Computer Hope
Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: Ryan on December 16, 2006, 09:55:57 PM
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Well, I finally have to report that the CMOS battery in my old computer has finally been replaced by my uncle. Now a new problem has arisen, which I hope to eliminate. The battery is new, I assume. When I boot up the computer, even when I restart it, it prompts me for the time and date. I set it, but it resets back to January 01 1990 every time. Any suggestions on getting it to hold the information? I'm not going for another battery, as I'm not going to open up the computer.
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That battery is dead, the correct values have not been set since it was changed or it is not inserted correctly. Is it in backwards? That is the default date for your BIOS.
Be sure and set the date and time in the BIOS and see if it will retain that information.
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No one seems so desperate to report back the good news
when they are all fixed up.
Did you tinker with that CMOS battery,or not?
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GX1_Man, are you sure that the battery is dead? It was in sealed factory packaging before it was put in. I've checked everything else in the BIOS setup, and can confirm that the other settings have not been lost. (Everything else is detected.) I'm just having a date and time issue, as it seems. This is not affecting the system's ability to run any games. Unlike most computers I've seen, this one has a board on top of the motherboard which holds the cards in place. The CMOS battery cannot be accessed without removing it. I will need to learn how to avoid the risks ESD before attempting that. I will not go anywhere near the insides of that computer at this time.
And no, the battery is not in backwards. The area with the text on the battery is facing away from the motherboard, like it was with the original CMOS battery.
Also, I have tried setting the time and date in the bios, and it does not help. The time and date reset instantly when I exit, even if I save.
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I don't know the history of the battery. If it was a new and fresh one of the appropriate type that should work. Have a read here:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/booterrGBER12-c.html
I would try another battery first. What if you change other settings in the BIOS and restart. Are they retained?
After a quick review of your last 50 posts I am aware of multiple problems with that machine.
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The BIOS is asking for a password, GX1_Man. I'm thinking that unless I can get it right, it won't let me change the time.
Edit: That's odd. Often it doesn't ask me for a password. Sometimes it does though. *Shrugs* At any rate, if it does, I'll try the next three passwords, until I get the password right. I printed them off of the password page here at Computer Hope.
I did try changing some other settings, like the audio settings within the bios. These affect the ISA card, and it did let me keep those changes. It is only the time clock that I can't get to stay at the proper time when I turn the computer off. I guess I'll just have to set it in Windows. At least until I get the BIOS password correct.
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If it truly is a BIOS password then you should not be able to get into the BIOS at all to change any settings. Try disabling the CDROM drive in the BIOS, unplug the machine from the wall for 5 minutes and restart it. Were the changes saved?
What is the make/model of the computer or motherboard? If you don't know download and run Everest Home, make a report and post it here along with your results of the above test.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
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No good. The CMOS is losing settings. The replacement battery must be bad. I may have to live witht this. Eventually I'm guessing we will have to get rid of that old computer (sans the SCC-1; I can't afford to get rid of that rare card) I ran everest and got a report. Unfortunately, I can't get it online just yet because my newest computer out of the three desktops we have, does not have a floppy drive, and I can't burn a file to a CD on our old HP Pavilion. This means I will need access to our Dell for this.
GX1_Man, if the settings keep getting lost, will the computer eventually fail to boot? If that is so, I'd like to save it somehow, if it is possible. I doubt it though. There may be a chance that the CMOS may be freaked out. Also, there were long time periods (months or more) where that computer never got used. I may need to find another computer that has Windows 95/98 instead of that one. Only time will tell. I've got some games that only run well on that old HP, that I cannot live without.
Should I try to use this program to save the CMOS settings or not?
http://www.majorgeeks.com/CMOSsaveCMOSrest_d4049.html
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There is no point in saving the default settings. If a new battery fixes it they will still be right there. If it does not, it will not matter.
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I'm going to go ahead and write down the bios settings, or save them to a disk. This way I won't lose them.
