# computer freezes in boot



## lella (Feb 28, 2002)

Please I need someones help. I just a bought a pretty old laptop just for writing, but when i turn it on it goes through the memory check and then tells me that there is a real time error. Time and day is not set. After that it tells me to press f1 to continue then it tells me it is starting dos but to my frustration it never does.
The computer is called Grid model 2260 it has an external floppy drive. I'm not sure if anybody can help me or not but any attempts would be appreciated. Thanks!!


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## codejockey (Feb 11, 2002)

The time and date error is likely due to a dead CMOS battery on the motherboard (this is not uncommon on older computers). You may be able to get farther by pressing DEL during bootup, which will bring you into CMOS settings. Here, you can enter the correct time and date (although they will not be retained if the battery is dead). However, if you save the information you entered and allow the computer to reboot, you may manage to get beyond the "starting DOS" message. 

If you don't, you may need to find a DOS boot disk that you can use in the floppy drive. It's possible the previous owner removed DOS and whatever else was on the hard drive (I assume it has a hard drive, please correct me if wrong), leaving you with a well-intentioned but ill-equipped computer. Did you receive any disks or manuals with the computer? They may contain software that will make the computer operate better. Worth checking, anyway.

Hope this helps.


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