Hello People!! Old Packard Bell

[WhiteElephant]

Hello People!!

Old Packard Bell 486DX suddenly won't post. I thought that I had somehow fried the system board. Two days later I try booting it again, for fun, and suddenly it works! The thing is in pieces though so it returns post errors and fails. I start putting the pieces back in it and booting it as I go, to confirm that everything is cool, you know, one piece at a time. In my travels I find that CMOS is reset to zeros. I had to tell it what kind of hard drive to find, etc., etc.. Finally get it all back together, and now it won't post again. CMOS battery, right?
So (if I'm right) I'd like to replace the battery but, it's fixed to the system board!?!? Can I a) bypass it somehow just to confirm that that's actually the problem and then b) if it is, how do I get the old one out to put a new one in? These things aren't complicated right? CMOS battery voltages are pretty standard aren't they?
Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

[tekola]

Sorry can't help, but coincidentally I have old Packard Bell 133Mhz that sees the hard drive every other boot and reports hard drive is write protected. CMOS battery is part of motherboard, don't even see sodder points. I guess PB didn't build to last. R.I.P.

 

[fedto]

ON some of the old Packard bells there is a set of pins where you can connect a battery pack, ie 3 pins marked on the mobo as external battery. I don't know of anywhere you can get one of these, but they used to be common, say 8 years or so ago.
On the old 486 I had it was near the power switch on the front left side of the case.
I hope this helps. (-: