You can use Dell's QuickSet tool to define a power scheme that will either hibernate or shut down the laptop after an amount of time you choose. I have used QuickSet to define a power scheme that: never power off the hard-drive, turn off the screen after 5 minutes, but either Shut down or hibernate the system after an hour. I'm not sure if Shut-down was an option, but hibernate definitely was. I change to this power scheme so I can leave my laptop on to run AntiVirus or defragment my hard-disk before I go to bed.