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T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
Hey Guys. I have a T23 (I think! It is a Pentium III, 2648-6GU.) When it was given to me, it had what I assumed was the original OS, Win XP Pro. However, it was extremely slow. It came with no update software, and did not appear to have a Restore hidden partition. Also, was not keeping the time and date. I have later and much faster laptops, but there is just something about this one: I want to get it working good. It looks very good physically, and these have the reputation of being built like a rock.
So I replaced the CMOS battery, which apparently worked, and finally figured out how to install a fresh WinXP. It would not boot from any CD (Windows or Linux), but would boot from a DVD! I then upgraded the memory to 1G, and replaced the HDD with a 60G Toshiba HDD. Loaded WinXP Pro SP3. Worked great, but then, it started losing the time and date again. I replaced the CMOS battery again, verifying the wires are correct, and the voltage at the end of the plug has a little over 3 volts. It worked for a couple of hours, and then started losing the time and date. Someone online said to leave the computer plugged in for a couple of days to see if that fixes it. It didn't. Won't keep the time and date when unplugged, even a few minutes now....I have to go into the BIOS every time I restart the computer on battery power, even if turning off and right back on.
People say the MB is bad. If no one here can tell me otherwise, or how to fix it, I might replace the board. (They are available online for $30) My question is....can a later board be installed in this case as an upgrade? And if so, will the 133 Memory work on the later board?
Thanks.
Dean
So I replaced the CMOS battery, which apparently worked, and finally figured out how to install a fresh WinXP. It would not boot from any CD (Windows or Linux), but would boot from a DVD! I then upgraded the memory to 1G, and replaced the HDD with a 60G Toshiba HDD. Loaded WinXP Pro SP3. Worked great, but then, it started losing the time and date again. I replaced the CMOS battery again, verifying the wires are correct, and the voltage at the end of the plug has a little over 3 volts. It worked for a couple of hours, and then started losing the time and date. Someone online said to leave the computer plugged in for a couple of days to see if that fixes it. It didn't. Won't keep the time and date when unplugged, even a few minutes now....I have to go into the BIOS every time I restart the computer on battery power, even if turning off and right back on.
People say the MB is bad. If no one here can tell me otherwise, or how to fix it, I might replace the board. (They are available online for $30) My question is....can a later board be installed in this case as an upgrade? And if so, will the 133 Memory work on the later board?
Thanks.
Dean
Re: T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
Welcome to the forum!
Your machine as it left the factory:
A fairly basic T23, but definitely worth keeping if it's in good physical condition. IMO, that is.
I'd tend to agree, but the real question is how annoying do you find this problem to be? You could leave the system on 24/7/365 just turning the LCD off...that's what I would do anyway.Zygmo wrote:
People say the MB is bad. If no one here can tell me otherwise, or how to fix it, I might replace the board. (They are available online for $30)
Your machine as it left the factory:
Code: Select all
2648-6GU PIII-M 1.0GHz (512KB), 256MB RAM, 20.0GB HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 8x-3.3 DVD-ROM, Modem(MPCI), Ethernet(CDC), WinXP Pro
No.My question is....can a later board be installed in this case as an upgrade?
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Re: T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
Thanks, George. I didn't think a later MB could be used, but it didn't hurt to ask someone who knows for sure. As far as how aggravating the time/date problem is....it's not too big a deal, but enough for me to eventually buy that MB replacement. I am one of those guys who can put up with software bugs: I usually don't know how to fix those anyway. But if it's a hardware problem and I can fix it....I want to. Back in the day when I had 57 Chevy Hot Rods, I would work all week, come home and spend all weekend pulling the engine out of one of them just to clean it up and paint it and put it back in. My smart a__ friends said I ought to put zippers on them. :)
Re: T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
I like that...Zygmo wrote: My smart a__ friends said I ought to put zippers on them.
Anyways, you could probably pick a working barebone T23 in the forum's Marketplace for $30 or so...all you have to do is post a WTB (want to buy) ad and someone might just come to the rescue...
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Re: T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again, George.
Re: T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
Ongoing things! As a last resort I pulled the CMOS battery plug out and made absolutely sure that the wires are positioned correctly in that plug, as I have read some of these have the wrong wire in the wrong place. They are correct, so I decided to quit fooling with this, reinserted the plug, and will just set the date and time whenever I want to use it. The main battery had run down, so I recharged it last night. Started it up this morning, reset the date and time, turned it off and unplugged it. Started it back up a few hours later, and it had kept the date and time!! Turned it off, restarted it....still keeping the date and time!
Tonight, I started it....no date and time!! LOL I pulled the main battery, pushed and pulled the CMOS battery wires a couple of times, figuring there must be a loose connection somewhere. Set the date and time, restarted....no date and time.
So...would you agree that the problem is probably where the CMOS socket is attached to the board? I have nothing but time and will remove the board to resolder those connections if that is probably where the problem is.
Tonight, I started it....no date and time!! LOL I pulled the main battery, pushed and pulled the CMOS battery wires a couple of times, figuring there must be a loose connection somewhere. Set the date and time, restarted....no date and time.
So...would you agree that the problem is probably where the CMOS socket is attached to the board? I have nothing but time and will remove the board to resolder those connections if that is probably where the problem is.
Re: T23 CMOS Battery problem, and possible MB upgrade
A good cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and compressed air may save you the effort of re-soldering...I'd try that first.Zygmo wrote: So...would you agree that the problem is probably where the CMOS socket is attached to the board? I have nothing but time and will remove the board to resolder those connections if that is probably where the problem is.
Good luck.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
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