XP Shutdown Help

[mnhoops]

I just upgraded my computer and after i shutdown the operating system (XP) it brings me to "IT is now safe to shutdown your computer" screen....at that point i have to press and hold the power button to turn off the computer...How do i get the computer to power off by itself after i shutdown the operating system?

Thanks for the help

[Krell]

If the message above is the shutdown issue, stop right here. You really don't have a problem with shutdown. While it may not seem like it, shutdown has completed properly. The problem you have is with powering down or powering off the computer. Semantics, you say? Maybe, but almost without fail this can be solved as follows. If you haven't checked for an updated BIOS, that's the first step, then check the items listed below.

Click [Start] [Control Panel] [Performance and Maintenance] [Power Options]
The Power Options Properties Property Sheet will open.
Click the APM tab and check the box to [Enable Advanced Power Management Support]

Power Down Automatically After Shutdown I

Select the APM tab and check/uncheck [Enable Advanced Power Management Support].

It should be noted that some users have solved the shutdown problems via enabling while others have achieved success via disabling. Experimentation with the APM and ACPI settings may provide a solution.

Power Down Automatically After Shutdown II
If the procedure above didn't solve the problem, check the registry setting shown below.

Start Regedit and navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Set the value of PowerDownAfterShutdown to 1.

If the value isn't present, add it by creating the string value PowerDownAfterShutdown and setting the value to 1.

Note: The success of this registry edit is dependent on Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) support.

Look at this first. I do not use Power management, I hate it.