Greetings,

Back in the 80's I first scrutinized a desktop system (for home use)
closely and concluded as follows:

  1.) It is a collection of Dee-Vices.
  2.) Some Dee-Vices are separately switched (i.e. monitor, system
      unit).
  3.) When using the system, it would serve my purposes well
      if _all_ Dee-Vices were simultaneously powered or not powered.

So I plugged The relevant Dee-Vices into a power strip, set the
strip on the floor, and proceeded to power the entire system
on/off with my Big Toe. Have continued to do so for years and years.

More recently I built a Slot 1/ATX system around an Enlight 723x
case and an Abit BH6 mainboard. Runs NT WS 4.0 (a non-PnP OS).  The
cover of the BH6 manual sez "SOFT SWITCH" in huge letters, as if to
forewarn me that my Big Toe was about to be retired. Of course, an
explanation of how the soft-switch works appears to be missing from the
manual. When I shutdown the OS, the system does _not_ automatically
power down.

Sure enough, when I switch the power strip on, it has no effect
on the system unit. I gotta bend over, manually push the switch.

"SOFT SWITCH" may be a God-Send for corporate admin's. It's a
pain in the arse for po' me.

I miss my hi-tech Big Toe actuation system.

Is there any way of disabling soft-switch? Getting the system
to power up the "old way"? I'm afraid I find the whole thang
about software controlling functions originally designed for
human intervention to be pretty scary.

  Zalut,
  David

**********************************************************************
** David Nasser                     **     [log in to unmask]  **
** Univ. Mo. St. Louis              **                              **
**********************************************************************;

"... my home's on the water,
 and I don't need no land."
        - from "Po' Boy, Long Ways From Home"

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