my laptop will no longer hibernate

[rap7777]

Noob here and first post. Please redirect if I am in the wrong place. Since downloading the Tuesday patches my laptop will no longer hibernate. The screen goes black quickly as it always did before but the hard drive keeps flashing intermittently and the power button stays lit. Eventually the system gives up trying to hibernate and gives me what appears to be a BSOD with an error message about a Driver Power State Error. I restart the machine in safe mode and all seems ok. A full stop and then start after the safe mode run seems to restore everything but it is not possible to run a restart or a hibernate action. Also, on occasion now, when running Symantec virus scan the scan seems to get hung up. If I use the manual "stop scan" the scan eventually stops running but an attempt at a new scan gives me a message that a scan is in progress. Checking the scan log I can see an open, running scan ( the one I manually stopped) with no activity. A complete shutdown of the system restores Symantec so I can run a virus scan.
Any suggestions to get the hibernate function working again would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gregrocker]

No one here recommends Symantec which is pretty awful bloatware. Try uninstalling it and use a free lightweight solution like the recommended Microsoft Security Essentials.

Norton is so pernicious it requires a special Removal Tool to clean it all out: https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20080710133834EN_EndUserProfile_en_usDownload and run the Norton Removal Tool to uninstall your Norton product

Was your Display adapter Updated recently? If so try rolling back to the previous version in Device Manager. If not try Updating the Display adapter.

If the Updates caused this issue, you can roll them back using System Restore. If this causes hibernate to work again, then reinstall the Updates singly to find the one causing the problem and post it back.

 

[rap7777]

Thanks, Greg. No, my display adapter has not been updated so I will do that first then try the other possible solutions. System restore was my first attempt at rectifying this problem but it would not allow me to access a restore point prior to latest Tuesday patch. I'll look at that tutorial you linked and see if I can find a way around that problem. My hunch is that the update that caused the problem was the 4th one in the update list as my system got hung up trying to download it. Hate to part with Norton as I have been using it since my first PC way back in the dark ages and have never had a virus or trojan horse problem. But, if it needs to go, it needs to go.

I'll post back once I have followed all your suggestions. Thanks!

 

[gregrocker]

You may need to use System Restore from http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

 

[whs]

Did you check the size of your hiberfile. Must be at least the size of your RAM.

And NIS is the best antivirus I ever used. If it does not run correctly, there must be some system problem.

 

[rap7777]

You may need to use System Restore from http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

I tried to run a system restore and the initiation sequence hung up. After 45 minutes of watching the "toilet flush" while the screen says "Please wait while system restore is initializing" I am giving up and headed to the Geek squad.

My wife tells me I should get a better laptop. My laptop was fine until I downloaded the latest critical patches. I need a better operating system.

 

[gregrocker]

So which method for System Recovery Options did you use to System Restore? If it fails from from F8 then use the disk since the onboard WinRe might be corrupted. The Disk along with everything else possible that can be done is in Fix Unbootable Win7

Geek Squad will be almost as expensive as buying a new PC and you'll still end up with the crappy preinstalled Win7 with all of the bloatware and duplicate Utilities which interere with better versions built into Win7.

That's why the last resort in Fix Unbootable Win7 to rescue your files, boot the Win7 installer provided to delete all partitions and Reinstall is actually the Best Case Scenario. So you really can't lose. We've helped tens of thousands of users get perfect Clean REinstalls without a single complaint.

Otherwise everything possible that can be done to start Win7 is in the blue link. It take patience, the will to learn and the desire to save hundreds of dollars while learning how to repair your PC and/or get the best install of WIn7 one can have which is priceless.

 

[rap7777]

I used the system restore option from the control panel. I am more than willing to run the "Fix Unbootable Win 7" but how do I break the hung up "Initializing Restore" operation, Greg, so I can do this? Do I simply hold the power button down until the system shuts off and hope it will restart when I next press the power button so I can get the PC into Safe mode? BTW, I am sending these posts from my desktop PC since the laptop is hung.

