I've noticed something odd with my PC when I shut it down using the normal power options. It looks like it's off, but the Internet connection on my router remains active, showing a green light. I run Windows 11 Pro 25H2, and I connect my PC to the router using Ethernet. Both devices are plugged into a surge protector that has individual switches. I find it weird that even when I shut down the PC, the Internet light stays on until I either unplug the PC or successfully turn off its surge protector port. Can anyone explain why this happens? Is my PC truly off, or is it in a standby state?
3 Answers
You might want to check your BIOS settings. There's usually an option for 'fast boot' which allows components to stay powered even when the PC is off. If that's enabled, your PC could still behave like it’s on in some ways, keeping the network connection alive. It’s not just you, lots of users face this after updating their systems.
I think there’s nothing spooky going on here. The green light just indicates that something's connected via Ethernet. Even if the PC is powered down, it might still be communicating on the network due to how Ethernet works. Your surge protector and router might also be set up in a way that keeps that port active until you completely cut the power.
What you're experiencing might just be common behavior with Ethernet connections. When your PC shuts down, the network card can still receive power, which keeps the Ethernet port active. This is often why you'll still see a green light on the router, indicating a connection. It's not uncommon for settings like 'fast startup' in Windows to prevent a full shutdown, which could explain the persistent Internet connection too!
Gotcha! That's what I suspected, but I wasn't sure. I've also so encountered 'wake on LAN' settings in BIOS before. Seems like it's time to dig into those settings!
Thanks! I’ll definitely take a look at my BIOS settings and see if that’s the case. It’s just strange because this only started happening after upgrading to Windows 11.