Updates, scans, teatimers and standby

Dustykitten

Trying to work out why our electricity usage goes up in the morning at sometime after 2am, peaking 4-6am am and it has been suggested that the computers are coming to life and running things all on their own. I never knew they could do that!

So I need to know:

Can they turn on if they are switched off or just if they are on standby?
Do laptops work the same as pcs in this respect.

What updates and scans might they be running - how can I check (without sitting up all night)?

What are teatimers?

Anything else that might be happening and is this all necessary every night?

Many thanks

fwor

Generally, no. You can configure most PCs to "wake up" in response to various things - including time of day. You can also configure them to be woken via your network. But by default, none of these are typically set up (or at least none of the many PCs I've worked on have).

If you want to check, these events are usually configured in the BIOS setup screens.

Whitefiver

If I am correct, Teatimeer is part of the Spybot Search and Destroy program. I find it intrusive and hogs my PC so it is turned off.

Hope that helps,

White.

[Deleted User]

Patch Tuesday

free4440273

Dustykitten wrote: »

Trying to work out why our electricity usage goes up in the morning at sometime after 2am, peaking 4-6am am and it has been suggested that the computers are coming to life and running things all on their own. I never knew they could do that!

So I need to know:

Can they turn on if they are switched off or just if they are on standby?
Do laptops work the same as pcs in this respect.

What updates and scans might they be running - how can I check (without sitting up all night)?

What are teatimers?


Anything else that might be happening and is this all necessary every night?

Many thanks

/if turned off, they can't be turned on -- unknowingly/

/check event viewer for updates installed /

teatimer - do you have spybot installed? i don't use it anymore.

/that's an impressive thanked number

Dustykitten

Thanks for all your help. I'll get DH to look at the updates (as I don't know how to do that).

We do have spybot on the machines as a second scan to run after malwarebytes - I'll check the set ups of those.

free444 - don't be impressed by the thanks, your's are probably much more impressive. I hang out in old style a lot and there just about every post you make gets loads (often 25+) of thanks.

I wonder if the virgin box is springing to life in the night and either randomly recording stuff or if they spy on you and see what you've been watching. Either that or the cats are challenging each other on the wii.

spud17

I've had a PC which would come to life if left in Hibernate or Sleep, and a 'scheduled event' came due.

A Scheduled Event is one set up by myself through Task Scheduler on XP.

Also my Freeview boxes turn on at 3.00am to check for updates.

Enterprise_1701C

We had a computer, so long ago I think it was Windows 2000, we used to shut it down at night then come down in the morning to find it happily humming to itself. Never found out what time it came on but the only way we could stop it was by physically unplugging it. It never used to go back off on its own though.

Have you got one of the things you can get that measure the electricity used by any one item? Just a thought, you could work your way round your possible suspects and plug it in through that each night, after setting it to zero, and see if it uses any power.

closed

highly unlikely but not impossible that it's pc related, event viewer will tell you

outdoor lights? heating?

how many kwh's? Is this from a smartmeter?

Dustykitten

It's from an E:ON meter

Not related to the heating; outdoor lights are the sensor security ones and they only stay on for about 1 minute if they go off.

I stated with a thread on the the utilities board which has some usage figures:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2924888

but started one here too to ask about the pc stuff. Thinking that maybe a bit of a red herring.

I do have one of those energy plug things so that can go on the virgin box for tonight.