The Lazarus Project; or, getting old ain't for sissies!

Onkel Neal · 05-12-07, 01:49 AM

Well, for a diversion, I have decided to pull my old 1995 Pentium 100 with Win95 out of the closet and thrust it back into action, playing Aces of the Deep, Silent Steel, Wolfpack, Silent Hunter I, and other pre-millenium subsims.

It has not been turned on in over 3 years, so of course when I plugged it in, it won't run. First, it tells me there is a 127 System Board Error
then it goes to the Set-up Utility menu and there are three other errors waiting:

161 Bad CMOS Battery (how could it be naughty, it's been asleep 3 years?)
163 Date and Timer Incorrect
1762 Configuration Change has occurred

Ok, so if I exit the setup utility, I get a black screen with a simple white diagram of a floppy poised to enter a drive, with an insistent flashing error suggesting I press F1. Now, I have seen this before, I think it meant the old fella cannot access the hard drive or the Win95 OS. Probably forgot where it put it...

So, I suppose I need a new CMOS battery, and I better check the hard drive connections. Tomorrow I will start Googling, but in the meantime, I was wondering about your experiences with something like this. A really old PC, being rudely jerked out of its blissful slumbers...

Neal

donut · 05-12-07, 02:40 AM

161 Bad CMOS Battery (how could it be naughty, it's been asleep 3 years?)Dead !
Replace It's in a coma
163 Date and Timer Incorrect-F1,it wants you to enter BIOS,set date/time. New battery,should activate memory,allowing a sys restore,or sys recovery.
1762 Configuration Change has occurred-restore-unknown how except suggestion above. Keep that boat afloat.LOL

STEED · 05-12-07, 03:19 AM

Neal I just booted up my old Compaq Win95 and it's smooth as a baby's bot. No problems with it.

fatty · 05-12-07, 08:36 AM

Replacing the battery should fix all of those first few errors. I had to do this a few years ago. Write down all the info on the battery and I think you can still get them at Radio Shack or whatever your electronics store of choice is. Mine was a bit of a B to remove and replace so you may be in for a struggle.

You may want to try the above first before tackling the second problem as it will cure your computer's Alzheimers, as you know. After you do the usual connection checks, go to the BIOS and check all the stuff there, namely that you are booting from HDD. Beyond that, post back with any discoveries or progress you make!

MadMike · 05-12-07, 05:06 PM

I usually see a lot of old systems at places like Salvation Army and Waterfront Mission, Goodwill, etc. Great places to find old National Geographic maps, books, furniture, etc.

Yours, Mike

Onkel Neal · 05-12-07, 11:03 PM

Ok, status update: I pulled the PS so I could get at the motherboard battery. It was still a struggle, but I got it out. I went to Circuit City and had the Joe grab a new one. Got home, put it in... it was too thin and the little clip did not press it down properly

So I will go back tomorrow and ask for a "thicker" one. Alas.

Iceman · 05-12-07, 11:27 PM

You can get those batterys from any drug store too...popping those batterys out was the way to get around someone who has passworded the boot sequence...btw some of those cmos batterys were never made to be removed...

the best part about messing with that computer is ya can't really go wrong now can ya

...if the clip wont sit it securely insert a few small layers of tin foil to make contact

Onkel Neal · 05-12-07, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman

You can get those batterys from any drug store too...popping those batterys out was the way to get around someone who has passworded the boot sequence...btw some of those cmos batterys were never made to be removed...

the best part about messing with that computer is ya can't really go wrong now can ya

...if the clip wont sit it securely insert a few small layers of tin foil to make contact

Good idea about the tinfoil, I'll try it. thanks

Onkel Neal · 05-13-07, 04:41 PM

Ok, got another battery, a thicker one that happened to match the same part number as the old one

Now, when the PC is turned on, it take about 30 seconds before the monitor kicks in, and then it only displays the two lines of text describing the video card, it does not even go forward to the POST or IBM setup utility screen....

