ATX power off?

[GEC]

I am thinking about upgrading from AT to ATX.
In the past I have used a Power Center to turn all equipment on/off and would like to continue to use a power center. I know that a ATX system normally does not power all the way down but goes into a suspend mode and restarts when the ON button is pushed. Are there any problems or issues when ALL power is removed from a ATX system when the system is restarted?
GEC

[Bovon]

I am no authority with ATX, but I think turning everything off with a power console would be ok. I plan on doing the same here when I finally upgrade. One of the differences in an ATX system is the psu has a 5 volt extra supply that runs all of the time the computer is connected to a wall outlet. When an ATX computer is disconnected from power, the secondary 5 volt supply does not run...naturally. I would think that by turning the power console on and 'maybe' (not sure that this is necessary, but maybe) waiting 5 to 10 seconds for the 5 volt part to get energised before turning the computer on would work just fine.

I live in a stormy area and always unplug ( cut power thru my power console) when I am not at home...and will continue to do so after the upgrade.

I think one of the features of ATX is the ability to turn the system on remotely by telephone perhaps. If the power is completely turned off, this would not work obviously.

[This message has been edited by Bovon (edited 07-16-2001).]

[BBA]

I use W2K with ACPI MPS kernel.

When I press my ATX power button...it shutsdown the OS properly and powers off the PC in about 3 seconds flat.

That is how a power switch should work. Epox KP6-BS with last bios version.

[BBA]

If you want to make you own custom power panel controlled BY the ATX PC switch...use a 12V DC relay to interrupt 120VAC power to a receptacle box/surge protector. COntrol the 12V relay with the 12V hard drive power from the ATX power supply.

[This message has been edited by BBA (edited 07-16-2001).]

[Psycho Logical]

Power Management settings in BIOS setup affect how an
ATX system and the power supply respond to the power button.

For an Award BIOS, in Chipset Features, "Power-Up State" has options to
specify how the system responds to the loss of power, accidental or not,
as follows:
Stay Off -- Full power remains off until power button is pressed
Last State -- Previous power state, on or off, is restored
Power On -- System starts automatically, without pressing the power button

If you select Power On, and plug the system power cord into a switched outlet
on a power console, you can use that switch to turn the system on remotely,
and to completely disconnect the power to the system.

Of course, you should still shut Windows down normally. When you do,
the system will power down to +5V standby power until you turn off the outlet
or the master switch at the console. If you do, you will disable features
like WOL and WOR (Wake-on-LAN/Ring), which require the standby power.
But if you leave the outlet "hot", the system will power up after a power outage.


[This message has been edited by Psycho Logical (edited 07-16-2001).]

[xby]

GEC, the answer to your question depends on the operating system that you use, and on the way you use your power center.

If you want to use your power center as a centralized on/off facility, be aware that some operating systems, such as Windows 9x,
require to control their own orderly shut down, in which case you need to tell the operating system to shut the machine down, wait until all the machines under the power center are off, and only then turn off the power at the center.

[GEC]

Thanks for the replies with lots of good info. Psycho logical told me what I needed to know. I was aware that Windows had to shut down in the normal manner but did not know if a ATX mobo had to remain in the reduced power mode so checking the manual I downloaded for a Epox TA3, I found what Psycho Logical was talking about. Kinda makes a ATX work like a AT and that is what I am looking for............
Thanks again.
GEC