Why does my laptop’s power button remain lit?
I have two very annoying problems with my laptop. The first is that the light on the start key does not switch off when I shut down. So, before I can start up again I have to hold it down for 10 seconds. Second, my keyboard suddenly stops working, so I have to use an on-screen keyboard. Any ideas what could be causing these strange problems? I’m using Windows 10 with the latest updates. Jack Blignaut
You didn’t tell us your laptop make or model, but by ‘start key’ we’re fairly confident that you mean the power button. We say this because it’s not uncommon for laptop power buttons to remain illuminated, or to otherwise glow when the machine is placed into standby or hibernate mode.
This indicates that the machine isn’t fully powered down. Usually, opening the lid is enough to wake the machine, though sometimes a quick tap of the button is required. If the machine is in ‘hibernate’ mode, then it could take several seconds to come back to life.
By holding down the power button you are, in fact, most likely triggering a reset that basically tells the laptop to start again. It works, but it’s not best practice.
So the question is, how are you shutting down your laptop? If you’re just shutting the lid then what we say above is likely to be the case.
These settings can be changed, but if you want to shut down the laptop properly you should click the Windows 10 Start button and then click the power icon there before clicking ‘Shut down’.
That, when it’s finished, should see the laptop fully shut down – with the power-button light extinguished also.
To manage what happens when you simply shut the lid, click Start followed by the Settings cog and then System.
Now, on the left, click ‘Power & sleep’ followed by, on the right, ‘Additional power settings’. Then, on the left, click ‘Choose what closing the lid does’ and then use the various dropdown menus to set things up how you want (‘Shut down’ in the screenshot above).
As for the keyboard, you didn’t give us many clues. If Windows 10 is fully up to date then it’s unlikely to be driverrelated. That really just leaves an intermittent hardware fault, and for help with that we’d suggest contacting the manufacturer – but feel free to get back to us with more details.