Your computer starts on its own; determine if it's a glitch, hack, or new feature. (Need assistance?)
Your computer starts on its own; determine if it's a glitch, hack, or new feature. (Need assistance?)
On nights I go to bed around 11 PM or earlier, I often wake up in the middle of the night to turn over. Near my bed sits my desk and computer. Sometimes at some point during the night, my PC turns on by itself, illuminating my RGB keyboard and microphone, which lights up the room and makes it hard to fall back asleep. My main concern is that my computer might automatically start mining cryptocurrency. The issue is that when my PC is under heavy load, the fans run very loudly, making it clear someone or something is mining. Although I own an RTX 3070 FE with a Core i5 13600K, this isn’t impossible. To prevent this, I’ve turned off my PSU when the PC isn’t in use or when tabs are open. What worries me most is that I rarely notice anything unusual when staying up late. The only other possibilities are that Windows boots back up to recover data, but the usage graphs show idle activity with no programs running. This leaves me wondering if there’s another explanation—please let me know if you have any common solutions, though it seems rare.
It depends on your setup—do you turn it off completely, place it in sleep mode, or enter hibernation?
Do you have any animals (including small creatures and insects) that might disturb the mouse or keyboard? It’s best to shut down your computer completely in this case. Even idle power usage can cost money—computers often draw between 10 and 200 watts while waiting. In my previous home, turning off the PC at night during workdays saved me about $10 each month. If you’re unsure, unplug all peripherals for a few nights and see if it still powers up on its own; anything that seems to be waking it could be the culprit.
Only occurs when you flip over or shift in bed? If your workspace is near your bed, like within reach, any movement from turning or tossing could shift the desk and cause your mouse to react. This is especially true with high DPI mice or sensitive touch sensors—even minor disturbances register. If you power down your computer before bed or set it to sleep/hibernate, and avoid placing it near your bed, the mouse won’t be disturbed. A few easy adjustments can help.