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Question

Laptop shutting down on its own after Windows 10 upgrade?

Jul 19, 2017 7:41AM PDT

The IT team where I work recently upgraded my work laptop to Windows 10. Since then I have been having trouble using Remote Desktop to log into my work computer from home.

Here's what happens: When I leave work at the end of the day, I leave my computer running. At home the next morning, I start VPN, then attempt to connect with Remote Desktop, and I get an error message. But if I have a coworker in the office push the power button on my laptop docking station, I can connect with Remote Desktop.

My poor coworkers are tired of doing this for me, but IT swears all the settings on my laptop are what they should be. (They tweaked the "sleep" settings trying to fix things.) I'd appreciate any suggestions on what else can be tried. Thanks.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: shutting down
Jul 19, 2017 7:54AM PDT

Your subject line is "shutting down", but I can't read anything about that in your post. That's confusing.

Is there a difference between the work laptop and the work computer?
When you mention the "sleep setting" is that on your work computer or on the laptop?
What happens if you turn off the laptop docking station yourself before leaving the office?

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Re: shutting down
Jul 19, 2017 8:05AM PDT

Sorry I was unclear. "Work laptop" and "work computer" are the same thing.

My understanding is turning off the laptop docking station before leaving the office would not be useful -- the laptop needs to be running for me to use Remote Desktop to access it from home.

The error message I am getting when I attempt to connect using Remote Desktop indicates the power is off on the remote computer. But I don't know why the power would be off because I leave the computer (work laptop) running when I leave the office.

IT changed the power (sleep) settings on my work computer (laptop) thinking maybe that was causing the problem I was having, but that hasn't seemed to make a difference.

The only solution right now seems to be for someone in the office to push the start button on the laptop (work computer) docking station, but of course it's not practical to expect someone to do that every time I work from home.

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Did you check the BIOS settings?
Jul 19, 2017 10:12AM PDT

Maybe they reset those too? You may have had WOL (wake on LAN) turned on in the settings, and that turned the laptop at work on, and you never realized THAT'S how you were able to connect in past.

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Re: Did you check the BIOS settings?
Jul 19, 2017 10:19AM PDT

Thank you, James ... I am not familiar with BIOS settings, but I will definitely educate myself on those and check into that. No telling. Grin

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Answer
Let me check those sleep settings. How?
Jul 19, 2017 8:10AM PDT
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Re: Let me check those sleep settings. How?
Jul 19, 2017 9:15AM PDT

R. Proffitt, are you suggesting I use Speccy to create a report on my work laptop settings and then share that here so maybe people can help me figure out how I should change the settings?

If so, I will try to do that when I am back in the office ... thank you.

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Not only that I wrote it.
Jul 19, 2017 9:29AM PDT

But you don't have to share the results (your choice.) Just skip down to the Power second and see what it reports.