Windows 10 task scheduler will not wake computer

Question

_{Sunday, October 4, 2015 2:02 PM | 1 vote}

I'm at my wits end!

I'm having trouble getting Windows 10 computers to wake from sleep mode via the Task Scheduler. 

I have a number of computers, some running Windows 7 Home, some Windows 10 Home and two Windows 10 Technical Preview.  All the computers are connected to my Windows Home Server 2011 system for automatic backup and file sharing.  WHS 2011 schedules the computers to wake up at a specified time to perform their backup.  All my machines with the exception of two, do this as they are supposed to.  However one Windows 10 Home machine with a clean install of Win10 and one Windows 10 Technical Preview machine will not wake up to perform their backup.

In some cases, when I manually wake these two machines in the morning, the backups will kick off, but this seems to be sporadic and does not work every time.  So then I manually release the backup job and the backup is performed.

I have created a simple task scheduler job on all machines to wake at 5:50, run 'cmd.exe /c "exit"' and this performs as it should on all but the two computers in question.

I have restored both failing machines back to their Windows 7 state and my WHS backups work flawlessly.

I have reinstalled Windows 10 on both machines (from CD), reinstalled the WHS connector, scheduled the backup only to have the machines not wake at the scheduled time.

Both failing machines are plain jane systems with older Intel motherboards.  One is a DQ965GF and one is a DQ35JOE, both are Core 2 Duo, both with 8GB memory.  I have machines with identical specifications that are NOT failing!

As I said, I'm at my wits end and cannot figure this one out.  If anybody has any ideas, I would appreciate their input.

Thank you.

All replies (12)

_{Sunday, October 4, 2015 5:18 PM}

You may try restarting the Task Scheduler service. To restart the service:.

• Type services in the Start Search box.
• Right-Click Services, and select Run as Administrator
• If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or clickContinue.
• Right-click the Task Scheduler Service and select Restart.

S.Sengupta, Windows Experience MVP

_{Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:57 PM | 1 vote}

Thank you for the reply, but ...

This is just the standard canned response.  Little or no thought went into formulating the response to my question.  The instructions to restart the Task Scheduler Service will not work.  All the service states are greyed out and require some sort of registry hack to allow even an administrator to change them.

i asked the same question in another forum and got exactly the same reply back; word for word, character for character.  Something is fishy here.  Maybe a Bot at work?

I have already reboot all the machines many, many times.  Does this not restart the Task Scheduler Service?

Any and all concrete responses welcome.

Greg ...

_{Sunday, October 11, 2015 3:25 PM | 1 vote}

Thank you for the reply, but ...

This is just the standard canned response.  Little or no thought went into formulating the response to my question.  The instructions to restart the Task Scheduler Service will not work.  All the service states are greyed out and require some sort of registry hack to allow even an administrator to change them.

i asked the same question in another forum and got exactly the same reply back; word for word, character for character.  Something is fishy here.  Maybe a Bot at work?

I have already reboot all the machines many, many times.  Does this not restart the Task Scheduler Service?

Any and all concrete responses welcome.

Greg ...

Please go to Power option: Power Options -> Change Plan Settings" for the power plan you are using. Then select "Change advanced power settings". Next go to "Sleep -> Allow wake timers" and enable them there.

If we cannot get it fixed, please help to export the energy report by running following command and post back for our research:

powercfg /energy

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help, and unmark the answers if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected].

_{Sunday, October 11, 2015 9:24 PM}

Kate, thank you for responding.  I have checked the wake timers on both failing systems and both are set to Allow Wake Timers.  I have now run the "powercfg /energy" on both systems and will include them below. Wish there was a way to attach report and not do a inline insert!

First system:

Power Efficiency Diagnostics Report

Analysis Results

Errors

USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Selective Suspend

This device did not enter the USB Selective Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented when this USB device is not in the Selective Suspend state. Note that this issue will not prevent the system from sleeping.

USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Selective Suspend

This device did not enter the USB Selective Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented when this USB device is not in the Selective Suspend state. Note that this issue will not prevent the system from sleeping.

USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Selective Suspend

This device did not enter the USB Selective Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented when this USB device is not in the Selective Suspend state. Note that this issue will not prevent the system from sleeping.

USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Selective Suspend

This device did not enter the USB Selective Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented when this USB device is not in the Selective Suspend state. Note that this issue will not prevent the system from sleeping.

USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Selective Suspend

This device did not enter the USB Selective Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented when this USB device is not in the Selective Suspend state. Note that this issue will not prevent the system from sleeping.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:PCI Express Active-State Power Management (ASPM) Disabled

PCI Express Active-State Power Management (ASPM) has been disabled due to a known incompatibility with the hardware in this computer.

Warnings

Power Policy:Display timeout is long (Plugged In)

The display is configured to turn off after longer than 10 minutes.

Power Policy:Sleep timeout is long (Plugged In)

The computer is configured to automatically sleep after longer than 30 minutes.

CPU Utilization:Processor utilization is moderate

The average processor utilization during the trace was moderate. The system will consume less power when the average processor utilization is very low. Review processor utilization for individual processes to determine which applications and services contribute the most to total processor utilization.

CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.

This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.

CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.

This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.

CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.

This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.

Information

Platform Timer Resolution:Platform Timer Resolution

The default platform timer resolution is 15.6ms (15625000ns) and should be used whenever the system is idle. If the timer resolution is increased, processor power management technologies may not be effective. The timer resolution may be increased due to multimedia playback or graphical animations.

Power Policy:Active Power Plan

The current power plan in use

Power Policy:Power Plan Personality (Plugged In)

The personality of the current power plan when the system is plugged in.

Power Policy:802.11 Radio Power Policy is Maximum Performance (Plugged In)

The current power policy for 802.11-compatible wireless network adapters is not configured to use low-power modes.

Power Policy:Video quality (Plugged In)

Enables Windows Media Player to optimize for quality or power savings when playing video.

System Availability Requests:Analysis Success

Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.

Battery:Analysis Success

Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Supported Sleep States

Sleep states allow the computer to enter low-power modes after a period of inactivity. The S3 sleep state is the default sleep state for Windows platforms. The S3 sleep state consumes only enough power to preserve memory contents and allow the computer to resume working quickly. Very few platforms support the S1 or S2 Sleep states.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Connected Standby Support

Connected standby allows the computer to enter a low-power mode in which it is always on and connected. If supported, connected standby is used instead of system sleep states.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Processor Power Management Capabilities

Effective processor power management enables the computer to automatically balance performance and energy consumption.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Processor Power Management Capabilities

Effective processor power management enables the computer to automatically balance performance and energy consumption.

Device Drivers:Analysis Success

Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.

Second system:

Power Efficiency Diagnostics Report

Analysis Results

Errors

Device Drivers:

Devices with missing or misconfigured drivers can increase power consumption.

Device Drivers:

Devices with missing or misconfigured drivers can increase power consumption.

Warnings

CPU Utilization:Processor utilization is moderate

The average processor utilization during the trace was moderate. The system will consume less power when the average processor utilization is very low. Review processor utilization for individual processes to determine which applications and services contribute the most to total processor utilization.

CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.

This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.

CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.

This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.

Information

Platform Timer Resolution:Platform Timer Resolution

The default platform timer resolution is 15.6ms (15625000ns) and should be used whenever the system is idle. If the timer resolution is increased, processor power management technologies may not be effective. The timer resolution may be increased due to multimedia playback or graphical animations.

Power Policy:Active Power Plan

The current power plan in use

Power Policy:Power Plan Personality (Plugged In)

The personality of the current power plan when the system is plugged in.

Power Policy:802.11 Radio Power Policy is Maximum Performance (Plugged In)

The current power policy for 802.11-compatible wireless network adapters is not configured to use low-power modes.

Power Policy:Video quality (Plugged In)

Enables Windows Media Player to optimize for quality or power savings when playing video.

System Availability Requests:Analysis Success

Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.

USB Suspend:Analysis Success

Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.

Battery:Analysis Success

Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Supported Sleep States

Sleep states allow the computer to enter low-power modes after a period of inactivity. The S3 sleep state is the default sleep state for Windows platforms. The S3 sleep state consumes only enough power to preserve memory contents and allow the computer to resume working quickly. Very few platforms support the S1 or S2 Sleep states.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Connected Standby Support

Connected standby allows the computer to enter a low-power mode in which it is always on and connected. If supported, connected standby is used instead of system sleep states.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Processor Power Management Capabilities

Effective processor power management enables the computer to automatically balance performance and energy consumption.

Platform Power Management Capabilities:Processor Power Management Capabilities

Effective processor power management enables the computer to automatically balance performance and energy consumption.

Any help you can offer will be appreciated.

Greg ...

_{Friday, January 29, 2016 11:17 PM}

Having the same issue, looks like it's a windows 10 bug.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/insider_wintp-insider_perf/scheduled-tasks-not-waking-the-computer-from-sleep/745ad6ce-207a-4737-aa29-8401dabcfe75

let me know if you ever find a solution.

_{Friday, January 29, 2016 11:41 PM | 1 vote}

I have found a solution for MY problem.  Not sure it is applicable for everybody or in fact, anybody else.

For me it turned out to be a setting in my BIOS called the HPET (High Precision Event Timer).  It had been disabled on all my boxes (Intel motherboards) for Windows 7 without causing any problems.  But it seems that this setting has to be enabled for Windows 10 to allow wake up events to happen.

Greg ...

_{Wednesday, March 2, 2016 6:19 PM}

Experienced the exact same problem and followed the same path.  Have mix of 13 Gigabyte systems with 45 and 57 chipsets. Wake worked with Windows 7 and HPET disabled in bios but wake did not work with Windows 10; had to enable HPET in bios.  All other settings were not changed.  As a test HPET was again disabled and wake would fail.  I had one small HP unit and removing HPET was not a bios option so wake worked with Win 10 on that unit.

Am an old man and not too smart but this is my story. hope it helps

_{Monday, August 8, 2016 1:33 AM}

Having exactly the same issue here. I'll try HPET method.

_{Monday, October 10, 2016 12:46 PM}

My settings are correct.  Backup NEVER runs at 3:00 AM as schedule.  Always tries to run after I log in the next morning and it CRIPPLES my computer

_{Sunday, November 26, 2017 9:42 PM}

I am using a workaround for the very same reason to run backups at night but couldn't get the computer to wake from sleep.

My solution for this particular problem is to shut the computer down before I go to bed, and I have set a wake up from shut down timer set in the BIOS to start the system at 03:00 every day so the scheduled backups can run. The backup software then shuts the system down once the jobs are finished.

No more backups kicking off right when I'm trying to use the computer. 

_{Sunday, July 1, 2018 5:26 AM}

Hi,

I have found MY solution too!

I have Windows 10 Pro (64bit) and very same problem - the PC does not wake up for backup as scheduled. My HPET Suuport in BIOS was set to ENABLED, the backup job was set to wake up if needed and my timers were enabled on advanced power management options - nothing helped to wake up the PC.

Then I played around with other BIOS options  - change them one-by-one and putting back to their previous state if it did not help to wake up the PC and when I set Power-on by Alarm = DISABLED - the PC suddenly started to wake up on Windows timers!

I will be glad if this will help somebody else.

With best regards,

Roman.

Thanks, Arregator

_{Wednesday, August 29, 2018 1:12 PM}

I have found a solution for MY problem.  Not sure it is applicable for everybody or in fact, anybody else.

For me it turned out to be a setting in my BIOS called the HPET (High Precision Event Timer).  It had been disabled on all my boxes (Intel motherboards) for Windows 7 without causing any problems.  But it seems that this setting has to be enabled for Windows 10 to allow wake up events to happen.

Greg ...

Thank you, enabling HPET on my intel motherboard fixed it for me as well!