Not putting Macbook to sleep

Macbook has gotten more sluggish with ML even with 4GB's of RAM when rebooting and waking from sleep. The solution has been not to put it to sleep (other than the hard drive) and this has greatly improved performance. But will this harm the Macbook more than puting it to sleep? The tech I spoke with suggested I do this as he said it would be better than putting it to sleep everytime I walk away from it.

On a full charge and put to sleep the MacBook's battery will last more than 10 days but less than 20. I know this because I forgot to turn my MacBook off before leaving for vacation this summer. I returned 20 days later and found that the computer needed to be plugged in before it would start so I know it won't last 20 full days. Over the winter holiday I intentionally put it to sleep before leaving and 10 days later when I returned it woke up showing under 1/2 a charge left. What I don't know is whether the computer's battery will be depleted on day 11 or in the middle of day 20 or somewhere between! Well, actually I do assume it is close to the 20 day mark than the 11 day mark.
So when should you sleep it as opposed to turning it off? I generally turn it off (when I remember) if I'll be leaving it for more than a week. This has been my habit since buying my first PowerBook back around 1991.

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  • Energy saver will not put Mac to sleep

    I have a new Intel Mac mini. I am running off an external drive (MiniStack2). The drive was formatted and then had data transferred from old G4. The internal drive, when used as a start-up disk, functions fine. The external drive will not enter sleep mode (screen turns off, but not HD). The G4 had similar problem. Not sure why one drive as start-up drive and other does not. I have quit all active processes and tried every set of options - the machine will not put HD to sleep.
    Is there a plist or other file I must reload? I am certain this is a software issue. Problem in 10.4.7 and 10.4.8 (and 10.4.x on G4)

    Welcome to the forums. You are a new user and are not familiar with the Discussions' Terms of User.
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    When you get a chance click on the "Help & Terms of Use" link in the right sidebar of any forum page and review the Terms of Use.

  • Computer does not put itself to sleep when used in lid-closed mode

    Hi. I'm having a small problem when using my macbook pro with the LED display, lid closed and with external keyboard and mouse. If I leave the computer unattended, the display goes to sleep at the time specified in system settings under energy saver. The computer, however, does not go to sleep - the white power indicator remains solid and noises for new email etc can still be heard.
    I should probably just try to remember to put it to sleep manually but I keep forgetting. Does anybody know what settings I need to adjust?

    I tried cycling the old battery many times, and the computer would still shut down unexpectedly instead of going to sleep when it ran out of power. I got a free replacement from the supplier [http://myworld.ebay.com/cbkusaelectronics>, but I have cycled this new battery twice now, and it still does not go to sleep when it runs out of power. The capacity of the battery is fine (4.9 Ah), and the timing calibration seems fine as well. I have two older batteries from NewerTech and they allow sleep every time, so I think my computer is fine. Can anyone enlighten me about the cause of this problem? Does my battery lack some 'sleep battery' cell in it for use after the other 4 cells discharge? Or does my battery lack a chip that communicates with the computer? Is there any hope of getting this battery to support sleep when discharged?
    Has anyone else seen this problem consistently in a brand of battery? Does anyone have a recommendation for a cheaper battery that does not exhibit this problem? I have been happy with NewerTech, but they cost over $130.
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  • Energy saver does not put computer to sleep

    i have a new 15 inch macbook pro running 10.6.4. When the energy saver (i have checked all the proper buttons putting computer to sleep after 5 minutes of non use) puts the computer to "sleep" it actually does not sleep...it appears to sleep but the sleep light says illuminated (instead of pulsing) and then eventually the computer battery is drained and the computer needs a hard restart. All other sleep methods properly put it to sleep from choosing from the apple menu to shutting the lid...I assume there might be some program that is running in the background but when i look at console activity i see nothing noted...any thoughts as to how to solve this problem? thanks

    You might try a SMC reset:
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  • Putting macbook to sleep only

    Is it ok to not shut down the macbook for a week? i mean just putting it to sleep even overnight so when i open it the next morning it would be faster?

    It wastes electricity, but I think it should be alright. Not very sure.

  • Why did F4 beta uninstall itself after I put MacBook to sleep and had to be rebooted from the disc image?

