Ok, we have two computers here at home.
One is a 1995 Dell Dimension P75, the other is a 2000 Dell Dimension L550r
Why do they make the newer pc’s so you can not turn them off manually, and have no reset button?
My older Dell is great, because if I shut down Windows and it freezes up indefinitely when it says “please wait while your computer shuts down” I can just hit the reset button, or press the power button and turn it off.
This isn’t so with the newer model. If it locks up while exiting Windows, you can NOT turn it off, no matter what. The power switch is manufactured to be turned off via point and click on screen, not manually. Unplugging it only leaves it in “on” mode. There is NO reset button. All one can do when it locks up is reboot via CTRL+ALT+DEL, and swear.
So, my question is: Why are no manual power off capabilities installed in newer pc’s? My mom says the newer pc’s at her work office are all the same way. WAG is it is supposed to be some sort of safety thing?
Let’s see…If it has no on/off switch, how do you turn it on?
Anyway, newer computers theoretically turn themselves off via software control of a relay like Apple computers do. Unfortunately, PCs run Windoze which can and does lock up at random times and requires you to pull the plug on the computer to reboot it. The problem will be resolved with the release of Windoze 4000.
The mini-tower has a power button. It only is used to turn the power ON. Pressing this button while the power is aready ON, does NOTHING. It is not a malfunction, this is the way it was manufactured. The only way to turn the power off to the mini-tower is to point & click: “start button/shut down/shut down” on the screen.
Try pressing the button and holding it in for ten seconds. Most newer computers have this “safety” feature built in, so you if you accidentally hit the button you’re computer won’t shut down.
Press & hold? Maybe, it depends how that is setup in the bios. See, with this ATX case I have, the bios can be set to do any number of things when you hit the power button.
However, all my ATX cases have not one, but two power switches! Whoa! One in front & one in back. PLus a reset one.
They got rid of the “on-off” power switch so that mouth-breathing nomadic hunter-gatherers wouldn’t turn the switch off without properly shutting down Windoesn’t. - MC
Are you sure there is no reset button hiding somewhere? It may be quite small, designed to be pushed with a pointed object. Or it may be in the back. Also, some PCs have a second power switch in the back which is hard-wired to the power supply, instead of just sending a command to the motherboard. I don’t think anybody trusts Microsoft enough to think that a reset switch is unnecessary.
I think that overall, the automated shutdown is a good thing. Without it, you have to issue a shutdown command, wait for a minute till it shuts down properly, then turn off the switch.
I have the problem with the inability to turn it off manually, and sometimes the computer freezes and there’s no way to turn it off (since I can’t point and click on SHUT DOWN). It’s a Dell, some number or other, from about 1998. Howver, if I unplug it, that works. I leave it unplugged for a few minutes and that turns it off. Then I can turn it back on normally. Bloody nuisance.
Ive worked on 100’s of PCs & Macs & I have yet to encounter one that didn’t have a power switch somewhere. Sometimes they are really tricky to find [might be behind a door] & on the Mac, a really stupid idea, but you HAVE to have the keyboard connected in order for thw power switch to work. ack
My understanding is that manufacturers often build PCs this way because people don’t shut them down properly (using the “Shut Down” menu) – too often they just reach for the off switch. My WAG is that this either damages the hardware or causes problems with the programs and OS remaining “open”.
A particularly poor analogy for this might be attempting to switch your car engine off while driving – regardless of safety, it probably wouldn’t do the engine much good.
I have a computer where the power button only turns the computer on, not off. Previously, when Microsquish’s infallible operating system crashed on me, I usually had to resort to unplugging the computer or turning off the power at my UPS. However, inspired by Scr4’s post, I looked at my computer very carefully, front and back. Hidden amongst the little LED’s that show power, hard drive activity and something else (networking?) is a tiny little reset button. It’s obviously designed to be overlooked, and is recessed so I would need a pencil to push it. There is also a hardwired power switch on the back of my computer. It’s at the top, near the fan for the power supply. Thanks, Scr. No more unplugging my computer.
I agree with MC and mattk; these stupid software-controlled power buttons are there to make computers idiot-proof. And boy, there are a lot of idiots. Just check out http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/ .
I have two computers with these stupid non-functional on/off buttons, and it pisses me off whenever one crashes (frequently) because I have to reach around the back and unplug it. Next time I will try your guys’ suggestion of holding the button down for a few seconds, and see if that works.
ATX-motherboarded and cased Wintel computers (the current standard) have a ‘soft’ power switch. You can usually control the behavior in the BIOS. With mine, pressing once turns it on, pressing again puts the computer in ‘suspend’ - you have to have Advancd Power Management enabled in both the BIOS ans the OS for this to work - and holding it for 4 seconds turns the system off.
On the wierd side, my ancient Amiga 3000’s reset switch is the keylock key; take the key out to lock it, in and turn to unlock, and twist like a car key to reset.
Anyone else note that keylocks are darned rare on PCs these days? My guess is that it’s because on old PCs you could just disconnect the keyboard and secure the system; on new ones you’d have to disconnect the keyboard, the PS/2 mouse port, both serial ports (might be a mouse on one!) the USB ports (Might be a mouse or keyboard there!)… Or there mght be critical things on those ports and shutting them off would make things a mess. (‘Hey, what happened to my download? I started it and took the key so no one messed with my system!’)