Windows suspend (1 Viewer)

[hemi770]

Hi all,

I've installed MP 0.2.3RC1 and TVEngine3 0.2.3RC1 on XP over the weekend. It's a nice combo and TVEngine is an impressive piece of work!

My server is in S3 standby much of the time, so I have Windows configured to enter this state after 10 minutes of inactivity. I found I had to enable wake events in PowerScheduler to get the machine to wake up to record shows. So far so good ... but if I try and rely on Windows to put the machine back to sleep, it doesn't work after TVengine has finished recording the show.

I'd much rather use Windows to suspend the machine - compared to PowerScheduler's suspend, it doesn't go to sleep while playing music in Foobar (but does if it's stopped playing), and it stays awake while browsing its folders over the network (it's also a light duty file server).

Can I get Windows to do this like before, without having to rely on PowerScheduler to put the machine into standby? Or am I stuck with PowerScheduler?

Previously I was using DVB Webscheduler to record TV, and I grew quite fond of it. It woke up to record every time, and worked fine with Windows standby.

Thanks for any insights.

 

[NickName]

This doesn't really answer your question (sorry) but I use Powerscheduler as it will wake my PC for a recording and then put it back to sleep when done. AFAIK Windows Scheduler won't do this automatically?

There is a plugin called "Watchdog" that you configure for 'x' application(s). This plugin prevents Powerscheduler from suspending whilst 'x' is running. This may be handy for you?

 

[hemi770]

PowerScheduler with my version of TVengine also allows you to set processes to block standby, but it's not as smart as what Windoze does.

I often leave Foobar playing, knowing that when it hits the end of the playlist and stops, the PC will sleep shortly afterwards. PowerScheduler doesn't look to handle that kind of scenario, and if I don't have Foobar in the process list, it'll shut the machine down while still playing.

 

[NickName]

It sounds like Windoze Scheduler is what you need then.

One question though: How do you get your PC to wake automatically for a recording? (say, in the middle of the night or when you are on holidays?)

FYI. My wife doesn't quite get the "Power Scheduler will shut it down for you" scenario so I'd rather have the PC do an instant suspend when 'shutdown' is pressed on the remote AND also have it wake when required for recordings...
I can't have both it seems... :-(

 

[hemi770]

Re waking the PC - that's the problem, I need PowerScheduler enabled to do it! And then it blocks XP putting it into standby.

But if I'm gleaning this correctly, PowerScheduler needs to manage standby in order to save the next wakeup task, yeah? So if just left to Windoze it mightn't wake up to record ... is that right? I would have thought TVE could just set the appropriate wakeup times every time the schedule changes like DVB Web Scheduler does. Maybe not.

 

[NickName]

Yes, sadly that is the problem, if Powerscheduler doesn't put the PC to sleep, then the PC won't wake up to record, bummer.
There was thread about this but I don't think anything is being (yet?) to change it.

Powerscheduler has only worked for the last couple of months for *all* recording types as it got 'broke' somehow in a build. I am happy enough for it to work and as I use MP for all media playback, it's not a huge issue for me.

There is another type of 'Powerscheduler' for MP but it's not freeware and I found it too confusing as it had a zillion, confusing options.
Sorry but I forget it's name so I can't point you in it's direction. It's developer drops by here occasionally but I get the impression he's just plugging his wares. (That's just my opinion, he's probably a really nice guy).

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

NickName is talking about PVR-Scheduler and for me and quite a few others it was well worth the 5 euro's donated to maintain the website.

The main advantage it had was solving usb problems, by shutting down MP prior to standby, which allows the release of the TV card drivers so they could reinitialise correctly when windows resumed from standby (long standing problem that powerscheduler has never got around)
.

 

[Doron]

Don't know why is MP changing the native Windows suspend behavior

I really do not understand why the MP guys did those complicated things with the suspend issue, and so causing Windows not to handle standby properly. (Don't get me wrong, they generally do a great job).
Here are some facts, at least on my computer:

1. The native Windows Task Scheduler works very well. It wakes up the computer from s3 to do a task, and puts it back to s3 right when the task is finished. Other media center software use it to schedule recordings and it works perfectly there.

2. When you have a Wake On LAN enabled, remotely accessing the hard drives wakes up the computer without turning on the monitor, and after a short while the computer goes back to s3 mode automatically.

3. Even when some program prevents getting to s3 automatically, after you put the computer to s3 manually, the described above in (1) and (2) is still work.


After updating to the latest revisons of MP, and activating Powerscheduler, most ofl the above stopped working properly. Now the system never goes back to suspend mode by itself. My impression is that MP is messing up with the system settings. A think that no application should do.