i've checked some of the threads about enabling standby, and unfortunatley i still don't quite get everything enough yet, so i have to make this post.

in mandrake it says to make /usr/bin/apm setuid in order to enable standby and suspend as options. i tried that and was unsuccessful, but i think it is as simple as not understanding the syntax for the console command (i checked the man pages for setuid but didn't quite get it).

also, when that didn't work, i ran apm --standby as root. it went into standby from that, but there were two problems:

1. the monitor didn't shut off, but instead had really nasty looking lines all across it.
2. i didn't know how to exit standby, and when i tried hitting the power button briefly (like in xp), it shut the computer off.

any hints or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Hello,

I'm pretty (well, very) sure that APM won't work with MDK 9.1 - you should activate the ACPI instead. This can be a bit tricky though, since ACPI is not compiled into the kernel, although it is implemented in the code. There can also be some issues with broken BIOS:es, maybe especially on Dell laptops. Read this thread - it might give you some hints.

Cheers!