How do you disable the power key / button on your keyboard

How do you disable the power key / button on your keyboard which causes instant shut down? BTW have you ever seen a Keyboard power key! 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 why 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.

Keyboard Power Key / Button

When it happened enough times in middle of unsaved posts, I was determined to find out the cause. 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 quick shutdown shortcut!

This was an old Tech-Com keyboard made in 2004. This is how the keys looked like

So I was determined to remove the key from accidental presses and auto-shutdowns. The easiest way was to use a pen to 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. [NOTE: 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 place far away from routine key to prevent accidental presses.

So is there a better way rather than remove the key itself!

How to Disable Power Key / Button

Actually it is simple as you need to change the power options. 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 on Windows XP.

I hope article helped you fix your Computer Power Key.