How can I turn off that dumb message that
“it is now safe to turn off yoru computer” ??
I am at work and someone asked me how to do it, I have no idea…
the computer is a dell GX1… and I thought this message was for computers with the power switch in the back, but this computer has a button in the front…
any ideas?
Turn it off?
My computer shuts itself off when that screen comes up, but I imagine that some others need to be manually turned off. That screen is Windows telling you that it’s time to hit the switch.
yeah i Know…
but one lasy at work see’s that her computer shuts off automaticaly, and the other lady wants hers to do the same without having to bother her of the inconvenience of pressing the button…
maybe I should go write in that “do you like your job” post in the IMHO forum…
What is dumb about the message? Turning your computer off while it’s still taking care of unfinished business prior to shut down is a Very Bad Idea. Waiting until you see the message is a Good Idea.
Changing it to something else, now, that might be fun…
“Auntie Em–Hate you, hate Kansas. Taking the dog. Bye.”
“I can feel my mind going, Dave.”
If I am not mistaken, the question is on the order of “how to I get the computer to shut itself off so I don’t have to press the button.”
WAG
I am not intimately acquainted with the construction of PCs these days, but I suspect that this relatively new feature (last 3 years or so?) is a function of the circuitry being able to take a signal from the chip to shut itself off.
It may be that if your computer is of recent construction, that you may be able to change how the computer shuts down. I suspect however that you have an old computer and you can’t change it with out rewiring the insides.
Tinker
Is it safe?
:eek::eek::eek::eek:
Sorry, any question that remotely resembles that makes my teeth hurt.
I’d like to chime in with my hope that there is an answer to Ethilrist’s implied question – what would one need to do to change the text of the message?
I know that there are a couple files to replace the initial splash screens, and there are ways of editing the hex in the registry to change other bits of MS-Lingo – is there a way to change the “is it safe” screen?
You haven’t mentioned what OS it is, but this message has the same problem in Win2K. They added:
This can depend entirely on the type of power supply in the computer. The older style “AT” power supplies (which have been pretty much phased out over the last three years) have a manual on-off power switch and will display the “It is now safe…” message, waiting for the user to push the button.
The newer “ATX” power supplies will shut themselves off when they recieve a shutdown signal from Windows.
You can try replacing the power supply in the computer, but Dell/Gateway/Compaq machines are notorious for using weird proprietary parts in their designs, so it’s not likely you can head down to your local discount computer store and pick up a standard ATX supply and just slap it in. Possible, but not likely.
The AT and ATX power connectors are also different and incompatable. It’s possible the Dell GX1 motherboard has connectors for both types of power supply (some boards do) but this is also unlikely.
These are hardware reasons why it may not be possible to eliminate the message. The most likely software reason is that the machine is running Windows 95, which didn’t fully implement the “auto shutdown” sequence. This is understandable, since ATX power supplies didn’t exist at the time. Upgrading to Win98 or better will allow the power supply to shut itself off if it has this capability (i.e. it’s an ATX model).
Trouble is, you didn’t specify what version of Windows the machine is running. This is pretty important information to include in computer inquiries.
Uhh…Rhythmdvl…it’s not a question. It says “It is now safe”. It’s telling you it’s OK to switch off.
Thank you very much dylan,
that was it… it was Windows 2000…
I love this board…
Hi dylan_73,
My apologies – I was making a reference to Marathon Man, an excellent film and well worth watching. Though I’d like to explain it a bit more to seem a little less dense, I’d rather risk derision than go anywhere near spoiling even the smallest part of the movie. Go rent it, it is worth it!
Once you do, you’ll know why I said
You too will cringe.
Now, how to change the ‘now safe’ message to ‘is it safe?’
It’s not text, it’s a bitmap file. You can change both the startup (logo.sys) and shut down (logow.sys) images but IIRC you have to be careful to keep the file size the same. I did this a few times on Win95 machines, haven’t tried it on anything more recent than that.
Okay after a little Googling I found this giving instructions on Win95 machines. They’ve got a few cute bitmaps you can use, too.
http://www.cexx.org/snicker/logos.htm
He he he.
Getting back to the OP…
If the PC’s power button is the push in and stays in kind then Windows cannot turn it off automatically. It will always give the, “It is now safe…” message (though there are ways to change the text).
If the power button is a momentary button (doesn’t stay in) then Windows should be able to shut it off. If it doesn’t and it’s Win98 you can try the Window 98 Shut Down patch. The only other thing that may work is to update the BIOS of the PC. Don’t do this unless you know how (you can literally make the PC junk if you do it wrong).
Ahh…I haven’t seen that. On your recommendation, I’ll see if I can rent it this weekend…