Suspend and resume mode problems
When your Toshiba laptop is in suspend mode you will see a slow flashing orange light. On some machines (typically the 8xxx series Toshiba Tecra laptops) merely closing the lid will put you in suspend mode. Sometimes you may go into suspend mode accidentally, or it may activate more quickly than you want. You may get an error message, or the machine may not wake up properly. Finally the feature may simply be misbehaving. If you have chosen suspend mode the solution is usually not to use it, as it will often not function properly no matter what changes are made. If it is a timed setting that is putting the machine into suspend mode you can reset the function.
The suspend and resume functions of Windows and the Toshiba laptops do not work well together. One symptom is that the message Please Wait Suspend Resume mode in progress may hang when suspending, or you may get a Resume mode failure error when trying to resume. You will get the Resume mode failure error if your battery gets too low. Try connecting the machine to a power source.
You may also receive the message Card wizard for windows NT is not installed or it is disabled. If you suspend the system while using any pc cards, these pc cards may not work after resuming and it may make the system unstable. Do you want to suspend the system now? This message is expected and does not indicate any special problems.
What do you want to know about suspend?
Stop laptop from going into suspend mode when the lid is closed.
Accidentally went into suspend, how do I get back where I was?
Suspend or resume hangs or refuses to restore screen to working function.
Machine goes into suspend mode when I don't want it to See document 39004 — Screen shuts off - turn off energy star compliance feature.
Monitor shuts off when I don't want it to See document 39004 — Screen shuts off - turn off energy star compliance feature.
If you chose to use suspend you should expect that on occasion the system will hang and you will be required to reset your machine in order to restart. Always be sure to save your work before suspending. In most cases shutting down is a safer option. If the above steps did not correct the problem open a NorthStar ticket to make an appointment for service. Be sure to include your contact number. Describe the problem in detail, especially the steps you took to try to correct the problem. You will be contacted by the appropriate party. For more information on creating the NorthStar ticket, see Eureka! document 39068 — How to submit a computer or peripheral for repair.
How can I tell when I'm in suspend mode?
When you are in suspend mode the on/off indicator light will slowly flash orange.
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Stop laptop from going into suspend mode when the lid is closed.
Unfortunately this may differ somewhat on your machine. You may have to explore a bit. Sorry, but I hope this gives you the general idea, maybe it is even right for your machine. If you want the machine not to go into suspend after a period of inactivity then see Machine goes into suspend mode when I don't want it to, Eureka! document 39004 — Screen shuts off - turn off energy star compliance feature.
Go to Start.
Select Settings
Select Control Panel
Select Power Options
Click on the Advanced tab.
Under the Power buttons section. for When I close the lid on my portable computer: select None.
Select OK to close the Power Options menu.
On some model laptops simply closing the machine top will put you in suspend mode. For other models:
Accidentally hit suspend from the start menu.
How to restart from suspend mode. How to quit suspend mode.
Press the start button firmly, but only once. Your machine should restart with everything where you left off. Be patient, wait at least 30 seconds. Then try pressing the start button again. If it does not restart, then you will have to reset the machine. See document 39013 — How to reset your computer. If you reset you will lose any unsaved data that was open when you went into suspend.
If your machine or monitor is shutting down or locking up after a period of inactivity you may need to change the power saver or screen saver settings. See document 39004 — Screen shuts off - turn off energy star compliance feature.
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Suspend function is missing from the Start menu
If you do not see a "Suspend" selection on the Start menu you can try updating the service pack. See Eureka! document 69026 — Update Service Pack and APM If that does not resolve the problem do not try to use suspend. The function was removed from some model machines because of serious problems with the function.
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Suspend or resume hangs or refuses to restore screen to working function.
If your machine either will not go into suspend or will not return to normal operation then you should reset the machine.
For information on resetting your machine see document 39013 — How to reset your computer
For this particular problem start with the section on using the reset button.
You may need to use the long reset. This is the same a normal reset, but involves holding the reset button in for 10 seconds.
If that fails try removing the battery.
If you continue having problems with suspend you may need to reinstall the most current Windows Service Pack and Advanced Power Management. See document 69026 — Update Service Pack and APM.
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Machine goes into suspend mode when I don't want it to
The most common method for the machine to go into suspend mode is automatically after a period of inactivity. There are a couple of other energy saving features that behave in ways similar to suspend mode, such as the screen saver. For information on modifying settings based on a period of inactivity see document 39004 — Screen shuts off - turn off energy star compliance feature.
Created by the PeopleSoft Knowledge Management Team.
Copyright © 1999-2002
All rights reserved.
Created: db 09/04/1999
Revised: db 09/26/2002