Scheduled Backup With More Than One WindowsXP User
I have several Users set up on my WindowsXP. I've scheduled Acronis True Image Home to start backing up at 4am in the morning, then to shut the PC down after the backup completes. But it did not work. The backup started automatically when I switched the PC on at 6:30am. Of course I left mains power on to the PC during the night.
When I start WindowsXP normally I go to a screen where I must choose (by pressing ENTER) which User to log onto. I wonder if that is where the problem is. Any ideas? (Using Acronis True Image Home 2011, build 6868). Perhaps I ought to do a test schedule and watch what happens. Thanks.
I turn off the PC completely, but leave the mains power on the wall socket on. Does the PC need to be in a standby or hibernation made for the scheduled backup to work?
I turn off the PC completely, but leave the mains power on the wall socket on. Does the PC need to be in a standby or hibernation made for the scheduled backup to work?
Yes, the computer needs to be in standby mode (depending on your BIOS settings and capabilities, it might be able to wake it up from hibernation, but this is rather rare). The advanced settings in the ATI schedule setup dialog box need to indidate that the computer must be woken up.
Blurb in HELP says:
"If you want to wake up the sleeping/hibernating computer to perform the scheduled operation, select the Wake up the sleeping/hibernating computer check box."
"If the computer is switched off when the scheduled time comes, the operation won't be performed. You can force the missed operation to run at the next system startup. To do so, select the Run at system startup check box."
This means my PC is on 24/7! Even on standby it's sort of on. Talking generally now about PCs, I thought a PC could be automatically switched on after it's been switched off. I mean, if a PC can be automatically switched off, one thinks it can be automatically switched on. Apparently not. Weird. I though we had the technology.
Some BIOS allow you to wake the computer from the power off state. Mine for example, but only the BIOS can. If the OS has to wake the computer, I can set the BIOS to allow the OS to do that from hibernation, hybrid standby and/or standby state.
Check the manual of your BIOS.
OK. A machine in hibernation uses no more electrical power than one which is switched off. That is what I understand. So, I ought to be going for hibernation. Will try that tack.
Also, I've arranged it now, so that on startup XP boots straight to the desktop and not the welcome screen. Still testing to see if I can get an automatic startup from hibernation.
OK. A machine in hibernation uses no more electrical power than one which is switched off.
The key difference with standby is that there is no power used to preserve what is in the memory. All context data necessary for the computer to wake is store on the disk.
My understanding is that in hibernation mode the PC is actually off. Off as in still plugged into the mains, but in the state that it goes into when you turn off your computer (Start>Turn Off Computer>Turn Off). And on start it simply goes the the last state because that state was stored on the HDD.
But anyway, I have managed to get the schedule running. Must always remember to hibernate when I'm last using the PC. When the PC boots up, it does show the options for logging on to a particular User, so it looks like PC is waiting for an Enter, but in fact it has logged on to the appropriate User Desktop and ATI 2011 is running. Also, the PC does shut down when finished. Starting as I normally do, PC boots straight to the desktop. Seems I'm sorted. Thanks.
Richard,
You are right. Hibernation doesn't require any power (I don't know how the wake-on-lan or wake with mouse works without any power). I have edited my post above.
Interesting post here:
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/computers-sleep.html
The problem I had, was that I thought hibernate meant the PC was still on, not too dissimilar to standby. But, I was very happy top learn that hibernation is, power-wise, equivalent to a PC shut off. So, I need have had no worries about setting my PC to hibernation. And neither should anyone else worrying about power consumption.
Yes I had the same impression: I had a laptop at the office that, when left on hibernation, was draining the battery, but much much slowly than standy. I didn't try with my current laptop.