Computer starts up whenever power restored

  • Thread starter Thread starter GeneL
  • Start date Start date
G

GeneL

OK, sounds like it is not a problem.

But I have my BIOS set for the power button to be "on/off". When I
leave this particular computer it is not usually used again for one to
several days so I shut it down with in windows XP and then I turn off
the wall switch in the room which shuts off the power strip and
everything plugged into it. But if anyone happens to flick the wall
switch on, like the cleaning lady, it boots ups on its own. I have
had other computers in this room and they would set there and not
start again until the power button on the case was pushed and they had
the BIOS set to "on/off". I tried setting the power button to
"suspend" and it still does the same thing. I know I am doing
something stupid but just the same I can’t figure it out.

The computer is a "new" one I just set up, a Tyan Tomcat board,
i815ep, (Tyan S2080) with a PIII 1GHz. Any suggestions?

While I am at it I have another nagging problem, and it is with this
computer and another, both using the Intel 815ep chipset. When I
check save for my password in IE, the next time I use it, I get twice
the number of characters written in the password box. If I don’t
check save then I have to type it in each time. One of the machines
has both XP and win2000 on it and it behaves the same with both.

Thanks for reading, GeneL :P
 
OK, sounds like it is not a problem.

But I have my BIOS set for the power button to be "on/off". When I
leave this particular computer it is not usually used again for one to
several days so I shut it down with in windows XP and then I turn off
the wall switch in the room which shuts off the power strip and
everything plugged into it. But if anyone happens to flick the wall
switch on, like the cleaning lady, it boots ups on its own.
Click to expand...

Look for a BIOS setting like "Upon power restoration... On/Off" It's On on every HP BIOS I've seen.
check save for my password in IE, the next time I use it, I get twice
the number of characters written in the password box.
Click to expand...

This is a security feature so people can't guess how many characters you're typing in.
 
them_age said:
Look for a BIOS setting like "Upon power restoration...
On/Off" It's On on every HP BIOS I've seen.


This is a security feature so people can't guess how many
characters you're typing in.
Click to expand...

Thanks them_age for the tip. The bios on my other Intel 815ep chipset
board does have that bios feature and it behaves properly. But the
Tyan board with the same chipset does not offer that option in the
BIOS. I was expecting a blow away BIOS with lots of options but
unfortunately that is not the case.

The boards are virtually identical in chipset and features, I would be
tempted to load the other BIOS into the Tyan except I already have XP
running nicely and activated it so I don’t think I’ll do anything
radical.

Thanks
 
The boards are virtually identical in chipset and features, I would be
tempted to load the other BIOS into the Tyan except I already have XP
running nicely and activated it so I don’t think I’ll do anything
radical.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You're welcome. Don't worry about losing "activation." I've updated enough BIOSes to know it doesn't do harm to the
activation of Windows (I may be wrong, but I think it's tied to the Chasis Serial Number, not the BIOS version).
However, look for a manufacturer's site and see if you can find a newer BIOS than your own.. or an older one. Get 'em
all, use whatever has the features you want.

Another tip: never skip the step of saving the old BIOS configuration to disk before an upgrade. NEVER. I've had HP
BIOSes, for the HP machine I was using, completely hose the machine after upgrading. I mean, kills roaches.. dead.

I don't know about all motherboard manufacturers, but the ones I've seen lately, have a button you can press for 30
seconds or so to cut off power from the CMOS battery. This resets the BIOS to "factory" settings. If you must, open
your machine and look for this button. It's small and surrounded by a silvery square about 1/2 inch on a side. If your
machine won't even respond to power after a BIOS upgrade, this may be your last chance.

Best of luck.
 
I had a similar problem.

If while booting the CMOS message also reads: "wrong date and time" , "wrong CMOS settings", (similar wording) then:

  1. Check the 'power' option in "Advanced" CMOS settings and make sure the option is set to "Power Off" after AC power is restored.
  2. If it is off then check the CMOS battery and replace as necessary - suspect, since date and time is wrong.
  3. Just in case this does not help, then check the jumper near the CMOS battery - this may be shorted.
In most cases you may only need to go as far as # 2. This is a solution to a similar problem I had. Hope this helps:D.
 
Back
Top