Question for my old funky laptop

[easysurfer]

Okay...I got this old Dell D600 laptop which I've decided to just keep instead of say goodbye to.

By old funky:

1) The Dell battery died a couple of years ago and I decided to go battery-less instead of paying the outrageous prices to get a new Dell battery.

2) The USB ports in the back stopped working, but I got a work around with a USB PCI card

3) The CMOS battery needs replacing as each time I use it, I have to re-enter the date/time on boot up after I've disconnected the power.

Other than the three above and a few scratches and dents, the laptop works like new .

Seriously, I've decided to just keep it instead of looking for a replacement. But now I'm thinking of fixing it up. A non-dell battery at Amazon is only about $20. The CMOS battery only about $5. The USB card works fine for my USB connections.

Question...Once I change the CMOS battery, in order to keep it from draining, do I need a laptop battery or keep it plugged in? Or is it something independent?

I'm thinking, does it work like a plugged in smoke detector? Unplug that and it drains the battery. Or is the CMOS battery usage separate and independent?

 

[Dimsumkid]

The CMOS battery you're referring to is to keep the date and time settings. It's separate and independent.

 

[TromboneAl]

I'll bet the CMOS battery is recharged when you are plugged in, but in any case I wouldn't worry about it; it should last for years.

 

[eytonxav]

If you do decide to say goodbye, you could always make a viral video and shoot it full of holes

 

[easysurfer]

Okay, I'm going do a little test. I just turned on the laptop. Once again, I had to enter the time/date in the Bios. Now I have it plugged in and off. So in awhile I'll see if there's any recharging going on or not when I unplug it. (Of coure, the battery could just be dead and not chargable). I did take a peek at the battery and it reads as a Ni MH battery.

 

[justplainbll]

Spring for the 'big' bucks to buy a new CMOS battery or leave the blinken thing plugged in. My 4 year old desktop is giving me date/time agida when I turn off my UPS for more than ~8 hours.

 

[LOL!]

Dell Laptops are about $400 or less nowadays. That's almost cheaper than buying a new battery and AC-adapter for your D600.

I knew someone who left their laptop in a government mail room. It was actually taken out and shot by the security guys because they thought it might contain explosives.

 

[REWahoo]

Dell Laptops are about $400 or less nowadays. That's almost cheaper than buying a new battery and AC-adapter for your D600.

+1

Here's a Dell for $400 with free shipping: The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

 

[easysurfer]

The test result is in. I booted up during initial plug in and first got the "set time/date" situation. Then I plugged to computer in for about 30 mins and booted, up, no "set time/date". The unplugged it for 30 mins to let battery self-discharge or not. I plugged in and booted up, no "set time/date" situation. Looks like there definitely is recharging of the CMOS battery going on.

I went ahead and ordered a replacement CMOS battery anyway from ebay. I figure it was probably the original and is like a cordless phone battery that doesn't last forever.

Cost of replacement li-ion laptop battery from Amazon: $22
Cost of CMOS battery: $3

Cost of keeping funky laptop: priceless (or not )

 

[target2019]

CMOS battery is not chargeable.

The laptop battery will probably not be as good as the one that came with notebook many years ago. But I did the same. New battery for my HP would have been +150. I found something for $50, but it does not have the battery life advertised. Also, it juts out from the back of system, which is fine with me.

You might find that when you get things working properly, you can go into CMOS and turn your USB ports back on. Just a guess. Of course you're new USB ports may be faster than what's in that old notebook.

Have a great day.

 

[frank]

I usually buy this type of thing on ebay. If you buy it from China, it is cheap, the shipping takes a while, you can buy it cheap from the US, but it will be the same thing but already imported.

 

[easysurfer]

CMOS battery is not chargeable.

The laptop battery will probably not be as good as the one that came with notebook many years ago. But I did the same. New battery for my HP would have been +150. I found something for $50, but it does not have the battery life advertised. Also, it juts out from the back of system, which is fine with me.

You might find that when you get things working properly, you can go into CMOS and turn your USB ports back on. Just a guess. Of course you're new USB ports may be faster than what's in that old notebook.

Have a great day.

Here's the CMOS battery I purchased:

CMOS Battery for Dell Latitude C400 D505 D510 D600 L400 | eBay

Note the battery chemistry type is Ni-MH. So, I'd think if the circuitry is built-in, why wouldn't that be rechargeable?

Since my laptop is a throw around out of shape one, I don't mind gettting a cheap battery as long as it works.

