Win98 in unused laptop won't boot up and only blank screen

[Slickcondo]

Hi - hope someone can help. I retrieved my old Twinhead Slimnote TX233 CZ laptop from storage intending to clean it up and to send it to an orphaned student in Africa. The laptop has Windows 98 (not Windows 98 SE) installed and has a floppy disk drive and a CD read only drive. Unlike more modern laptops, this one has a extra button battery, apart from the STANDARD battery that all laptop have today. This button battery, I suspect keeps the memory from being lost when not connected to the mains and when the STANDARD battery is taken out of the laptop. The instruction for replacing this button battery is to ensure that the laptop is connected to the mains first. This button battery has not be replaced since I got the laptop before Win98SE was in the market. Not sure how many years ago was that.

However, when I put it in storage some 5 or 6 years ago, after deciding not to use it as a "backup", it was running perfectly, though slow in comparison to the more modern laptops. But it was running fine without any problems. Now when I boot it up now, all I get is a dimly lit up screen and nothing else. Just blank screen.

I tried to restart it by putting the Start Up floppy and boot up and all it did was the sound that indicates like it is reading the floppy and nothing else. When I did the same with the Windows 98 CD that came with it, it does the same. So obviously it is able to operate the floppy and the CD drive, but nothing happens or changed on the screen.

Can anyone help as to what I need to do next and why this is happening ? I have replaced the button battery as I suspected that this may be the reason, but no luck.

Any suggestions or insights into this will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[Slickcondo]

Hi - hope someone can help. But I am not sure if this is a Win98 problem or a hardware problem. But thought I'd post it here just the same. Apologies if I am in the wrong forum. I'll post this in the hardware forum also, just in case.

I retrieved my old Twinhead Slimnote TX233 CZ laptop from storage intending to clean it up and to send it to an orphaned student in Africa. The laptop has Windows 98 (not Windows 98 SE) installed and has a floppy disk drive and a CD read only drive. Unlike more modern laptops, this one has a extra button battery, apart from the STANDARD battery that all laptop have today. This button battery, I suspect keeps the memory from being lost when not connected to the mains and when the STANDARD battery is taken out of the laptop. The instruction for replacing this button battery is to ensure that the laptop is connected to the mains first. This button battery has not be replaced since I got the laptop before Win98SE was in the market. Not sure how many years ago was that.

However, when I put it in storage some 5 or 6 years ago, after deciding not to use it as a "backup", it was running perfectly, though slow in comparison to the more modern laptops. But it was running fine without any problems. Now when I boot it up now, all I get is a dimly lit up screen and nothing else. Just blank screen.

I tried to restart it by putting the Start Up floppy and boot up and all it did was the sound that indicates like it is reading the floppy and nothing else. When I did the same with the Windows 98 CD that came with it, it does the same. So obviously it is able to operate the floppy and the CD drive, but nothing happens or changed on the screen.

Can anyone help as to what I need to do next and why this is happening ? I have replaced the button battery as I suspected that this may be the reason, but no luck.

Any suggestions or insights into this will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[davedarkstar2]

go here and try some 98 options there
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

[Ant]

If you haven't changed the main battery after 5 or 6 years in storage, I suspect that this has much to do with the problem, try changing it.

However it might well be that the screen itself is dead. Try plugging it into an external screen to see if you can see anything during boot (there should be a video out port on it somewhere).

[davedarkstar2]

yo ant,Slickcondo, good point the battery one,i remember reading that sometimes if you just leave the pc on for about 24 hrs n restart pc itll kick the batt back but i think you have to do something with bios when the pc comes back on.