OT problem -

[Bob Goodwin]

On 10/13/15 03:46, Tim wrote:
>> Any idea what it is or what I should do about it if it matters would
>> >be of interest ...
> If it's one that can be turned on by the keyboard, either by pressing a
> special button, or just hitting any keys, the main board has to power
> the keyboard for that function to work.  If that's not how it's turned
> on, you could look for BIOS options (or motherboard jumpers), to not
> power (some of) the USB devices when the computer is off (typically,
> known as "stand-by power").
>
> There are often various "wakeup" options in a BIOS.  You'd have to look
> carefully and distinguish between wake-up from already asleep options
> (un-hibernate), and things it monitors to stay awake and not going into
> standby mode (if you have a sleep if inactive setting).
>
> These days, "go to sleep when idle" should really be handled by the OS,
> not the BIOS, as the BIOS only has crude monitoring options.  Years ago,
> I helped someone who's computer would inexplicably shutdown from time to
> time.  It's BIOS was set to go to sleep when idle, but it was only
> monitoring the keyboard.  If the owner was mousing about, or watching a
> video, the BIOS was unaware that the computer was in-use, and would shut
> it down.  You could extend the monitoring, to notice if the hard drive
> was active, and other things, to prevent it nodding off.  But it was
> easier to disable the sleep when idle functions in the BIOS, altogether.
.

None of the above seems applicable to my situation. The computer in 
question was purchased used several years ago, a Dell Optiplex 755. Some 
Googling shows that I am not alone, it has apparently been a common 
problem ...

In addition to the usual CMOS/Bios there is another called MEBX. The 
setup for that is displayed when CTRL-P is pressed at turn-on. It wants 
a password, the default is admin, however this one has been changed. It 
looks like the password can be reset by manipulating jumpers or pulling 
the battery. Once that is done a new password can be set and the MEBX 
stuff turned of via it's configuration routine.

As it is now I can see the MEBX menu screen but it wont accept the 
default password.

So now I must decide if I want to bother with it, I keep thinking, if it 
ain't broke don't fix it, but there's the challenge to try ...

*Bob*


-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-23beta/64bit LINUX XFCE POP3