 

[seraphim]

Now download a Linux operating system to give the old box new speed.

 

[easysurfer]

Now download a Linux operating system to give the old box new speed.

I had to use a Knoppix live cd not long ago to help my niece boot a crashed Windows system in order to recover her term paper for school.

 

[EvrClrx311]

Edit: I posted before reading your entire post (looks like you already found this one on your own - if nothing else, my positive experience buying batteries on amazon should help - good luck!)

===

Amazon has a lot of third party vendors that sell computer parts a lot cheaper than the manufacturers... the quality is sometimes slightly lower, but for an old computer you really don't want something brand new anyways.

I've ordered batteries three times from Amazon and never had a problem with them...

Here is one for your computer that is selling for under $20 (a lot less than the $200 manufacturer price

Amazon.com: Laptop Battery for Dell Inspiron 600M Latitude D600: Electronics

 

[Texas Proud]

Heck, at least you can find a cheap battery... I need one for my wife's Sony and the cheapest one I can find is $60...

Most are over $100...

 

[easysurfer]

Edit: I posted before reading your entire post (looks like you already found this one on your own - if nothing else, my positive experience buying batteries on amazon should help - good luck!)

===

Amazon has a lot of third party vendors that sell computer parts a lot cheaper than the manufacturers... the quality is sometimes slightly lower, but for an old computer you really don't want something brand new anyways.

I've ordered batteries three times from Amazon and never had a problem with them...

Here is one for your computer that is selling for under $20 (a lot less than the $200 manufacturer price

Amazon.com: Laptop Battery for Dell Inspiron 600M Latitude D600: Electronics

Looks like you read my mind. Of the ones to chose from, I had already purchased the one on your link. The price of an OEM Dell battery (espcially for a worn down laptop) was just way too much. But for $20 for an adequate alternative, that's very reasonable.

 

[target2019]

Here's the CMOS battery I purchased:

CMOS Battery for Dell Latitude C400 D505 D510 D600 L400 | eBay

Note the battery chemistry type is Ni-MH. So, I'd think if the circuitry is built-in, why wouldn't that be rechargeable?

Since my laptop is a throw around out of shape one, I don't mind gettting a cheap battery as long as it works.

That looks like 3 button batteries, doesn't it?

I don't think those are rechargeable, and there isn't a recharging circuit in the notebook for that anyway.

 

[easysurfer]

That looks like 3 button batteries, doesn't it?

I don't think those are rechargeable, and there isn't a recharging circuit in the notebook for that anyway.

Here's something on the CMOS batteries:

Dell batteries, battery chargers, & adapters - DellBatteryValues.com

 

[NW-Bound]

All the CMOS batteries I have had in desktop motherboards have been a flat 3V cell that looks like the one below. These are indeed non-rechargeable.

These lithium batteries last a long time. Just the other day, I booted up an old MB that is 10-yr old, and the clock/calendar was still current.

So, when easysurfer said his CMOS battery was rechargeable, I was about to post what target2019 said. But then, when I saw the photo of the 3-cell NiMH, I realized that not all PCs were built the same.

I happen to have some of these 3-cell packs that I bought for a hobby project. The voltage is 3x1.2V = 3.6V. This is the first time I saw this being used in a PC. Being of the Ni-MH type, the self-discharge is very high compared to the lithium disposable type, and this type of battery would not last more than a few months if it does not get charged.

Conclusion: the laptop MB definitely has to charge this CMOS battery.

 

[landover]

I also have a similar situation laptop, keyboard is not working so I use onscreen/external keyboard, it is OK since mouse is used most of the time. I am thinking should I buy a replacement, it would be not this cheap ($400) since older one has a very good screen. Now I have one more year syndrome, I hope in a year or so there will be really good (cheap) tablets with matured software so I will not need a laptop.

+1

Here's a Dell for $400 with free shipping: The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

 

[justplainbll]

I also have a similar situation laptop, keyboard is not working so I use onscreen/external keyboard, it is OK since mouse is used most of the time. I am thinking should I buy a replacement, it would be not this cheap ($400) since older one has a very good screen. Now I have one more year syndrome, I hope in a year or so there will be really good (cheap) tablets with matured software so I will not need a laptop.

I still prefer and regularly use my 1980s era IBM keyboard.

 

[TromboneAl]

I still prefer and regularly use my 1980s era IBM keyboard.

Ah, the old clicky ones? I loved those.