Re: Laptop won't go into standby?

David,

> Do you get a message indicating it won't go into standby?

Yes.  Paraphrased (as I don't see it anymore) it is a dialog box with
something like:

  "The [device name] device driver has prevented the system from
entering standby mode...."

If you want the exact verbage, I could reenable the modem and do a
shutdown to standby mode.  But the main point is I do get a dialog,
and it identifies which device driver is prohibiting the standby
request.

However, this is a different brand laptop.  I am just offering this
information as to a potential cause, and what it was in my case. 
Since you do not get the dialog, yours may not be something similar. 
I assume you've checked Dell's FAQ and support sections for hints.

Doug