Y2K and the Accel 386SX-16

Hello all...

I've got a Packard Bell Accel 386SX-16. It is in good working order apart
from a dead hard drive. Even the onboard NiCad clock battery took a charge.

But that's the problem. Try as I might, the system BIOS will simply not
accept a date past 2000. You can enter one, but it won't be saved.

I'm wondering if a fix exists for this, be it a newer revision BIOS chip
(since this system predates flash ROM by a long time), an interesting
workaround, or one of those "Y2K" cards that were being sold almost
everywhere when the new millenium was coming.

William
--
Brought to you by an IBM PS/2 9585-0XF, "Defiant"
AMD 486-133/64MB/2GB S/N 23HN457

You've uncovered an unfixed Y2K problem. ;) It's extremely unlikely that
there was a BIOS fix. Was Packard Bell still in business in 2000? My mind
loses details. Too much to remember. A Y2K card would be the only fix.

.... Ben Myers

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:14:36 GMT, "William R. Walsh"
m wrote:

Hello all...

I've got a Packard Bell Accel 386SX-16. It is in good working order apart
from a dead hard drive. Even the onboard NiCad clock battery took a charge.

But that's the problem. Try as I might, the system BIOS will simply not
accept a date past 2000. You can enter one, but it won't be saved.

I'm wondering if a fix exists for this, be it a newer revision BIOS chip
(since this system predates flash ROM by a long time), an interesting
workaround, or one of those "Y2K" cards that were being sold almost
everywhere when the new millenium was coming.

William

Hi William !

Good to see you here, Welcome !

Not nearly as much action as csiph, but there are some good experts. I don't
have any advice. I'm kind of surprised actually. I've seen many an old
motherboard work OK past 2000 ( that wasn't supposed to :-) )

Did your P60 PB accept the 2000 thing ?

Check out comp.sys.ibm.classic also. You will fit in there also. :-)

See you

bob


--
boBWatts®©
EartH
Watts Carburetion Service
Whizzbang Computers
Official collector of: transfat asian plastic junk trinkets !



"William R. Walsh" m
wrote in message news:wiylj.311945$Fc.197090@attbi_s21...
Hello all...

I've got a Packard Bell Accel 386SX-16. It is in good working order apart
from a dead hard drive. Even the onboard NiCad clock battery took a
charge.

But that's the problem. Try as I might, the system BIOS will simply not
accept a date past 2000. You can enter one, but it won't be saved.

I'm wondering if a fix exists for this, be it a newer revision BIOS chip
(since this system predates flash ROM by a long time), an interesting
workaround, or one of those "Y2K" cards that were being sold almost
everywhere when the new millenium was coming.

William
--
Brought to you by an IBM PS/2 9585-0XF, "Defiant"
AMD 486-133/64MB/2GB S/N 23HN457

"William R. Walsh" m
wrote in message news:wiylj.311945$Fc.197090@attbi_s21...
Hello all...

I've got a Packard Bell Accel 386SX-16. It is in good working order apart
from a dead hard drive. Even the onboard NiCad clock battery took a
charge.

But that's the problem. Try as I might, the system BIOS will simply not
accept a date past 2000. You can enter one, but it won't be saved.

I'm wondering if a fix exists for this, be it a newer revision BIOS chip
(since this system predates flash ROM by a long time), an interesting
workaround, or one of those "Y2K" cards that were being sold almost
everywhere when the new millenium was coming.

William


If your OS drops the first two digits of the year...
maybe you can set the bios to 1908 ?

Probably a dumb idea but it's all I can think of