Power Scheme Time Setting Mystery

[flumixt]

W98: I've set the monitor power setting to turn off the monitor after X minutes.

When this comp was new 5 years ago this feature worked OK except about 2-3-4 times a year the monitor wouldn't shut off unless I changed the setting time. Gradually all of a sudden by now I have to reset the time at each startup; a pain. Its only 9 clicks but still... Can this be fixt?

I do not use any screen saver pattern.

 

[bf0x]

Replace the CMOS battery located on the Motherboard.

Remember to look at your settings in BIOS before doing this incase you need to go back and re-configure BIOS due to the dump of the configuration from the replacing of the battery. From what your story sounds like is that the battery is not keeping the system settings when the power is removed from the computer. Hope this helps.

 

[flumixt]

Well that didn't do it tho the battery was 5yrs + 10 months old and the book said 5 years so it was due. Never lost the CMOS settings, took a few seconds to change.

 

[micker377]

This is a "stand-a-lone" system isn't it? If it's a networked unit, we're looking at a different problem.

Set the time as usual (make sure it is correct). Shutdown computer. Pull power plug for 1/2 hour or so. Plug back in and turn on system - check time. If it's wrong, you've probably lost the time chip on the motherboard. If it is bad, the workaround is:
In the old days (before all this auto stuff), computers didn't have a time chip. You had to put it in everytime you booted up. in the autoexec.bat file, you would insert 2 lines before the "echo off line": Time
Date
When you boot up, the computer will stop at "time" and wait for your input.

 

[flumixt]

Hi- Unplugd, replugd, 3/4 hr, clock never missed a second. Never has except it gains time slowly. I think the problem is elsewhere. Here's why:

I installed W98 on a different (old) comp from the same CD as for my (new) comp. Checked the serial numbers etc.

Go to screen saver > settings and for Power Scheme it coughs up: Turn off Monitor, Standby, AND Suspend. They all work as desired by choosing the # of minutes etc. I'll bet a horse t**d against a gingersnap the difference is because the old comp has a Pentium MMX 200mhz chip (that's what's on the invoice) while the new comp has a Pentium III 500mhz chip and Suspend Mode isn't in its equation and/or Suspend = Standby anymore.

That or sumthin in the registry because if I go to HKLM\system\current control set\series\vxd\Vpowered and change the Flag value from 0 to 200 and SuspendFlag from 0 to 1 the Standby option is removed.

Guess we've beat this to death. Wish there was a big fat Registry Book that we could work with, see what's where. I'll just hit start\shutdown\standby from now on. Thanx.