Hey guys so I have bought a 1640 off Gumtree for £1....Only problem is that when it boots up it throws up a memory parity error.
Upon further investigation I discovered that the batteries had leaked and there was a lot of corrosion on the main board. I have cleaned as much as I can off the board - focusing on the memory chips - with vinegar.
I have also checked to see if any of the ram chips have failed and if any traces were damaged, however I couldn't see anything wrong.
Anyone got any ideas?
Yes, you need to check the connections with a multimeter on the resistance or continuity ranges. Visual inspection is good, but does not tell you if the connections, tracks etc are actually electrically good.
It's helpful if you have a schematic diagram. If not, you will have to "reverse engineer it" as you go.
Mark
The problem may not be due to the actual leaking/corrosion. Could it possibly be just a case of the BIOS settings being wrong because the battery was flat? The RAM may be fine.
Bryce.
How would I check/change the bios settings?
There's a program called NVR.EXE on one of the disks. Try running that.
Bryce.
Ah...then I have a problem - I don't have the disks...
I'm sure you can find the file somewhere online.
Bryce.
Edit: 20 second google search.... Amstrad File Archive (http://www.freetimeweb.nl/home/computer/alt/lawsons-amstrad-computer_site/web.ukonline.co.uk/cliff.lawson/files.htm)
How would I transfer the files over?
Can't you save them to a disk?
Bryce.
I don't have a 51/4 inch disk drive that can connect to my main pc.. (sorry for noob questions)