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Turn Dell XPS 9550 side button into on/off switch
Hi all,
I use external mintor quite a lot and my computer is for most of the times closed. I conned a mouse and a keyobard to it, shut it and forget about it.
The issue comes when I want to wake up the computer. I have to remove the laptop from the dock, open it, press the power on button and afterwards, close and continue doing my work.
I was thinking is there a way to change the function of the side button (the one indicating the battery level, to turn it into a on/off switch?
Regards,
Tsvetan Donov
jphughan
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9 Legend
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14K Posts
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November 26th, 2018 13:00
There's currently no way to do that, and I personally wouldn't count on Dell creating a way. Battery level indicator buttons are pretty common in the industry, and I've never seen one that could be reconfigured to do something else. However, what dock are you using? The WD15 and TB16 are the only two Dell docks that work properly with the XPS 15 9550, and both of them have power buttons built into them that can wake the laptop even while the lid is closed. No other docks I know of from Dell or anyone else offer full functionality with the XPS 15 systems because XPS 15 systems require 130W of power for proper operation, and no other docks provide that much because the official max of the USB Power Delivery spec is only 100W. Dell does something proprietary to deliver 130W from those docks, although to get that much power out from the WD15, you need the version that comes with the 180W adapter (not 130W) and to get that much power from the TB16, you need the version that comes with the 240W adapter (not 180W).
Dell-SreejithR
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November 26th, 2018 12:00
Thank you for your message. I am afraid, there is no option to change the power functionality of the power button (officially).
Does the system respond if it is not connected to the dock?
What is the BIOS version installed?
Is this a Dell dock, if yes what is the model?
For my reference, please click on the message tab next to your avatar– click “New Message” & search for my Dell username (Dell-Sreejith R) & send a private message with the service tag, registered name & email address.
Click here to find the service tag - https://dell.to/2xXUCUW
tsetsko
3 Posts
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November 26th, 2018 22:00
Hi,
Thanks for getting back to me! By dock I don't mean proper dock. It is more like a stand for my laptop - stays vertical so it doesn't take space on the desk.
And my question was simple - is it possible to change the button on the side of the computer (battery indicator) to on/off switch, but I think you have already answered this for me.
tsetsko
3 Posts
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November 27th, 2018 11:00
Thanks, I guess I won't be able to do it.
Thanks for the reply!
Techgee
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590 Posts
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November 27th, 2018 18:00
To wake the laptop (from Sleep or Hibernation), there's already a mechanism without using the power button. Use the keyboard and/or mouse[pad] to wake it.
Click any keyboard key (I use Shift since it does nothing but wake up the laptop) or click the Mouse (or sometimes even moving the Mouse will work).
If that doesn't work, you'll need to make sure that Windows Device Manager "Allow this device to wake the computer" for the keyboard/mouse is checked. If that doesn't work (or only works for the laptop's keyboard/mousepad, but not the external keyboard/mouse) also set "USB selective suspend setting" to "Disabled" for the Power Options plan you're using.
Typically, I'll do something like reboot the laptop once a week. I leave it on during the week but let it automatically go to sleep when I haven't used it for a while. Throughout the week I just wake it up when I need it with keyboard or mouse. Little or only occasional need for the Power button.