Computer wakes from sleep automatically every night

Hi cniggeler, thanks for the response.

It sounds like the Windows Update time setting in "Change active hours" only controls if the computer will automatically reboot or not if it thinks it needs to reboot.  My Windows Update time window is set for 9 am to 3 am.  I set it to the maximum 18 hour window allowed.  So my setting basically tells Windows that it can only reboot my computer between 3 am and 9 am if it's turned on (either left on by me, or woke up by Windows I'd assume).  I don't think this setting is actually waking the computer up from Sleep Mode as shown in my graph above.

On my graph, Time = 0 is 12:30 PM, so it shows a time window from 12:30 PM back to 12:30 AM.  That 12 hour window includes time outside of the small 3 am to 9 am window where I'm saying Windows can reboot if it needs to.  So based on that, whatever is waking up my laptop doesn't seem to be associated with this setting.

In my case, I could leave my laptop in Sleep Mode for 3 days, and it would wake itself up every 3 hours, stay on for 45 minutes (my Sleep setting) and then go back to sleep, then exactly 3 hours later wake itself up again.  That cycle will repeat forever if the computer is in Sleep Mode.

I'm running Windows 10 Home, Version 1909, Build 18363.863 which is as up to date as possible.  If you're running an older version of Windows 10, then maybe that makes a difference on how other people's computers behave.

The only thing I haven't tried yet is the PsTools fix (mentioned by a few in this thread) that allows system rights above the normal Administrator so tasks in Task Scheduler can to unchecked for the "Wake the computer to run this task option" setting.

RE: "Change Active Hours" - If you look deeper, e.g., at this support page, you'll see things like, "We’ll use that info to schedule updates and restarts..." 

I've deleted the trigger numerous times under PSTools, but Windows will eventually spawn another one. As I prepare this, I can see in Task Scheduler that Universal Orchestrator Start is scheduled yet againat 10:14 am on 5/26/20.

The thing to note is, it's 10:14 am. Before I changed active hours, this would be something like 2:55 am. But, your situation is definitely different than mine, since your machine go back to sleep while mine will not.

If you do want to use PSTools, after you download it, the sequence is as follows:

1. Open an Administrator prompt.
2. Run this command: 

psexec.exe -i -s C:\WINDOWS\system32\mmc.exe /s taskschd.msc

3. In the left navigation pane, click the arrow (greater-than sign) next to Task Scheduler Library, then the one next to Microsoft, then the one next to Windows, then click UpdateOrchestrator. 
4. In the right pane you will then see, amongst others, "Universal Orchestrator Start". Double click it, then on the Conditions tab,

• clear "Start task only if the computer is idle for" checkbox
• enable "Start the task only if the computer is on AC power" checkbox.
• clear "Wake the computer to run this task" checkbox

My warning is, don't be lulled when you don't see it for a couple weeks or a month - it will return. And IMO all we can do is live within the proscribed box usoft has created for us, all because they have decided for us that Windows Update is too heavyweight to be run during work hours.

The "Change active hours" support page article you linked to just makes it sound like Windows will do a "Reboot" after a self installed Update, but only if outside the hours you've scheduled as your "computer use period".  In my case, the only time period Windows Update could reboot my laptop would be between the hours of 3 am and 9 am if the computer is running.  I don't think this setting is what is actually waking up my computer from Sleep Mode.

It seems more like something else like Windows waking up the computer to just look for Updates.  Every time I've woke the computer up the next day, I have never seen any evidence in Windows Updates that shows an Update was installed and the computer was rebooted.  I also leave programs up and running when I put my laptop to sleep - like the program that captures the power level data in the graph I posted earlier.  If Windows actually did install and reboot itself, then I would see that those programs where not running when I wake up the computer myself - I have never seen that happen, so that tells me Windows has never found, installed and rebooted my laptop while it's been in Sleep Mode.

In my case, if Windows is actually looking for Updates every 3 hours after the computer goes into Sleep Mode, then that would explain the time cycle I've shown in my graph.

If something in Task Scheduler wakes up my computer to check for Windows Updates, and Windows happens to find an Update and it's between 3 am and 9 am in my case, then it will do a reboot if the Update requires it.  That's how I read it.

I might still try the PsTool "fix" and see if it works and how long it lasts.  Thanks for the step-by-step instructions.

And yes, it's really a shame that Microsoft has to wake up people's computers while in Sleep Mode.  Do they not realize that people who put their computer in Sleep Mode will most likely be waking them up themselves the next day to use them.  Windows can check for Updates then ... that would be no different than it checking for Updates when millions of people are using their computers.  Let people's computers Sleep if they want them to Sleep !!

I would make more sense for Microsoft to allow people to setup their computer to do automatic night time Updates, and allow Windows to wake their computer up (and allow a Reboot if required) if that's what they really want, instead of waking people's computers up from Sleep Mode when those people DON'T want that to happen.

cniggeler said:

3. In the left navigation pane, click the arrow (greater-than sign) next to Task Scheduler Library, then the one next to Microsoft, then the one next to Windows, then click UpdateOrchestrator. 
4. In the right pane you will then see, amongst others, "Universal Orchestrator Start". Double click it, then on the Conditions tab,

cniggleler,

My Task Scheduler has no event/task called "Universal Orchestrator Start".  Here's a snap-shot of my UpdateOrchestrator.  I did uncheck the "Wake the computer to run this task" checkbox for 'Backup Scan' which didn't seem to cure the wake-ups, and it magically re-checked that box a few days later - not sure if it resets upon a reboot of the computer or not.  I need to test and see.

Whatever is waking my computer up every 3 hours after it goes to sleep doesn't seem to be associated with anything in UpdateOrchestrator.

This morning I was waiting and watching for it to wake up.  As soon as it woke up by itself, I ran a powercfg /lastwake and powercfg /waketimers commands in DOS and got what's in the snap-shot.  All it tells me is that something woke it up, but gives no useful information on what exactly woke the computer up.  It also shows that the only waketimer is 'StartMenuExperiencHost'.

Anyone know how to determine if 'StartMenuExperienceHost' is what's waking the computer from Sleep Mode every 3 hours, and how to set it to stop the wake-ups?