Desk computer, Laptop, do you need a battery for both?   

A) My friend's G3 laptop, which was working fine before he left, but
is giving him trouble on his arrival.  He says, as best I could hear
him, that the only thing that shows on the screen is a CD, either the
image of a CD or maybe the initials CD, with a question mark in the
middle. I know I didn't give many clues, sorry, but any ideas what
that means?

B) Is every G3 a laptop?  I'm afraid I forgot to say that in one
question and that I was misleading. 

c) I know that for the Mac 2, desk computer, and maybe for others, if
the small battery inside is dead, the computer won't start.  Is that
called the PRAM battery? More to the point, does the big battery that
uses a bay in a Powerbook G3 laptop have to be in place for the
computer to start.  The one my friend has is "very dead" and he was
planning to use the computer with a CD drive and a floppy drive. I'm
thinking there's a chance that's why it won't start, because he has no
battery in the bay.  Or perhaps his PRAM battery died, by coincidence
between the time he left the USA and landed abroad?

Thanks a lot.

If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM  :-)

date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:21:08 -0400   author:   mm