roger@dodger.com said:
The one time I tried to replace a CMOS battery in a laptop, I couldn't
get the laptop back together again.
That's why I mentioned getting a cost quote from a local computer repair
shop so you could determine if it was worth getting the problem fixed.
Too bad, because I can't find the solder point (B500)
in order to ground it to reset the password.
While desktop mobos have a 2-pin header to short to clear the CMOS table
(the modified copied of the BIOS from the EEPROM), I'm not sure laptops
even bother with a header or even the solder pads for the pins to
provide a CMOS clear function. That's why most times when looking up
how to do this for a laptop that the procedure is described as removing
the CMOS battery for awhile to do the clear.
So I guess the trash can will be its new home.
A call to a local computer repair shop is free. Is it worth $50 to have
a working laptop? I found an old laptop quite valuable when my desktop
died (because an electrolytic capacitor in the PSU for its 5V line got
pregnant so the PSU had to be replaced but it takes time for a new one
to arrive). If you already have multiple PCs (desktops, notebooks,
mobile devices) that can do the Net (so you can continue doing e-mail
and web surfing) then it might not be worth repairing an old desktop.
However, if you have only one desktop PC, even an ancient computer is
still capable of doing e-mail and even handle most web surfing (as long
as the old PC has a recent enough web browser version to handle what
most web sites consider a base level for functionality). Prior to this
last desktop PC whose PSU died, the prior one got fried by a bad PSU
(the CPU regulator caps on the mobo got pregnant having to overwork
because of a weakly regulated PSU output) and the old laptop became my
only computer over a span of several months until I could afford to get
a new one.
Consider using the old Toshiba as a backup computer. Even if its
battery is ancient and unusable (figure after 3 years they need to be
replaced), it is still usable on A/C power.
If you really intent to trash the laptop, instead give it to the
Goodwill or a Thrift shop with a note that the BIOS system password is
unknown and needs to be cleared to use the hardware. Someone else migh
tbe willing to take apart the laptop or cut out an access hole to remove
the CMOS battery to reset the [CMOS copy of the] BIOS.
Lastly, consider selling it off at eBay. Some folks will buy dead or
otherwise unusable laptops so you can still make some money of what you
can't or won't use. Some folks want the parts, are willing to fix the
item, or need some hardware to include with an OEM license of software
so the license is valid. Just be careful about the shipping cost you
charge at eBay. You don't want to ask too little and have to fork out
the difference but you don't want to overcharge so many potential buyers
walk away from your auction. Lastly, consider putting it on Craigslist
whether for a small cost or for free. Free stuff gets a lot of
attention at Craigslist. Someone else might be willing to do the
repair, especially since the CMOS coin cell battery should get replaced
every 5 years in any computer.