Troubleshooting Sleep and Hibernation Issues on a Dell Computer Running Windows 11 (2024)

The first step is to identify whether your device is Off, in Sleep or in Hibernation by checking the indicators on your laptop or desktop:

• Understanding Beep Codes on a Dell Notebook Personal Computer
• A reference guide to the Precision Mobile Workstation Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the Dell Latitude Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the XPS Notebook Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the Vostro Notebook Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the Inspiron Notebook Diagnostic Indicators
• Understanding Beep Codes on a Dell Desktop Personal Computer
• A reference guide to the Precision Workstation Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the Dell OptiPlex Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the XPS Desktop Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the Vostro Desktop Diagnostic Indicators
• A reference guide to the Inspiron Desktop Diagnostic Indicators

Confirm the physical setup of your device to ensure it is not affecting how it is operating:

• Check all the cabling going to and from it. Is it firmly seated in place?
• Check that all powered devices have power.
• Check that no media is in any reader through it booting.
• Check that another device or object does not crush or activate aninput device.
• Check that no damage has occurred or liquid has been spilt on it or its external devices.

NOTE: For laptop users, this is especially relevant when dealing with Docks such as the WD15 or TB16. To check if the same issue exists when the item is connected or disconnected. (That is Docked or Undocked.)

Methods to wake from Sleep

You could resume from sleep by using any input device. This can be tapping any key on the keyboard, clicking or moving a mouse, power button.(Alternatively, Wake-on-LAN is set, a timer has been scheduled or touching thetouchpad, opening the lid, or pressing the sleep button.)

Methods to wake from Hibernation

Press the flashing power button or press a key on the keyboard. (If you have configured hibernation to wake on a key press.)

NOTE: Be aware this can differ from machine to machine. If in doubt, press the power button as this is universal across platforms.

1. Open a browser and go to the Dell Support Site.

2. Enter your device's service tag to get a page matched to how your computer shipped from Dell. (Alternatively, select your modeltype from the product list to get a list of general information for your device.)

3. Select Drivers & Downloadson the left.

4. Change the drop-down menu below Category to select Basic Input Output System (BIOS).

5. Click the download button to the right of the BIOS file that is listed.

6. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions.

   1. Your laptop or desktop shutdown and restarts during this process (Do Not turn it off while this is happening.)

   2. Once it restarts, your BIOS has been flashed to the latest revision.

NOTE: Remember to keep your laptop or desktop connected to mains power throughout this process. You do not want to lose power while in the middle of flashing a BIOS to a new revision. It can cause issues booting and running the device.

Update the Chipset.

1. Open a browser and go to the Dell Support Site.

2. Enter your device's service tag to get a page matched to how your deviceshipped from Dell. (Alternatively, select your modeltype from the product list to get a list of general information for it.)

3. Select Drivers & Downloadson the left.

4. Change the drop-down menu below Category to select Chipset.

5. Click the download button to the right of the chipset file that is listed.

6. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions.

   1. Your laptop or desktopasks you to shut down and restart after this process has finished. (Do Not turn the deviceoff while this is happening, only when it asks.)

How to find and update the other drivers on your laptop or desktop.

Follow the step-by-step instructions in the Dell knowledge base article:How to Download and Install Dell Drivers

1. Open the Windows Update Window.

2. Click the Windows start button and type Windows update and select Windows update Settings from the list.

3. Do you see the option Preview Builds down the left menu?

   See Also

   Does sleep mode cancel downloads? - Games Learning SocietyHow to Put Apps to Sleep in Windows 11: Step-by-Step Guide for Better Performance | IT4nextgenCan you pause a download and turn off your computer Microsoft store? - Games Learning SocietyHerunterfahren, Energiesparmodus, Ruhezustand oder Ändern des Energieschemas unter Windows 11 und Windows 10

   1. When the answer is Yes, click Preview Builds.

      1. Click the Check button.

      2. Download and install the new build.

   2. If the answer is No, then your company or organization is hiding or managing this function.

      1. Contact your organization or company's IT department to update your operating system.

1. Open Power Options in the Control Panel

2. Right click on the start menu button and select Power Options from the menu that appears

3. Click Change plan settings next to your current power plan.

4. Change Put the computer to sleep tonever.

5. Click Save Changes

1. Open a Command or PowerShell Prompt with Admin privileges.

2. Right click on the Windows Start Button and select the appropriate option from the menu that appears

3. Type the following command followed by pressing the Enter key: powercfg.exe /h off

4. Exit out of the prompt window.

NOTE: We do not recommend you leave this disabled on a Dell laptop. Sometimes disabling fast startup and hybrid sleep is enough if you are having issues.

