My computer keeps turning itself on for no reason

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2008-04-12 08:17pm

I go to bed, lie a bit and see that my computer starts itself up. When I go to it, there is no maintance scheduled, no special comments or errors. It just turns itself on as if I turned it on.

Any ideas what causes it?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2008-04-12 08:32pm

Could it be overheating at all? Sometimes if the CPU reaches a critical temperature threshold, the unit will cut power at the PSU and kill the thing. Least that's what happened to my PC at one point, though it still tried to run at 100 degrees for a while.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-04-12 08:35pm

Read more carefully. It's turning itself on, not off.

It will be set to wake on ring/wake on LAN/wake on PME in the BIOS, and thinks it's getting a wakeup packet over the network, frequently happens. Boot to BIOS, find the "wake on" options and disable them all.

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-04-12 08:37pm

It's not something silly, like it being set to "Wake on LAN" or anything?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2008-04-12 08:56pm

Vendetta wrote:Read more carefully. It's turning itself on, not off.

It will be set to wake on ring/wake on LAN/wake on PME in the BIOS, and thinks it's getting a wakeup packet over the network, frequently happens. Boot to BIOS, find the "wake on" options and disable them all.

Yeah... I knew that.

*goes for more coffee*

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2008-04-12 08:58pm

Try safe mode.

And, more usefully, check your BIOS settings as above.

Stile · Post by **Stile** » 2008-04-12 10:18pm

Like they all said.
Also, one of my computers has a scheduling option in the BIOS for powering on. See if that is on your computer.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2008-04-12 10:22pm

Would switching it off at the mains not be a good idea?

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2008-04-13 05:18am

If all this fails, I know the number of a good exorcist.

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2008-04-13 09:38am

It might sound stupid, but are you leaning anything against your keyboard? A lot of keyboards these days have 'soft' power switches that can turn on computers and something there might be being triggered or something...

Otherwise, check your power button from the inside and outside, make sure it isn't 'sticking' or something.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2008-04-13 01:16pm

Maybe a faulty power supply?

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2008-04-13 01:38pm

The digital clock is OK, so it most likely is the BIOS. Granted, I don't know the password.

Oh well, the manual solution it is then.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-04-13 03:56pm

...You don't know the password to your own bios? Is it a Dell machine someone foisted off to you? Dell usually has a fun password-reset jumper on the motherboard, though if you don't know where to look, I'd suggest trying to figure out what the hell your password is.

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2008-04-14 09:46am

No, one of my dad's friends set my computer together when I was younger. Since, then, because he didn't wanted me to meddle, put a password on.

I do see what I think is, the battery for the BIOS clock.

Alferd Packer · Post by **Alferd Packer** » 2008-04-14 10:24am

I actually had the same problem. I wanted to turn on WOL so that I could be really lazy and boot up my desktops from my laptop downstairs, but for some reason, they'd only stay off for a few seconds before booting back on. Disabling WOL fixed the problem.

Singular Intellect · Post by **Singular Intellect** » 2008-04-14 10:58am

Is there an attractive piece of electronics near your computer system?

That might explain it's occasional arousal...