Wake On Lan not working on Windows 7

[enjay]

Since moving to Windows 7, our PCs no longer wake-on-LAN. From other posts, I suspect this is a BIOS/power management issue, but can't find the setting which has changed. The NICs are still powered, as the link lights are still on (both on the PC and the switch), however they won't respond to WOL signals. Any offers how to resolve this?

[SYNACK]

Have you tried the solutions in this thread?

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/network-classroom-management/93915-rm-one-pcs-wol.html

[DMcCoy]

Since moving to Windows 7, our PCs no longer wake-on-LAN. From other posts, I suspect this is a BIOS/power management issue, but can't find the setting which has changed. The NICs are still powered, as the link lights are still on (both on the PC and the switch), however they won't respond to WOL signals. Any offers how to resolve this?

 

Is it enabled in the driver settings?

[enjay]

Driver settings look good, and there's nothing in that other thread which helps.

[Clifford]

Have you tried installing the full driver software package including the intel management software.

To test if its a software issue boot into your bios, disable and re-enable WOL. Save the changes and shut down the PC - before windows has a chance to boot turn the PC off try and wake up the PC. if it wakes up its windows Turing it off when it loads.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Clifford

[ricki]

Have you checked in the bios if wol is enabled

 

Richard

[r_soles]

This thread makes me want to shoot my self...

 

Just so you know BIOS is not part of Windows, it is shocking how all of you " Professionals" sort out problems ...FML

[Mr.Ben]

This thread makes me want to shoot my self...

 

Just so you know BIOS is not part of Windows, it is shocking how all of you " Professionals" sort out problems ...FML

 

Windows Drivers can make changes to it, including power/WOL settings once it's booted up.

 

Therefore it's not unlikely that when you set WOL in the BIOS, windows changes it back when you boot it up.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Mr.Ben

[enjay]

WOL is enabled in the BIOS, and the drivers are set to allow it as well. Our RM PCs (Intel boards, Intel NICs) still have the link lights on, but the Stone PCs (Intel boards, Realtek NICs) don't even keep the link lights on. Not sure what the HP computers do, I'll go check one.

 

There's a tonne of posts online from people having the same problem as me, some of which seem to be resolved with driver updates and some don't.

[r_soles]

Dear Mr.Ben,

 

i do believe you have been misinformed!

 

The only things you can do form windows to the BIOS is 1)change date and time 2) updating the ROM.

 

so let me clarify windows can not edit the BIOS or change settings

 

R.Soles

[enjay]

@r_soles - So rather than just insulting and criticising some very experienced IT professionals, and thus proving the appropriateness of your chosen nickname, I invite you to make a positive contribution to this discussion and suggest some other reasons why WOL stopped working the day I installed Win7 on a PC.

[Clifford]

R.soles, sums you up!

 

I think you will find that Mr. Ben and I are correct and it is you who are wrong.

 

C

[simpsonj]

Have you tried everything on this website: Windows 7 Issues: Wake-on-Lan (WOL) for Windows 7 Made Easy! ?

 

Top result on Google, so I assume you've looked. Does strike me that surely you would need to turn off "Allow the computer to turn this device off to save power", but still...

[enjay]

@simpsonj thanks, hadn't actually seen that, your search terms must have been different to mine.

 

It didn't work, though. I am a bit confused about the firewall bit though, as I can't make sense of whether the Windows Firewall is on or not. Screen shot attached:

So, it says the firewall is off but then says that unapproved connections are being blocked - don't get how both those things can be true....

[DMcCoy]

For WOL to work:

 

Enabled in the BIOS (if the option is there)

Eabled in the driver (with magic packet turned on, WOL enabled)

Enabled on the power management settings for the card.

 

These days the windows drive sets the state for the card when you shutdown the machine to make it listen for the packet or not.

 

It also may not wake the machine from sleep or hibernate depending on what the driver did. Some windows 7 supplied drivers do not work correctly with WOL (like intel ones).

[enjay]

Enabled in the BIOS (if the option is there)

Eabled in the driver (with magic packet turned on, WOL enabled)

 

Done that...

 

Enabled on the power management settings for the card.

Onboard NIC, so not sure that applies. If it does, where are those settings?

 

Some windows 7 supplied drivers do not work correctly with WOL (like intel ones).

Tried the drivers from Intel and Realtek without success.

[enjay]

This is interesting - I've just dug one of our old XP computers out, and WOL doesn't work on that now either, which points the finger back towards S2008 rather than Win7 as being the culprit.

[DMcCoy]

What are you using to send the WOL? wolcmd used to work iirc in 2008R2.

[Michael]

Here's a good guide which is correct in its explanations.

[SYNACK]

Here's a good guide which is correct in its explanations.

 

The stuff about the firewall is out though, the firewall only runs when Windows is active, there is no way the windows firewall settings are being passed down and implemented in the NIC unless you have a very expencive and special NIC. Same with the Simple TCP services. The rest is right though.

[Duke5A]

This is interesting - I've just dug one of our old XP computers out, and WOL doesn't work on that now either, which points the finger back towards S2008 rather than Win7 as being the culprit.

 

Give this utility a try, it'll snoop for WOL packets so you can see if they're even getting through to the client. Depicus Wake on Lan Monitor/Sniffer Or just install a packet capturing utility of your choice and sift through the results. If it isn't working with machines that worked before though I would be questioning whether or not it's even making it through.

 

Did the IP of the server change that you're using to send WOL out from, or were there any changes in the switching configuration? For WOL to jump subnets it requires configuration on the switches.

[enjay]

The server's firewall & Simple TCP settings could affect it though. I'll try the packet sniffer to see if these are actually going anywhere...

[enjay]

I've just tried the WOL command from a client PC, and it worked fine, so it is something on the server blocking it from going out.

[Boredguy]

Re your Stone PC's Nick, check to see if there is an update for the NIC drivers.

 

When we put in some Lenovo's earlier in the year, we found that the WOL wasn't working once Windows 7 was installed via WDS (was fine straight out the box)

Found newer drivers for our Marvell Net yk62x86 and it started working correctly again.

[enjay]

I have tried the latest drivers on both the Intel and Realtek sites (they have different "latest" versions), but neither work. As I said just now (you might not have seen it before posting), it looks like the server is blocking the signal - even though it reports 'success' in the CMD window - as the command runs just fine from a client.