Armada 7800 Boot Issues

I am having a boot problem with an old Armada 7800:



1. When I boot, I get the following message: "Non-System disk or
disk error. Replace and strike any key when ready." If I just hit the
Enter key, the system boots normally. But, I can only boot from the hard
drive. I cannot boot from any other location. Just the hard drive. After
I've booted, the system recognizes the floppy and the CD. But, during the
boot process, only the hard drive is recognized.



2. If I try to load the diagnostic partition (i.e., F10 during
the boot process), I get the following message: "NTLDR is missing. Press
any key to restart."



3. If I try to reset the CMOS (i.e., repeatedly pressing Fn-F11
during the power-up process), I get the "162-System Options Not Set"
message. I press F1 to reset the configuration, but nothing changes. I
still experience the symptoms as described in item #1.



If I could boot from the floppy drive, I could rebuild the diagnostic
partition. But, I can only boot from the hard drive.





Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What you've described are the classic symptoms of a bad system CMOS battery.
With notebooks, there are all shapes and sizes of CMOS batteries used, so you
need to get a replacement specifically for the Armada 7800 (and other similar
Compaq notebooks, probably). Some disassembly of the notebook may be required
to replace the CMOS battery.

Do not confuse the CMOS battery with the larger battery which supplies power to
the computer when it is not powered by wall current. They are different.

.... Ben Myers

On Fri, 24 Nov 2006 14:51:02 -0600, "news.hickorytech.net" <>
wrote:

>I am having a boot problem with an old Armada 7800:
>
>
>
>1. When I boot, I get the following message: "Non-System disk or
>disk error. Replace and strike any key when ready." If I just hit the
>Enter key, the system boots normally. But, I can only boot from the hard
>drive. I cannot boot from any other location. Just the hard drive. After
>I've booted, the system recognizes the floppy and the CD. But, during the
>boot process, only the hard drive is recognized.
>
>
>
>2. If I try to load the diagnostic partition (i.e., F10 during
>the boot process), I get the following message: "NTLDR is missing. Press
>any key to restart."
>
>
>
>3. If I try to reset the CMOS (i.e., repeatedly pressing Fn-F11
>during the power-up process), I get the "162-System Options Not Set"
>message. I press F1 to reset the configuration, but nothing changes. I
>still experience the symptoms as described in item #1.
>
>
>
>If I could boot from the floppy drive, I could rebuild the diagnostic
>partition. But, I can only boot from the hard drive.
>
>
>
>
>
>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>