hi i have a problem with my computer nd need some advice on how to fix it. everytime i turn it on a black screen appears with the following message: Pheonix BIOS 4.0 Release 6.0 Copyright blah blah all right reserved 640 K System Ram passed 125 M Extended Ram passed 256K Cache SRAM passed System BIOS shadowed Video BIOS shadowed UMB upper limit segment address Mouse initialized Fixed Disk Toshiba bunch of numbers ATAPI CD-ROM Toshiba ERROR 0271 Check date and time settings WARNING 0251 System CMOS checksum bad- Default configuration used F1 to resume and F2 to set up Pls tell me what to do. the problem with my notebook was that it just kept on turning itself off. i had the harddrive replaced just last year. so what should i do. anxiously waiting.

Find out how to reset the BIOS / CMOS.

i have to admit i dont even know what BIOS and CMOS are. is it a problem with the hard drive?

Seemingly not. CMOS is your computer setup - as in: F1 to resume and F2 to set up It may be that the CMOS battery is bad - try hitting F2 (like it says) and set the time etc. Save & exit - if it doesn't 'take', change that battery Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie!'... till you can find a rock

A check sum error is usually a bad/failing CMOS battery.If you don't know what it is have it replaced by a professional.

What happens when you hit F1 or F2? CMOS is the type of semiconductor that holds all the BIOS settings for date, time, hardware, etc. Typically a battery keeps the cmos charged. If that battery dies you get those error messages. The cmos battery is not the one you use when running the laptop. It'll be inside somewhere and may be difficult to replace. The battery may be recharagable and the constant shutting off problems you were having may have prevented it from charging. Or it may be a rechargable battery that's gone bad. Or it may be a Nicad that's gone bad. The laptop manual or the manufacturer's site may help. Otherwise you should probably take it to a shop.

ok thanks for all this help and so quick too. if i go to F2 there is just a whole lot of options for all the set up nd everything. the BIOS i guess. nd if i press F1 it just starts the computer as normal. i have been using my notebook computer with the adapter plugged right into the outlet for the past three years. i took out the battery that was inside it. r u talking about some other battery than that even?