How To Restore Shutdown Button To Logon Screen

Allow system to be shut down without having to log on

I have a Vista computer that was set to show the login screen (require a username+password) when it woke up from Sleep mode. Which is a good thing, security-wise.

That same computer is set to wake from Sleep mode anytime I moved the mouse or pressed a key. Which is a good thing, convenience-wise.

And I would generally keep this computer in Sleep mode. Which is a good thing, energy conservation-wise.

However, after I installed a laser mouse (quite sensitive to motion) this machine was waking from sleep (and showing the login screen) every time I set down my coffee mug with a thud, nudged the mouse with my elbow, or .. sneezed. It started to feel like it was going to wake up if I looked at it sideways..

This got rather annoying as for some reason, my logon screen (aka “welcome screen”) did not show the red shutdown options button. And I would have to enter my password and sign in, just so I could tell the machine to go back to sleep. This got quite tiresome quite quickly. I should be able to just click on (go back to) Sleep. What I wanted was this:

Which for some reason was not showing.

I went into Regedit, and found that my computer was – indeed – set to show the “shutdown options” button, but was ignoring it. Computers!

So what I did was disable it (set the 1 to a 0) and then enabled it again, and this time the “enable” setting ‘took’ (was recognized) and my “go back to sleep button” was restored — no more typing in my password every 3 minutes..!
This is quite often true with machines: disable, then re-enable (a kind of ‘reboot’) clears up the problem.

Should your power options button be missing from your log in screen, and you want it back, this web page has the How To — I recommend you use the second method. Advanced users (comfortable with editing the Registry) can easily do the 3rd method. The first method only works if you have Ultimate Editions. The tutorial is here.

(Conversely, you might want to ‘disable’, and “hide” the red power button.. say, if you had kids..)

Today’s reco’s:
• Big News This Past Week That Will Impact the World of Computing As We Know It

• HP single-handedly destroys non-iPad tablet market

“After getting a taste for $99 tablets, will consumers continue to stomach $500 price tags? Read more..“

Today’s quote: “The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” ~ Charles de Gaulle

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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