InsomniaX
14. Jul 2006 
251 comments
Version: 0.5/1.3.3
Description:
It always has been a missing feature: disabling the sleep mode on a Apple Laptop. Who does not want to use it as a big juke-box or go warwalking. The best looking server ever, especially at about one inch height. This small utility is what you will want, this small utility acts as a wrapper to the Insomnia kernel extension.
History:
InsomniaX was coded as a way to test the use of Insomnia in MultiAlarm, how ever becuase it held more potential in other areas and would allow users to use this handy feature with out buying a program like “Sleepless”
InsomniaX then recieved later updates which enabled a inbuilt “Jiggler” feature along with new icons and cleaner interfaces which included a log viewer to help diagnose the use of Insomnia
InsomniaX is slowly developing into a viable tool as it has completed its task in testing Insmonia but is being kept as a active project to keep as a alterative to “Sleepless”
Download:
What about heat? Can this overheat a Powerbook? What kind of tests have you done with it?
I have not performed and major tests on machines, but my ibook runs just a couple of degrees above normal temps with lid closed.
How ever i would say not to allow your machine to go anywhere over 50c as it may affect the screen, if people would be kind enough they could post their temps here comparing the temps
So, you are saying literally that you are publishing this without any warning to Powerbook and MacBook owners who can fry their computers if leaving them overnight with the lid closed?
Just asking, ’cause I published on my site a newsitem about your app!
Some forums argue over if the machines do recieve damage from having the lid closed, but i do provide a warning that it may cause damage.
I know this isnt very conviencing but i am unable to test this under the conditions that others will, my best advice is to just keep a eye out every so often making sure it doesnt go above 50c (This is my recomendation as mine is still fine)
does not load on my macbook with tiger updated.
choo:~/Desktop dade$ sudo kextload Insomnia.kext
8Insomnia is not compatible with its superclass, 9IOService superclass changed?
kextload: a link/load error occured for kernel extension Insomnia.kext
load failed for extension Insomnia.kext
(run kextload with -t for diagnostic output)
choo:~/Desktop dade$
Works on my new MacBook! This is just what I was looking for! Thanks eversomuch.
Hey, I’m the one on Macrumors who did the icon
The reason why this is 100% safe is that it’s an Apple supported feature, let me explain: The new intel macs notebooks have the ability to run in clamshell mode (lid closed, with an external monitor and mouse / keyboard set. I can’t see the difference “Insomnia mode” and “Clamshell mode”, I could be wrong but I think it’s 100% safe to run this app.
How does one turn the jiggler off?
I can no longer enjoy full-screen QuickTime video without the controls popping up every four seconds. Even with the .kext unloaded it does this. Please help!
to disable the inbuilt jiggler use “defaults write com.semaja2.InsomniaX Jiggle 0″
Restart the machine just to be sure
How ever the inbuilt jiggler is there for a reason, some laptops will force the shutdown unless a program like Jiggler is running.
With this loaded, the screen no longer dims when the computer is inactive. How do I get that back?
This is becuase of the Jiggler disable it in preferences and restart InsomniaX and reload Insomnia and it should not load Jiggler with it
When I disable the Jiggler, the screen will dim when the computer is idle, but then I can’t get it to undim without opening the lid. Otherwise, it will brighten for a few seconds, and then go dark again.
This was just the application I had been looking for! It worked flawlessly at my desk, but when on the go to class, I’d unload and my powerbook was OFF. I thought my battery had died, yet it was still at over 80 percent. Am I missing something?
Erica: Could you please use the support system for 1 on 1 help in this case.
I would suggest you make sure its loaded after the power cable is removed, and wait a few minutes before trying to close the lid.
Hi,
Many thanks for the great software, which is doing the trick for me and my TiBook 550 ‘web server’. One question, how can I load insomniaX automatically at reboot?
Terry:
I may think about making a installer to some how install Insomnia along with jiggler so all the server op has to do is make the user auto login.
How ever at the moment there is no method to make InsomniaX load on system startup, sorry about this
Is there a way to permanently enable the kext? We’d like to make laptops stored in a cart stay awake so we can administer them when they’re not in use by students. When I copy the kext into /System/Library/Extensions it won’t load, either during startup or when invoking kextload, but I can load it from its home inside the InsomniaX.app bundle.
@Mike:
Hey,
Be sure you are chowning the file correctly should be root:wheel once thats done kextload will load it.
You could also attempt to add it as one of the startup scripts
Any way for it to keep Airport on with the lid closed? I have it loaded and while everything else seems to stay running, Airport doesn’t.
I installed the 10.4.8 update and it seems to break InsomniaX. Is this just me or does 10.4.8 break it?
Thanks
I also just installed 10.4.8 and seemed to have the same problem. InsomniaX says its loaded, but no effect.
Please fix soon!
I too am having problems with InsomniaX not working in 10.4.8. Great software by the way! Thanks so much!
One day i bought myself a firewire cable to connect my powerbook to my imac. I booted the powerbook in target disk mode, found that it actually works with imac, and forgot the whole stuff. After a few minutes, not thinking fully what I’m doing i put the powerbook into my backpack where it usually goes and charges all night. With the FW and power cables connected and powerbook in target disk mode.
Music was playing, it was sunday noon etc…
About 12 hours later, when i went to bed and had turned off all machinery in the room, i still heard strange humming somewhere… hmmm… it was coming from my backpack!
Now, the computer had been inside a closed backpack for about 12 hours, working at full speed, the fans were at full speed, computer almost had melted some of the syntetic materials of the bag, it was so hot that i could not touch it.
I opened the lid - it was still working. The fans were at full speed at least 10..15 minutes trying to cool the 80+ degrees (C)machine
Baseline: don’t forget that your computer can be still working if the lid is closed. Also, it’s a damn good machine - I’m writing this post using the same powerbook. It survived without problems (don’t buy my PB if i want to sell it!)
Hello,
I’ve been annoyed with the lid-closed=sleep mode when listening to music from my macbook and I was looking around and found this and sleepless. Both don’t work, the computer goes to sleep when I close the lid… Maybe also because I loaded earlier today the Mac OS X 10.4.8??
Rienk, 10.4.8 seems to break InsomniaX. So that is probably your problem. semaja2 is working on a fix so just wait patiently and I’m sure it wont be long until he has is working again.
ahhh do something about mac update 10.4.8 !! THIS PROGRAM NO LONGER WORKS IF U HAVE UPDATED TO THIS LEVEL BEWARE
Please come up with a fix soon!
It somehow does work now!
Macbookpro, OS X 10.4.8
doesnt work on macbook pro os x 10.4.8 i want to turn on a torrent and itunes before i go to bed and shut the lid and still have my computer going but it just goes to sleep even with this program on any fixes?
I’m very sorry, but SLEEPLESS (The free version that leaves a ‘please register’ window open on your screen) works now while that also didn’t before…….. Haven’t tried insomnia again (which I prefer, since it’s real freeware)
Sorry about the confusion
Hello!
Please, Riennk, contact me () and tell me what did you do to enable SleepLess (insomnia.kext inside it) again?
I just tried Sleepless on my 10.4.8 MacBook. And it still went to sleep when I closed the lid.
I tried turning it on and off and restarting and it didn’t work; the one time it seemed like it worked it just froze up and didn’t turn off. If any testing needs to be done at risk of hardware, I can do it.
Please give me back my caffeinated angry blue dude!!!! Sleepless is unpredictable and has the nag screen as well. Damn you 10.4.8.
Any idea why this functionality isn’t in OSX from the start? I had a cheap XP laptop that gave let you configure what happened when the screen was closed (Sleep, Shut Down or Nothing) I would like to close my Macbook and let torrents and iTunes run as normal. Is it a heat issue?
Tom
InsomniaX would be unnecessary, if this functionality was included as a standard system feature. I don’t think author wants this happen.
By the way, how’s the progress, Semja? Is update (solving the 10.4.8. issue) coming soon?
Unfortunately at the time of this posting i do not have any updates on the Insomnia problem, as it is now i may have to release my upcoming products with a warning slapped on them regarding this issue.
However i would be happy if this was included in the MacOSX as i do not like the idea for users to have to search for software like this, altough i must admit i do like the some what fame
You deserve the fame for turning my MacBook into a 100GB MP3 player.
BTW, is there any way to restore the system to previous version?
Sorry there seems to be no way to down grade, the only way would be to reinstall, possibly a archive and install.
You would want to make sure you have the 10.4.7 update and backed up before you try this.
I dont know if i want the fame of turning such a beautiful machine into a MP3 Player:P only thing i can wish for is the occasional donator which dont happen unfortunately
Guess i shouldnt ask for money really.
Ask Steve Jobs for covering InsomniaX by Apple.
Now this is weird: I have the same story–wanted my MacBook Pro to stay awake with the lid closed, got annoyed that it’s not a standard feature, googled it,tried Sleepless, not happy, tried InsomniaX, loved it. (Though the loaded/not loaded behavior is a little weird–but I’ve got the hang of it.) Stopped working with OS 10.4.8, couldn’t figure it out, googled it, sighed.
But now–all of a sudden–my MacBook Pro plays iTunes (stays awake, I assume) with the lid closed–and InsomniaX isn’t even running!??!?
Weirdness.
Update: restarted (other things were getting buggy; iTunes column headings corrupted, evrything slow) and now the behavior has disappeared.
I would suspect either Insomnia was still running or your system lost stabiltiy and that caused the machine to stay awake.
Any chance of an update for 10.4.8. This really is a must have utility, and I think SleepLess is also broken with 10.4.8.
As i have said numerous times, we are still working on a solution but its upto Apple at the moment
Early october i said sleepless was working, but not any more. Must have been a similar isse as ‘yesterday’ had.
Let’s all email apple about this bug (=the missing feature of staying awake with lid closed)
I just gotta say, I love my Mac but one thing that I learned early in the Windows world was the limitations of hardware. Do Macbooks run hot? Yes. Are they designed to run closed? Yes. They are designed from the factory to run while they are closed. What I mean is regardless of whether Apple designed them to run in closed lid mode while untethered to power or a mouse etc… They will without a doubt run while closed when you are plugged into power and a mouse. Would it not stand to reason then that heat is not going to melt your Macbook/Pro into your desk when it is closed and running on InsomniaX. BTW My Black Macbook is running 10.4.8 and it sleeps when the lid is closed and untethered.
Exactly. I was wondering why people are afraid that they might fry their macbooks when using the utility to have the lid closed. It HAS ALWAYS BEEN meant to operate without harm lid closed anyway, except you’d have to plug in the power.
I am sure a lot of people have already been doing this, but maybe not everyone is aware. A temporary solution to the 10.4.8 problem is to plug a usb mouse into the Macbook before you close the lid. Then close the lid and click the mouse a few times. The Macbook will then stay awake. You can then remove the mouse and it stays awake. It’s sorta annoying to deal with, but better then nothing.
..hello semaja2, your app seems great. do you believe it will run on 10.4.9? or on 10.5?
I have no idea what it will run on in the future. If beta testers of either would like to test it ill be glad to give them support on it.
PLEASE,
please,
please fix the 10.4.8 issue
may God help you!
I’m up for beta testing the new software, if these are the new sources:
http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/
I have found the source code, but it far out of me league to fix it.
We can only hope that 10.5 or 10.4.9 fixes the problems, for the mean time 10.4.8 intel is no longer supported
so, there is one beta release of SleepLess, with some constraints but yet working on 10.4.8.
I would however prefer InsomniaX to run… can you maybe adapt your application by looking up how the guys from SleepLess solved the main problem?
Moving the Insomnia.kext from SleepLess to InsomniaX works just the same as SleepLess, the system stays on and working but the screen remains off. So to get come back on you have to disable InsomniaX and have it go to sleep and open up. By adding keyboard commands to the InsomniaX functions it’s easy to do.
Matthew Callis is absolutely right: you can now get InsomniaX working on 10.4.8!
I followed his directions but I’ll just lay them all out so it’s completely clear for anyone that wants to the same thing:
1) Download both InsomniaX and Sleepless
2) Right-click on Sleepless -> Show Package Contents. Navigate to Contents -> Resources. Copy the folder Insomnia.kext.
3) Right-click on InsomniaX and again, Show Package Contents -> Contents -> Resources. Paste the folder in here. It’ll ask for your password.
4) In System Preferences -> Keyboard and Mouse, assign shortcuts (I made mine global) for Load and Unload. Mine are Apple+9 and Apple+0.
5) Now InsomniaX will work, and your laptop will stay running with the lid closed. As Matthew said above, when you open it, the display won’t come on. Here’s where the shortcuts come in.
Unload InsomniaX (Apple+0 in my case), then close the lid again. The laptop will go to sleep as usual, and you can then resume from sleep as you normally do.
Congratulations on this discovery!
I love insomniaX, but am having the same problem that other users are having…the dreaded 10.4.8 issue. Thanks Alex for laying out the instructions above, but I tried to follow them and couldn’t get it to work. Specifically, once I’ve copied the Insomnia.kext folder from Sleepless, I’m not able to paste into the InsomniaX package. “Paste” is not an option when I right click, and it’s greyed out in the Edit menu. I also tried to drag-n-drop, but no luck. I was also never asked for my admin password.
Any suggestions? Thanks again.
Ok, I figured it out - between steps 2 and 3 above, there should be an intermediate step: 2a. Install InsomniaX. It was not possible to copy from one package to the other without first installing InsomniaX. Maybe this is obvious to some folks, but I’m a Mac newbie (missing my power consumption options in WinXP
), so maybe this extra info will help somebody.
Now if I could just figure out how to make the keyboard shortcuts work…google, here i come…
I tried following the steps Matthew Callis showed but I could not get InsomniaX working. I got a black screen when I closed and opened the lid, and the Macbook would not wake up. I had to do unload then load then the Macbook MAY wake up.
I read the disclaimer about it not working with 10.4.8 but I figured what the heck, I’d try it anyways. I tried SleepLess and didn’t like it at all - very cumbersome.
Anyways, my MacBook still sleeps when the lid is closed, but if I click the mouse a few times and press the spacebar on my external keyboard, it wakes up again.
So it isn’t perfect, but hey it’s free and it is serving my exact need despite the workaround.
You take PayPal? I want to give YOU the $9.50 SleepLess charges
Sorry AdamN - forgot to thank you for mentioning the “work around” by clicking the mouse
download smc fan control (google smcfancontrol) in order to control your fans and keep your macbook cooler while the lid is closed to prevent overheating.
Hey well thier be a new version for the latest Mac update 10.4.8? Are is this not possable?
Sorry to hear this doesn’t work with 10.4.8. I could really use this program. Thanks for all the development work so far!
I have a inside build of InsomniaX, which features the needed requirements for the new Insomnia extension.
If any one is willing to test this build please contact me through the support system
If you figure out how to make it work on 10.4.8, I’d love to know. I was really disappointed to see I can’t control my MacBook’s sleep…
I have an MacBook Pro running 10.4.8, and I’m a willing beta tester.
Regarding 10.4.9…
Nope, still doesn’t work.
Ive discovered a working method. Maybe a little complicated and uncomfortable but it works.
check my website for more info.
http://mazzaka.teampukka.de/?p=47
I followed Alex’s instructions above and it WORKS! THANKS!
Only trouble is making sure I can Apple+Tab back to InsomniaX from iTunes onr whatever so the commands work… No way of setting up global commands, right?
I am working on a total recode of InsomniaX, the new version will be based in the menu bar instead and will have options to disable Insomnia after a set amount of time.
It will also be coded in Cocoa which should improve performance and allow for some other features.
The current prototype that will be shipped to the beta testers will be labeled InsomniaX 0.4 and should hopefully be capable of running on the Intel macs by using the work arounds.
Also please remember that InsomniaX and other projects only continue to be developed and have features added due to the result of donations, donations speed up the process of development. Donations can also be aimed at a specific feature such as the unload timer was due to a donation.
Thanks for your york. Im looking forward to test the beta
I was wondering if it is possible to active hibernation when closing the lid of a Mac laptop. Your app seem to disable the corresponding action (Sleeping mode). Have you tried to do the hibernation trick? There is a widget called Deep Sleep that executes such command but you have to call the dashboard and then execute it.
It is possible and i may put it in the feature list for the upcoming v1.0, however i may release v0.4 soon just to meet the requirments of all the intel users.
How is Insomniax uninstalled? I’ve deleted the application (unloading it beforehand), but my computer doesn’t seem to sleep anymore except when explicitly told.
If you have removed the files and emptied the trash and it still hasnt fixed it, try restarting the mac and see if its fixed by then
Hi. Is there a way do deactivate the password request? I would like to use InsomniaX with remote buddy
InsomniaX REQUIRES admin level access so a password is needed, you should be able to load InsomniaX and enter the details and then you can script it.
Once you have entered the admin account for InsomniaX it will stay in memory until InsomniaX is quit
I have a new Macbook, intel-based, 10.4.8, and this install worked fine for me. Only thing I am finding I don’t like, is trying wake it back up. It’s like reviving it from the dead, or Zombie mode.: ) Process seems a little convoluted. I use my Macbook as a music server with an external hard drive, then through a very high-end Tube DAC, so this functionality was key for me.
Being a first time MAC owner, I am shocked this is not a feature that is standard, and surprised they are designing laptops that have cooling requirements that need the screen to be opened to work. It’s just silly in this day and age of server-style configurations, and docking-stations etc that this not be something these machines can do out of the box. Not that they want to, but good luck to Apple getting widely recognized on the corporate stage without this functionality.
Anyway, hats off to the person who wrote this, thanks for the dedication.
Hello,
Thanks for a great program. Very bad that the issue with 10.4.8 is still not resolved in a good way. I have tried out some of the hints in the comments, but still not working as I would like it too.
I am also a first time MAC owner, and i think it is very stupid that Appel do not allow us to close the lid on the laptop without forcing it into stanby. My company provides costumer service by MSN and during the workingday I will need to have my MAC running all the time to be online. When making paperwork it would be nice to close the lid and put away the MAC, but so far this is not possible.
Please include me on the beta-tester list
Hope that the issue can be fixed shortly.
Thanks!
I have gotten Insomniax to work per the instructions listed above but I have not been able to wake my macbook after I’ve closed the lid. I have the Apple+9 and Apple+0 commands made for loading and unloading but they only work until I close the lid at which time hitting Apple+0 no longer unloads it and I’m forced to restart. I love this program but I can’t continue to do this. Anyone have a solution?
Apple just wants to make sure that everybody will buy an iPod instead of using the laptop as a boombox. Really like Macs, but I have my issues with Apple.
i need this to keep irc connected with the lid closed so please fix it so it works with latest macos version!
After installing InsomniaX I found out that I couldn’t disable it, or rather that it had no effect, I then uninstalled it, but my Macbook still wont sleep when I close the lid.
What to do?
Is there a terminal command that I can enter to get the sleep option back or has this (potentially great) tool killed it?
Thanks
I just tried making an “archive and install” back to 10.4.6 but nothing happens. My Macbook still wont sleep when I close the lid. I’m seriously afraid that I’ve messed something up really bad.
Does InsomniaX alter anything firmware wise?
Just to add one last post (hope I’m not being a pest), but I recently switched to a new hdd. So I just put in my old hdd with osx installed and tried to close the lid… which still didn’t work. That must mean that something firmware or hardware is broken or messed up.
Might have to send it to repair then.
As ive said in a email to you, this is a known issue of 10.4.9 as far as i know and has no relation to InsomniaX AT ALL, try some forums such as macrumors.com or call Apple Support
Okay. I’m sorry if I got you into this. It just happened after I installed insomniaX.
But thanks for the help.
so… does latest version 0.4 work with macos 10.4.9?
Yes 0.4 and 1.0 both work on all machines, the Intel machines still have a minor bug in them though that will be resolved as time permits
Great program, thank you.
Although I’d like to know if it is possible for you to implement a feature where a user specified program/shell script is called when the lid is closed? Because I need to initiate sleep with a sleep preventer ;P
That probably sounds weird so I’ll just give the whole explanation:
I’d like to use a network mounted home directory for a user but I can’t because waking from sleep won’t work: the Airport connection must be reinitialized on wakeup and someone at Apple wanted to load something from the current user’s home dir. So it hangs because it cannot read from the home dir.
I discovered that if I go to the login window before sleep, everything works fine. So I tried to use SleepWatcher to force a switch to login window before sleeping. It worked fine, except that someone at Apple has managed to break things so that in 10.4.8 and later forcing the login window on sleep disables at least cmd-tab, expose and spotlight shortcuts after logging in after wakeup.
If I manually run a script, which changes to login window and the forces sleep, everything works. Thus I’m tempted to think that running the same script after closing the lid while regular lid-sleep is prevented, would allow me to work around these two Apple screw-ups.
Thanks Semaja. There are many comments about insomnia not working with latest versions but i understand they are solved, so maybe make it more clear by adding to the main post the date of which latest version was released and the os x versions/processors it works on.
How do you wake up your computer after insomiax has been enabled? I have to restart my macbook every time.
I love the icon!
I’m also having a problem with turning the display back on. I have to restart it every I use it.
InsomniaX works great for me on my MacBook with OS X 10.4.9. And most surprisingly, after I open the lid and touch the keyboard the screen turns on instantly in 80% of the cases. However when It stays black there are two options:
one is disable InsomniaX with apple remote, than close the lid thus sending your mac to sleep and open It again.
and another option, when you don’t have the remote with you, is to write a bash script that does “killall InsomniaX”, save it in Documents and call it ‘blind’ with quicksilver. After you kill insomniax you must send your mac to sleep as with remote.
good luck
When I try to enable Insomnia, I get an error asking me to reauthenticate. I do this, run Insomnia again and get the sam message.
Hi Tony and Semaja2
ive got the same problem on my PB 12″ running 10.4.9 and Insomnia 1.0,
Message: “Error - Insomnia failed to load, Please reauthenticate and check your details are correct.
No changes after reauthenticate…”
Reauthenticate doesnt help-
Ive tried with Insomnia 0.3 with no results, i mean it shows “enabled” but it still goes sleep when i close the lid.
I think i didnt have any problems with 10.4.8
Its a pity, I used Insomnia every day!
Guys im sorry if i appear to not be answering your comments, but i am replying via email for support problems and that is why it may seem im not responding.
But at any extent i am responding to all those that leave comments regarding a support issue, and i also take the non support comments in as well.
I would like to thank everyone for their support and kind words, but please remember development does not come for free
Seems old iBook G4 not working…Installation is OK. But when I tried to enable, a pop-up window told me please contact support something like that! Pity…
Hey,
At last InsomniaX works stable and so fast on my MacBook! Thank you very much for this great program!!
Cheers
Hello,
Thanks a lot for a great program. Now I am running Mac OS X 10.4.9 and everything is working great.
I will recommend this program for everyone using Mac
Great program but one question. What I would really like is to leave InsomniaX enabled so that by default, my MBP always stays on, which is exactly what I want in the office. But, for when I know I’m not going to need to use my laptop again soon, I want to be able to put it to sleep with one keypress. Ideally, I would just press the power button and ‘S’ and it would sleep, but that’s prevented from doing anything by InsomniaX.
Appears to be working on my intel and OS 10.4.9, great!
it is ok if your heat goes over 50 c
mine goes over for hours sometimes when i burn dvd’s
Can you consider making a less flashy icon since this isn’t the type of app that needs to be noticed? Everyone else uses nice dark silouette because it looks better in the menu bar.
Very new to Insomnia would love some help! Do I have to be connected to ethernet for Insomnia to work on my MAC OS 10.4.9?
Or will my computer stay on if I am connected to my Airport?
I just downloaded it today and have left it idle for about 4 hours playing music and trying to download some things but when I came back it had shut down on me.
Thanks so much!
Hi,
Thanks for a really cool program. I had your earlier version 0.3 on my macbook white with 10.4.9 and it seemed to work on it. only problems then was the mouse would unclick…
Now i have insomnia 1.2 on my 10.4.9 and it works too, neater interface now with the menu bar thing
Only probs i have now is it wont sleep anymore automatically. So if i set a time of say 5 minutes before it automatically sleeps, it wont go to sleep. This is even with insomnia disabled, or totally not running, and even after restarting.
Have other people reported this problem, or is it just something im doing. And is there a way i can disable insomnia so that i can let my laptop sleep when insomnia is disabled.
Thanks for a very cool program though!
Mmm.. dunno what i did, but it seems to work now.
Now its a perfectly working program!
I’m running 10.4.9 and am having zero problems with InsomniaX for Intel. Question: is anyone having problems with 10.4.10 and this software? I just wanted to know before I upgraded.
Thanks!
Great App but same problem here as Lars: Macbook won’t sleep when I close the lid. Disabled InsomniaX… even reinstalled Mac OS. Might be unrelated to InsosmniaX, but it certainly seems suspicious that two ppl experience the exact same thing just after using InsomniaX for the first time.
great! i’ve been looking for this option in MAC osx, but surprisingly, it didn’t exist. Works quite easily.
Thanks.
Just installed 10.4.10, then installed InsomniaX. It works great! Such a great program. One more thing my Dell doesn’t beat out my Powerbook on, makes the switch all the better
Could you distribute the source code of InsomniaX? You have a tradition of opensource but now all your projects are source-closed. We are mac lovers trying to learn programming like you and source code are definitely helpful. Thanks.
Hello!
First of all:
InsomniaX is really a cool app (as is WiFiScriptor, which I am using as well)…
But a thing I noticed with 1.3.1:
When first started, the Hibernation entry is labeled “Disable Hibernation” - which I found very confusing, since I wanted to use InsomniaX to turn hibernation on…
Great program, just what this video editor needed. For those of you concerned about heat build up with the lip closed, I’d recommend a program called smcFanControl. It allows you to ramp up your internal fan speed and keep your machine cool even with the lip closed. Of course it works best with shore power. Enjoy.
Great little utility. The only problem I have is that I’ve moved my Users directory to another partition, and now InsomniaX doesn’t work (the error I get is about the kext being unable to load). As soon as I changed my Users directory back to the main OSX partition it seemed to work fine.
Any thoughts? And is it possible to remedy this?
Thanks…
Hey.. Awesome little app here. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and the only complaint I had is that the menu bar icon is blue, which kinda sticks out among all the greyscale os x menu bar icons.. So I went ahead and modified the menu bar icons to be a little less obtrusive in the bar. I’ve uploaded my icons below so anyone who feels the same way I do about the blue icon in the menu bar can replace it with the grey version.. To install them go to your Applications folder and right click on InsomniaX, go to Show Package Contents.. then navigate to Contents -> Resources, then paste the two images below, renaming them to loaded.png and unloaded.png. Simple!
Loaded icon (loaded.png): http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6510/loadedoh9.png
Unloaded icon (unloaded.png): http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5770/unloadedqn4.png
Thanks for the great app!
-Nick
Hey is there anyway that I can make my macbook automatically use InsomniaX’s sleep when I shut the lid? I have an alarm clock on my mac and want my computer to stay awake, even when shut, when the alarm goes off but don’t want to have to manually choose to sleep the computer through InsomniaX every time. Thanks
Hello Cole!
Regarding: Flashy Menu Bar Icon
You can easily change that!
0 Quit InsomniaX
1 Locate InsomniaX.app in the Finder
2 Right Click > Show Contents
3 Goto: Contents > Resources > Here are all the Media files.
4 Simply manipulate the bitmap files “unloaded.png” and “loaded.png” in your favorite editor, you might backup the original files before.
5 Start InsomniaX and it shows your fresh icons.
Regards, Stefan Nowak
At Burninator32:
As far as I understand you want to run your Macbook 24/7, with the exception, that if a timed event triggers, the computer shall be put to sleep.
Maybe your kind of use of InsomniaX gets integrated to the program one day, but until then you can very easily built a solution by your own.
Here is my hint.
Your timed event must trigger an applescript/shellscript which:
* First disables InsomniaX (simply set a hotkey within InsomniaX and let your script send a key-sequence)
* Then puts the computer to sleep
Also if I got your idea wrong you can build up almost any scanario by these two steps. Good Luck!
Espero que esto le sirva a mas de uno , aqui el Link http://semaja2.net/insomniaxinfo
I have been working on a new icon, but it is a very mixed scenario at the moment as many users like the old icons and such.
However if you do make a icon or have any ideas remember to email me
doesn’t work on leopard 9A500n… Can’t activate any function of InsomniaX.
Would be great, if this can be fixed soon.
- DrMonty
Support for Leopard will only become available once i have Leopard to install on my machines.
This is great — thanks very much!
Hi !
I have a question. I installed InsomniaX, tried it (I have powerbook G4 aluminum) it didn’t wake it up at time, but its fine, nobody wakes it up, so I (thought I did) uninstalled InsomniaX
But after this, I have now a problem with the power icon on the bar, it doesn’t change anymore, where I run my laptop from the battery or power adapter, I can only manually change it now
How can I perform and clean removal of InsomniaX and do I need to perform any extra steps to fix that battery icon problem?
Please advise!
Thanks!
Alex
Hello, it’s a realy nice project. Is the current source code available on any mirror? or is the project currently not opensource?
Thank you for this helpful soft! Now I can close my laptop and leave it downloading all over the night…
One big problem is though it works well, I can’t see the icon on the tray from the second time I’m running it, so I have to go to Activity Monitor whenever I’d like to turn if off. Could you tell me how to avoid it? Thank you so much!
Hi, love this utility for turning my MBP into a jukebox w/ SlimServer, but half the time it doesn’t work! That is, after a while, the icon will show up as disabled, and the “Enable Insomnia” menu item is displayed, but clicking on it does absolutely nothing! The only thing that seems to fix this is a reboot. Unfortunately, as much as I like this program, it looks like I’ll have to start looking for alternatives…
P.S. I am running a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro with 10.4.10 installed.
It doesn’t work with Leopard. Hopefully there’s an update within the next 2 years.
Would you please update the hardware requirements and some other many useful details about the version on top of the page. And maybe a FAQ version refined from the comments on this page. It would be very useful, else everyone has to read the whole page as the script doesn’t seem stable at all.
Thanks for your development about this subject. I was really anxious about the “sleeping lid” stuff…I didn’t use InsomniaX yet, but want to use when i am sure about my system requirements. Don’t want to experiment on my laptop
Cole:
Please do not leave a false email, and the reason there is no leopard support is because i do not have leopard and it has only just been released.
Support for leopard should be quickly obtained once i have a copy on hand, and could you explain that 2 years comment :S
One of the few utilitys i cant live without.
Love this program, look forward to the leopard support
It doesn’t seem to work with leopard. Any plans on updating it to do so. And yes, I did dl a new copy and reinstall to double-check.
My bad. Didn’t realize the comments were from oldest to newest instead of the other way around.
awwwww… just upgraded to leopard and it doesnt work
Please, PLEASE get a copy of Leopard. I cant live without this utility….. been using it for as long as i have had my Macbook.
I have already posted my progress on the front page here, which explains how to get Insomnia on your Leopard and how much has been made on making 1.2.3 on leopard
For some reason, occasionally when I open the MBP in the morning, it will be on, but the display is black. No amount of jiggling the mouse or spacebar will make the display wake back up again. This isn’t consistent. I end up having to restart (which works as normal: power button -> return) to get my display back. This happened a couple of times long ago, but not recently until I started using Insomnia. Anyone know why?
Are you aware, that the displays back-light doesn’t turn off immediately in leopard anymore? And there is no way to sleep the display via the menu either. I hope you are working on that. I very much appreciate your effort in keeping insomnia working after each of steve’s changes. thanks for this great app!!!
My MacBook also seems to have issues with staying on with the display off after using InsomniaX in Tiger. I’ll try to shut down, and the display will go off, but I can still hear the fan on. Closing the display and pressing buttons does nothing. I have to hold down the power button. This seems related to InsomniaX.
Oh, BTW, I am using Leopard now. The issue of the MacBook staying on after shutting down didn’t happen after I upgraded to Leopard. But I did use InsomniaX on Tiger and I think that is what caused this issue. People say when they do an Erase and Install with Leopard, the issue goes away.
I just tried out the 11-1 update and it finally worked! (none of the other versions had worked…save the Legacy)…thank goodness its back and thanks for all your hard work!
Great work! No offense, but what ever happened to fixing that icon? The bright blue face doesn’t fit on such a classy OS. There should be a nice black one as an option so it isn’t so distracting.
So is there a new version of this for Leopard, because I can’t find one that works yet. Just wondering, because I use this app everyday and it sucks not having it.
Nevermind. I didn’t check the home page. Sorry. And Thanks!
How about a new icon as well? One that blends in with everything else on the status bar (ie: one that’s grey/black). Since Tiger, the only thing that sticking out like a sore thumb is the blue icon amongst all the black icons.
It’ll look so sweet! Also, keep up the good work! I love the app and I actually need it!
Matt Bovett, I think I know what you are talking about with the fan still on in Leopard. Im using MBP and I did a fresh install of Leopard. For me when it shuts down and the display is off, the fan will keep on for about 3-5 seconds and then off completely. It’s new to me too, but my wild guess is that it’s dumping boot sequence data into a flash memory based RAM or something. I get that feeling because Leopard boots up faster and requires less hard drive activities compared to Tiger. Try leave your MB be for awhile and see if it will eventually shuts down.
Anyways, InsomniaX is awesome, tho still some time before it will get all its functions back as it was on Tiger, but on my Leopard I just turn the backlight all the way down and let the system turn it off later. That’s really what I need and I really think Apple really should pay for the development of this!
Hey, I tried the legacy version 0.5 from this site on Leopard and I found out, that it`s working. Otherwise the LCD is not going sleep so I set up HotCorner for display sleep and in the Preferences of InsomniaX I turned off the choice “Use inbuilt Jiggler”.
I find that InsomniaX (the 1.3 version) doesn’t work on my iBook (10.4.10) it used to work great, but then I think I installed another copy of Insomnia over it and now it says Insomnia couldn’t load InsomniaX. I ran the defaults delete and the system library that It said to on the main page, but that isn’t helping. Any Help?
Awesome program!!! I tested several of these programs, and like yours the best! The functionality, the size, cpu and memory usage, how simple it is to use, and the interface (icon and sounds)! Keep up the great work!
Thanks!
@Jemuel: if you wan’t a grey icon for the menubar, then you can load it from my site: (http://www.eye-cu.de/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/insomniaX_icons.zip)
@Andrew: when you want to add my version of icons to your package, feel free to do it…
lex
Why doesn’t the screen dim when you close it?
Mine stays on.
Here’s a suggestion: how about a timer setting, so that you can use Insomnia for short periods without worrying about overheating your mac? I usually close my lid for short durations–going to get a drink from the kitchen with my 1 year old near the Mac, carrying the Mac to another room, etc. It would be nice to be able to let it stay on with the lid closed for just 5 or 10 minutes, then if I forget to open it again it will go to sleep instead of frying.
Im having an issue. I installed InsomniaX a couple of days ago, and its great that I can now close up my MBP when I go to sleep as I can continue listening to music.
However, for some reason I cannot get the icon to reappear so I cannot disable the insomnia functionality.
Ive tried deleting the InsomniaX application, redownloaded and installed, chowned the Insomnia.kext directory and its contents to root:wheel, but still cannot get anything to happen.
When doing a “ps ax” I can see InsomniaX loaded, but I cannot access it?
When doing a “kextload -t Insomnia.kext” I get the following error:
kextload: extension Insomnia.kext/ appears to be loadable
kextload: kmod_control/start failed for org.binaervarianz.iokit.insomnia; destroying kmod
kextload: a link/load error occured for kernel extension Insomnia.kext/
link/load failed for extension Insomnia.kext/
(run kextload with -t for diagnostic output)
Can anyone help?
Great little app otherwise.
If I turn “Secure Virtual Memory” off in the System Preferences, then, is it safe to leave Hibernation in InsomniaX toggled to “on”? Or, just to be safe, should I toggle it off until you have time to work out the problem?
Current Hardware Overview: OS 10.5.1
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B05
SMC Version: 1.16f10
Serial Number: W87480ZYXAG
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
This is amazing.
I can close the lid while I watch a movie with external display!!
I wish you would change the icon a bit. It’s a little cartoonish, and this is the only app I have without the option for a black-and-white icon. It’s just a tad jarring.
I agree that a new icon that generally fits better with other menu bar icons would be much appreciated.
No, please don’t force a new icon on us; it would make Sophos AntiVirus stick out like a sore thumb…. I quite like having something else blue up there; perhaps an preference to make it black or blue would be best
I’m new to Mac and still trying to figure everything out. I read all the warnings about Hibernation and the Secure Virtual Memory, but I’m confused.
Do I want hibernation enabled or disabled? Which is causing the problems? The program comes with hibernation enabled automatically and I want to make sure I won’t be harming anything. Please help!!!!!
Is there any multi-language version of InsomniaX? If there isn’t anyone, I would like to translate it into Spanish -if you tell me what do I have to do-. Thanks very much, this is a very useful app.
No damage recieved to my new MBP 2.6ghz/4GB RAM/250 5400RPM hard drive laptop. Although it can get hot when it’s open playing WoW or converting movie files, when i leave it closed to say, download a torrent over night, and set the fans to 3000rpm, I usually wake up to the temp. output of InsomniaX being somewhere near 109-115. Which is pretty good, becuase this laptop normally runs around 115-130 in normal use with Safari and/or itunes and a couple other programs running. It’s just to much technology crammed into such a little package - it’s going to get hot. Mind you I normally run the fans at 3000rpm at home, but keep then at 2000 when traveling and on battery.
Is there any multi-language version of InsomniaX? If there isn’t anyone, I would like to translate it into Spanish -if you tell me what do I have to do-. Thanks very much, this is a very useful app.
Graphics Update:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5j2d2md0twt
_____________________________
Contained within the original package was a different icon set. This version of the application makes use of these new icons as well as some variations implemented by BTGXCELL DESIGNS. Enjoy this release.
(PS: The icons are not in color!)
What happens with the screen if u close it?
Will it still light up?
Or will the screen shut down but the system will still run?
Hello everyone. First of all, great work on InsomniaX. And a good work to nick for giving us some grayscale icons ;). However, i don’t like the “sleeping” icon very much, so i created a new one. Blue and Grayscale
For everyone who would like to use it, you can fetch it here:
Grayscale: http://www.tzikis.com/unloaded-grayscale.png
Colored: http://www.tzikis.com/unloaded-color.png
To use them, rename the icon you would like to use to unloaded.png and then go to your Applications folder, right click on the InsomniaX app, click on Show Package Contents, and go to Contents -> Resources. Then, replace the unloaded.png there with your new unloaded.png
Hope you will like the new icon
Bill
How can this be pushed to computers? Where is the ktext that I can put on the other computers, or whats installed in the background without the menu bar icon.
If you don’t want to post a method of doing that, can you email me,? It would be great getting this going remotely on multiple machines.
With the required files in place, I am sure the ktext can be loaded by use of a launchdaemon, so that it will run as soon as the computer boots up to a login window.
Excellent software, thank you for writing it.
Using OSX 10.5.2, InsomniaX 1.3.3, when I close my laptop, the screen stays on. Is it possible to configure Insomnia to sleep the display when the laptop is closed? The manual menu item is nice, but doing it automatically would be nicer.
–
TTFN,
patrick
If you ever come to read the bottom line.. it could be cool to have an extra little feature in this program. that would be that it shut down the screen, without going to sleep, that’ll give more battery time.. and when you lift the lid it turns on the screen.. could be cool..
Hi,
Apparently the download is unavailable - I’m looking for the documentation… basically my issue is that I think I quit the app without unloading (not sure why anyone would need to do this), and now when I relaunch the app the menu bar item is not visible.
I’m sure the answer is in the docs but I can’t access them.
Also, how do I verify the version I’m running?
download link seems to be broken at all links?!
I’m using insomnia X. It is great and useful.
But I want to ask one more function.
I make my MacBook insomnia when I want to download something. And sometimes somebody in my home unplug my MacBook, because they think it is turned off. After that, the battery go down and die…;;
What function I need is going to hibernation when the battery become lower than 3% or some value I can set.
Does this make sense? Could you add it? Or can I get the source code?
Thanks.
Jae.
Hi, thanks for all your work on the app.
Unfortunately, I’m having the same problem as Tom on 13th Dec, the app worked fine for a day or so, but now there is no icon in the menu bar, and the Macbook sleeps when I close the lid.
Insomnia was set to open at start up, so I safe booted, and then deleted the program and reinstalled it. Unfortunately, after entering my admin password i get the error message:
InsomniaX failed to load Insomnia, please contact support.
Has anyone else had this problem, and how do I fix it?
Great little app. I made an even simpler, grayscale menubar icon that looks like this:
http://sangalicious.com/tmp/comp.png
You can get the files, to be placed in the Resources folder here:
http://sangalicious.com/tmp/loaded.png
http://sangalicious.com/tmp/unloaded.png
Hope you guys like it!
hey.. i really like this piece of software. I just have one question… When Insomia is enabled and I close the lid, the screen is still running (as I can see on the Apple on the bagside). So I always have to enable Insomnia, “Sleep Display” and close the lid. Another possibility that works is to move the cursor in a corner to turn of the screen.
Could you implement a feature in the oncoming versions that would give the possibility to turn off the screen and disable the sleep mode while closing the lid? “Sleep Display + Insomnia”
Thank you
feature has already been asked for^^
I had the same error message: “InsomniaX failed to load Insomnia, please contact support.” and I solved it by just deleting “User”/Library/Application Support/InsomniaX and reinstalling InsomniaX…
I have a feature request.
Basically, one time, I enabled InsomniaX and shoved my MacBook in my bag. My intention was to simply take it out again once I got to class. Only problem with that was that it turned out the class was going to go outside for a bit.
It wasn’t until about an hour later that I realized my bag felt warm… It gave me a start as I realized the reason. The fan was running for all it could, and the thing was extremely hot. It was hot enough to cause burns if I was dumb enough to just stick my hand on there and leave it.
Anyway, would it be difficult to have insomnia monitor the temperature of the processor, and automatically rescind the Do-Not-Sleep order if it gets above a certain level?
I was also wondering if it could rescind the no-sleep order if the battery gets low. I’ve run my battery down to 0 with the cover closed and not realized it. The system never gets the message that it should prepare for “Safe-Sleep” and so, it just loses the contents of memory.
Hey nice program! I use it to overcome the terrible Tiger and Leopard bugs when exiting Sleep Mode (no keyboard, no mouse) … amazing this is not a OSX feature, its on wintel laptops since man invented gas…
As many people mentioned above, InsomniaX refuses to load. In addition, I am unable to delete the program. In attempts to reinstall the program, in hopes that it would overwrite the previous program, I have only succeeded in making more programs that cannot be deleted. It refuses to be deleted because it is “already running.” How can I successfully remove the program from my computer?
I’m having similar issues. I drag the InsomniaX app file into my applications folder, double click, and nothing happens. Nothing bad, nothing good, just nothing.
I have no trouble deleting it, however.
Great application!
Feature request that encompasses requests made by others:
As part of the preferences settings can you offer a “sleep normal mode” with the following settings:
Battery Level - slider
Time - slider
Temperature - on/off fix the temp to a safe level
This would cover the most likely conditions that would cause someone to return a macbook/pro to regular sleep mode.
Thanks, I’ll continue to use insominiaX all the time, these safety features would allow me to be more mindless about it.
Hi There
InsomniaX works great, except under one condition. I have my ibook hooked up to an external keyboard/mouse/display. I’m trying to use it with the lid closed, but I also want it to go to sleep whenever I’m not in the room. So I’ve set the sleep timeout in Energy Saver to 10 minutes. It works great when it goes to sleep, but if I wake it up with the lid closed, it goes right back to sleep. I have to open up the lid, manually re-enable sleepless mode, and then close the lid again. Is there a way to have it keep the machine awake upon wakeup?
Hi, I would like to voice my support for a ’safe sleep when low battery’ setting. If that was implemented, it would be perfect.
Thanks so much for this great app!
I like the idea of save sleep with low battery, but would also like to see Sleep Display & Send Into Screensaver, so that when I do it it is like launching the screensaver (in that using the mouse will cause you to see the password screen, not just back to your main screen).
You might consider using GetSatisfaction.com to keep track of ideas, problems, questions, etc.
is there a way to turn off the display when closing the lid?
Sexxxy program.
I think it would be cool to have a keystroke option for sleep display as well.
wow!!! awesome!!! i cant believe i missed this for months!!
donation on the way!!!!!
one comment: it would be nice to sleep screen when we close the lid.
I’ve had InsomniaX since Nov ‘07 and I haven’t used it for a few months. Now it doesn’t open. I tried to uninstall it but I get and “Error code -43″ message, which says the operation cannot be completed because one or more required items cannot be found. I tried just downloading and reinstalling again, but same message. Then, I tried looking under User>Library>Application Support but there’s no InsomniaX folder to delete for a reinstall. Any tips to get it working again? Thanks!
please Andrew James, open this app. or say, when X dollars are donated, i will open the sourcecode. that would be really nice!
Whenever I enable insomniax on my macbook pro intel core duo running leopard (this also used to occur in tiger) the computer will not go to sleep but the display does and will not wake up without doing a hard reset. The amount of time it takes for this to occur varies. Am I the only person having this problem?