Success!
Thankyou
idgas. The site was very helpful.
For your info
redsnail the following was the culprit:
When Windows XP won’t powerdown automatically, the APM/NT Legacy Power Node may not be enabled. To enable this, right-click on the My Computer icon, click Properties | Hardware | Device Manager | View. Check the box labeled “Show Hidden Devices.” If it’s available on your computer, there will be a red X on the APM/ NT Legacy Node. Try enabling it and see if this resolves the powerdown problem.
Give it a go, it worked for me.
Once again, thanks
idgas 