Where did my reset button go?!

lost_soul on 12/4/2010 at 04:12

When I was young, all PCs had reset buttons on them. We used them to reset the PC if it locked up, rather than completely shutting it off. They say hard drives have a limited amount of spin-up/down times before they fail. Thus, it is a good idea to avoid stressing them.

Why has the reset button been removed from almost every modern PC I see? The last box with a reset button I have is from around 2002 and it was a custom build from a barebones kit.

This is quite annoying when you're troubleshooting a lock-up issue and you have to repeatedly put unnecessary wear on the hardware.

TBE on 12/4/2010 at 05:31

Your motherboard will probably still have a reset switch on it, and you just need to hook up a switch to it. (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1149953,00.asp) Installing a reset switch. You can find a simple switch, and hook it to your motherboard. Drill a hole into your chassis and mount said switch. Bam! Reset city.

Find an old chassis off internet ads like craigslist.org. Find their reset wire bundle and connector and attach a switch like (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062501) this one from Radio Shack to it.

Nameless Voice on 12/4/2010 at 07:34

My case has a reset switch? I wouldn't buy a case without one...

casalor on 12/4/2010 at 09:13

Never mind reset, where did the turbo button go? That's what I want to know. :mad:

dj_ivocha on 12/4/2010 at 16:09

One of the reasons for the limited number of spin-up/down times is that in some (most?) of today's hard disks the heads literally (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive#Landing_zones_and_load.2Funload_technology) drag along the disk's surface until the platters are spinning fast enough for an air bearing to be created.

theBlackman on 16/4/2010 at 08:55

Quote Posted by casalor

Never mind reset, where did the turbo button go? That's what I want to know. :mad:

It was built into the CPU when they got faster. It is an option that is no longer needed. :p

As for reset, it is now called RESTART and it's in your "turnoff computer" menu. Or in the Task manager.

Although as mentioned, nearly all cases and MOBO have a Reset switch and matching pinset for the switch.

Bjossi on 20/4/2010 at 15:44

Quote Posted by theBlackman

As for reset, it is now called RESTART and it's in your "turnoff computer" menu. Or in the Task manager.

In some cases these two are inaccessible due to the system being frozen, hence why the reset button can come in handy.

My PC has a reset button, mobo is new but case is from 2006. However I'm not really sure if I have pressed that button since my system upgrade last year. I sure hope it will be functional when I actually need it, sparing my aging hard drives the extra strain.

(On a side note, the more I learn about HDDs and their mechanics, the more I want a SSD. . .)

gunsmoke on 20/4/2010 at 16:21

Usually your power button is dual functions. Press to reset, hold for 4 seconds for a hard shutdown.

Nameless Voice on 20/4/2010 at 16:56

Um, no, pressing the power button generally sends a "power button" signal to the operating system, which can react however it pleases (the behaviour is configurable in Windows).
That "soft power" signal won't work if the OS is not responding.

gunsmoke on 20/4/2010 at 17:09

My bad. I have never had a problem using that method to reset when the PC becomes unresponsive.