Onkel Neal · 05-13-07, 07:19 PM

Oh boy, something is happening... after rebooting about 30 times, it now goes to the IBM POST screen and the Ram counts up, but reeeeeeeaaaly slowly. When it gets to 97MB of Ram, nothing happens and F1 won't take it to the setup utility.

I am thinking I may try plugging in another hard drive and see what happens. Or it may be time to build a new Olde PC. Parts should be cheap

I need a Pentium 133 and MB, a 64MB ram chip, and a Soundblaster 16 ISA card.:hmm:

fatty · 05-13-07, 07:26 PM

Hmmmm. Perhaps time to start swapping out components to test for defective hardware.

Onkel Neal · 05-13-07, 07:44 PM

Yeah, I think you are right, will go by a computer shop tomorrow and see if I can find an old, cheap hard drive.

Winston · 05-14-07, 01:30 AM

Hay there Neal, have you tried dosbox or any of the other dos emulators? With a bit of tweaking they can be set up to run most games. I regularly play a few games from the past. Just the other day I had Eye of the Beholder running, sure beats the pants off a lot of modern rpg’s.

Anyway, is does not sound like a HD problem. Seems to be having trouble with ram. You could try to disconnect the hard disk completely just to see if it makes a difference and to see how far it gets in the boot sequence.

FIREWALL · 05-14-07, 01:45 AM

Solution to your problem "Onkel Neal" ?

Find a large ROUND file and store it there. Use that extra new closet space for something good like PRIZES for new contests.

Oberon · 05-14-07, 09:56 AM

Ever thought of using one of these Neal?

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Love the idea though, I think there might be an old computer gathering dust in the attic somewhere...maybe some day I'll switch it on and see what happens....with the fire brigade on speed-dial of course

05-12-07, 01:49 AM	#1
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	The Lazarus Project; or, getting old ain't for sissies! Well, for a diversion, I have decided to pull my old 1995 Pentium 100 with Win95 out of the closet and thrust it back into action, playing Aces of the Deep, Silent Steel, Wolfpack, Silent Hunter I, and other pre-millenium subsims. It has not been turned on in over 3 years, so of course when I plugged it in, it won't run. First, it tells me there is a 127 System Board Error then it goes to the Set-up Utility menu and there are three other errors waiting: 161 Bad CMOS Battery (how could it be naughty, it's been asleep 3 years?) 163 Date and Timer Incorrect 1762 Configuration Change has occurred Ok, so if I exit the setup utility, I get a black screen with a simple white diagram of a floppy poised to enter a drive, with an insistent flashing error suggesting I press F1. Now, I have seen this before, I think it meant the old fella cannot access the hard drive or the Win95 OS. Probably forgot where it put it... So, I suppose I need a new CMOS battery, and I better check the hard drive connections. Tomorrow I will start Googling, but in the meantime, I was wondering about your experiences with something like this. A really old PC, being rudely jerked out of its blissful slumbers... Neal __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

05-12-07, 02:40 AM	#2
donut The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: The Shifting, Whispering Sands, NM Posts: 1,463 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Onkel,can't you sleep? 161 Bad CMOS Battery (how could it be naughty, it's been asleep 3 years?)Dead ! Replace It's in a coma 163 Date and Timer Incorrect-F1,it wants you to enter BIOS,set date/time. New battery,should activate memory,allowing a sys restore,or sys recovery. 1762 Configuration Change has occurred-restore-unknown how except suggestion above. Keep that boat afloat.LOL

05-12-07, 03:19 AM	#3
STEED Lucky Jack Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Down Town UK Posts: 27,695 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 48	Neal I just booted up my old Compaq Win95 and it's smooth as a baby's bot. No problems with it. __________________ Dr Who rest in peace 1963-2017. To borrow Davros saying...I NAME YOU CHIBNALL THE DESTROYER OF DR WHO YOU KILLED IT!

