Thanks to a tip from Paul Thurrott on the WinSuperSite, I finally found the way to change the start menu power button in Vista. By default, the power button puts your system to the new hybrid sleep mode. If you want the power button to actually go ahead and turn your computer off (like it should) you can do this:
- Open Control Panel
- Click on Hardware and Sound (default) or Power Options (classic)
- Click Change Plan Settings
- Change Advanced Power Settings
- Under Power buttons and lid, change start menu power button from sleep to shutdown
The start menu power button is now red instead of orange and will shut your computer down!