Tomorrow I plan on using our Dell to get the Everest report up here. I'll need to get a floppy disk and get it from the old PC first.
Edit: I should have said this earlier. This is the full error message that shows up. In fact, three errors show up on a cold boot in this order:
CMOS Checksum Invalid
Memory Size Decreased
CMOS Time & Date Not Set
Could it be the RAM? I have no idea. I could ask my father to try removing one stick of ram, and then the other, to find out if either of them is bad. The next thing to check would be the PSU, but we do not have a spare. (We'd have to find a matching one, and hopefully the Everest report will clarify what it is.)
Edit 2: At any rate, if I can't do anything to remedy this issue, I'm going to make sure that this PC gets sent to the Geek Squad.
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Do you have the correct voltage ETC. battery for the CMOS?
As Gx1_Man has pointed out until you change that CMOS battery
and use the correct battery when you do it.....No one can really
tell you anything. :-?
Why would you be rushing off to the GeekSquad?They already
know how to do the job.What knowledge would you gain?
The battery is no harder to change than any other battery
incuding a flashlight battery.Once you learn how ,it's just
another boring chore.
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Street1, both the original battery and the new one are 3V CR2032 Lithium coin-cell batteries. The original one was swiss-made. The replacement was made in Japan. One thing I can tell you is that there's no data loss with the drives, as they're all detected. The PC is able to boot up successfully every time. I haven't checked safe mode, but I know that normal mode boots up fine. One strange thing that happens when I access my computer, is that the floppy drive is labeled as a 5 1/4" drive. Of course, when I restart in MS-DOS mode and return to Windows, the same drive is then labeled as a 3 1/2" drive, as it should be.
Also, I'd rather have the Geek Squad do it myself. I'm not the type of person who likes to open up his computer and deal with the problem. I'd rather not take a risk at damaging this PC, as I need it for my older games. (At least I know they still run well.) Right now I have this computer on, in DOS mode. I'm leaving it on for a while and not shutting it off. I'll restart it in a few days and check on the CMOS. Within the next few hours, I'll try to get the Everest report up if possible.
Update: Here's the Everest report. I have to do this in multiple posts.
--------[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003-2005 Lavalys, Inc. ]------------------------------------------------------------
Version EVEREST v2.20.405
Homepage http://www.lavalys.com/
Report Type Quick Report
Computer DEFAULT
Generator
Operating System Microsoft Windows 95 4.00.1111B (Win95B OSR 2.0)
Date 1990-01-01
Time 00:07
--------[ Summary ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows 95
OS Service Pack -
DirectX 4.08.00.0400 (DirectX 8.0)
Computer Name DEFAULT
User Name
Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium, 200 MHz
Motherboard Name Intel Ruby RU430HX
Motherboard Chipset Intel Triton 82430HX
System Memory 125 MB
BIOS Type AMI (07/19/96)
Display:
Video Adapter S3 ViRGE (86c325)
3D Accelerator S3 ViRGE
Monitor Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB] (62262207414)
Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Creative SB PCI128 (Ensoniq ES5880) Sound Card
Storage:
Floppy Drive Standard Floppy Disk Controller
Disk Drive QUANTUM FIREBALL_TM3200A (3 GB, 4500 RPM, Fast ATA-2)
Disk Drive WDC AC38400L
SMART Hard Disks Status OK
Partitions:
C: (FAT32) 8008 MB (7575 MB free)
D: (FAT32) 3057 MB (2863 MB free)
Total Size 10.8 GB (10.2 GB free)
Peripherals:
Printer HP DeskJet 560C Printer
(Note from Ryan: There is no printer connected to this PC.)
--------[ DMI ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ BIOS ]
BIOS Properties:
Size 64 KB
Boot Devices Floppy Disk, Hard Disk
Capabilities Unknown
Supported Standards DMI
Expansion Capabilities Unknown
[ System ]
System Properties:
Manufacturer HP Pavilion
Product 7285D3903A
Serial Number US63502940
[ Motherboard ]
Motherboard Properties:
Manufacturer Intel Corporation
Product RUBY
Version AA659433-504
Serial Number S02826185
(Continued on next post)
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Your new battery may not be making a good connection, someone may have bent the little clip too much.
