Gary Goldblum
Level 1 (4 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Imac won't go into sleep mode....

Hi,

 

My parents just bought a new Imac (3.4 Ghz/I7) which is running 10.6.8. and we cannot figure out why it won't go to sleep automatically.  In System Preferences/Engergy Saver we have set both the "computer sleep" and "display sleep" to about 5 minutes, but no matter what we do it keeps showig the screen saver and never goes to sleep.  The "put hd to sleep" is checked, and the start screen saver is set to roughly the same amount... I have tried adjusting these settings, to no avail.

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

Thanks!

 

Gary

Mac OS, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Mar 27, 2012 1:02 PM

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Gary Goldblum

Q: Imac won't go into sleep mode....

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  • Helpful answers

  • by iCare,

    iCare iCare Mar 27, 2012 1:10 PM in response to Gary Goldblum
    Level 4 (1,826 points)
    iLife
    Mar 27, 2012 1:10 PM in response to Gary Goldblum

    You mentioned that the system is brand new. If you just set it up the system could be indexing the hard drive for Spotlight.

     

    What other peripherals do you have plugged into the USB/Firewire ports? Do you have the same issue if you temporarily disconnect them?

     

    Although you are running 10.6.8, the information in this help article may help:

     

    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.7/en/mchlp2995.html

  • by Gary Goldblum,

    Gary Goldblum Gary Goldblum Mar 27, 2012 1:06 PM in response to iCare
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2012 1:06 PM in response to iCare

    There are no peripherals plugged into it.... all our other computers go to sleep properly, it's just this new Imac that won't go to sleep unless you manually tell it to.

  • by Gary Goldblum,

    Gary Goldblum Gary Goldblum Mar 27, 2012 1:09 PM in response to iCare
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2012 1:09 PM in response to iCare

    They do have a wireless keyboard, mouse, and trackpad, but I wouldn't think this is an issue?

  • by iCare,

    iCare iCare Mar 27, 2012 1:48 PM in response to Gary Goldblum
    Level 4 (1,826 points)
    iLife
    Mar 27, 2012 1:48 PM in response to Gary Goldblum

    The wireless devices should not be an issue unless one of the keys on the keyboard is stuck ON.

     

    How long ago was the system first turned ON? It's possible your system is just indexing the hard drive per my earlier comment. If you launch the Activity Monitor application and look at the processes that are running do you see any labelled 'Spotlight', 'mds' or 'mdsworker'? If yes, that could indicate that Spotlight is busy indexing and that you need to wait for it to complete it's task.

  • by Gary Goldblum,

    Gary Goldblum Gary Goldblum Mar 27, 2012 2:30 PM in response to iCare
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2012 2:30 PM in response to iCare

    None of those are listed.  Besides we have left it on for many nights (we have owned it for about 2 months) and it NEVER goes to sleep.  Do you think the computer is defective?

  • by iCare,

    iCare iCare Mar 27, 2012 4:28 PM in response to Gary Goldblum
    Level 4 (1,826 points)
    iLife
    Mar 27, 2012 4:28 PM in response to Gary Goldblum

    What build number of Mac OS X 10.6.8 are you using? You can reference the following article for more information how to obtain this information.

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1633

     

    When the system was initially setup did you perform any custom data transfers or clone a hard drive from a different system that may have had a different version or build of Mac OS X? If this was done it's possible to have a system that doesn't have the necessary kext files to properly support your hardware. Reinstalling the OS from the install DVD's that came with the system and then check for and installing all available software updates should resolve the issue. Before doing a reinstallation I suggest trying to boot in Safe Mode to see if the system will sleep properly. For more information on Safe Mode and why it can be helpful for troubleshooting I suggest reviewing these documents.

     

    Starting up in Safe Mode

    What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?