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clothesburner · Location: USA Posts: 412

I just did a fresh install of Win XP with SP1 and set it to Standard Mode rather than ACPI (hit F5 at start of Windows). Now, when shutting down, rather than the computer turning off by itself, I get a message saying, "It is now safe to turn off your computer." (Turning off the power switch will not turn it off, I have to unplug it.) Anyone know how to resolve this, i.e. get Windows XP in standard mode to turn off my computer automatically when I shut down?

jonrose · Location: USA Posts: 2901

One workaround might be:

Go into your BIOS and see if you can change the power-off option for the power switch to instant instead of timed. Or, just hold your power switch in for about 4-5 seconds.
This is usually an option in most newer BIOS setups...

While you're in there, look at the other options to see if you can get this to happen automatically - some systems don't work the same as others - choosing settings for "ACPI-aware OS" in the BIOS can sometimes be a guessing game.

Best... -Jon

clintfan · Location: USA Posts: 455

What jon said. Hold the button, and also check your BIOS. Also look in your Control Panel under "Power Management" for settings that might do the trick. Usually you have to change both BIOS and Power Mgmt..

My old W95 PC always does the "now safe to" thing, also my NT PC's at work. I sort of prefer that.

My newer (mid/late 1999) W98SE PC does the turn-off thing, that's IF it doesn't hang on the way down, which it does about 5% of the time. Then I have to hold the power switch for 4 to 5 seconds, which kills it (newer power switches aren't simple anymore, I suspect they're more like relays, and tied into the circuits of power supplies, which have also become smarter). My W2K at work is the same way.

-clintfan