[Mavericks Update Issue] Power button does not put computer to sleep.

Jarrod - maybe try holding it down 3, 4 seconds? That discrepancy with your IMac at home vs at work could be beyond me - probably some server/security thing that someone way more knowledgable in that area than myself could help you with - assuming its the same iMac? But I wouldnt bet that you are transporting your desktop like that every morning and night to and from work/home ... soooo, Id say, check your update history in the appstore and your iMac at work - maybe it didnt complete or is an older update? I dont know, if theyre different computers, different years, etc. than it could be a lot of things - kind of like I said earlier - if it becomes bothersome enough, seek a pro.

And pappasike - Thank you for answering my question! It worked for me; brought up that familiar shutdown/sleep/whatever menu.

Goodluck guys!

Yes, this works. In fact, anything slightly longer than a tap will work. All the way up to the 1.5-2 seconds to get the menu of more options. As long as you release before that menu and press for longer than a "tap", the computer will sleep immediately.

New things can be confusing in a silly manner sometimes. I guess a little rephrasing should work:

Tap: Just a tap on the key

Press: Where you press the key firmly but not hold on to it. Kinda like pressing a "metal snap button".

Hold: Where you actually hold on to pressing the key for—I would say—around or more than 2 seconds.

Solution to Post:

Just Press the Power Key firmly and it will go to sleep.

If you hold on to it for around 3 seconds or more it will display the Shut Down options so simply Press firmly and leave.

Additional Tip: After pressing the Power Key, say "1 Mississippi" (a little quick) and leave the Key. This should give you a clear idea of how long to Press it for.

Verdict: I actually like this setting since it saves accidental Sleep. And, as I said in the start, it can seem confusing in the start because it's new but it is actually quite convenient.

This is the actual solution!!! THANKS!!!!

🙂

Yes! This is very helpful and for me it definately counts as the solution to the problem!

You can hold ctrl-shift-power or ctrl-shift-eject for about half a second to put the computer to sleep immediately.

Just need to use this command in Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.loginwindow PowerButtonSleepsSystem -bool yes

An then you can hold 2 seconds the power button to sleep without dialog box..