use Perl

• power ram (Score:1)

  by rjbs (4671)

  There's some dedicated processor on pbook mainboards and some other voodoo that goes on. Here are my suggestions:
  
  1. Zap the PRAM. Do this by holding cmd-opt-P-R during boot. I think it'll BONG more than once if it zaps. I'm not sure about that.
  
  2. Enter openfirmware by holding cmd-opt-O-F. At the openfirmware prompt, run "reset-nvram"
  
  I make no guarantee that these will not cause your Mac to explode, but I do suggest that it's unlikely. I had this problem once, and PRAM-zapping would help for a while

  --
  rjbs
• Battery Update (Score:1)

  by blech (1597)

  Did both PowerBooks have the reasonably recent (January, iirc) Battery Update installed? Does installing it now help?
  
  If the answers are 'yes' and 'no', then this will have been useless. You never know, though.
  • Re:Battery Update (Score:2)

    by davorg (18)

    I know that mine doesn't have it. I'll try installing it.
    • Re:Battery Update (Score:2)

      by davorg (18)

      Tried it. The installer says "this software is not necessary for your computer".
• Warranty? (Score:2)

  by ask (83)

  No more warranty on either powerbook?
  
    - ask

  --
  

  -- ask bjoern hansen [askbjoernhansen.com], !try; do();
  • Re:Warranty? (Score:2)

    by davorg (18)

    Don't know about my client. My Powerbook was second hand when I got it last May, so I doubt it's still under warranty.
    • Re:Warranty? (Score:2)

      by drhyde (1683)

      Applecare is transferable.
      • Re:Warranty? (Score:2)

        by davorg (18)

        So I understand. But isn't the warranty just for one year? What I'm saying is that the machine is almost certainly over a year old. I guess I need to check that.
      • Re:Warranty? (Score:1)

        by pdcawley (485)

        And it didn't ever have any (and was outside the period of available Applecare at the point when I bought it I believe).
• Try reseting the power manager... (Score:1)

  by Adrian (66)

  ... the process is different depending on what model you have. See this knowledge base article [apple.com] for more info.

  You might also see what the command line tool battery [mitt-eget.com] thinks is happening.