Does Your Windows Computer Display Turn Off Every 15 …
A recent issue I’ve seen on a few Windows 7 machines has been the display turning off after only 15 minutes, even though I set the Turn off the Display option to Never. Weird!
You’re probably reading this because you’ve tried changing the power plan settings to Never for everything and your monitor still turns off! This can be very frustrating and usually occurs with new installs of Windows 7, though I’ve seen it happen on older installs too.
In this article, I’ll go through the different ways you can fix this problem. Note that if your computer is on, but the screen is showing No Signal or No Input, you should read my post on fixing blank or black screens. Now let’s go through the possible solutions.
Power Options – Control Panel
First, we need to make sure everything is set correctly in Power Options. Click on Start and type in power options or go to Control Panel (icon view) and then open Power Options from there.
Click on Start, then Control Panel and then Hardware and Sound, and then click on Power Options.
Click on the Change plan settings link that is next to the plan that is currently selected. In my case, the High Performance plan is selected, so I’ll click on the link next to it.
First, make sure that Put the computer to sleep is set to Never. Next, change the Turn off the display setting to whatever value you desire. You don’t have to set it to Never if you don’t want to. After this, click on the Change advanced power settings link.
Expand Hard disk and then expand Turn off hard disk after. Reduce the value till it gets to Never. Click OK and then click Save Changes on the Edit Plan Settings page.
Screen Saver – Control Panel
The second setting you want to check is the screen saver. Go to Control Panel, click on Personalization, and then click on Screen Saver at the bottom right.
Make sure the setting is set to None. Sometimes if the screen saver is set to Blank and the wait time is 15 minutes, it’ll look like your screen has turned off.
BIOS, Graphics Card, Monitor
The two methods above are the most common reason why your display will turn off after a set amount of time, however, there can be other possible causes.
BIOS – On some computers, the BIOS can have power saving settings that determine how the computer sleeps. These are called sleep modes (S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5). On some computers, you’ll see an option called Deep Sleep Control. You may need to disable this in order for the computer to wake up faster.
Graphics Card – If you have a high-end graphics card installed, make sure you have the latest driver and management software installed. If you go through the settings, you may find an option that puts your graphics card into lower power mode or something similar.
Monitor – Lastly, some monitors have power saving features themselves. Usually, the monitor is supposed to go into power saving mode if it doesn’t detect any input (HDMI, VGA, DVI, etc), but sometimes it happens unexpectedly.
You’ll have to press the buttons on the monitor to get access to the monitor settings. Those are about all the reasons I could think of for your display turning off when it shouldn’t. If you have any other questions or solutions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
How to change Lock screen timeout before display turn off on Windows …
On Windows 10, similar to Windows 8. 1, the operating system features a Lock screen before you sign in to your account. The new experience showcases date and time, quick status for apps you choose, and more importantly a background image, which typically, users opt to display personal pictures or those from Windows Spotlight.
While the Lock screen provides useful information and beautiful pictures, you probably noticed that your computer’s display turns off after 60 seconds when you lock your Windows 10 account. This happens even if you change the power options to never turn off the monitor or never put the computer to sleep.
The reason is that by design, the operating system includes a function that detects when the device is locked and waits for 60 seconds. After the time expires, the computer screen goes black. This is a function, which for a mysterious reason, users can’t customize in Control Panel or the Settings app. However, you can modify the Registry to enable a new option in the power settings to change the time to anything you want.
In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to tweak the Registry (or Command Prompt) to customize the operating system should way until turning the display off, which will give you more time to see the background, status, and interact with Cortana on the Lock screen.
How to change the time when the display turns off when your PC is locked
How to change the Lock screen timeout using Command Prompt
Important: Before diving into this guide, it’s worth noting that editing the registry can be dangerous, and it can cause irreversible damage to your system if you don’t do it correctly. It’s highly recommended to make a full backup of your PC before proceeding. You’ve been warned!
Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type regedit, and click OK to open the registry.
Browse the following path:
HKEYLOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99\8EC4B3A5-6868-48c2-BE75-4F3044BE88A7
On the right side, double-click the Attributes DWORD.
Change the value from 1 to 2.
Click OK.
These steps only enabled the option on Windows 10 called “Console lock display off timeout. ” Now the only thing left to do is to customize this option to any time you want. To do this, use these instructions:
Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Power Options.
Click the Change plan settings link for the selected plan.
Click the Change advanced power settings link.
On Advanced settings, scroll down and expand the Display settings.
You should now see the Console lock display off timeout option, double-click to expand.
Change the default time of 1 minute to the time you want, in minutes.
Click Apply.
Click OK to complete the task.
