Front panel button no longer wakes computer...

tbessie · Post by **tbessie** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:03 pm

Hello all...

I built an HTPC using an OrigenAE S16V case and Windows XP Pro. It's been working fine, until just the other day...

For the entire time I've had it, after setting it all up correctly, the front button has acted as a suspend/wakeup button (which is what I wanted).

As of a few days ago, after no new updates or anything like that, it has started behaving differently.

When I press the front panel button button, Windows suspends.

However, when I press the button again, instead of waking up, the computer STARTS to wake up, and then immediately powers off. Pressing the button again brings up the boot screen.

I have experimented through suspending a variety of ways (the front panel button, the windows Suspend popup, and the remote control); and waking a variety of ways (the front panel button and the remote control).

I have discovered that the only time I see the above behavior is when I try to wake the computer with the front panel button. Waking with the remote works fine.

From this, I conclude that there may be something wrong in the behavior of the electronics of the front panel button. Has anyone heard of this particular problem before? It's especially odd, since it was working for a long time, and then just suddenly stopped working correctly.

- Tim

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:51 am

Are you using MCE Standby Tool? If not, give it a shot. Also, make sure your power button is configured properly in the Control Panel Power Options.

tbessie · Post by **tbessie** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:29 am

jhhoffma wrote:Are you using MCE Standby Tool? If not, give it a shot. Also, make sure your power button is configured properly in the Control Panel Power Options.

Not using the MCE Standby Tool, no; configured the control panel options when I first built the computer to behave as it should. I'll have a look at both. The shutdown happens so suddenly, however, I suspect it's a hardware problem.

- Tim

hybrid2d4x4 · Post by **hybrid2d4x4** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:33 am

Maybe check your BIOS. Some have the power button function mapped there (ie: Soft off vs suspend, etc). It shouldn't have any impact since you say it worked before and I'm assuming nothing's been changed in the BIOS since it did work, but it's worth a look.

DanceMan · Post by **DanceMan** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:00 am

The front power button is nothing more than a normally open momentary contact switch. In other words, it simply shorts together the two pins on the motherboard that it connects to. Your problem is almost certainly software, not hardware.

tbessie · Post by **tbessie** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:04 pm

DanceMan wrote:The front power button is nothing more than a normally open momentary contact switch. In other words, it simply shorts together the two pins on the motherboard that it connects to. Your problem is almost certainly software, not hardware.

That's what I would think; but honestly, it is acting completely strangely.

I checked all software and BIOS settings, and everything's as it should be.

Yet - I put the computer into S3 sleep.

I press the button. It momentarily shows the computer is waking up, then goes back to sleep. I press the button again, and it starts at the boot screen. Sometimes, this "awake for a second, then sleep" behavior happens twice... press button, wake/asleep immediately; press button, again the same; press button 3d time, boots.

Could possibly be some kind of motherboard failure, do you think?

- Tim

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:54 pm

Loose cable?

tbessie · Post by **tbessie** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:23 pm

LodeHacker wrote:Loose cable?

I'm just not looking forward to opening up the case... very densely packed in there. :-/

- Tim