Thanks for your reply - and I am sure the recent storms are not the cause of the 'check sum' error - as this has been an occasional problem for a while - so very occasional that I never thought of it, but it is becoming more the norm.

Where does one get a new CMOS battery? At Comp USA or the like? Do they come in different make/models - or do I just need to get 'any kind'. Related to that - how do I go about changing it? Will it be obvious to the eye where this component is, and is it just a matter of popping it out and replacing it? I do not want to appear dense, but this is uncharted territory for me.

Same question for the 'flash-image' (what is that?) of the newest BIOS - where do I obtain that? And is there a particular type for different computers, or is it specific to a certain computer?

Sorry to need the 'step-by-step' directions, but all this stuff is very intimidating to me....

As always, thanks for your patience and help - I truly appreciate it!

Trish