    I put my MacBook to sleep with Firefox 4 beta open and when I went to use it again it had vanished. My spotlight search yielded v. 3.6 and the v.4 beta installation file (.dmg). I opened v. 3.6 and declined to transfer v4 Add-ons . All tabs that were opened on v.4 beta opened on v. 3.6. I closed 3.6 and reinstalled v.4 beta from the disc image. I was warned to replace previous version (3.6) - which I did. V4 beta installed intact (bookmarks, add-ons, history etc.) but I lost my open tabs. My only concern is that I was required to replace v. 3.6 and don't want to risk losing bookmarks and history if v. 4 proves unstable. I am otherwise pleased with the new look and performance.

    Yes, your iPhone has the classic signs of early onset Alzheimer's... 
    Assuming that nothing is pressing on the Home button when this occurs, try the basic steps as needed:
    1. Reset phone - press both home and sleep/wake buttons until the Apple logo appears.
    2. Restore phone in iTunes using a backup
    3. Restore in iTunes as new, without using a backup.
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  • Should I put MacBook to sleep or shut it down?

    At what time point does it make sense to shut down the MacBook as opposed to putting it to sleep? For instance, if I don't anticipate using it for 48 hours, should I shut it down? Thank you!

    My MB only ever gets shutdown/restarted when i do updates, or it is going to be closed in a bag for a long period of time. Otherwise its always put to sleep

  • Putting MacBook to sleep

    Hi
    Sorry, if this has been asked before. I have been told that I should just put my mac to sleep when I am done. Why is this? I am used to turning off my pc when I am done.
    Is it safe to travel with my Macbook in sleep?
    Does the OS do system maintainance when it is in sleep?
    I know there is very similiar posts which will answer my Q. If someone could point me in the right direction.
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    David

    Putting your MacBook to sleep is the same as putting a PC in standby. It will use a small amount of power while in sleep which, over a period of a few days, will probably drain your battery. If you're going to be away from a charger for a while, you can still shut down your MacBook to save power. When a PC is running Windows, a restart now and then helps to flush the system of a bunch of junk. You dont' really need to worry about that in OS X. There really isn't any harm in shutting down your MacBook if you choose to do so... there just isn't a need to.

  • Not putting mbp to sleep when closing screen, possible?

    Dear All,
    I was wondering whether it is possible to close the screen without putting the MacBook Pro to sleep but instead having applications running or listening to music etc. Is it possible to adjust the settings for that? I haven't found anything in System Preferences, yet.
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    Ya my blue tooth mouse works well for waking it up into clamshell mode, even though that's not what I was shooting for. I just want to turn of the silly mouse...LOL
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  • Firefox hangs after putting Macbook to sleep

    Firefox hangs after MacBook Pro is put to sleep. MAC OS X Snow Leopard. Normal service restored after force quit.

    This keeps happening to me as well on my brand new MBP.
    I suspect it has something to do with Panorama/Tab Groups.
    Most of the time after sleep FF won't respond, but when it finally does I usually switch to another Tab Group.
    The zoom animation for Panorama will freeze halfway through & I'll have to force quit.
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  • Power shows charging then not, putting ibook to sleep, now its dead

    I noticed the other day my ibook shut off while using it.
    I noticed the plug changed from green and amber pretty quickly.
    At the same time the menu bar shows the battery empty and switches to an icon I think meant it was charging, an empty arrow with an x maybe?.
    It kept going to sleep while I was trying to shut it down.
    I finally had to force quit it to go to sleep.
    I then looked at thee battery light and when pressed it was blinking green.
    This morning the charger is showing amber.
    The battery light when pressed is blinking green.
    I reset the pmu, plugged up the ibook, and hit power button...
    Acted like it was going to start up but instead went to sleep with amber light.
    Does anyone know what I need to do?

    The single flashing light means that your battery has very little charge. If you never get the battery to a point where all the lights light up, it may be that your battery is no longer capable of accepting a charge. I believe the "X" icon indicates that the battery is not charging. The charging icon should be a lightning bolt. A fully charged battery will have a little plug in it.
    Check the battery information in the System Profiler. If you have more than 300 cycles and your battery will not accept a charge, it may just be worn out.
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  • Long Delay When Putting MacBook in Sleep Mode

    My 2 year old MacBook has recently started to take quite a bit of time to go into sleep mode. If I select sleep under the apple menu, it takes about 45-50 seconds for the screen to turn off. I can hear the computer running during this time - when the sound stops, the screen goes off and the sleep light begins blinking. In the past, my screen would go off immediately after selecting sleep mode. If I close it to launch it into sleep mode, the same thing happens - the sleep light doesn't start blinking for 45-50 seconds. I checked the Activity Monitor and nothing else is running that could cause the delay. Any thoughts?

