Welcome to the list, Joe!
Let us know how far you get troubleshooting the M100. Sometimes it's just a
matter of hard resetting it. Yes, the M100 keeps its memory backed up with
a separate internal battery, so if the memory is partially corrupted
because the battery got low, the corruption can be stickier than you would
expect. The battery has to be recharged and then the memory reset ("cold
start").
Most M100s need their soldered-in memory backup battery replaced at this
point. If it has already leaked, it may have caused damage to the board.
Some people replace the electrolytics altogether.
If it's your display, sometimes you can diagnose that with
<ENTER>BEEP<ENTER>
That means, launch the default application (BASIC). From the prompt,
BEEP<ENTER>
If it beeps your laptop is functional but for some reason the screen is
off. Could be the contrast potentiometer is needs to be turned. Sometimes
the contrast pot has failed or is oxidized and needs cleaned. Sometimes the
screen has failed for some other reason.
-- John.
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