# Dead, very dead laptop

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 19, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789 "2010-06-19T17:59:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/1 "2010-06-19T17:59:42Z")

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I have an old (2001) Toshiba laptop with XP home edition which has been working perfectly for all these years. (One of the main reasons for that is that it is NEVER connected to the Internet so isn’t subject to viruses, etc.) Also, because online security is not a problem the multitudinious Windows upgrades have not ever been installed. A side effect of the above is that booting up and shutting down have been taking just a few seconds at most.

Anyway, the last time I fired it up it came on for a minute and then showed, in a DOS screen, the following:

“Invalid checksum.  
Check system and press F!.”

Then the screen goes black and stays black.

Do you Doper think there is any help for this antique, or should it be made into something like a canoe anchor? And, after all these years the original XP disk has gone missing so reinstallation is not an option.

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**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/2 "2010-06-19T18:39:56Z")

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By “DOS screen” do you mean that there is only text on the screen, and no graphics or windows, or do you actually mean a DOS screen, as in Windows booted up, and a DOS shell opened and displayed that message?

If that message comes up as part of the power on self test (POST) when the computer is first turned on, then it sounds like the real time clock battery has died. That battery also powers the memory for the BIOS settings, so when it dies, and the system loses power, the BIOS settings get erased. That often causes the BIOS to give an “Invalid Checksum” message.

Have you tried pressing F1? That will probably bring you into a screen where you can set the time, the hard disk information, and stuff like that. Once that is set correctly the computer will probably work fine until the next time it unplugged. Unfortunately I don’t think I can help as to what the correct settings are.

If resetting the BIOS does fix the problem, and you still want the computer to work, then it may be possible to replace the real time clock battery. It is probably a button cell battery someplace on the motherboard. You’d have to take the computer apart to get to it, and figure out what kind it is.

Frankly, if repairing this computer costs anymore than the $3 for a new battery then it is not worth rescuing. A \< $400 netbook will perform better. If there is data on there you want, then you can remove the hard disk and attach it to a USB to hard disk adapter like this one: [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812816014&cm\_re=usb\_pata-_-12-816-014-_-Product](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812816014&cm_re=usb_pata-_-12-816-014-_-Product)

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**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/3 "2010-06-19T19:38:08Z")

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> [@echoreply](#):
>
> Frankly, if repairing this computer costs anymore than the $3 for a new battery then it is not worth rescuing. A \< $400 netbook will perform better.

All good info, but I would say a netbook is a pretty bad deal. I recently purchased one (and then returned 14 days later, thanks Walmart!). What I found out:

1. The maximum speed for the Atom processor (usually used for netbooks) is 1.2 ghz. It is also permanently set in power saving mode, which means for most of the time, it is running at .5 ghz. Nowadays, the average laptop runs at 2.0 ghz.

2. The laptop I did get was a Toshiba for $400 vs the netbook for $300. To buy the external cd drive and upgrade the battery from a 4 cell to a 6 cell would cost exactly $100 dollars. Therefore, the netbook costs the same or more as a laptop with more features.

3. After using the netbook, it became clear that it was far too small for even the most basic functions. Some models today have the extended keyboard, but they still come with an unusable touchpad and a horrible screen.

I would recommend getting a low-end laptop instead of a high end netbook.

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/4 "2010-06-19T19:38:23Z")

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> [@echoreply](#):
>
> If that message comes up as part of the power on self test (POST) when the computer is first turned on, then it sounds like the real time clock battery has died. That battery also powers the memory for the BIOS settings, so when it dies, and the system loses power, the BIOS settings get erased. That often causes the BIOS to give an “Invalid Checksum” message.

I concur. A dead CMOS battery is most likely your problem.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/5 "2010-06-19T20:48:15Z")

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> [@Superhal](#):
>
> All good info, but I would say a netbook is a pretty bad deal. I recently purchased one (and then returned 14 days later, thanks Walmart!). What I found out:
> 
> 1. The maximum speed for the Atom processor (usually used for netbooks) is 1.2 ghz. It is also permanently set in power saving mode, which means for most of the time, it is running at .5 ghz. Nowadays, the average laptop runs at 2.0 ghz.
> 
> 2. The laptop I did get was a Toshiba for $400 vs the netbook for $300. To buy the external cd drive and upgrade the battery from a 4 cell to a 6 cell would cost exactly $100 dollars. Therefore, the netbook costs the same or more as a laptop with more features.
> 
> 3. After using the netbook, it became clear that it was far too small for even the most basic functions. Some models today have the extended keyboard, but they still come with an unusable touchpad and a horrible screen.
> 
> I would recommend getting a low-end laptop instead of a high end netbook.

It really depends on what you you are wanting to use a netbook for. I’ve got one good nearsighted eye and the 10.2 inch Lenovo S-10 netbook screen is just fine. The netbook is an inexpensive road warrior that can get 9 hours of uptime with a single charge and is much easier to handle and tote than a larger unit if you are on the go. It’s also an ideal PC for kids and younger teenagers because it is substantially less susceptible to damage than larger units as it weighs less and has a smaller glass area to be damaged.

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**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/6 "2010-06-19T21:07:40Z")

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Thanks to all for your advice. I think it may very well be a dead clock battery, as it came on during the initial self testing, and the laptop is ten YO. Now I’ll go out and see how to change that battery. Won’t be able to actually change the battery for several weeks as the laptop is kept at a rather remote vacation cabin up in the San Juans and I’m not up there on a constant basis. Thanks again for the help.

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**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/7 "2010-06-19T21:17:27Z")

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Well, just went on the Internet and searched on this. Found a site that had detailed instructions for changig the Toshiba CMOS battery. Decided at about step 42 that it would be a really good idea to bring the laptop in and let my favorite repair guy do it. I’m a real wimp.

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**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/8 "2010-06-20T05:28:18Z")

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> [@Superhal](#):
>
> 1. After using the netbook, it became clear that it was far too small for even the most basic functions. Some models today have the extended keyboard, but they still come with an unusable touchpad and a horrible screen.
> 
> I would recommend getting a low-end laptop instead of a high end netbook.

As an owner of a Toshiba netbook, I was skeptical when I got it as a Christmas present. However, it’s been my main computer for 18 months or so now. I’ve written half a master’s thesis, a dozen term papers and all my pointless posts across dozens of internet forums like this. Its got all my roms and DVDs I’ve converted to Mp4 with my USB optical drive.

I will say that it took me about a good 10 of nonstop use to get use to the small computer. I suspect that you simply didn’t give it enough of a chance, but I can concede that a lot of people would probably find my setup frustrating!

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-very-dead-laptop/543789/9 "2010-06-20T05:58:06Z")

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Netbooks are a small laptop. They are GREAT for certain usage scenarios (like surfing the net, word processing, basic computer tasks (you probably don’t want to be making excel pivot tables!), very lightweight and portable, long battery life, etc. It all depends on what you want to use it for. Right tool for the right job.