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Clough · May 12, 2010, 08:57 PM

Hi, All!

It might seem like a dumb question. However, two of my desktop computers have Windows XP on them. I'm currently using an old desktop that has Windows '98 on it. Need I say more as to the problems that I'm having by using the Windows '98 machine?

Anyway, neither of the desktops with XP on them will start. One of them has been sitting idle for a very long time. Haven't really checked it out as to why it won't start. The other one with XP would be the main one that I really like to use the most. It just simply won't start. Lights for a couple of things go on when I press the "on" switch, but nothing else happens.

Could there be a battery problem with either of them?

I've replaced the battery in my Apple computer before, but I don't even know if there's a battery in these other computers, let alone that if there are batteries in them, I don't have a clue as to where they might be!

Thanks!

morgaine300 · May 12, 2010, 10:49 PM

Couldn't tell you about new computers, though my guess would be yes. (Seems like something has to keep some innards working when the power's off? ) But I do know my dad's old computer that had XP, from, oh, something between about 2002-2004? Does have a battery. Cause I have that computer. It won't turn on either. My brother has doubts that it's the battery, but they're cheap and it doesn't hurt to try to replace it. (Although I'm sure someone else will come along with a much more brilliant thing for you to try first, but still, they are cheap.)

My dad's has one of those little flat disk type batteries - you know like they have in watches and some calculators and such. The one in his is about the size of a quarter and not difficult at all to find. It's on one side of the motherboard down near the bottom near some PCI slots. Whether that location has a meaning or whether that's just where it fit, I don't know. :-)

Just by coincidence, it's the same battery that's in my blood glucose meter. OK, useless information. LOL.

KISS · May 12, 2010, 10:53 PM

Yes, primarily for he clock. It may be a coin cell or a rechargeable. It may also hold BIOS settings. It's on the motherboard.

The older Apple computers needed the battery to start.

I would at the very least change the boot order in the BIOS, so it boots th CD first and try to boot the XP CD. This can easily rule out the disk drive.

Listen for any beep pattern when booting and check what it may mean.

Clough · May 12, 2010, 10:54 PM

Hi, morgaine300!

Okay, I found a battery in one of the towers that I have. I'll look in other ones too.

Thanks so much for the information! :)

Clough · May 12, 2010, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

Yes, primarily for he clock. It may be a coin cell or a rechargeable. It may also hold BIOS settings. It's on the motherboard.

The older Apple computers needed the battery to start.

I would at the very least change the boot order in the BIOS, so it boots th CD first and try to boot the XP CD. This can easily rule out the disk drive.

Listen for any beep pattern when booting and check what it may mean.

Hi, KISS!

Nothing but a couple of lights come on in one of the towers when I turn on the power.

I've tried having hard drives in or out in order to see if power will work.

I don't think that I have the XP CD's.

Thanks!

KISS · May 12, 2010, 11:00 PM

Morgaine, the CR2032? You probably pay about $5.00 per battery. I get them for $0.89. 30 batteries for free ship. Those and the LR44's. I can't seem to get the LR44's locally.

morgaine300 · May 12, 2010, 11:06 PM

Do you have any other possible bootable CD's? Most likely a utility that has an emergency disk. Like my Ghost Image has a bootable recovery CD.

KISS · May 12, 2010, 11:08 PM

Good chance hard drive is crashed.

You need a bootable CD of something.
You also need to be able to get into the BIOS

Might be F8 just after power up. First, set the time and date. Unplug the computer for a while and see if the time and date are correct when you try to enter the BIOS again.

Next step is change the battery if the time/date doesn't work.

The change the boot order so the CD is first.

You could download a copy of UNBUNTU which is Linux system that will run from CD, but not from a dial-up line. Any bootable CD will work.

morgaine300 · May 12, 2010, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

Morgaine, the CR2032? You probably pay about $5.00 per battery. I get them for $0.89. 30 batteries for free ship. Those and the LR44's. I can't seem to get the LR44's locally.

As a matter of fact, that's it. I think it was more like $2-3. Although I've wasted more money buying them. First I bought one for the glucose meter, lost it, had to buy another, then found the original. Then after I bought one for the computer to try, discovered it's the same as the glucose meter, which I could have used just to see if that worked, not to mention the extra I had sitting around. I've now lost the one I bought for the computer. Sheesh. Darn little things.

morgaine300 · May 12, 2010, 11:20 PM

That's funny. The Linux thing just occurred to me too.

KISS · May 12, 2010, 11:32 PM

I have about 3 One-touch meters. Two is use regularly. The Ultra and the Ultra2 and I have an Ultra mini too.

In the Ultra2, I wish had the ability to turn the backlight on all the time. If you label the positions, you can always move the backlight battery to the meter position and use the meter with one battery.

There is way too many things that use the CR2032 at home.

Clough · May 13, 2010, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by morgaine300

Do you have any other possible bootable CD's? Most likely a utility that has an emergency disk. Like my Ghost Image has a bootable recovery CD.

I'm sorry that I didn't return last night, morgaine300 and KISS! I was busy hooking up the computer stuff, trying to get things to work!

Nope. No other emergency disks...

Clough · May 13, 2010, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

Good chance hard drive is crashed.

You need a bootable CD of something.
You also need to be able to get into the BIOS

Might be F8 just after power up. First, set the time and date. Unplug the computer for a while and see if the time and date are correct when you try to enter the BIOS again.

Next step is change the battery if the time/date doesn't work.

The change the boot order so the CD is first.

You could download a copy of UNBUNTU which is Linux system that will run from CD, but not from a dial-up line. Any bootable CD will work.

If the hard drive had indeed crashed, would I have been able to successfully put it into another computer as a slave?

NeedKarma · May 14, 2010, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

You could download a copy of UNBUNTU...

Just a note here (and probably a typo), it's Ubuntu in case he copy/pastes for a Google search. I also like Linux Mint.

KISS · May 14, 2010, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by Clough

If the hard drive had indeed crashed, would I have been able to successfully put it into another computer as a slave?

No, but it still could still have a boot sector failure or some other Operating system issue.

It's usually about $10 to get a restore disk from a manufacturer.

Clough · May 14, 2010, 11:14 PM

I still have one more hard drive loose somewhere in my home. Need to find it in order to do some further checking as to whether things will start...

Thanks for all of the information, everyone! :)