"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
. ..


Check the bios- there's often a setting to configure the power switch
mode, and whether the PC switches back on automatically after a power
failure, or unplugging the mains lead in your case.

If you still have no luck, trying clearing the CMOS. There's usually a
jumper on the motherboard to achieve this. I've known a corrupted CMOS
to
cause some very strange symptoms.


It is quite common for ATX motherboards to require the power switch to
be
held in for several seconds to power down, as jakdedert suggests.


Dave


That feature requires ( I believe) that the OS is running. I never get
that
far
And unplugging the .power line for an extended period should reset a
normal
system.

No, it's a BIOS-level feature. You can set it so that the PC turns on when
the line is connected as noted above so that if, for example, you're running
a web server for your business, you don't have to turn it back on if there's
a power failure. My system allows you to "return to previous state" when
the power is re-applied, i.e. if it was off when the power died, it stays
off, and vice versa.