WORKAROUNDED - all is in order now - but real solutions remain to be found

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

WORKAROUNDED - all is in order now -
but real solutions remain to be found.

The only changes I did are:

1) since the flaws made restarting very frequent, and my laptop
doesn't really need protection (contains nothing secret, and is
used by none else), I tried to remove the requirement for a PWD
at start. So I went into "Start > Settings > Control Panel >
Users Accounts > Change the way users log on or off", which in
my case only returns greyed options, and a windowlet saying "A
recently installed program has disabled the Welcome screen and
Fast User Switching.... The following file name might help...:
IWPDGINA.DLL", but this file is not found in C:\.

2) I hibernated once through "Start > Shut Down > Hibernate"
instead of the Power button.

I don't know if one of these changes is part of what brought the
issue back to normal (they shouldn't, but go figure...), however
anyway now:

- In "Power Options" I have all my profiles;
- Hibernation is available everywhere it should,
- Hibernation is working, both through "Start" or the "Power"
button.

Thanks anyway to Wesley Vogel who came to help.

Paris, Mon 14 Aug 2006 23:56:15 +0200


----- Parent Message -----
From: "Michel Merlin" <michel.merlin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/uJHUKO%23vGHA.4688@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon 14 Aug 2006 22:52:10 +0200
Subject: "Restart" brings back "Hibernation", but
how to avoid this?

Thanks for your prompt reply.

Here is, in chrono order, what I did and happened:

1) Before your kind reply I had restarted the laptop, which had
brought back Hibernation, but all Hibernation-related settings
have to be reset. Not too annoying by itself, however this is
still another little annoyance that, added to the myriads ones
Windows adds along the year without curing any more the older
ones, finally turns the normally light task of maintaining a PC
in order to work, into a full-time job (Just see around and
guess, which percent of their times most visitors of this NG are
spending in IT and PCs, and which in music, poetry, structural
analysis, or else?).

So I would like (if ever possible) to know how to make this new
little annoyance *NEVER* comes back. Thanks to anyone who would
know how.

2) I came back on the NG and found your quick and kind reply.
From the context (I didn't change my graphic driver since I got
this laptop in Feb 2006, yet this particular issue never
happened before today) I think the problem doesn't come from the
graphic driver. However you are right, better updating, to at
least put that possibility behind me. So this is what I did and
saw:

a) "Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools >
Computer Management > System Tools > Device Manager > Display
adapters > Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS,910GML Express Chipset >
Driver" shows:
"Driver Date: Thu 23 Mar 06", "Driver Version: 6.14.10.4384"

b) Latest driver:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Mobile+Intel%28R%29+915GM%2FGMS%2C910GML+Express+Chipset
Chipset:
http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/915gm/index.htm
Graphics:
http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/gma900/index.htm
Driver (says the latest is 6.14.20.0.4543):
http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/intel915gm/
Release Note:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/df-support/10303/ENG/relnotes.htm

c) Downloaded Intel_915GM_win2k_xp1420.exe (5,285,707 Bytes),
double-clicked it and followed until required reboot. Pressed
the Power button, which hibernated. Pressed again, which
dehibernated - but the (blue Windows) screen was frozen, with
even the (white) cursor frozen, and nothing working, even not
Ctrl+Alt+Del. Hold Power pressed down until Shut Down (4 sec).

Restarted, retried: this time, screen was frozen same way
(cursor frozen) but even before Windows (screen black, cursor
white). Shut Down, Restart.

System Restore to 3 hours before driver update. Driver is back
to 6.14.10.4384, but Dehibernating still freezes in black (2
tries).

Undid System Restore. But the new issue (freeze on
Dehibernating) is still there, and Device Manager now shows
6.14.10.4543, i.e. neither exactly the old driver (6.14.10.4384)
nor exactly the new (6.14.20.0.4543).

Uninstalled Intel Graphic Driver (from Control Panel >
Add/Remove Programs), Restart as required, reinstalled the new
driver (double-clicked Intel_915GM_win2k_xp1420.exe), but still
freeze on Dehibernating, and still 6.14.10.4543.

Once again I have lost a lot of time on Microsoft/Intel
programs, "support", help from "volunteers", doing what they
required or suggested, probably with (much) more care than they
put in their own work in the 1st place - and the only result and
reward I got is just another annoyance (Hibernation unusable).

So I would like (if ever possible) to know how to make these TWO
new little annoyances *NEVER* come back:

1. Hibernation disappears.
2. Dehibernation freezes the PC.

Thanks to anyone who would know how.

Paris, Mon 14 Aug 2006 22:52:10 +0200


----- Parent Message -----
From: "Wesley Vogel" <123WVogel955@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/%23P21OU8vGHA.4756@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon 14 Aug 2006 11:14:22 -0600 (17:14:22 GMT)
Subject: Re: Hibernation disappears from "Power Options"

Update your Video drivers.

So you've lost (or never had) Standby and/or Hibernate?
http://www.rickrogers.org/standby.htm

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User


----- Parent Message -----
From: "Michel Merlin" <michel.merlin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/u5TzGQ8vGHA.4444@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon 14 Aug 2006 19:06:45 +0200 (17:06:45 GMT)
Subject: Hibernation disappears from "Power Options"

My current laptop has Windows XP Pro US. As on my other PCs (all
with W2KSP4 US or FR, or previously with W98SE US), I set it up
so that pressing the Power On/Off button, or pressing the Sleep
button, or closing the lid, makes the PC hibernate.

