>Just to repeat, both these machines are running significantly more smoothly >as a result.
I'm just curious - what role does the PRAM battery actually play once the computer is RUNNING? I always thought that all the PRAM battery did is supply voltage to keep the PRAM and NVRAM from resetting when you turn off the power (keeps the RTC running, etc - when are they going to make one of these things accurate anyway?!), and that it helps keep the "engine warm" so to speak, so that there's enough voltage in the circuits to activate all the hardware when you push the power button. Once power is running through the power supply, the PSU provides all the necessary voltage to keep things going. Some macs can run without PRAM batteries. You can pull them out and they still boot and run (albeit, they tend to forget where and when they are, but they run just fine). The x100 series, though, needs a PRAM to provide voltage for the video circuitry to come on when you turn on the computer - a dead PRAM battery is almost always indicated when you turn on the computer and the display fails to light up. But a 9500 I used for a while had no PRAM battery at all - it was dead so I pulled it. Same with a PowerTower Pro that I own. I used that machine for the better part of a year with nothing in the PRAM battery spot. Not to rain on your parade, but I'm skeptical of your PowerBook being more stable because you replaced your battery - it's probably just a coincidence. Or maybe when you replaced the battery, you pushed the RAM in more firmly or something... Still, the 1400 is a breed apart, so who knows. I am genuinely interested to hear from an expert, though, about what role the battery plays while a Mac is actually running. Peace, Drew -- <http://homepage.mac.com/alk/> "There are of course many problems connected with life, of which some of the most popular are `Why are people born?' `Why do they die?' `Why do they spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?'" -- Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PowerBooks list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/powerbooks.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powerbooks%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
