UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

TonyDuell · 25th Apr 2018, 7:01 pm

I think what has happened is that the battery that supplies the CMOS RAM containing the configuration information (what disk drives it has, etc) has gone flat. Or at least that configuration data is lost. As a result, it can't find the hard disk to boot from and is going into ROM BASIC (genuine IBM PC family machines, starting with the original 5150 have Microsoft BASIC in ROM).

I seem to remember that to get it going again (after replacing the battery) you need a special IBM setup disk (it had an odd name which I've forgotten, not ever having done much with the PS/2 machines).

25th Apr 2018, 7:01 pm	#2
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,209	Re: IBM Model 50 I think what has happened is that the battery that supplies the CMOS RAM containing the configuration information (what disk drives it has, etc) has gone flat. Or at least that configuration data is lost. As a result, it can't find the hard disk to boot from and is going into ROM BASIC (genuine IBM PC family machines, starting with the original 5150 have Microsoft BASIC in ROM). I seem to remember that to get it going again (after replacing the battery) you need a special IBM setup disk (it had an odd name which I've forgotten, not ever having done much with the PS/2 machines).