Thanks for the help. I want a good install and a machine that runs well. A "Can't lose" solution would be a welcome improvement. The last OS I had any confidence in was Unix.

 

[gregrocker]

I specificallly said to use System Restore from System Recovery Options and not Windows for that reason. You even quoted it in your reply.

But if you're ready to do the Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 then read over the steps closely and type your questions into the reply box so we can get you going.

 

[rap7777]

I specificallly said to use System Restore from System Recovery Options and not Windows for that reason. You even quoted it in your reply.

But if you're ready to do the Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 then read over the steps closely and type your questions into the reply box so we can get you going.

Like I said, I am a noob and misunderstood. I first need to get to a start screen before I can do anything further. So, since the machine is hung in the "initializing restore" operation do I press and hold the power button until the machine goes off, then restart it hoping to get into safe mode?

Thanks, Greg, and pardon my ignorance here.

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, this is why we provide illustrated tutorials in the Blue links.

Reboot and tap F8 key to boot into Safe Mode. There you will also see Repair My Computer for the Recovery Options.

If you click on the System Recovery Options link you see that it can also be run from the booted Win7 installer DVD or flash stick

 

[rap7777]

Thanks, Greg. I will follow these instructions exactly as soon as I get home this evening and will report back afterwards.

 

[rap7777]

Okay. Rebooted and used F8 to get into safe mode as directed by the tutorial using msconfig. Set to safe mode per directions, restarted, system came up in minimal safe mode. Went to msconfig again and followed directions then restarted and system came up in regular mode. Then followed the System Recovery Option instructions and got to system restore. Chose the appropriate recovery point. Restore initialized then went to "Restoring files..." It's been doing this for 30 minutes. Seems like a long time. Hard drive light is on solid, not blinking. icnic:

 

[gregrocker]

If it stalls much longer, try running it from booted installer (provided in Clean Reinstall tutorial in signature pic below) or System Repair Disk.

If this fails why don't you let us help you get as perfect Clean Reinstall for your HP which has the worst load of bloatware and duplicate utilties in the industry? Have you looked over Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 yet? You'll be amazed experiencing native Win7 performance for the first time.

 

[rap7777]

I gave up on the restore ever moving forward and rebooted the machine, Greg. Got the message that the system had not been restored to an earlier point as I expected would be the case.

I have printed out the tutorial for Clean Reinstall Factory OEM Windows and will try that next. In the section titled "Special notes for HP owners:" it states: On newer models HP Recovery may offer a Minimized OS Recovery option when booting from F11, which retains only the OS, Recovery Manager, HP Support Asst, and HP Wireless LAN. This is as close to a clean reinstall as you can get without doing one yourself. Would my model be new enough to include this feature? As inept as I am at this it would seem something that would be pretty much automatic would be better for me to attempt. I am also printing out the Repair CD - System Repair Disk tutorial and will burn that CD so I have it on hand in case the Clean Reinstall Factory OEM Windows doesn't do the trick.

HP PCs have the worst load of Bloatware in the industry? Sounds like any Verizon phone!

I am confused about the Clean Reinstall Factory OEM Windows 7, though. In your post you said:
If it stalls much longer, try running it from booted installer (provided in Clean Reinstall tutorial in signature pic below) or System Repair Disk.

If this fails why don't you let us help you get as perfect Clean Reinstall for your HP which has the worst load of bloatware and duplicate utilities in the industry? Have you looked over Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 yet? You'll be amazed experiencing native Win7 performance for the first time.

Is the Clean Reinstall tutorial mentioned in the first sentence different from the one in the second paragraph? Maybe I don't understand what "try running it (what is "it?" The restore point?) from the booted installer (provided in Clean Reinstall tutorial in sig pic below). I definitely want to get the experience of experiencing native Win7.

Thanks again for your help, Greg. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[gregrocker]

I was giving you another method to run System Restore if you wanted to continue trying to repair your current install, that's all.

You don't need to make the Repair CD if you make the Win7 installation DVD from Step 1 of Clean Reinstall tutorial, as it includes the Repair console on second screen after booting it.

You can try running minimized HP Recovery first, after backing up your files.