Okay, I know that compaq is notorious for not wanting anyone to work on their pc's. That's evident from trying to upgrade RAM--the case is so hard to remove that I almost gave up. (My non-computing husband had to do it for me.) I think my CMOS battery is running low, because the clock is losing time. I have a Compaq presario 5030, and I know I'm going to have to replace that battery at some point. Now, I know I have to be able to reset all the CMOS settings, or at least that's what I've read in three different books. I can't figure out how to go into the settings to write them down, because all the suggestions don't work. I've also heard that Compaq's proprietary penchant has led to all this information being hard-wired into something, that I don't need to worry about that. I couldn't verify the source of that information. Can anyone tell me, definitively, either that I don't need to worry about resetting my CMOS settings, or how to go in and write them down ON A COMPAQ PRESARIO 5030--not on "every" computer. If you don't own or have never worked with a Compaq, you really don't have a clue how different they are from what you expect from rational computer makers.
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Compaq Presario
- Thread starter yanqui
- Start date
When you see the small square dot in the upper right corner while booting, quickly hit F10 to get into setup.
Can you replace the battery with the PC on? It will hold its settings then, from the 5VDC power to the motherboard. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
Can you replace the battery with the PC on? It will hold its settings then, from the 5VDC power to the motherboard. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
- Thread starter
- #3
Are you absolutely sure this works with a Compaq? See, this really isn't as dumb a question as it sounds, because I've done that, and what I get into isn't what I'm supposed to get into. It's been quite a while since I've tried to do that, but the settings I'm supposed to write down I remember as being distinctly different from what I saw. I haven't tried to replace the battery yet, because, as I said, just getting into the thing is difficult, and I'm not sure WHAT I can do, and compaq doesn't like to tell you those things. They really want you to take it to a Tandy shop and overpay for entry-level techs to do what non-techs should be able to do for themselves. All I really need to do anything is a good set of instructions and an acceptable set of outcomes. Hey, that sounds like a good motto for me.
I've had a Compaq Presario 1260 laptop, and a Prosignia machine at work years ago. Compaq BIOS is accessible by hitting F10 during bootup, when you see a small square appear in the upper right corner of the screen. However, you have to be fast on the keyboard, so be poised to hit F10 as soon as you start up.
Compaqs suck, so I ditched mine. The laptop charging circuit on the motherboard failed (replaced battery and daughter board, no luck, common failure), so it became a portable desktop. Their tech support was useless and featured English as a 2nd language. All they could tell me was to condition the battery and update the BIOS (did it). Memory is also proprietary on some. I bought a Sony VAIO laptop a year ago, love it. Have a clone desktop PC, no worries. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
Compaqs suck, so I ditched mine. The laptop charging circuit on the motherboard failed (replaced battery and daughter board, no luck, common failure), so it became a portable desktop. Their tech support was useless and featured English as a 2nd language. All they could tell me was to condition the battery and update the BIOS (did it). Memory is also proprietary on some. I bought a Sony VAIO laptop a year ago, love it. Have a clone desktop PC, no worries. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
- Thread starter
- #5
contact Compaq email support and they will email you the how to in 0ne hour, I know as I have two Compaqs.
dcwtechmech
IS-IT--Management
LOL
Please dont even try to replace anything while the machine is on!!!!!!!!
Your settings will be fine if you replace the batery while the machine is off. You can access setup though with the cursor to the right and with a set of two beeps as well. Your time being behind is the issue. One thing about a battery being bad is that it works or it doesn't. I'm not familar with it slowing time... thought the battery would be the thing I would try first. Let me know if this works for you. Let everything that have breath praise the Lord.
Please dont even try to replace anything while the machine is on!!!!!!!!
Your settings will be fine if you replace the batery while the machine is off. You can access setup though with the cursor to the right and with a set of two beeps as well. Your time being behind is the issue. One thing about a battery being bad is that it works or it doesn't. I'm not familar with it slowing time... thought the battery would be the thing I would try first. Let me know if this works for you. Let everything that have breath praise the Lord.
- Thread starter
- #8
dcwtechmech
IS-IT--Management
I'm sorry
To enter setup to view aqnd record your settings on a compaq system. Upon boot up the cursor blinks to the left. I then jumps to the right of the screen. Sometimes it beeps twice when it does this and sometimes it just does one or the other. Let everything that have breath praise the Lord.
To enter setup to view aqnd record your settings on a compaq system. Upon boot up the cursor blinks to the left. I then jumps to the right of the screen. Sometimes it beeps twice when it does this and sometimes it just does one or the other. Let everything that have breath praise the Lord.
One thing about a battery being bad is that it works or it doesn't. I'm not familar with it slowing time...
That's one of the most common symptoms. The battery powers the real-time clock as well as the BIOS. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
That's one of the most common symptoms. The battery powers the real-time clock as well as the BIOS. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
KimberTech
MIS
Batteries that are low will make the system lose time, yes.
Usually this is the first symptom that it is getting low for us hardware people.
Analogy...flashlight..
works great...then dims...then quits.
DO NOT change the battery with the system on....what you can do it attempt to keep contact with the new battery to the holder as you remove the old one if you are concerned about losing settings. Kimber
The more I learn,I realize how much more there is to know!
Usually this is the first symptom that it is getting low for us hardware people.
Analogy...flashlight..
works great...then dims...then quits.
DO NOT change the battery with the system on....what you can do it attempt to keep contact with the new battery to the holder as you remove the old one if you are concerned about losing settings. Kimber
The more I learn,I realize how much more there is to know!
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