Recommended Windows Settings for Spooky2 8

There are two very important settings in Windows that you need to be aware of when using Spooky2:

PC Sleep Settings

If your computer is set to sleep or hibernate after a certain amount of time with no user activity, here’s what happens:

The contents of your memory are temporarily written to a file on the hard drive. The drive then stops spinning – this means that nothing more can be read from it into memory.

So when your PC sleeps or hibernates, it is effectively no longer working, much like a TV on standby. Consequently, Spooky2 will simply suspend transmission until you wake your PC again.

To fix this, go to Control Panels > Power Options > Change when the computer sleeps and set everything except the screen to Never. Alternatively, you can use a dark screen saver to extend display life (Control Panels > Personalization > Screen Saver).

Windows Update Reboots

If your PC is also used for the internet, be aware that default system settings mean that Windows can download and install updates automatically. It can then quit Spooky2, install the updates, and restart your PC – ending your entire Spooky2 session without any warning to you.

To fix this, go to Control Panels > Windows Update > Change settings and choose anything other than Install updates automatically. If you don’t want to lose this auto-install functionality, you can simply switch off your modem/wi-fi router before going to sleep or leaving your home. But remember to keep an eye on things while you’re at home but away from the computer. If you don’t use a wi-fi system, your computer is connected to the internet with an ethernet cable plugged into a modem or switcher. If you unplug this cable, Windows can’t go looking for updates, so your Spooky2 session can’t be interrupted.