Unfortunately on my WXP Pro laptop, I often find it in Stand By,
and opening "Start > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options"
shows no more "Hibernation":

- in "Power Schemes > Settings for Merlin power scheme",
in the 2 columns ("Plugged in" and "Running on batteries"),
I have only 3 lines:
"Turn off monitor", "Turn off hard disks", "System standby";
- in "Advanced > Power buttons", I now have "Stand by" in the 3
lines (lid, power button, sleep button), instead of my
previous "Hibernate" setting. I still have "Hibernate" in the
3 drop-down lists, but if I select them, click "Apply" and
quit, then come back, I see they have been at once replaced
with "Stand by".
- in "RegEdit > HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\PowerCfg\
PowerPolicies", I have again 2 keys named "17", "18",
but deleting them doesn't bring Hibernation back.

Anyone can help? TIA,

Paris, Mon 14 Aug 2006 19:06:45 +0200


----- Previous Message -----
From: "Michel Merlin" <michel.merlin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Sent: Thu 23 Mar 2006 15:32:15 +0100 (14:32:15 GMT)
Subject: Lost "Power Options": remove wrong Values in
"PowerPolicies" Registry Key (Thanks Jon!)

Thanks Jon! Right on the spot! Yes this is the solution I used
too, and it worked at once (I make a visible title for others
eventually in the same boat, and I develop for them - knowing
the time that may be wasted looking for this!).

It seems Windows does 3 questionable things in that affair:

1) when parsing the Registry Key you recall
(HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\PowerCfg\PowerPolicies),
Windows apparently stops parsing as soon as it hits an
incomplete Value; namely, a Value without a name.

2) This parsing is done by sorting the Values by their
*numbers*, but *alphabetically* instead of numerically -
which builds the following order:
0, 1, 10, 11, 12, ..., 2, 21, 22, ...
(BTW this mistake, out of casualness, is frequent - and most
often IMO loses more time on the reader's side than it saves on
the writer's one).

3) It happens (probably due to another mistake in Windows code)
that the new profiles you enter, when converted into "Values" to
be stored in the said Registry Key, have no more name.

The result is: as you add new Values that all are losing their
names, as soon as one of them reaches the "10" number, it gets
sorted between "1" and "2"; then it causes all the main Values
(0, 1, 2, 3, .., 8, 9) to be ignored, unless the 0 ("Home/Office
Desk") and 1 ("Portable/Laptop").

Then doing exactly as you said (exporting or deleting all the
Values missing a name), does immediately retrieve all your
profiles - which then were hidden, not lost.
Thanks again Jon!

Paris, Thu 23 Mar 2006 15:32:15 +0100


----- Parent Message -----
From: "Jon" <Email_Address@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/%23f9XRBnTGHA.4792@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thu 23 Mar 2006 11:52:59 -0000 (Paris 12:52:59 +0100)
Subject: Re: Can't save new profiles in "Power Options"

You could try this....

start > run > regedit

Navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\PowerCfg\PowerPolicies

Export the key, as a backup, in case you want to restore it.

Look at the various key listed there eg 10, 11, 12 and see what
comes up in the "Name" value in the right pane for each one. See
if any of the keys have no "Name" value key, or a blank one,
or any other strange anomalies, in the right pane and try
exporting/ deleting those.

Try and keep the keys with values 0,1,2,3,4,5 as they're the
default ones.

Then check in Power Options to see if your profiles are now
visible.

Jon


----- Parent Message -----
From: "Michel Merlin" <michel.merlin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Message: news://msnews.microsoft.com/%23zCchHmTGHA.4452@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thu 23 Mar 2006 11:09:30 +0100
Subject: Can't save new profiles in "Power Options"

In a newly installed Windows XP Pro, I go to

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options >
Power Schemes,

and I try to save new profiles in the "Power schemes" box
(yes, the path really is "Start > Settings > Control Panel >
Power Options > Power Schemes > Power schemes", with
the uppercase/lowercase "s" being the only difference
between the last 2 stages).

Unfortunately after carefully tuning my profile, I "Save As" it
under a new name (say "Merlin")... only to discover, next time I
come back to Power Options > Power Schemes, that it has
disappeared. The only 3 profiles that remain are the 2 original
ones, "Home/Office Desk" and "Portable/Laptop", and the one I
could save at the very beginning, before they start to
disappear, "Battery Drain" (that I created to help training my
battery).

I tried several different ways:

- 1st changing the settings, 2nd applying, 3rd "Save As" as
"Merlin";
- 1st "Save As" the current profile as "Merlin", 2nd changing
it, 3rd Apply, 4th "OK";
- and so on.

Some ways seem to work but when I come back the new profile has
disappeared (and another one has been selected against my will).

I remember that I had alreay that problem a few years ago
in W2K, and that I searched with no success for weeks
before stumbling on the solution y accident; this is why
all my other PCs (W98SE, W2K, WXPH) have their 6 or 7 profiles
OK. But I can't remember that solution... Thanks for any help,

Paris, Thu 23 Mar 2006 11:09:30 +0100


.

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