Applies ToWindows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Pro

Symptoms

When the Hyper-V role is enabled on a Windows 8-based or Windows 8.1-based computer that uses the Always On/Always Connected (AOAC) power model (also known as InstantON), the Connected Standby power state is not available.  

Cause

This behavior occurs because Hyper-V does not support the Connected Standby power state. Laptops that used the AOAC power model and also supported the 64-bit architecture and virtualization features that are required by Hyper‑V were not available when the latest versions of Hyper-V were developed. Therefore, when the Hyper-V role is enabled, Connected Standby cannot be used. Instead, the ACPI S4 Hibernate power state is used when the system enters a sleep state because of a user action such as closing the laptop lid or pressing a power button that is mapped to sleep or because the system idle timers expired. This behavior has the following results:

  • When awakened, the system must resume from Hibernate. This means that the system must display the firmware power-on screen and read the hibernation file from disk. This process takes significantly longer than it takes to wake from Connected Standby.

  • Live tiles cannot be updated when the system is in the Hibernate state.

  • Push notifications on the logon screen do not appear when the system is in the Hibernate state.

  • The less aggressive use of power-saving states can result in somewhat shorter battery life. The Connected Standby power model results in minimal power usage when the machine is not in use. Depending on usage, the lack of Connected Standby can result in higher power consumption and less overall use of the machine.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

To resolve this issue, you can disable the hypervisor. The hypervisor can be disabled and enabled independent of the Hyper-V role. This does not uninstall all Hyper-V components. To do this, follow these steps:Note When hypervisor is disabled, Hyper-V virtual machines cannot be started.

  1. Run Command Prompt as an Administrator.

  2. Type bcdedit and then press Enter.

  3. Under Windows Boot Loader an identifier is reported. Type bcdedit /set {identifier} hypervisorlaunchtype off and then press Enter.Note identifier is a placeholder for the identifier reported.

The ability to quickly toggle between having the hypervisor turned on and off is achievable through adding an additional boot entry. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Run Command Prompt as an Administrator.

  2. Type bcdedit /copy {default} /d "Hypervisor Off". An identifier will be returned that indicates a new boot entry was created successfully.

  3. Type bcdedit /set {identifier} hypervisorlaunchtype off and then press Enter.Note identifier is a placeholder for the identifier that was returned in step 2.

After you finish these steps, a boot entry named "Hypervisor Off" is available when you start the computer. When you select the startup entry, hypervisor is disabled.

Method 2

As a last resort to regain the Connected Standby power state, you must disable the Hyper-V role. Disabling the Hyper-V role uninstalls all Hyper-V components. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On the Windows charms bar, select Settings, and then start Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, select Programs, and then click Programs and Features.

  3. In the left menu bar, select Turn Windows features on or off.

  4. Click to clear the Hyper-V check box.

  5. Click OK.

Note Other components that use Hyper-V may have their functionality reduced or eliminated if the Hyper-V role is removed. 

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