Once you complete the steps, you can test the new settings by locking your computer (Windows key + L keyboard shortcut), and now the screen shouldn’t turn off until the time you set expires.
At any time, you can revert the changes by following the previous steps, but this time, on step 4 change the registry value key from 2 to 1.
The beauty of Windows is that you can configure the same feature in a number of ways. Alternatively, you can use the utility to change you display timeout setting when your computer is locked. When it’s connected to AC power or when your device is running on battery (DC power).
To change the Lock screen timeout using Command Prompt, do the following:
Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt (admin).
Type the following command and press Enter:
/SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOCONLOCK 60
Important: You must change “60” in the command-line with the timeout time you want to use, in seconds. For example, if you want the screen to turned on for 5 minutes, then you need to use 300 at the end of the command.
/SETACTIVE SCHEME_CURRENT
Use the Windows key + L keyboard shortcut to lock your PC and see if the new settings work.
The command mentioned in step 2 will work when your computer is using AC power. You must replace /SETACVALUEINDEX for /SETDCVALUEINDEX if you want to change the timeout setting on your laptop or tablet running on battery.
It’s worth noting that while changing the Registry settings is an advanced task, during my test, I have found that sometimes using the command lines may settings may not work as expected, but it’s an alternative.
On the other hand, changing the Registry worked perfectly, and after making the tweak, I can simply go to the Power Options settings in Control Panel and adjust the Lock screen timeout without having to use any commands.
More Windows 10 resources
For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:
Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
Windows 10 forums on Windows Central
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Why does my computer monitor randomly turn off?
Updated: 11/13/2018 by
Several issues can cause a monitor to turn off randomly. Some of the reasons relate to the monitor while others relate to the computer. Read through the following suggestions for reasons why your monitor may be turn off by itself.
NoteIf your computer turns off when not being used, but wakes up when pressing a button, there’s nothing wrong with your monitor. It’s operating according to your power management features.
Monitor overheating
One reason the monitor could shut off is because it’s overheating. When a monitor overheats, it shuts off to prevent damage to the circuitry inside. Causes of overheating include dust build-up, excessive heat or humidity, or blockage of the vents that allow the heat to escape.
If the monitor is overheating, unplug the monitor and let it cool down fully before using it again. Then, if you have canned air (anti-static, for electronics), try to blow out any dust inside the monitor casing. If the computer room is very hot, cool it down by turning on a fan or the air conditioning system. Wait until the room cools down some before trying to use the monitor again.
Also, if you’re using an older CRT monitor, upgrading to a newer flat-panel display resolves many heat-related issues in a hot environment.
Loose cable
If the power cord is not securely connected to the back of the monitor, it can cause a loss of power and turn off the monitor. Make sure the power cord is firmly in place in the back of the monitor. It’s also possible that the power connector in the monitor is going bad and not receiving adequate power from the power cord. In this case, it is best to replace the monitor instead of having it repaired.
Bad monitor
Another reason the monitor could shut off is because of a malfunction in the circuitry. There could be a short in the wiring or a circuitry failure causing the picture to go black or the monitor to shut off. In this case, there may not be much you can do other than buying a new replacement monitor. Monitors are usually not economical to have repaired since the repair cost can be more than the price of a new monitor. You could bring the monitor to a computer repair shop to have it looked at, but they’re likely going to suggest having it replaced.
Video card or motherboard problem
If the monitor stays on, but you lose the video signal, it’s very likely an issue with the video card or motherboard in the computer. A computer randomly shutting off can also be an issue with the computer or video card overheating or a defect with the video card.
My video card isn’t working.
If the video card is a known good video card or its part of the motherboard, there may be problems with the motherboard. A bulged capacitor or other failing components on the motherboard can cause a computer or monitor to shut off.
How to test a computer motherboard and CPU for failures.
Frequently Asked Questions about computer keeps timing out
How do I stop my computer from timing out Windows 10?
Click the Change advanced power settings link. On Advanced settings, scroll down and expand the Display settings. You should now see the Console lock display off timeout option, double-click to expand. Change the default time of 1 minute to the time you want, in minutes.Sep 30, 2016
Why does my monitor turn off after a few minutes?
One reason the monitor could shut off is because it’s overheating. When a monitor overheats, it shuts off to prevent damage to the circuitry inside. Causes of overheating include dust build-up, excessive heat or humidity, or blockage of the vents that allow the heat to escape.Nov 13, 2018
What does it mean when your computer times out?
Connections are closed (timed out) after five minutes of inactivity; this ensures that the connections do not persist indefinitely. … Tablet computers and smartphones commonly turn off their backlight after a certain time without user input.