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I'm not sure, Fed. My uncle has been working with computers for years.
(Continuing from previous part of report)
[ Chassis ]
Chassis Properties:
[ Memory Controller ]
Memory Controller Properties:
Error Detection Method None
Error Correction None
Supported Memory Speeds 70ns, 60ns
Supported Memory Types FPM, EDO, SIMM
Supported Memory Voltages 5V
Maximum Memory Module Size 32 MB
Memory Slots 4
[ Processors / Intel Pentium Processor ]
Processor Properties:
Manufacturer Intel Corporation
Version Intel Pentium Processor
External Clock 102 MHz
Maximum Clock 512 MHz
Current Clock 512 MHz
Type Central Processor
Voltage 3.3 V
Status Enabled
Upgrade ZIF
Socket Designation CPU-1
[ Caches / Cache #1 ]
Cache Properties:
Type External
Status Enabled
Operational Mode Write-Back
Maximum Size 512 KB
Installed Size 256 KB
Supported SRAM Type Asynchronous, Pipeline Burst
Current SRAM Type Pipeline Burst
[ Memory Modules / SIMM-2 ]
Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation SIMM-2
Type EDO, SIMM
Installed Size 32 MB
Enabled Size 32 MB
[ Memory Modules / SIMM-3 ]
Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation SIMM-3
Type EDO, SIMM
Installed Size 32 MB
Enabled Size 32 MB
[ Memory Modules / SIMM-4 ]
Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation SIMM-4
Type EDO, SIMM
Installed Size 32 MB
Enabled Size 32 MB
[ Memory Modules / SIMM-5 ]
Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation SIMM-5
Type EDO, SIMM
Installed Size Not Installed
Enabled Size Not Installed
[ Memory Modules / SIMM-6 ]
Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation SIMM-6
Type EDO, SIMM
Installed Size Not Installed
Enabled Size Not Installed
[ System Slots / PCI-1 ]
System Slot Properties:
Slot Designation PCI-1
Type PCI
Data Bus Width 32-bit
[ System Slots / PCI-2 ]
System Slot Properties:
Slot Designation PCI-2
Type PCI
Data Bus Width 32-bit
[ System Slots / ISA-1 ]
System Slot Properties:
Slot Designation ISA-1
Type ISA
Data Bus Width 16-bit
[ System Slots / ISA-2 ]
System Slot Properties:
Slot Designation ISA-2
Type ISA
Data Bus Width 16-bit
[ System Slots / ISA-3 ]
System Slot Properties:
Slot Designation ISA-3
Type ISA
Data Bus Width 16-bit
[ Port Connectors / COM A ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type Serial Port 16550 Compatible
Internal Reference Designator J6K1
Internal Connector Type None
External Reference Designator COM A
External Connector Type DB-9 pin male
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[ Port Connectors / COM B ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type Serial Port 16550 Compatible
Internal Reference Designator J5K1
Internal Connector Type None
External Reference Designator COM B
External Connector Type DB-9 pin male
[ Port Connectors / LPT1 ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type Parallel Port ECP/EPP
Internal Reference Designator J3K1
Internal Connector Type None
External Reference Designator LPT1
External Connector Type DB-25 pin female
[ Port Connectors / VGA ]
Port Connector Properties:
Internal Reference Designator J230
Internal Connector Type None
External Reference Designator VGA
External Connector Type DB-15 pin female