05-12-07, 11:03 PM	#6
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Ok, status update: I pulled the PS so I could get at the motherboard battery. It was still a struggle, but I got it out. I went to Circuit City and had the Joe grab a new one. Got home, put it in... it was too thin and the little clip did not press it down properly So I will go back tomorrow and ask for a "thicker" one. Alas. __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

05-13-07, 07:19 PM	#10
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Oh boy, something is happening... after rebooting about 30 times, it now goes to the IBM POST screen and the Ram counts up, but reeeeeeeaaaly slowly. When it gets to 97MB of Ram, nothing happens and F1 won't take it to the setup utility. I am thinking I may try plugging in another hard drive and see what happens. Or it may be time to build a new Olde PC. Parts should be cheap I need a Pentium 133 and MB, a 64MB ram chip, and a Soundblaster 16 ISA card.:hmm: __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

05-12-07, 08:36 AM	#4
fatty The Old Man Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,448 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Replacing the battery should fix all of those first few errors. I had to do this a few years ago. Write down all the info on the battery and I think you can still get them at Radio Shack or whatever your electronics store of choice is. Mine was a bit of a B to remove and replace so you may be in for a struggle. You may want to try the above first before tackling the second problem as it will cure your computer's Alzheimers, as you know. After you do the usual connection checks, go to the BIOS and check all the stuff there, namely that you are booting from HDD. Beyond that, post back with any discoveries or progress you make!

05-12-07, 05:06 PM	#5
MadMike Watch Officer Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 342 Downloads: 241 Uploads: 0	I usually see a lot of old systems at places like Salvation Army and Waterfront Mission, Goodwill, etc. Great places to find old National Geographic maps, books, furniture, etc. Yours, Mike

05-12-07, 11:27 PM	#7
Iceman Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mesa AZ, Arizona, USA Posts: 1,253 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	You can get those batterys from any drug store too...popping those batterys out was the way to get around someone who has passworded the boot sequence...btw some of those cmos batterys were never made to be removed... the best part about messing with that computer is ya can't really go wrong now can ya ...if the clip wont sit it securely insert a few small layers of tin foil to make contact

05-13-07, 04:41 PM	#9
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Ok, got another battery, a thicker one that happened to match the same part number as the old one Now, when the PC is turned on, it take about 30 seconds before the monitor kicks in, and then it only displays the two lines of text describing the video card, it does not even go forward to the POST or IBM setup utility screen....

05-13-07, 07:26 PM	#11
fatty The Old Man Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,448 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Hmmmm. Perhaps time to start swapping out components to test for defective hardware.

05-13-07, 07:44 PM	#12
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Yeah, I think you are right, will go by a computer shop tomorrow and see if I can find an old, cheap hard drive. __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

05-14-07, 01:30 AM	#13
Winston Wild Night in Bangkok Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Wales Posts: 179 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Hay there Neal, have you tried dosbox or any of the other dos emulators? With a bit of tweaking they can be set up to run most games. I regularly play a few games from the past. Just the other day I had Eye of the Beholder running, sure beats the pants off a lot of modern rpg’s. Anyway, is does not sound like a HD problem. Seems to be having trouble with ram. You could try to disconnect the hard disk completely just to see if it makes a difference and to see how far it gets in the boot sequence. __________________ "Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash"

05-14-07, 01:45 AM	#14
FIREWALL Eternal Patrol Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CATALINA IS. SO . CAL USA Posts: 10,108 Downloads: 511 Uploads: 0	Solution to your problem "Onkel Neal" ? Find a large ROUND file and store it there. Use that extra new closet space for something good like PRIZES for new contests. __________________ RIP FIREWALL I Play GWX. Silent Hunter Who ???

05-14-07, 09:56 AM	#15
Oberon Lucky Jack Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 25,976 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 20	Ever thought of using one of these Neal? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Love the idea though, I think there might be an old computer gathering dust in the attic somewhere...maybe some day I'll switch it on and see what happens....with the fire brigade on speed-dial of course