UPDATE: Wake On Lan setup has locked the laptop.

FIXED IT!

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up. Killed the
'Wake On Magic Packet Only" setting, and it runs fine again.

I think Andy Burns wins the internet for suggesting that (may have
missed someone else suggesting that)

Big thanks to all of you for the suggestions.

In article , brian-bellivea...
@SPAMshaw.ca says...

FIXED IT!

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up. Killed the
'Wake On Magic Packet Only" setting, and it runs fine again.

I think Andy Burns wins the internet for suggesting that (may have
missed someone else suggesting that)

Big thanks to all of you for the suggestions.

So all it required was a really COLD boot LOL

Brian Belliveau wrote:

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up.

Great news.

I think Andy Burns wins

I need to take my own advice and strip down dad's old laptop, to see
what it has in terms of CMOS battery, I've got his data off the hard
disc, and he has a new PC, so no rush. The fan starts, a blue LED turns
on, but it has only booted twice in dozens of attempts ...

On 2/11/2018 4:47 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
Brian Belliveau wrote:

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up.

Great news.

I think Andy Burns wins

I need to take my own advice and strip down dad's old laptop, to see
what it has in terms of CMOS battery, I've got his data off the hard
disc, and he has a new PC, so no rush.Â* The fan starts, a blue LED turns
on, but it has only booted twice in dozens of attempts ...

At least it did not go "POP" like my last computer did when it died.

--
2018: The year we learn to play the great game of Euchre

Andy Burns wrote:
Brian Belliveau wrote:

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up.

Great news.

I think Andy Burns wins

I need to take my own advice and strip down dad's old laptop, to see
what it has in terms of CMOS battery, I've got his data off the hard
disc, and he has a new PC, so no rush. The fan starts, a blue LED turns
on, but it has only booted twice in dozens of attempts ...


It helps to find a take-apart web page, to locate where
the CMOS battery is. At least one design, it was on
the bottom side of the PCB. And one poster, to save
time, used the info, plus a "hole cutter" drill bit,
and just drilled to get to it :-)

Beats taking out 30 screws to find it... But dead reconning
like that is only possible with really good photos.

Many laptop CMOS batteries are on a twisted pair "tether".
And the battery is covered in shrink wrap, so it cannot
short to anything. You buy a whole new assembly, rather
than trying to "recycle" the welded assembly in front of you.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...jBP_wnb3tNL2v0

The connector should be keyed, but take note of which
lead is red and which black, when removing the old one.
So you don't reverse it by accident. Or perhaps buy
a design that isn't wired right or something.

There are two kinds of coin cell for this. CR2032
is not rechargeable. It last three years. The
LR2032 is rechargeable, using energy from the
main battery for recharge. It might last several
days with the main battery removed. Always
match "like with like". If you find an LR2032,
replace with an LR2032.

Paul

On Sun, 11 Feb 2018 10:58:40 -0500, Paul wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:
Brian Belliveau wrote:

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up.

Great news.

I think Andy Burns wins

I need to take my own advice and strip down dad's old laptop, to see
what it has in terms of CMOS battery, I've got his data off the hard
disc, and he has a new PC, so no rush. The fan starts, a blue LED turns
on, but it has only booted twice in dozens of attempts ...


It helps to find a take-apart web page, to locate where
the CMOS battery is. At least one design, it was on
the bottom side of the PCB. And one poster, to save
time, used the info, plus a "hole cutter" drill bit,
and just drilled to get to it :-)

I assume there were hundreds of tiny plastic bits scattered inside and
around the laptop after taking a hole cutter to it. Yikes.

Beats taking out 30 screws to find it... But dead reconning
like that is only possible with really good photos.

I vote for removing the screws.

snip

There are two kinds of coin cell for this. CR2032
is not rechargeable. It last three years. The

My 3 oldest PCs here are from 2004, 2006, and 2009. Luckily, they don't
know that their CR2032 CMOS batteries should only last 3 years. ;-)

snip

Char Jackson wrote:
On Sun, 11 Feb 2018 10:58:40 -0500, Paul wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:
Brian Belliveau wrote:

Removed both batteries, run on line power, started right up.
Great news.

I think Andy Burns wins
I need to take my own advice and strip down dad's old laptop, to see
what it has in terms of CMOS battery, I've got his data off the hard
disc, and he has a new PC, so no rush. The fan starts, a blue LED turns
on, but it has only booted twice in dozens of attempts ...

It helps to find a take-apart web page, to locate where
the CMOS battery is. At least one design, it was on
the bottom side of the PCB. And one poster, to save
time, used the info, plus a "hole cutter" drill bit,
and just drilled to get to it :-)

I assume there were hundreds of tiny plastic bits scattered inside and
around the laptop after taking a hole cutter to it. Yikes.

Beats taking out 30 screws to find it... But dead reconning
like that is only possible with really good photos.

I vote for removing the screws.

snip
There are two kinds of coin cell for this. CR2032
is not rechargeable. It last three years. The

My 3 oldest PCs here are from 2004, 2006, and 2009. Luckily, they don't
know that their CR2032 CMOS batteries should only last 3 years. ;-)

snip


They last three years... if you pull the main battery pack.
They last ten+ years, if you leave the main battery pack in place.

Now, the interesting part for me, is how do they avoid rapidly
discharging the main battery pack, to keep the CMOS and RTC running.
To avoid draining the CR2032, there has to be a circuit regulating
down from 14.4V (battery pack voltage) to the 3VSB voltage used
to keep the RTC running. It's dead easy to make an inefficient
circuit, but if you did that, the laptop battery could be "ruined"
by self-discharge below threshold. And then the charger won't touch it.
I don't know exactly how they convert the 14.4V laptop battery
voltage, to 3VSB @ 10uA, and do it while drawing no more than 10uA
(or so). Many three terminal regulators "leak" a couple milliamps
while doing absolutely nothing, so the obvious answer isn't the right
answer. On a desktop, they can afford such a wasteful practice,
because the AC mains are very obliging.

*******

The same rules apply to a desktop PC. The CR2032 lasts for
three years, if you leave an unplugged PC in your junk room.

Whereas you get ten+ years for the CR2032, if the ATX PSU
is plugged in and switched on at the back.

The best for this, is probably the Macintosh desktop approach, where
they stick a largish $12 to $15 battery in the thing, that
can last at least ten years while the machine is unplugged.
The battery finally died on my G4 (which is unplugged all the
time), and the shocker for me is that it still boots.
The time-of-day isn't correct, but it rectifies that eventually
using NTP.

Paul

Paul wrote:

It helps to find a take-apart web page, to locate where the CMOS
battery is. At least one design, it was on the bottom side of the
PCB. And one poster, to save time, used the info, plus a "hole
cutter" drill bit, and just drilled to get to it

You would have to take the hole-saw to the palm rest on this one. It
took some prising apart after spotting it's the type where you need to
lift the keyboard out.

I found the CMOS battery is the ML2016 rechargeable type with welded on
tabs; de-soldering it made no difference to the laptop booting, so it's
now declared junk.