[ Port Connectors / Keyboard ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type Keyboard Port
Internal Reference Designator J8K1
Internal Connector Type None
External Reference Designator Keyboard
External Connector Type Micro-DIN
[ Port Connectors / MOUSE ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type Mouse Port
Internal Reference Designator J7K1
Internal Connector Type None
External Reference Designator MOUSE
External Connector Type Micro-DIN
[ Port Connectors / AUDIO/MIDI ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type MIDI Port
Internal Reference Designator J9H1
External Reference Designator AUDIO/MIDI
External Connector Type None
[ Port Connectors / VESA ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type None
Internal Reference Designator J220
External Reference Designator VESA
External Connector Type None
[ Port Connectors / FLOPPY ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type None
Internal Reference Designator J123
Internal Connector Type On-Board Floppy
External Reference Designator FLOPPY
External Connector Type None
[ Port Connectors / IDE-1 ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type None
Internal Reference Designator J123
Internal Connector Type On-Board IDE
External Reference Designator IDE-1
External Connector Type None
[ Port Connectors / IDE-2 ]
Port Connector Properties:
Port Type None
Internal Reference Designator J123
Internal Connector Type On-Board IDE
External Reference Designator IDE-2
External Connector Type None
[ On-Board Devices / AUDIO ]
On-Board Device Properties:
Description AUDIO
Type Video
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--------[ Overclock ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU Properties:
CPU Type Intel Pentium
CPU Alias P54C, A80502
CPU Stepping aC0/cC0
CPUID Revision 0000052Ch
CPU Speed:
CPU Clock 199.22 MHz
CPU Cache:
L1 Code Cache 8 KB
L1 Data Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 0
Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID INTEL-1.00.XX.DC0L
Motherboard Name Intel Ruby RU430HX
Chipset Properties:
Motherboard Chipset Intel Triton 82430HX
BIOS Properties:
System BIOS Date 07/19/96
Video BIOS Date 02/27/96
Graphics Processor Properties:
Video Adapter S3 ViRGE (86c325)
GPU Code Name 86c325 (PCI 5333 / 5631, Rev 00)
GPU Clock 14 MHz
Memory Clock 14 MHz
--------[ Power Management ]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Power Management Properties:
Current Power Source AC Line
Battery Status No Battery
Full Battery Lifetime Unknown
Remaining Battery Lifetime Unknown
--------[ CPU ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU Properties:
CPU Type Intel Pentium, 200 MHz
CPU Alias P54C, A80502
CPU Stepping aC0/cC0
Instruction Set x86
L1 Code Cache 8 KB
L1 Data Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 0
CPU Physical Info:
Package Type 296 Pin PGA
Package Size 4.95 cm x 4.95 cm
Transistors 3.3 million
Process Technology 4M, 0.35 um, BiCMOS
Die Size 91 / 83 mm2
Core Voltage 3.3 / 3.52 V
I/O Voltage 3.3 / 3.52 V
Typical Power 3.0 - 6.5 W (depending on clock speed)
Maximum Power 8.0 - 15.5 W (depending on clock speed)
CPU Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm
CPU Utilization:
CPU #1 100 %
Problems & Suggestions:
Problem No CPU L2 cache found. This may cause performance penalty.
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--------[ CPUID ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPUID Properties:
CPUID Manufacturer GenuineIntel
CPUID Revision 0000052Ch
Platform ID 00h (Unknown)
IA CPU Serial Number Unknown
HTT / CMP Units 0 / 0
Instruction Set:
64-bit x86 Extension (AMD64, EM64T) Not Supported
Alternate Instruction Set Not Supported
AMD 3DNow! Not Supported
AMD 3DNow! Professional Not Supported
AMD Enhanced 3DNow! Not Supported
AMD Extended MMX Not Supported
Cyrix Extended MMX Not Supported
IA-64 Not Supported
IA MMX Not Supported
IA SSE Not Supported
IA SSE 2 Not Supported
IA SSE 3 Not Supported
CLFLUSH Instruction Not Supported
CMPXCHG8B Instruction Supported
CMPXCHG16B Instruction Not Supported
Conditional Move Instruction Not Supported
MONITOR / MWAIT Instruction Not Supported
RDTSCP Instruction Not Supported
SYSCALL / SYSRET Instruction Not Supported
SYSENTER / SYSEXIT Instruction Not Supported
VIA FEMMS Instruction Not Supported
Security Features:
Advanced Cryptography Engine (ACE) Not Supported
Data Execution Prevention (DEP, NX, EDB) Not Supported
Hardware Random Number Generator (RNG) Not Supported
Montgomery Multiplier & Hash Engine Not Supported
Processor Serial Number (PSN) Not Supported
Power Management Features:
Automatic Clock Control Not Supported
Enhanced Halt State (C1E) Not Supported
Enhanced SpeedStep Technology (EIST, ESS) Not Supported
Frequency ID Control Not Supported
LongRun Not Supported
LongRun Table Interface Not Supported
PowerSaver 1.0 Not Supported
PowerSaver 2.0 Not Supported
PowerSaver 3.0 Not Supported
Processor Duty Cycle Control Not Supported
Software Thermal Control Not Supported
Temperature Sensing Diode Not Supported
Thermal Monitor 1 Not Supported
Thermal Monitor 2 Not Supported
Thermal Monitoring Not Supported
Thermal Trip Not Supported
Voltage ID Control Not Supported
CPUID Features:
36-bit Page Size Extension Not Supported
Address Region Registers (ARR) Not Supported
CPL Qualified Debug Store Not Supported
Debug Trace Store Not Supported
Debugging Extension Supported
Fast Save & Restore Not Supported
Hyper-Threading Technology (HTT) Not Supported
L1 Context ID Not Supported
Local APIC On Chip Not Supported
Machine Check Architecture (MCA) Not Supported
Machine Check Exception (MCE) Supported
Memory Configuration Registers (MCR) Not Supported
Memory Type Range Registers (MTRR) Not Supported
Model Specific Registers (MSR) Supported
Page Attribute Table (PAT) Not Supported
Page Global Extension Not Supported
Page Size Extension (PSE) Supported
Pending Break Event Not Supported
Physical Address Extension (PAE) Not Supported
Secure Virtual Machine Extensions (Pacifica) Not Supported
Self-Snoop Not Supported
Time Stamp Counter (TSC) Supported
Virtual Machine Extensions (Vanderpool) Not Supported
Virtual Mode Extension Supported
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CPUID Registers (CPU #1):
CPUID 00000000 00000001-756E6547-6C65746E-49656E69
CPUID 00000001 0000052C-00000000-00000000-000001BF
Problems & Suggestions:
Problem MMX is not supported. This may cause performance penalty.
Suggestion SSE is not supported. Upgrade your CPU to speed up applications optimized for SSE.
--------[ Motherboard ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID INTEL-1.00.XX.DC0L
Motherboard Name Intel Ruby RU430HX
Motherboard Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/index.htm
BIOS Download http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/genbios.htm
--------[ Memory ]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Physical Memory:
Total 125 MB
Used 63 MB
Free 62 MB
Utilization 50 %
Swap Space:
Total 1922 MB
Used 0 MB
Free 1922 MB
Utilization 0 %
Virtual Memory:
Total 2047 MB
Used 63 MB
Free 1984 MB
Utilization 3 %
Physical Address Extension (PAE):
Supported by Operating System No
Supported by CPU No
Active No
Problems & Suggestions:
Suggestion Install more system memory to improve applications performance.
--------[ Chipset ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ North Bridge: Intel Triton 82430HX ]
North Bridge Properties:
North Bridge Intel Triton 82430HX
Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm
Driver Download http://support.intel.com/support/chipsets/index.htm
--------[ BIOS ]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIOS Properties:
BIOS Type AMI
System BIOS Date 07/19/96
Video BIOS Date 02/27/96
BIOS Manufacturer:
Company Name American Megatrends Inc.
