diff --git a/src/ui/powerscreen.c b/src/ui/powerscreen.c
index 24d2818..b96181a 100644
--- a/src/ui/powerscreen.c
+++ b/src/ui/powerscreen.c
@@ -24,19 +24,25 @@ static bool power_screen_dispatch(PowerScreen *screen,
     if (state->sel_down) {
         switch (screen->choice) {
         case POWER_SCREEN_RESTART_PROGRAM:
-            request_restart();
+            request_exit(true);
             break;
         case POWER_SCREEN_REBOOT:
             LOG_VERBOSE("Rebooting...");
-            reboot(RB_AUTOBOOT);
-            abort();
-            // how did we even get here???
+            if (system("reboot") != 0) {
+                warnx("reboot(8) failed");
+                // just force it if doing it cleanly failed
+                reboot(RB_AUTOBOOT);
+            }
+            request_exit(false);
             break;
         case POWER_SCREEN_POWEROFF:
             LOG_VERBOSE("Powering off...");
-            reboot(RB_POWEROFF);
-            abort();
-            // how did we even get here???
+            if (system("poweroff") != 0) {
+                warnx("poweroff(8) failed");
+                // just force it if doing it cleanly failed
+                reboot(RB_POWEROFF);
+            }
+            request_exit(false);
             break;
         default:
             warnx("invalid power screen choice");
@@ -44,6 +50,7 @@ static bool power_screen_dispatch(PowerScreen *screen,
                                 LCD_DISPLAY_ON);
             return true;
         }
+        return false;
     }
     screen->choice = (screen->choice + state->up_down - state->down_down) %
                      POWER_SCREEN_NCHOICE;
diff --git a/src/ui/settzscreen.c b/src/ui/settzscreen.c
index d742295..cc34dbb 100644
--- a/src/ui/settzscreen.c
+++ b/src/ui/settzscreen.c
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ static bool set_tz_screen_finish(SetTZScreen *screen,
             LOG_VERBOSE("Set timezone to: \"%s\"\n", buf);
         }
         free(buf);
-        request_restart();
+        request_exit(true);
     }
     if (state->up_down || state->back_down ||
         state->sel_down || state->down_down) {
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
index 78a68a8..a7180fb 100644
--- a/src/util.c
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -535,9 +535,9 @@ bool mkdirs(const char *path, mode_t mode) {
     return true;
 }
 
-void request_restart() {
+void request_exit(bool restart) {
     RUNNING = false;
-    SHOULD_RESTART = true;
+    SHOULD_RESTART = restart;
 }
 
 bool timed_wait(pid_t pid, int *out_status, useconds_t micro) {
diff --git a/src/util.h b/src/util.h
index eab7a5c..337370e 100644
--- a/src/util.h
+++ b/src/util.h
@@ -251,10 +251,11 @@ bool export_database_as_csv(sqlite3 *db, const char *dest);
 bool mkdirs(const char *path, mode_t mode);
 
 /*
- * Request that this program re-invoke itself with the same arguments. Used to
- * re-initialize configuration values.
+ * Request that this program exit. If RESTART request instead that it re-invoke
+ * itself with the same arguments.
  */
-void request_restart(void);
+void request_exit(bool restart);
+
 /*
  * waitpid(2) for PID for MICRO microseconds. If STATUS is not NULL, store the
  * exit status there. Use the various WIF* macros to test the status. This