Freezing PCs

[P or K Bary]

Below is my response to a post this morning - I should have copied the
list.  For anyone who recalls my question on why our new Gateways were
freezing, and would not power off, here's half an answer.  The power button
delay is a *feature* on some of our new towers.  Paul Schaffner suggested
this, and once suggested, it seemed so simple.  ;-)  We have to push and
hold the power button for about 5 seconds turn shut down a frozen PC.

Now, as to why some of the towers are freezing to begin with, we're still
not sure.  Maybe the barcode scanners.  I will pass this along when we
figure it out, in hopes someone somewhere can benefit.

Karen Bary
Arapahoe Library District
Littleton, Colorado
ksbary at csn.net or bary at qadas.com
 

Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998 08:55:02 -0600
>To: TMGB <bennettt at am.appstate.edu>
>From: P or K Bary <bary at qadas.com>
>Subject: Re: Freezing PCs
>In-Reply-To: <3576AD47.7AE547BB at am.appstate.edu>
>References: <3.0.1.32.19980515184229.006b1680 at qadas.com>
>
>Hi Thomas,
>
>No, we're not using networked printers.  I think we have some of our
problems figured out.  With the Gateways, we ordered PCs two separate
times.  In the newest shipment, we have found that the tower PCs require
that we hold the off switch in for about 5 seconds before the unit will
shut down.  It's apparently a *feature,* but I don't know what purpose it
serves other than to annoy.
>
>The actual freezing of the PCs is still undetermined, but may relate to
our barcode scanners.  It seems to happen on staff PCs, but not OPACs.
...And then, of course there are the PCs that may be too close to the
security gates, but that's a whole other problem (monitor and HDD issues).
>
>Thanks for thinking of me, though.  Once we get a better handle on this
I'm planning to post to web4lib for the archives.
>
>Karen Bary
>
>
>
>At 10:20 AM 6/4/98 -0400, you wrote:
>>When I first read the message below I thought to myself, yea right the power
>>button does not turn off the PC.  Well the IBM Thinkpad just locked up
and the
>>power button won't turn off the pc.   A student worker tells me that his
>>Gateway powers off when shutdown is chosen.  The Thinkpad and most other
>>notebooks I've worked with power off when shutdown is chosen.  So, somewhere
>>there is a firmware or ROM switch built into these PCs that cannot be over
>>ridden by the power switch.  After this PC locked up the student pressed
>>ctr-alt-del and the program hpprty was not responding.  This is a Hewlett
>>Packard program that displays an icon in the system tray and the color of
the
>>icon indicates the status of the HP5Si printer.  The student chose End Task
>>from the dialog box and the PC locked up completely even the mouse.
Resetting
>>the power switch would not power down the PC. The student had to remove the
>>battery and reinstall it to get the PC to reboot.  I can't say for sure that
>>the HP program caused this situation but it seems likely because this hpprty
>>has been causing all kinds of prinitng problems until we removed it from
public
>>machines.
>>
>>Karen, are you using networked HP printers?
>>
>>Thomas
>>
>>P or K Bary wrote:
>>
>>> We are migrating from GEAC to Innovative this week, and are replacing all
>>> of our Wyse terminals, and now telnetting into a remote server.  I've
>>> gotten occasional complaints about PCs freezing up.  When this happens,
the
>>> users are unable to power down the PCs from the power button.  I've
seen it
>>> myself:  The power button stops working, and we have to cut the power from
>>> the surge protector.  Weird.
>>>
>>> We have new Gateways, and a couple of new Dells, and it's happened on both
>>> brands, and differenct PCs.  All are running Windows 95 B.  I'm beginning
>>> to believe that this is not a problem, but a *feature*.  But a feature of
>>> what?  Windows 95 B?  Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Karen Bary
>>> Arapahoe Library District
>>> Littleton, Colorado
>>> ksbary at csn.net or bary at qadas.com
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Thomas McMillan Grant Bennett           Appalachian State University
>>Computer Consultant II                  University Library
>>bennettt at am.appstate.edu
http://www.library.appstate.edu/admin/
>>Voice:  704 262 2797   FAX:    704 262 3001
>>
>>In librarianship--as elsewhere--the quality of service is not measured by
>>the number of complaints received
>>
>>