    You should check the "Disk Activity" section of the Activity Monitor to see if there is a lot of disk activity occurring. Most likely, the delay is it copying the RAM contents to the hard drive. It may be otherwise but this would be my best guess.

  • Closing top does not put MBP in sleep

    Hi there,
    My MBP does not auto-sleep when I close the top. any clues how to fix it?
    Cheers.

    It has been suggested elsewhere that you have to be careful not to bump the MPB until the sleep light comes on (pulses), because the sudden motion detector can prevent sleep from fully engaging. Safe sleep can take about 5 seconds to completely transact.
    Has also been reported that unplugging usb peripherals will interrupt the process of sleep engaging.

  • How do I close the MBP case and NOT put it to sleep?

    Is there a way to close the MBP case without it going to sleep? I like to allow items to download, etc while I close the case and leave the desk but it always goes to sleep.
    Also, when it does go to sleep do I just push the power button? Sometimes this works, but it seems to respond slow.
    Thanks

    Yes, I do believe that's what I implied.
    Open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder and enter the following command line at the prompt then press RETURN:
    pmset -g | grep hibernatemode
    If the reported mode is 3 then your computer is set for "Save Sleep" which takes longer to wake up than standard sleep. If you want quicker wake up from sleep you can change the sleep mode by entering the following command line:
    sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0
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  • Put HDD to sleep with SSD

    Hello,
    I have a question for SSD users. I have a late 2008 unibody macbook pro. I just installed effortlessly an OCZ vertex 2 120gb ssd. Love the speed! I read around the internet that you should not check put hdds to sleep under energy saver for ssds. Is this true? My question would be the following:
    I also heard that OCZ has some garbage collection algorythm that makes up for Mac's lack of TRIM support. If I put hdds to sleep when possible does it mean that the garbage collection will not work? What is the advantage of NOT putting hdds to sleep with SSD?
    Finally, I am planning to install a second hd instead of my superdrive, a normal hd that is (seagate xt 7200). I suppose that having it means I should put the hdds to sleep when possible, am I right?
    In case I should not put to sleep the ssd, can I select two different settings for the two different drives?
    Sorry if this sounds confusionary, it sounded a lot better in my mind...
    Thanks for any tips!

    I also heard that OCZ has some garbage collection algorythm that makes up for Mac's lack of TRIM support.
    I dont think garbage collection (and over provisioning) makes up for lack of TRIM support, but certainly helps it in that direction.
    If I put hdds to sleep when possible does it mean that the garbage collection will not work? What is the advantage of NOT putting hdds to sleep with SSD?
    I think you are asking - "If I put ssds to sleep when possible does it mean that the garbage collection will not work?", since hdds don't have the garbage collection.
    Well, from (http://www.ocztechnology.com/aboutocz/news/151) and (http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/technology/features/article.php/3850436) it seems that, according to OCZ's Chang, some of their ssds use idle time garbage collection. If yours came with a spec manual, I would look there.
    The way Chang puts it is:
    +OCZ's goal is to keep SSD performance at peak levels over the drive's lifespan. OCZ, he said, uses two basic garbage collection methods: incorporating the maintenance within firmware, and providing user-initiated tools to accomplish the same task. OCZ provides three different garbage collection methods, said Chang.Some OCZ drives feature idle-time garbage collection in the firmware, including PCI-Express and high-capacity 3.5-inch SSDs, which aim for high-performance endurance. OCZ's mainstream 2.5-inch SSD solutions ship with TRIM support, which is enabled on Windows 7 and various Linux versions.+
    +For users who prefer Windows XP or Vista, OCZ provides a manual garbage collection tool that can be initiated at the user's discretion, said Chang, noting that the company also provides a garbage collection upgrade firmware for XP and Vista systems. "Garbage collection is just one more tool in OCZ's feature sets that helps sustain the revolutionary performance of SSDs over the long term," said Chang.+
    So, if yours uses the idle time, it may need not benefit from a nap, although I can not find anywhere that suggest how long idle time is.
    I find the whole OCZ presentation rather sloppy. I am sure they have good drives, but after reading on OCZ, it makes me want to take a nap.
    Message was edited by: aprouser

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