re: Disable computer power button
SMS
>How do I disable the computer power button?
>I want that when I press it, windows does noting.
> There is no "Do Nothing" option in the Power Settings. Maybe a
> registry change?
Note that it is Microsoft requirement that holding the power button in
for 4 seconds or so will turn off the system, so I doubt if there is any
BIOS workaround to this.
This is a solution for kid-proofing and adult-proofing the power button,
it requires about $1 worth of materials.
Run the one of the power switch wires through a small +5V reed relay
with normally closed contacts. The coil of the relay connects to +5V
(and ground) out of the power supply.
The power button will turn the system on, but once the system is on the
relay energizes and the "normally closed" contacts open, so the power
button is disconnected until the system is shut down and +5V is removed
from the relay coil. If the system is totally hung and needs to be shut
down manually, then the power must be disconnected from the back.
An appropriate relay costs around $0.75, see
"http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=RLY-442&type=store,"
but you'll need someone to install it which involves some splicing,
soldering, and heat shrinking.
I adopted this approach after giving up on trying to teach people not to
do a hard powr-down, which is especially a pain if you have mirrored
disk drives.
One thing that you do NOT want to do is to disconnect the power button,
and power on the system by applying AC power, with the BIOS set to
power-on upon application of power. This option is intended for power
outage recovery for servers. It is a bad idea to disconnect power from
the PC as a method of turning it off--don't use a power strip on/off
button as an on/off switch. Tje PC's power supply supplies +5V standby
to some parts of the system, including the RTC (the battery is small,
and intended for backup during outages).