Has an external device stopped working or is no longer detected when the computer has resumed from sleep or hibernation? Run through the troubleshooting steps below:

1. If connected to external power, reseat the power cable.

2. Reseat the cable connecting the external device to your laptop or desktop.

3. If the issue continues, then shut down and restart the laptop or desktop.

In the BIOS

1. Boot into the BIOS. Tapping the F2 key during start-up takes you straight into the BIOS on most Dell platforms.

2. Under Power Management, ensure that USB Wake Support is enabled and Deep Sleep Control is disabled.

3. Save and Exit the BIOS

In Windows 11

1. Open the Advanced Power Options settings window.

2. Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialog box and type control.exe powercfg.cpl,,3 and click OK.

3. Select the plan that you are using from the drop-down list.

4. Click Restore plan defaults.

5. Click OK and exit the window.

1. Open a PowerShell window.

2. Right click on the windows start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or CMD Prompt (Admin) on most Windows 11 PCs

3. Type the following command: powercfg /a

4. You receive a report like this:

   The following sleep states are available on this system:

   Standby (S3)

   The following sleep states are not available on this system:

   Standby (S1)

   The system firmware does not support this standby state.

   Standby (S2)

   The system firmware does not support this standby state.

   Hibernate

   See Also

   Shut down, Sleep, Hibernate, or Change the Power Plan in Windows 11 and Windows 10

   Hibernation has not been enabled.

   Standby (S0 Low Power Idle)

   The system firmware does not support this standby state.

   Hybrid Sleep

   Hibernation is not available.

   The hypervisor does not support this standby state.

   Fast Startup

   Hibernation is not available.

What is Hybrid Sleep?

Hybrid sleep - a combination of sleep and hibernate.It puts any open documents and programs in memory and on your hard disk and then puts your device into a low-power state. So that you can quickly resume your work. If a power failure occurs, Windows can restore your work from your hard disk drive. This can be useful for desktops, but not as much for a laptop. Desktopsenable this option as a default setting. Whereas it is the opposite for laptops where they disable it by default. (Desktops depend on mains power, while laptops have onboard batteries to mitigate power issues.)

Turning off Hybrid Sleep

1. Open the Advanced Power Options settings window.

2. Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialog box and type control.exe powercfg.cpl,,3 and click OK.

3. Select the plan that you are using from the drop-down list.

4. Go through the plan and expand the Sleep option (by clicking the plus symbol).

5. Expand open Allow hybrid sleep.

6. Ensure that the options under Allow hybrid sleep are all turned to OFF (click on the blue text to change it).

7. Click OK and exit the window.

1. Open the Power Troubleshooter.

2. Click the Windows Start Button and type Troubleshoot, select the troubleshoot icon that appears to open the troubleshooter.

3. Scroll down through the options and select power.

4. Click the Run the troubleshooter button.

5. Follow the on-screen prompts and see if it resolves the issue.

Creating a clean boot for troubleshooting

1. Open the MSConfig tool.

2. Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialog box and type msconfig and click OK.

3. Go to the General tab.

4. Click the Selective Startup radio button.

5. Clear the box next to Load startup items.

6. Move to the Services tab.

7. Check the box next to Hide all Microsoft Services at the bottom of the window.

8. Click Disable All on the right side of the same page.

9. Move to the Startup tab and click on the Task Manager Link.

10. In the Startup Tab in the Task Manager utility, right-click each enabled startup item and select Disable

11. Close Task Manager and go back to the MSConfig tool.

12. Click OK and click Restart.

Restoring your laptop or desktop after running a clean boot.

1. Open the MSConfig tool.

2. Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialog box and type msconfig and click OK.

