PRAM Battery Checker is a program which will inform you if your computer’s PRAM battery has died.
What is a PRAM Battery?
The PRAM battery is a small battery inside your computer that allows your computer to remember certain settings even when the power is turned off. They have a limited lifetime and usually last a couple of years, but can die much sooner.
What can happen if my PRAM battery dies?
Your computer can forget what time it is, forget which disk to start up from, forget your monitor’s settings or not start up at all.
Why would I want to use this program?
If you are a system administrator for a large lab of computers you will like a tool to help you find the source of many common problems quickly. Dead batteries can cause a variety of problems for users. You may want to place it on your parent’s computers since it has been my experience that many parents aren’t computer savvy and will work through the problems caused by dead PRAM batteries as opposed to replacing them.
How do I use this program?
Drag the “PRAM Battery Checker v1.0” program icon into the Startup Items folder in your System Folder. The program will check your system starting the next time you restart.
How will I know if my PRAM Battery is dead?
If you use this program, it will notice a common symptom of a dead PRAM battery which is strange date and time values. If this is noticed on startup a dialog will appear with the following error message...
“This computer 's internal clock is set to a date before 1999. This is a symptom that the motherboard’s PRAM battery has died. See your manual for replacement instructions if you continue to see this message after resetting the date.”
What should I do then?
Look in your instruction manual to find the replacement battery type for your computer. Many Macs use a common battery that can be bought at the local Radio Shack for under $15US.
Is PRAM Battery Checker v1.0 an Extension?
No, it is an application.
Will it work on my machine?
PRAM Battery Checker is a Fat application which means it will run on older 68K Macs and also the Power Macintosh.
Will using this program affect my startup times?
Not really. It should take less than a second to make its check of your system. You shouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
Is this program Y2K compliant?
Yes!
What does this program cost?
This program is free for personal use. If you are using it in a computer lab or business setting as part of your support duties please purchase a site license using the enclosed Register program. A site license costs $20 and covers the use of this software by your entire organization.
Where can I find updates to this program and other software by the author?
