Windows 10 Always Reboots to Airplane Mode

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Hi All,

Every time I reboot my Lenovo Thinkpad W541 running Windows 10 (64 bit) it restarts in “Airplane Mode”, draining the battery even when connected to the external AC supply.

By the time I realise what has happened my Thinkpad has stopped thinking and shutdown or hibernated because the battery has gone flat! Un-plugging and replugging the external power does not result in the system re-charging the battery. I have to go into the power settings and reselect the power configuartion I require, generally Maximum Performance.

I presently get around the problem by having the “Windows Mobility Center” (C:WindowsSystem32mblctr.exe) pinned to my Taskbar so I can access it quickly and so select my required power configuation.

Does anyone else suffer this annoying hiccup, and if so have you found a permanent fix for it.

Cheers

BygAuldByrd

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Are you sure that “Airplane Mode” is actually on? The reason I ask is that myself and many others have noticed that the airplane mode button in the notification area is lit but it is not actually in airplane mode.
Seems to be a bug of some sort on many W10 installations that hasn’t been addressed yet by MS.

http://www.tenforums.com/network-sharing/30910-wrong-status-airplane-mode.html

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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If the problem is that it is just the notification center showing Airplane Mode on but it is not actually on, then this was reported as an issue in Insider Preview Build 14257 in Feb. 2016. It appears to have been fixed at least in Insider Preview builds for quite a while although I can’t find a mention of it in any release notes. So, the fix may not be universal.

--Joe

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So, the fix may not be universal.

It must not be universal Joe because mine is still that way on build 10586.420. Sometimes the airplane mode button in the notification display goes off and then returns after awhile randomly, but it is always showing at bootup even though it is actually not turned on.
My laptop is an HP ProBook 450 G2.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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You could create a shortcut that runs Power Configuration, either manually or on log-in.
powercfg /s scheme_GUID

To find the GUID run: powercfg /L

cheers, Paul

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Build 10586.240 is the latest rollup update for the November general release. I guess that there has not been a fix released to the general public. Here’s the problem description from build 14257:

After logging in to your PC, you may hit a UI issue in which Airplane Mode will incorrectly show as “on” even though your PC’s Wi-Fi is powered on. This is due to a timing issue between how the UI communicates and waits for the underlying platform to respond. The UI for Airplane Mode essentially does not wait long enough for the device’s physical radios to power on before reporting the current state.*You can toggle the Airplane Mode on and off to get Airplane Mode back to showing the correct state.

--Joe

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I’m on ver 1511, build 10586.420 and toggling the switch doesn’t cure it. It seems to “think” it’s on even when it isn’t. Wi-Fi works fine regardless so I’m not too concerned about the glitch.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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That could be a different issue. Do you have the most current BIOS & drivers?

--Joe

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That could be a different issue. Do you have the most current BIOS & drivers?

Yes, current BIOS & drivers.
44883-notification

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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You do understand the part about toggling Airplane mode means to use Settings | Network & Internet | Airplane mode right?

--Joe

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Yes
44884-AP-mode

Unfortunately it seems to be an unfixed glitch that has carried on since the insider build you referenced ( at least for quite a number of W10 installs ). Personally, I know it exist’s but as long as it doesn’t affect my connection, it’s just an irritant and a constant reminder of W10’s lack of glitch fixes in MS’s “Push” to get W10 to the masses.
Anyway, I hope the OP got some insight as to what “could” be the problem they see.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Thanks for all the comments responding to my post.

To comment on various points raised:

[*]Yes, my Thinkpad W541 is going to Airplane mode because it turns OFF both my Wifi and Bluetooth. The Wifi being turned off doesn’t really bother me as I’m Ethernet connected to my router, but the connection to the Internet is disconnected within the Thinkpad only – all other devices connected to my router via Ethernet and Wifi are still connected to the Internet and operating properly.

[*]
[*]My Thinkpad has the latest BIOS (from Lenovo) and Windows 10 (64 bt) updates, the latter as forced into my Thinkpad by Microsoft.

[*]
[*]No-one has commented specifically on the reboot issue that forces my Thinkpad to run on battery only, even when connected to an external supply (other than to suggest alternative methods for switching power options, which I’ve already sorted – see my original post). This is my real issue – the failure to boot or restart in the previously set Power Scheme. What’s worse, it does not happen every time:confused:

My conclusion thus far is that this is another undocumented/acknowledged “feature” of the current public build of Windows 10 64 bit:(

Still searching for a fix…

Cheers

BygAuldByrd

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What happens when you just run on AC with the battery removed ?

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There are a few things to try to fix airplane mode issues listed here:
http://www.howto-connect.com/fix-airplane-mode-issues-in-windows-10/

Jerry

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As requested “What happens when you just run on AC with the battery removed ?”

Battery related issues as I understand them.
Battery goes flat. Battery doesn’t recharge when connecting to external power.
The computer fails to boot or restart in your configured Power Scheme:
— On this issue alone (?), it doesn’t happen all the time
Once the configured Power Scheme is in effect the computer runs on battery even when the power adapter is connected.

Do you ever get the following notifications or something similar?
The battery is charged to a high capacity. Staying above 70% of capacity for a long period of time is adverse to the battery’s health: Enable Conservation Mode in Settings.
Adapter has limited support. Performance will be affected if the power adapter cannot provide enough charge

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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The battery is charged to a high capacity. Staying above 70% of capacity for a long period of time is adverse to the battery’s health

Not true AFAIK. References please.

cheers, Paul

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Hi Paul “Not true AFAIK. References please.”
When I mentioned “The battery is charged to a high capacity. Staying above 70% of capacity for a long period of time is adverse to the battery’s health: Enable Conservation Mode in Settings. Adapter has limited support. Performance will be affected if the power adapter cannot provide enough charge” that is an exact quote from a new 5 month old Lenovo G50-45 Win 8.1 (x64) notebook I serviced back in Feb.
I didn’t get to check out the details as the computer needed a tune-up and that’s what I did
The owner was supposed to bring it back in on another day but didn’t because the computer does run good

EDIT for further clarification
The first time I saw the computer but didn’t have time to service it
1/12/16 Adapter has limited support. Performance will be affected if the power adapter cannot provide enough charge
The second time in which the tune-up was conducted
2/23/16 The battery is charged to a high capacity. Staying above 70% of capacity for a long period of time is adverse to the battery’s health.
— Enable Conservation Mode in Settings.
Lenovo’s support page for the exact model and serial number wasn’t very helpful that I could find so far.

The owner was supposed to bring the laptop back in so I could investigate those comments but didn’t because the computer runs good.
However I’ll schedule her again
The free computer check ups at our senior center is on limited hours so that hinders me from addressing issues in a timely manner many times
Anyway what caught my attention is exactly the quote you brought up

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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That’s a new one on me – perhaps it’s a Lenovo thing.

This article on battery care discusses the pros and cons of leaving the battery in while on AC, citing only to remove it if it will be affected by heat as once it gets to 100% it stops charging.

http://batterycare.net/en/guide.html

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That’s a new one on me – perhaps it’s a Lenovo thing.

This article on battery care discusses the pros and cons of leaving the battery in while on AC, citing only to remove it if it will be affected by heat as once it gets to 100% it stops charging.

http://batterycare.net/en/guide.html

I can’t get anywhere with your link Sudo. It say’s “Site cannot be reached” DNS server not found. I’m using chrome.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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I can’t get anywhere with your link Sudo. It say’s “Site cannot be reached” DNS server not found. I’m using chrome.

Nor for me now either in IE of FF – I think the problem must be on their end, although it is an oldish article so it may have been pulled.

I’ll give it another go tomorrow.

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Same here!

cheers, Paul

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On the experience I had with that Lenovo G50-45 Win 8.1 (x64) notebook it made me wonder whether or not an “over charged” battery can be a factor in BygAuldByrd’s situation
— In my mind: “over charged” battery being defined as exceeding a safe operating level such as “70% in this case”

Once we know the answer to “What happens when you just run on AC with the battery removed ?”, we can move to the next logical troubleshooting procedure.

I’m definitely going to try to get that laptop back and investigate Lenovo’s dashboard items
— It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a battery management section
If I find the necessary information about those messages, I’ll post back on them

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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I couldn’t get into the battery care website yesterday or this morning

So I tried to find the computer manual on Lenovo support: no luck for me
I settled for this
Lenovo ThinkPad T540p User Manual:
User Guide for ThinkPad T540p, W540, and W541
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/906088/Lenovo-Thinkpad-T540p.html#manual
Power management and battery care for this model begins on page 33
But in the in the upper right corner for page x of 194, set page x to 49

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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