XP(Pro) and/or Dell Computer Shutdown Question

[hech54]

I always thought that I HAD to use the Windows Shutdown to actually turn off my computer. The power button on the front only worked turning the computer ON....not off.
Well...my 1.5 year old son just turned the computer off with the button on the front that I have tried to use occasionally to turn off the computer with no luck.
Is this a "Dell Thing" or a "Windows Thing" or neither? I SWEAR that button never worked for anything but ON....

[bazooka]

You have to hold in for a few seconds.

This is normally a universal thing.

[BJ_M]

you can also (in most systems) program the front button to go off or in standbye or both (depending how you press it)

a short press is same as wndows shut down and a long press is shutting the power off more or less ..

[hech54]

Thank You....I'll have to try my son's alternative methods tonight before I hit the sack...

[redwudz]

The behavior of the front 'button' is usually set in BIOS. You may have the choice of standby, shutdown, hibernate, reset or combinations depending on how long the button is held down.

I use a freeware program called 'One Touch Shutdown' that gives you an on-screen button so you don't have to go through MS's two step method. It can be set to select most any option to shutdown or reset, etc.[/url]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/d.mills2/afm/ots.htm[url]

[hech54]

Thanks again....
I also want to try a front coil spring from a 1978 Ford F-150 to put behind my power button so my son has more trouble pressing that damn thing...

[BJ_M]

just unplug the wire from the motherboard - on dells , i dont think they give you the option to turn off front power button completely ..

[ViRaL1]

Not always, but there is usually an option in the power applet in Control Panel to tell the computer what to do when the power button is pressed while you're in Window$. In some systems you can choose to have Window$ shut down normally. Any ATX system should cut off if you hold the power button in for 4 seconds, but I don't think that's what you want. You might also be able to choose to hibernate when you press the power button, which will yield faster startup times.