3. Go to the General tab.

4. Click the Normal Startup radio button.

5. Move to the Services tab

6. Clear the box next to Hide all Microsoft Services at the bottom of the window.

7. Click Enable All at the bottom of the same page.

8. Move to the Startup tab and click on the Task Manager Link.

9. In the Startup Tab in the Task Manager utility, right-click each enabled startup item and select Enable

10. Close Task Manager and go back to the MSConfig tool.

11. Click OK and click Restart.

How to refresh the hiberfil.sys file

You can refresh the hiberfil.sys file by Disabling and Enabling the switch,this resets the file if it has been corrupted:

1. Open an elevated command prompt or PowerShell (Right click on the windows start button and select CMD Prompt (admin) or Windows PowerShell (admin) from the menu).

2. Type the following command and press the enter key to disable the file: powercfg -h off

3. Restart your device and go back to an elevated command prompt or PowerShell.

4. Type the following command and press the enter key to enable the file: powercfg -h on

How to disable or delete the hiberfil.sys file

Leave the file disabled, and it deletes the hiberfil.sys file from your laptop or desktop:

1. Open an elevated command prompt or PowerShell (Right click on the windows start button and select CMD Prompt (admin) or Windows PowerShell (admin) from the menu).

2. Type the following command and press the enter key to disable the file: powercfg -h off

3. Restart the device and go back to an elevated command prompt or PowerShell.

NOTE: Remember if system restore was not enabled before you had this problem, it does not help you here. It has to be enabled to create any restore points. If system restore is not enabled, then you should skip this step and move to the next one. (Turning system restore on is something that you may want to talk to your IT department about.)

Confirm that System Restore is Enabled.

1. Open the Control Panel.

2. Click the Windows Start Button and type Control Panel and click on the control panel icon that appears in the list.

3. Click the System icon.

4. Click System Protectionon the left side menu.

5. Click the System Protection tab on the window that appears.

6. Under Protection Settings check if the computer drive is listed as ON?

   1. If the answer is Yes, then System Restore is enabled, go on to the next set of steps.

   2. If the answer is No, then System Restore is disabled, go on to the next section.

Use System Restore to go back to a previous checkpoint.

1. Open the Control Panel.

2. Click the Windows Start Button and type Control Panel and click on the control panel icon that appears in the list.

3. Click the System icon.

4. Click System Protectionon the leftside menu.

5. Click the System Protection tab on the window that appears.

6. Under the System Restore heading, click the System Restore button.

7. Follow the on-screen instructions to select the wanted restore point from a list (Remember to pick one before the issue first started to occur.)

8. You can click the Scan for Affected Programs button if you want to check which programs this rollback is going toaffect.

9. Click Next to roll the computer back to how it was at the date selected.

Running the System File Check (SFC) Tool.

1. Open a Command or PowerShell Prompt with Admin privileges.

2. Right click on the Windows Start Button and select the appropriate option from the menu that appears.

3. Type the following command followed by pressing the Enter key: SFC /scannow.

4. If the SFC did not run, then try the next set of steps to run the Deployment Image and Servicing Management(DISM) tool.

Running the Deployment Image and Servicing Management (DISM) Tool.

1. Open a Command or PowerShell Prompt with Admin privileges.

2. Right click on the Windows Start Button and select the appropriate option from the menu that appears.

3. Type the following command followed by pressing the Enter key: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.

4. The DISM tool checks the Windows component store for corruption and fixes anyfaults it finds.

NOTE: The DISM tool can take some time to run. If the tool reports it is fixed or deleted any corrupt files that you have to restart your laptop, or desktop and rerun the SFC tool.

Two-way swap the hard drive

The quickest and easiest way to rule out the operating system is to two way swap the Boot hard drive. Use a boot hard drive from a working example of the same model or platform.

• If the fault stays with your device, you have ruled the operating system out and I would recommend contacting Dell Technical Support for further aid.
• If the fault follows the hard drive, it is likely an issue with the operating system and moves on to the next set of steps.
• If there is no similar laptop or desktopto swap parts with, then move on to the next set of steps.

Reinstall the operating systemto how it shipped from Dell.

Use the following linked article to take you through the step-by-step process of reinstalling your operating system on your device:

• Need to reinstall your computer's operating system?