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I would imagine that a build machine for Office 97 would be of the pre-ATX days and have the switch wired directly to the power supply. Like a clicker-style pen
by hawkesnest 7y ago
I would imagine that a build machine for Office 97 would be of the pre-ATX days and have the switch wired directly to the power supply. Like a clicker-style pen, those power buttons were often push-on-push-off, and occasionally the mechanism would break. Jamming something, like a screwdriver, into the power switch hole would be a completely acceptable thing to do for a one-off.
It probably took a little time for the initial panic to wear off and allow the folks doing the build to realize it was a simple matter. The thought "we may not be able to" is a bit of a reach. At worst they could swap power supplies or whatnot.
- mrguyorama 7y agoDoesn't that mean the switch was working with mains electricity though? In general, I'd recommend against sticking a screwdriver into anything 120v AC
- Kirby64 7y agoExtremely unlikely. It was probably 12V. Just like the switches today are 12V and you can 'power on' an ATX power supply by jumpering 2 wires on the main 20/24-pin ATX cable.
- cesarb 7y agoNo, pre-ATX power supplies did have their main and only power switch on the 120V AC side. And when the power switch was on the front of the case, the wires going to that switch carried the full 120V AC voltage and current. Turning on the power supply by shorting a pin to the ground (it's not 12V, it's 5V, pulled up to the always-on 5V stand-by rail by the power supply) is an ATX novelty.
- T-hawk 7y agoCan confirm. I shocked myself a few times by bumping into the terminal of the 120V AC wire at the power switch on the front of a case. As long as it's plugged in to the wall, one side of that switch is hot even when the PC is off.
- rootsudo 7y agoYou can manually make it always on by just cutting the switch and splicing the wires together. That's probably what fixed the button - jamming a screwdriver pushed the switch/contacts together.