Why Windows dumps the kernel after 8 seconds of holding the power button
How long do you need to hold down the power button to turn off a PC?
Raymond Chen explains that holding a PC's power button for 12 seconds cuts power at the hardware level, bypassing the OS entirely. At 8 seconds, the Windows kernel detects a forced power-off and grabs a crash dump for Windows Error Reporting. OSnews's Thom Holwerda is puzzled: most motherboards force off in 4-5 seconds, so how do these dumps ever get generated?
These emergency kernel dumps are internally classified as "long power button hold" (LPBH) failures.
- superjan
Could the confusion be that the 12 seconds only apply when the OS fails to respond to the power-down request? I recall struggling with laptops stuck in a boot loop, and it did pay off to hold the power-down button a little longer.
- curiousObject
What about modern devices (such as laptops) that have a fixed battery? They shouldn’t rely totally on software to force a hard power off because that’s not safe. If the software hangs you cannot power down
- throwa356262
Looks like Microsoft forgot to talk to hardware manufacturers about this feature...