powercfg.exe /DEVICEENABLEWAKE fails with "You do not have permission…" error - Swift 1 SF114-33-C15

cschneegans

I have recently purchased an Acer Swift 1 SF114-33-C15N laptop computer. It came preinstalled with Windows 10 S, but I did a clean install of Windows 10 Pro using the ISO file provided by Microsoft (Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso) and a spare (genuine) license key. The computer works fine, with only one problem: I cannot wake it from sleep/standby/Suspend-to-RAM mode.

This is what I have found so far:

• powercfg.exe /DEVICEQUERY wake_armed prints NONE.

• For every device listed by powercfg.exe /DEVICEQUERY wake_from_s3_supported, the call powercfg.exe /DEVICEENABLEWAKE "…" prints an error message: You do not have permission to enable or disable device wake. Note that I run these commands in an elevated command prompt with full administrative rights. Correspondingly, in Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) those devices with a Power Management tab have their Allow this device to wake this computer setting grayed out and disabled.

• When I connect an external keyboard via USB, powercfg.exe /DEVICEENABLEWAKE "..." is executed successfully, and pressing a key on that external keyboard during sleep mode properly wakes the computer.

Any suggestions?

[​//Edited the content to add model name]

billsey

You need to be running an elevated command prompt to do that. Just right click on the CMD icon and choose Run as Admainistrator.

cschneegans

billsey said:

You need to be running an elevated command prompt to do that. Just right click on the CMD icon and choose Run as Admainistrator.

You obviously missed the part where I said Note that I run these commands in an elevated command prompt with full administrative rights.

billsey

OK, You are an Administrator but the System Administrator is Administrator.

Go back to cmd.exe and right click to RunAs Administrator and at the Prompt, type "Net User Administrator /active:yes" then hit Enter and close the form.

Restart the machine and log in to the new Administrator account that shows on the screen. (The password should have been set when the machine was new)

If that won't work for you, the system has some security settings that shouldn't be there. Those are typically only found in domain joined systems, where a global administrator has enabled some security measures.

Callistemon

billsey said:

OK, You are an Administrator but the System Administrator is Administrator.

Go back to cmd.exe and right click to RunAs Administrator and at the Prompt, type "Net User Administrator /active:yes" then hit Enter and close the form.

Restart the machine and log in to the new Administrator account that shows on the screen. (The password should have been set when the machine was new)

If that won't work for you, the system has some security settings that shouldn't be there. Those are typically only found in domain joined systems, where a global administrator has enabled some security measures.

An elevated Command Prompt in any user account has more privileges than non-elevated processes in the built-in Administrator, such as File Explorer. An elevated Command Prompt in the built-in Administrator is the same as all. It is only regular processes where the Administrator is higher. The default password for the built-in Administrator account is nothing, at least for home computers.

billsey

That is true as far as it goes, but the permissions for this particular change uses the SID for the local Administrator. The SID for a local administrator will always begin with S-1-5- and end with -500. It doesn't make sense they would pin it down as such, but I look at it as a bug they really need to fix someday.