I'm lazy - I just use a small flat head screwdriver to connect the 2 pins for testing. are you able to see which 2 are for power? If so you can unhook it from the motherboard then test just two pins to make sure the machine starts up correctly. I never liked it when they wrapped the stuff all together like that. My guess is because it has an LED hard drive activity indicator that extends out to the front face of the computer. So yeah, it's a separate unit that connects to the MB, just with multiple wires. LarryG, mine looks like this one that I found on eBay. If yours is like that you can easily replace the switch. On many machines the switch has 2 wires coming out of it that you can follow to a connector on the motherboard. Something in the switch is busted so that contact isn't always happening. It's just a temporary contact switch - press it, there is contact for a moment.
Pressing the button differently does nothing differently, motherboard wise.
