An interesting Computer Quirk!

WizeOne

Commander
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
2,097
For some time now Mrs Wizeone has been complaining that every time she tries to print something, nothing happens. Each time she has brought it up, I go over to her computer to try it and it prints. It was getting frustrating as I couldn't figure out what was going on. At first I thought it was something that she was not doing right (how hard is it to print something?) but soon I just scratched my head.

Well last nite she complained again that she had tried to print something during the day, when I was not around, and had been unable to. Once again, I walk over to her computer to have her show me what she was doing. She selected her object, hit print and the printer started whirring away.

As I walked away shaking my head, it finally dawned on me. We have a wired network for which mine is the 'main' computer. It is the one connected to the printers and all the others computers on the network access them as 'shared' printers and my computer is always left on during the day. Mrs WO is the only user that is usually using the computer when I am not around using mine.

Some time ago, I set my computer power management to go on standby after 10 minutes of inactivity and to turn off the hard discs after 10 minutes of inactivity.

The moral of the story is that print commands from other computers could not wake up my sleeping computer. Months of frustration have now come to an end as I have turned those power saving features off.
 

BuzzStPoint

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
May 27, 2009
Messages
1,003
Re: An interesting Computer Quirk!

Consider getting a wireless network.
Then buy a printer that has wifi.

We've done this and it works out great.
 

WizeOne

Commander
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
2,097
Re: An interesting Computer Quirk!

Consider getting a wireless network.
Then buy a printer that has wifi.

We've done this and it works out great.

Yeah, I should probably do that but I have so much time invested in running the Cat 5 cables, hanging upside down in the rafters like an opossum, drilling down thru all the wall plates. I don't want to abandon the network.
 

mscher

Lieutenant
Joined
Apr 21, 2004
Messages
1,424
Re: An interesting Computer Quirk!

If you have a newer PC and you want to fool with it, see if it has WOL (Wake on LAN) support. If it does, there is a setting in the BIOS setup and on the OS network setting for your NIC card. XP supports it to some extent and my Vista Prem Home and cheapie HP system has it.

Basically, everything shuts down except the NIC, still has power and listens to the network. If it receives a request from another PC, it will trigger the PC to come up from sleep mode.

It's not perfect, but it may be something to check out.
 

WizeOne

Commander
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
2,097
Re: An interesting Computer Quirk!

If you have a newer PC and you want to fool with it, see if it has WOL (Wake on LAN) support. If it does, there is a setting in the BIOS setup and on the OS network setting for your NIC card. XP supports it to some extent and my Vista Prem Home and cheapie HP system has it.

Basically, everything shuts down except the NIC, still has power and listens to the network. If it receives a request from another PC, it will trigger the PC to come up from sleep mode.

It's not perfect, but it may be something to check out.

Fairly late model, mscher. I will check into it. My computer is the first one on in the morning and last one off at nite. It would be nice to be able to use the sleep modes during periods of inactivity but still allow it to wake up with a print command from one of the other 'puters.
 
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