Windows 7 – Computer Shuts Down When Waking From Sleep

One strange error that I’ve seen with Windows 7 is the fact that the computer will shut down when I try to wake it from sleep or hibernation. Granted this usually only happens to me when it’s in critical battery state, but still!

What I also noticed is that even if I attach the AC adapter to the Windows 7 computer and then try to wake it, it still shuts down. Luckily, this is a bug in Windows 7 and there is a way to fix it.

Delete Registry Key

The first way to solve this issue is to delete a value in the registry. Make sure you make a backup before you do this.

Click on Start, and type in regedit.exe and then browse to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

Now right-click on Power!SystemPowerPolicy in the left side of the window and choose Delete. Make sure you reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

Note that this problem only occurs if you change the settings in Power Options in a very specific way. You can reproduce it by doing the following:

Go to the Control Panel, click on System and Security, then click on Power Options. Then, click onChange plan settings next to the current power plan.

Click on Change advanced power settings:

Now expand Battery and expand Critical battery action. For Plugged In, change it from Do Nothing to Shut down and click Apply.

Now set to back to Do Nothing and click Apply again. Unplug your computer and let the battery run down until it hits the critical level. The computer will go to sleep. Now attach your AC adapter and wake the computer.

At this point, the computer will shutdown right after resuming from sleep! Apparently, I had changed my Power settings and then unplugged my computer and plugged it back in at the wrong times!

Note that the problem might come back, so make sure you install all the Windows 7 updates as it may include a fix for this problem. Enjoy!