A.I. or loose wire?

[jch216]

I can't turn off my computer without unplugging it or turning off the power supply. If I press the power button on the front of the case nothing happens, and if I choose to shut off via the menu on windows XP the computer just restarts.

Is the computer ALIVE!?!?!?!?

[jutah]

You may have tried this but on mine I have to hold in the power button for about 5 - 10 seconds for it to turn off.

Jutah

[jch216]

hmmm, Haven't tried that one yet. But that shouldn't matter when I choose "Shutdown" in windows XP.

[Sweeper]

When you go to 'Shutdown' in windows... what exactly happens??

[nukes]

Check for a BIOS update for the motherboard. XP implemented a buggy version of ACPI and so most hardware manufacturers had to update the BIOS to support it. I had this problem on a few system, which a BIOS upgrade fixed.
This isn't the only possibility by far, but its the first one I'd check.

[jch216]

sweeper,

when I click on the shutdown button the computer does everything like it should, except when the screen goes black the computer starts again... just like I restarted the computer.

[Bovon]

When a machine restarts after a 'shutdown' command from a menu seems to indicate it is an ACPI problem...others have found shutdown/restart problems to be associated with ACPI.

If your case switch will not function..and thats after holding it in for 5 or more seconds (there is a BIOS setting for this for fast shutdown, if enabled)...the case switch may be bad. Try swapping the case on/off switch with the reset switch..they are both identical switches...that will prove if your case on/off switch has "bit the dust".