okay i share the computer with my cousin and instead of going Start>turn off computer etc. she just turns it off by pressing the power button. can this cause any damage to the hardware? or software damage?

It depends weather the computer still follows the standard shutdown procedure after the power button is pressed or if the computer just stops in its tracks and turns off the second the button is pressed. If it turns off immeaditely then yes it is very possible to corrupt files on the hard drive, in fact I would say that it is likely that it will currupt certian file's every time she does so. Its not very likely to cause any hardware damage. My dad is lazy and allways turns his computer off with the power button and files are pretty much currupt every time I use the computer.. Lucky for him I can fix it, and that he is my dad otherwise I would have told him off : ) Mattwizz3 : ) Sempron 2600+ @ 2.2GHz 1Gb DDR400 Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe 200GB SATA / 80Gb IDE 256Mb MSI 6800 Ultra

This method of turning off is asking for trouble, as sooner or later Windows will be corrupted. This is due to a file or files being written at the time, and the procedure is not completed, such that the file is left corrupt. When next the o/s or application loads it cannot the file. Strongly suggest pc is properly closed down by clicking on start/shut down or whatever. Good Luck - Keep us posted.

You could consider adding a Shutdown icon to the Quick Launch bar to power down the computer with one click. All you do is right click anywhere on the Desktop, move the mouse pointer to New, then click on Shortcut. In the Type the Location of the Item window, type the following: shutdown -s -t 0 (zero not the letter O)then click on continue. Now type in Shutdown and you are done. Move the Icon from the Desktop to the Quick Launch Bar by drag and drop and you're done. Be sure to unlock the Taskbar before you drag and drop. Good luck.

Depends on what operating system you are using and how the power button is configured. With Windows XP and ACPI installed there is an option in Power Management to configure the actions when the power button is pressed. If it is configured to Shut Down, then the computer will perform a controlled shut down and no damage will occur. Pressing the power button and holding it for four seconds will cause an immediate removal of power and could cause damage. The problem of corrupted files was prevalent with Windows 98, no ACPI and an AT power supply. Pressing the power button in those circumstances would just remove power immediately without doing a proper shutdown. If you never see the "It is now safe to turn of your computer" screen you can be fairly certain the pressing the power button to shut down will not cause any damage. Stuart

Speaking of abnormal PC shutdown - which of the two is more disastrous - Power Button or sudden power blackout? i_XpUser

Hi, Usually the only problem is that it takes longer to boot the next time you need it. I've never seen any real damage. If the hardrive is being written to you will lose that file. Luck, Jim