Milo, I have to disagree with you here. The reset switch is a separate entity, that does not need to be supported by the case or mobo.
Switching ON requires a transient short of the jumper block, switching OFF also requires a transient short of the same block. If the switch is faulty, it can switch the system on and immediately off.
This is not theory - I have found this particular fault on a Fujitsu system.
SD