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In Windows XP, there was an option in the power controls, to have the computer's physical "soft" power button "ask me what to do." Basically, the shutdown dialog would appear, and give the option to Shutdown, Standby or Hibernate.
In Windows 7 Ultimate, the default Power Options applet has no such option, listing only Sleep/Shutdown/Hibernate, etc.
The XP behavior can be triggered in Win7 by pressing Alt+F4 when the Desktop has focus, but there seems to be no easy way to "map" this to the physical soft-power button as there was in XP.
Am I missing something obvious?
@JdeBP I have not run across one computer (including even 2002 CPUs that used RDRAM and had no SATA ports) that did not have the hardware, physical, on-case power button's "press" action reconfigurable via software such as a Linux DE's or Windows XP's Power Settings. It's just a button; it's reported to the OS via ACPI. Yes, pressing and holding it triggers BIOS/hardware intervention, and pressing it in situations such as GRUB and DOS where ACPI is not active also triggers insta-shutdown, but when pressed for a short period of time on an ACPI-aware OS, it is fully handled in software. – JamesTheAwesomeDude – 2016-09-21T20:26:16.603
I gave up and started using this "System Controls" gadget for that, its buttons are configurable also...http://www.homecookedgadgets.com/gadgets.php?id=19
– Moab – 2011-12-08T04:25:25.890Psh, who shuts down anymore? All our machines default to Log Off. – surfasb – 2011-12-08T05:16:06.583
1I got burned by accidentally hitting Log Off today, closed the web session I had open, and my rep. console with witch I was servicing 4 computers. Outlook having recycled items stopped it. :( I hate that button now, I want to se tit to "Nothing" on click. – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2011-12-08T05:43:23.610
@Unsigned Yeah, but neither of them pop up the Window asking if we're sure, or if we want to log-off, reboot, etc. anymore. The physical power button is just linked (via ACPI) to the same code the "shutdown" action is on the software 'button'. PS: you can't set the default action to "nothing", nor force that pop-up, via properties. :( – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2011-12-08T16:44:41.267
@Unsigned True enough. :) – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2011-12-08T18:07:54.733
You're calling the wrong button the "physical" power button. Strictly speaking, you're talking about a so-called "soft" button marked with the standby symbol rather than the true off symbol. There's no way that the power off button can be reprogrammed via software. – JdeBP – 2011-12-08T20:17:21.327
@JdeBP, clearly he has asking about the big button on the case and yes, it can be reprogrammed; even modern systems have a BIOS option, let alone older ones. – Synetech – 2011-12-18T01:49:05.120
> Psh, who shuts down anymore? @surfasb, anyone who has to pay for electricity. – Synetech – 2011-12-18T01:49:13.900