP connections. When Windows wakes, prior to powering up the NIC hardware, it sends all applications a notice indicating that the network is down so everything kills their network connections. This happens on my hardwired desktop. It's one thing if the device can potentially be roaming and changing networks while the system is asleep. But for a wired network connection it's BS.
    - coldtea 8y ago
      >It does if your application state happens to include TCP connections. That's not really what's meant by state though...
      - wang_li 8y ago
        It’s what I mean. Losing the TCP session is more or less the only thing I care about with my vpn, ssh, and occasional cifs session. A dead putty window is 98% useless.
YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
You can have the power button put the computer to sleep. So, close the lid --> lock the screen; press the power button --> go to sleep. So you don't have to open the lid, log in, put to sleep, close the lid, put in bag- just open lid, push button, put in bag.

BinaryIdiot 8y ago

> The first thing I always do on a new laptop (or install) is go into Power Settings and change the Closing Lid action from putting the computer to sleep to just turning off the screen. Yikes! Why? I haven't had an issue with a laptop properly going to sleep and coming back in many years. This was something I used to do back in 2008 but it's hard to imagine today.

Casseres 8y ago
Because I close the lid when not in use, and don't want programs running in the background to stop when it goes to sleep.
- coldtea 8y ago
  If you want some program to finish processing something (e.g. video render), there are programs on both Mac and Windows to keep the laptop from sleeping on demand. The normal situation, 99% of times, when one closes the lid on a laptop is to not use it, and to not want to have any programs run in the background. You close the lid to put the laptop in your back, take it to the office, etc. Except if you have your laptop always on your desk and never leaving it. In which case it's not really used as a laptop...
  - the_af 8y ago
    > Except if you have your laptop always on your desk and never leaving it. In which case it's not really used as a laptop... This is exactly how I use all of my laptops, both personal and at work, about 90% of the time. I consider them "portable desktops" ;)
EpicEng 8y ago
I close the lid of my laptop constantly and, even if (when) sleep works, I don't want to wait around. Have never had an issue.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
8y ago

coldtea 8y ago

>The first thing I always do on a new laptop (or install) is go into Power Settings and change the Closing Lid action from putting the computer to sleep to just turning off the screen. Or you can get a Mac laptop, where getting the computer to sleep when you close the lid and start again fast when you open it just works. Why would you let the laptop keep running, waste battery, risk overheating and endanger any spinning HDs you might have in it, when the lid is closed?

garrettdc 8y ago
That isn't in the cards for most people considering you can buy laptops for a fraction of the price and also that most people are getting Windows PC's from their employer
- zlynx 8y ago
  So problems with suspend aren't Windows. It's cheap crap laptops. Yep.
james_in_the_uk 8y ago
Or change sleep to hibernate. Noticably slower on my surface pro than sleep on my macbook, but not slow enough to actually cause a problem. We are talking difference between 'instant' (macbook) to a second or so (surface pro).
jasonlotito 8y ago
> Or you can get a Mac laptop, where getting the computer to sleep when you close the lid and start again fast when you open it just works. Except it doesn't "just work." It sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, and the doesn't work happens often enough that I don't close my laptop. And let's not get started with plugging into external Apple monitors.
roryisok 8y ago
> Or you can get a Mac laptop, where getting the computer to sleep when you close the lid and start again fast when you open it just works. With the added compromise of a touch bar instead of function keys. And a horrible typing experience. And a default OS with a recent history of downright laughable security issues.