Win98 in unused for awhile laptop cannot start up now

Hi - hope someone can help. I retrieved my old Twinhead Slimnote TX233 CZ laptop from storage intending to clean it up and to send it to an orphaned student in Africa. The laptop has Windows 98 (not Windows 98 SE) installed and has a floppy disk drive and a CD read only drive. Unlike more modern laptops, this one has a extra button battery, apart from the STANDARD battery that all laptop have today. This button battery, I suspect keeps the memory from being lost when not connected to the mains and when the STANDARD battery is taken out of the laptop. The instruction for replacing this button battery is to ensure that the laptop is connected to the mains first. This button battery has not be replaced since I got the laptop before Win98SE was in the market. Not sure how many years ago was that.

However, when I put it in storage some 5 or 6 years ago, after deciding not to use it as a "backup", it was running perfectly, though slow in comparison to the more modern laptops. But it was running fine without any problems. Now when I boot it up now, all I get is a dimly lit up screen and nothing else. Just blank screen.

I tried to restart it by putting the Start Up floppy and boot up and all it did was the sound that indicates like it is reading the floppy and nothing else. When I did the same with the Windows 98 CD that came with it, it does the same. So obviously it is able to operate the floppy and the CD drive, but nothing happens or changed on the screen.

Can anyone help as to what I need to do next and why this is happening ? I have replaced the button battery as I suspected that this may be the reason, but no luck.

Any suggestions or insights into this will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

 

Does it have a connector point for an ordinary monitor? If it does try plugging one in to see if it is the laptop screen that has failed.

 

Hi - thanks for respondong. Yes, it has a point for an external monitor. However, the problem is for me to use that, I need to get into Windows Display to change the option from default monitor to external monitor and I can't even get a cursor on the first screen except the screen lit up and nothing else.

 

Do it from Safe Mode.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. But it won't even boot up. So can't get into Safe Mode though I tried sevral times using F8 and Ctl and both was was with the same result or non resuly, rather .

 

If you boot using the Start up floppy that should boot into DOS and doesn't give a hoot what Windows settings are. Do you see anything on an external monitor trying this?

 

IT WORKED !!!!! Thank you so much !!! I started with the Start Up disk and it works and then befores I started do anything esle, I thought I'd try to boot up without the Start Up disk and see what happened. AND this works also !! All my Win98 systems programs and files are still intact as well as my old files !! When I checked on Display, Monitor, etc, it shows the default option selected is to automatically use an external monitor when one is connected. Wondered if XP has this option (??).

So looks like there's some problem with the laptop LCD screen, though it was working perferctly before I put it in storage. Any idea or is there anything I can do to try and find out what the problem is and make it work ?

Thank you so much for your help when so many told me that the BIOS is shot and the whole laptop is due to be in the computer grave yard !!

 

Unfortunately trying to fix a laptop screen can end up costing more than a new laptop entirely.

The only thing I can really suggest at this point is to keep the laptop in a warm place for a time just in case some dampness had got into it during its storage period.

Apart from that I'd backup any files you want off of it just in case it does decide to fall over.

But glad things are looking a little rosier than before.

 

I was thinking more in terms of, from your experience whether if I reinstall Wins98, it'll fix it as I see no reason why one minute it was working ok before I put in storage and then it isn't now, given that the storage space is in my study room shelf at normal temperature and no moisture. In any case, it's been taken out of storage and on my table for the past 3 weeks or so.

But from your reply here, I guess the screen is really shot. But if I have the energy one of these days to try and error and do a reinstallation in the off chance and it restores the screen function also, I'll let you know.

But in the meantimes, can't thank you enought for getting me a step closer and situation looks a bit rosier than before.

 

Well re-installing Windows is always a good option because you effectively know that you're starting from a clean slate as it were.

If you do re-install Windows and it all appears to work properly you may well need to get hold of the latest video drivers for the grphics card you have. But see if Windows installs first!

 

ok thanks for the suggestion. But I think it'll be quite awhile before I get round to reinstalling. All the same, many thanks for your time and help.

All the best