Windows "Sleep" is completely broken

I've been struggling with Windows 8 and 8.1 sleep power mode for years now and have basically given up.

Symptoms: Putting my computer to sleep is ineffective. It comes right back up within minutes of putting it to sleep. Sometimes it might stay asleep for hours, but not very many hours and certainly never through the night, despite my best efforts. And never mind that I tell the PC to go back to sleep after X minutes, IT NEVER SLEEPS PER THOSE SETTINGS, it must be told to sleep by me. It will turn the monitors off, but unless I put the computer to sleep, it runs indefinitely.

Steps taken:

1. Check the task scheduler for programs/services that run during the night and change their settings to run during the day
2. Check the network setting to disable wake computer ability
3. Disable USB wake except for hitting key on keyboard
4. Probably a few other things I'm forgetting

I really like being able to resume my previous session and not having to wait for the PC to boot, even though that takes less than a minute. But I've just given up. I looked through task scheduler are there are dozens and dozens of things running and starting different intervals, triggers, and schedules - it seems impossible that they can be corralled.

Is this just the way it is, or is there a means to get all these processes and services under control?

 

There are many causes for this, but sleep does work in most cases.
1) make sure Windows and all your drivers are up to date
2) double check your power settings
3) try setting your mouse somewhere else, there is a chance it gets moved
4) try a different mouse and keyboard
5) Lastly, try disconnecting the network
Post if any of this makes a change for better or worse

 

I'll look into these things and post back soon. In the meantime, here is one driver that has been a mystery:
https://gyazo.com/de8f4218e8e8f0a2dd7e8066246c1fbb
Everything I have installed seems to have its spot in there, so I don't know what this is. I think it is nothing important.

 

Related info, may not apply to you
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...indows-8/0830042f-2fda-49f4-9fdc-cecd30e264d2

 

Thank you for the suggestions. I have video drivers direct from AMD installed.

This evening I put my computer to sleep and unplugged the LAN and all USB cables (pulled the keyboard after I hit the sleep button). I watched it shut down (sleep) and walked upstairs to get ready for bed. Just before going to sleep ~5 minutes later, I went downstairs to check on the computer - it was already back on again. I pulled up the screen and checked - it had turned on to process a backup job I had set for 10pm using iBackup.

Not sure if it is even worth anyone's time for me to attempt the same thing AFTER 10pm (or reschedule that backup job).

Is it relevant that my PC never sleeps on its own, despite settings telling it to sleep after 20 minutes? Is it relevant this has remained unchanged through a new PC rebuild (new mobo/proc)?

 

update - put the computer to sleep, unplugged all LAN/USB, and went to bed. When I got up this morning the computer was back on. I checked the event logs and it appears it turned back on 38 minutes later and ran for the rest of the night doing pretty much nothing. I'm just going to shut it down from now on cause this is just dumb.

Clues?
http://gyazo.com/b52df54f5e3afd4fb1849e4c2e113d3c
http://gyazo.com/048181a971e8320f95c5c1c84da5689c
http://gyazo.com/ba5c6e81ffb5e85d52653b3f544201a5
http://gyazo.com/fb6761cdc7d8d94602fa310365a13ab1

 

"wake source unknown"
Blame the cat!

 

Heh, funny you should say that. Our 2 cats were eaten by a fox a few months after we moved into the area last year. No one bothered to tell us there was a fox around, then nearly a year later the previous resident stopped by asking if we had received her mail. In the course of the conversation she dropped the information about the neighborhood fox. Would've been nice to know sooner!

Anyways, "wake source unknown" is a new trick Windows 8.1 seems to have. If you go to a command prompt and type powercfg lastwake Windows used to tell you the source of what awoke your PC. Now it returns that string or "0"

http://gyazo.com/b451be12274aaf1d3ac52c6b02db261d