Product Information http://www.ami.com/amibios
BIOS Upgrades http://www.esupport.com/biosagent/index.cfm?refererid=40
Problems & Suggestions:
Suggestion Are you looking for a BIOS Upgrade? Contact eSupport Today!
(If you need more, please let me know. There's still much more to the Everst report. Maybe I may have done too much here.) I'm going to get the report and a few other things to my external hard drive and reconnect our newest PC after disconnecting the Dell.
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Also, I have tried setting the time and date in the bios, and it does not help. [highlight]The time and date reset instantly when I exit, even if I save.[/highlight]
Are you 100% sure you are saving correctly, if so the setting should save until you reboot, even without a battery fitted.
You need to carefully read the bios screen when saving, the prompts to save seem to be written by idiots.
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Also, I have tried setting the time and date in the bios, and it does not help. [highlight]The time and date reset instantly when I exit, even if I save.[/highlight]
Are you 100% sure you are saving correctly, if so the setting should save until you reboot, even without a battery fitted.
You need to carefully read the bios screen when saving, the prompts to save seem to be written by idiots.
I am positive, Fed. I changed the factory date to the current date in Setup, and then I clicked on "Save & Exit" (something like that; can't remember the exact text), which rebooted the computer. When it rebooted, I got the exact same error message and went back to Setup. The date resetted back to the factory date, and the time went back to midnight. The same thing happens when I change the date and time under Windows. Is there any other way to do this? My computer has an AMI Bios. Also, I have noticed that the BIOS is not up to date. The version available on the HP website is higher than what is on that PC.
It appears that the time and date is the only thing that is affected so far that badly. No problems with the hard drive thus far. The most important thing is that the computer is able to boot successfully. I don't encounter any slowdowns when Windows is running either. (By the way, the modem was removed recently, so this computer can't access the internet any longer. This computer had dial-up, and obviously isn't powerful enough to handle ethernet. At least I think.)
At any rate, I'm not sure if the pins holding the battery down were bent or not.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To GX1_Man:
Do you need any more of the Everest report? There's still more of it. Fortunately I copied the report from the floppy disk to my external hard drive, so that I do not need to reconnect the Dell Dimension 8200 again.
I'm thinking it may be better if this old computer gets sent to the Geek Squad over at Best Buy. I know I'll need the CD-ROMs and floppy disks, but they should know what to do to fix the issue.
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I'm thinking it may be better if this old computer gets sent to the Geek Squad over at Best Buy. I know I'll need the CD-ROMs and floppy disks, but they should know what to do to fix the issue.
What they will do is charge you about $100 which is about $99 dollars more than this Pentium 200 non MMX machine is worth. Surely you can find a better use for your money. I like old machines, but I know when to quit throwing good money after bad. ;)
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I'm thinking it may be better if this old computer gets sent to the Geek Squad over at Best Buy. I know I'll need the CD-ROMs and floppy disks, but they should know what to do to fix the issue.
What they will do is charge you about $100 which is about $99 dollars more than this Pentium 200 non MMX machine is worth. Surely you can find a better use for your money. I like old machines, but I know when to quit throwing good money after bad. ;)
What GX1_Man said. ;D
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My money is on the battery not making proper contact. :)
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My money is on the battery not making proper contact. :)
or the uncle who fixed it. :-? ;D
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While on a break from work, I found this pdf file. Take a look. This is the manual for my old computer's motherboard.
ftp://download.intel.com/design/motherbd/oem/28181002.pdf
Check out the diagram for the motherboard, and look at section 1.7.3
From what I remember, this battery has two metal pins holding it in place on the side, and another contact on the bottom. There's nothing holding it in on the top. The battery has to be in snugly. It should be.
Also be sure to check out section 1.11 (Jumper settings for CMOS are there)
Edit: This Christmas vacation I'm going to ask my father to check the RAM. I did see a "Memory Size Decreased" message at bootup, from what I remember...
Latest edit: Actually, I'd suggest you look at anything that you think may help me. (I hope that the motherboard's capacitors are okay.)