Computer does not turn off after shutdown

[ltx]

Hi guys, new poster here.

I have an old Opteron desktop that I will be using as a home server. The issue I've been having for the past few months is that it will not physically turn off after the OS finishes shutting down. It used to, when I was using it as my main desktop, so I have no idea what has changed.

Specs:
AMD Opteron 144 1.8GHz
DFI LANParty NF4 Ultra-D (modded to SLI-D)
3GB DDR-400
Two GeForce 7600 GT (one is out of the machine right now)
Single 160GB IDE hard drive
Single 320GB SATA2 hard drive

What I have tried:

• Windows 7 Professional x64
• Windows Server 2008 R2 x64
• Windows XP Professional SP2
• Reset BIOS
• Install NVIDIA chipset drivers from manufacturer CD
• Windows XP SP3
• Ubuntu 7.10
• Flash BIOS to 4/06/2006 from 3/29/2006

Things I have tried since posting:

• Unplug hard drives, boot Ubuntu LiveCD, halt

In all of the operating systems I have tried, none can successfully turn off the computer. The only indication that the computer is supposed to have shut off is that I hear something turn off (hard drive maybe), and then all power would normally be cut, but now that sound doesn't happen in XP after installing the NVIDIA drivers. I have tried disabling USB power suspend in Server 2008, with no effect.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Josh

Edit: the OS's shutdown screen remains on the display after it "shuts down".

 

[TheOrangeJuicer]

This may be a dumb question but you didn't say whether or not you tried this. I had this same issue with my Grandma's computer that I just built her. I would go to Start > Shutdown and it would sit at the Shutting Down screen with the circle and just sat there. You could hear something turn off but it would just sit at this screen until you physically held the power button down. I unplugged all of her USB connections (she has 2 printers, a scanner, keyboard and mouse, and a wireless network antennae plugged in. I unplugged the wireless antennae and it started shutting down properly. I have no idea why it was causing it to hang but when I unplugged it, it shut down fine. Maybe try removing all your USB connections to make sure it isn't something as simple as this.

If you've tried this, then it may be one of your services that is getting stuck. Boot to safe mode and see if it shuts down fine from there. If it does, that would help narrow down the problem.

 

[engiNURD]

Also check your BIOS settings' power management.

 

[ltx]

Maybe try removing all your USB connections to make sure it isn't something as simple as this.

If you've tried this, then it may be one of your services that is getting stuck. Boot to safe mode and see if it shuts down fine from there. If it does, that would help narrow down the problem.

Okay I unplugged all USB devices immediately after hitting Shut Down, no effect. I also unplugged the mouse, plugged in a PS/2 keyboard and tried shutting down, no effect.

As for the services, this is happening with any OS I install (even Ubuntu), so I'm pretty sure it's a hardware/BIOS issue. It also does not turn off in Safe Mode.

Also check your BIOS settings' power management.

ACPI SRAT: Enabled
ACPI Function: Enabled
ACPI Suspend Type: S1&S3
Power Management: User Define
Video Off Method: DPMS Support

I tried running shutdown -P now in Ubuntu, which is supposed to turn off power after halting the system, but that still did not turn it off. Another thing I noticed is that if I hit the power button in pre-boot (before the OS begins to load), graphics are cut or frozen and the system freezes until I hit the power button again. That is...bizarre.