How do you disable the power key on your keyboard which causes an instant shutdown of your computer without warning? BTW have you ever seen a Keyboard power key as it is usually seen on very old computers!
Power key on keyboard
Press it and your computer shuts down instantly! It’s not the sleep or hibernates mode, it actually shuts down.
If you want to read more about my experience and how I figured it out, read on…
So I was blogging from my uncle’s old computer and he had a really old keyboard. I do a lot of Print Screen screenshots for my articles and strangely enough, the computer would keep shutting down!
I had experienced similar auto-shutdowns with Windows upgrades and some really bad viruses. But there seemed to be no such issue here.
The Print Screen key worked well, but I was surprised that when I sometimes tried to take a screenshot the computer started to shut down and power off. It was not a hibernate or Sleep key issue, the computer just immediately started to shut down.
What is Keyboard Power Key
When it happened enough times in the middle of unsaved posts, I was determined to find out the cause. A close examination of the keyboard showed what it was.
There was a Power Key on the keyboard, just above the Print Screen key and bordered by the Sleep and Wake key.
I have really never seen the Power key before, though Sleep keys are standard in modern keyboards. This was an easier way than making a desktop shutdown shortcut!
This was an old Tech-Com keyboard made in 2004. So I was determined to remove the key from accidental presses and auto-shutdowns. The easiest way was to use a pen to remove the Power key and make the key jump out.
This is what it looked like then.
Of course, I replaced the Power key back by simply pressing it back, or my uncle might never let me use his computer again. I tried this desperate measure, but don’t try removing your keyboard keys, this might damage your key irreversibly and make it unusable.]
On further research, I found that these Power Management Keys usually occur in this same set of Power, Sleep, and Wake. Ideally, they should be placed far away from the routine keys to prevent accidental presses.
So is there a better way rather than removing the key itself?
How to Disable Power Key on Keyboard
Actually, it is simple as you need to change the computer power options.
In older Windows versions, go to Control Panel > Power Options > Advanced > When I Press the Power Button on My Computer
Here you will find Shut down is selected by default. Choose an option you like. Choose “Do Nothing” to disable the button.
Actually, if your computer hangs, then sometimes pressing the power button comes in handy to force shut down of your computer. So I choose “Ask me what to do” and now when that button is pressed, you get the computer shutdown options.
In newer Windows, you might need to follow this path Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings
As you see in Windows 10, the Ask me option is not there. So you can choose to ‘Do Nothing’ options. Else better to get a new keyboard.
I hope the article helped you fix your Computer Power Key. Do you know about the Press Any Key dilemma?