Prevent Windows 7 PC from sleeping while a download is in progress

While I'm downloading a large file on Windows 7 using Google Chrome, my computer goes to sleep. I could obviously set the computer to not sleep at all (or change the interval before the computer sleeps).

What I want to know is: Is there a way to make Windows 7 not sleep as long as a download is in progress? (perhaps when any network activity is going on?). I've looked in the Advanced Power settings, and haven't seen any obvious setting.

Jason Sundram

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 2 946

1Windows 7's presentation mode does the same. You can turn it on and off via the Mobility Center (Win+X). I Cannot post this as an answer cause the question is protected – Sydwell – 2015-02-22T05:44:10.450

Answers

Check this tool: Insomnia which prevent the computer from going into sleep mode while the program is open.

karatchov

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 417

Insomnia is a very useful tool. Thanks for sharing it. Two small issues: As another answerer said, this feature should be wired into Chrome. (Not a solution, and thus not a useful answer, but true all the same.) Also, the Insomnia binary is not signed. I guess it costs too much to buy certificates just for software that you give away, but I wish we could have more rigorous use of security features like code signing.. – Isaac Rabinovitch – 2012-09-04T19:01:55.363

This program does exactly what @Ozan's answer suggests doing. Thanks! – Jason Sundram – 2009-11-02T14:40:15.457

Well the question was about preventing the computer from sleeping while a transfer is going on and while this program does this it seems a bit overkill as it doesn't care if an xfer is happening it just looks for any open program and keeps the machine awake.

The program you want to check out is called coffee and it looks for transfers in progress and keeps everything runnning while they are: http://sourceforge.net/projects/coffee-sc/

Of course to be fair to karatchov, this program probably wasn't even born when he posted that comment but it is now :)

– unc0nnected – 2013-09-12T11:35:01.170

It is the duty of the downloading program to reset the system idle timer by calling SetThreadExecutionState with ES_SYSTEM_REQUIRED.

Maybe you are lucky filing a bug/feature request at google code

Ozan

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 724

Thanks, Ozan, I've updated the question with the program I'm using (Google Chrome). – Jason Sundram – 2009-08-05T03:21:55.007

FlashGet has the option to put the PC in sleep mode after all downloads complete.

John T

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 149 037

Thanks, John T. That's a good partial solution. I was hoping for a solution that would work if there were other kinds of network traffic going on, too (scp, ssh). – Jason Sundram – 2009-08-05T02:31:16.560

Your best bet would be to file a Chrome bug or send a feature request (although they probably won't listen to the latter). Chrome is still a relatively young browser, and I wouldn't expect Google to have though of minute details like this.

Otherwise, no, there is no global option to do this in Windows, and I doubt there is a utility to do what you want, although maybe something will pop up.

Sasha Chedygov

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 6 616

Thanks musicfreak. I guess the thing to do is to pull the source for Chromium and make the change myself. But I can be lazy sometimes. – Jason Sundram – 2009-08-05T03:37:03.463

" AMP WinOFF " is the best solution I've found It can autoshutdown at certain conditions u specify e.g. CPU load, network activity ....etc

here it is : http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Launchers-Shutdown-Tools/AMP-WinOFF.shtml

ahmedco

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 11

For Firefox, you can install the No Sleep Download extension. It prevents your computer from going to sleep while downloading files.

Also, Free Download Manager, which integrates with Firefox, Opera, Chrome, IE, among other browsers, has a feature to prevent the computer from going into standby / sleep mode while it is downloading a file.

galacticninja

Posted 2009-08-05T02:21:59.427

Reputation: 5 348

I know OP asked for solutions for Chrome. I am putting this solution for Firefox and other browsers as other similar and more general questions are being closed as a duplicate of this one. – galacticninja – 2014-01-02T08:20:35.573