in my slackware install there is no 'shutdown' button or something like this, normally there is in other distros. there is a logout button, which exits X and then brings me to the initial console. that i guess would be fine if i can just type one command to shutdown the computer, but it doesnt seem to be the case.

i have tried commands like shutdown, shutoff, poweroff, but they dont work. the only one that does something is 'powerdown' (only when root) and this still doesnt work. this command seems to work at first.. it gives output like 'sending term signal to all...' etc etc... and finally says 'Powerdown.' but stays there (over 8hours, i left it like that all night). so every tiem i have done a hard shutdown at this screen... and i dont think this is the way it should be done.

so, right now i have to: click logout, wait for x to exit, login as root, type powerdown, wait for that to finish, then hard shutdown the computer... when all i normally would have to do is click shutdown from a gui.

any help appreciated.

Try:

su -c "shutdown -h now"

and let us know (after your reboot) if it works.

Also, look at the ACCESS CONTROL section of the shutdown manpage. It will explain how to set up CTL+ALT+DEL so you can use this key sequence or `shutdown -a` as a user to shut down the machine.

I use the 2.6 kernel and acpi and acpid. I modprobe button then i can shutdown the pc by pressing the button.

Whoops! I think I misunderstood the question. Re-reading your initial post, it seems that you are already able to use shutdown to go through the shutdown sequences. The problem is that the machine is not turning itself off.

Have you used another distro on that machine, and did shutdown or hitting a shutdown button shut the machine down and turn it off?

Have a look around in the Control Center (I'm running KDE 3.4), somewhere there's an optional to add this button to the K-menu. I only found it a couple of days ago

Is apmd running on your machine when you do that? apmd is the APM (Advanced Power Management) daemon for Linux which manages that function (and sends the power down command to the motherboard when requested by the system). You might want to check that out. Also check to see if APM is enabled in your BIOS settings.

halt

they made some changes in kernel 2.6.X.

you want to add the option acpi=force to your lilo options in lilo.conf or grub.conf/menu.lst.

add the option right after for example root=/dev/hdaX

this will shutdown the system.

Ok I had The exact problem and I solved it....I think what you mean is when you type in a command say...halt....in the command line and then the computer starts to make a string of outputs saying shutting down this and that and then its stops at the end asaying power down when it doesn't....

This is easy...all you have to do is remove the leading '# ' in the line ' /sbin/modprobe apm ' in file /etc/rc.d/rc.modules.
and for this session type :#modprobe apm

summery:
1./ type in pico or gedit in gnome.....
so it will be pico /etc/rc.d/rc.modules or
gedit /etc/rc.d/rc.modules
2./ remove the leading '# ' in the line ' /sbin/modprobe apm

3./ and add #modprobe apm a line below

this will enable your computer to shut down with out you needing to push the power button to finish it off.....however every time you shut down you have to type in halt in the command line when X is not started