On 28/05/2018 11:46, Graeme wrote:
In message , Graeme
writes

Rootling around in the loft, I found my Elonex 386, bought in 1992,
running DOS and W3.1, so brought it downstairs and set up, but no go,
the PC itself seems to boot (fan noise, flashing lights), but no video
signal using the original monitor.

Ignore that.Â* Repeated CTL-ALT-DEL seems to have fixed the signal
problem, BUT error message tells me the internal battery (Real time
Clock) is discharged.Â* It seems that the BIOS defaults to boot from
drive A (the floppy), but I can change that to C, but, because the
battery is flat, the change is lost when rebooting, and it again tries
to boot from A.Â* No, I can't find the original boot disc, although it
must be here somewhere.

In the meantime, if I leave the PC on, will the internal battery charge,
or is it not rechargeable?Â* PC has probably not been booted for 20 years.

On a good day you might get enough leakage to the backup battery allow
you to reboot without having to re-enter the CMOS details. I had a
partable go that way and on the second failed reboot it would start.

If you actually want to use it swapping the 2032 cell or whatever it
happens to be for a fresh one will get you another decade.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown