here is link to last bios http://web.archive.org/web/20011202022936/htt … nload/8571.html
sp14127.exe file is here https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/ftp.compaq. … /sp14001-14500/
there is also some firmware update CD : https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/softwaredet … TX_UNITY_I22722

If the original batteries are CR you can replace them with any other CR of the same voltage*, they're non-rechargeables 😀

* Should be tautological as C indicates the chemistry (one type of disposable lithium, in this case) but not 100% sure, maybe I'm mixing in other coin batteries like the LR/SR44?

ML and LIR should be the most common rechargeable "comparables" (as opposed to "equivalents" 😀)

Ryccardo wrote on 2023-03-05, 15:23:

If the original batteries are CR you can replace them with any other CR of the same voltage*, they're non-rechargeables 😀

* Should be tautological as C indicates the chemistry (one type of disposable lithium, in this case) but not 100% sure, maybe I'm mixing in other coin batteries like the LR/SR44?

ML and LIR should be the most common rechargeable "comparables" (as opposed to "equivalents" 😀)

It's actually a BR battery (the exact size escapes me, I'll have to double check), though I noticed there were battery headers on the motherboard including one that seemed to indicate it had a diode in line to it.

theamtrakvirus wrote on 2023-03-05, 20:47:

BR battery (the exact size escapes me, I'll have to double check), though I noticed there were battery headers on the motherboard including one that seemed to indicate it had a diode in line to it.

Different composition than a CR but for most intents and purposes, the same!

As for the diode, most would drop too much voltage for a single cell to run comfortably a 3/5V clock chip, but you said there's more than one, there are low drop types (schottky?), or it might be there for shorting the battery if connected in reverse...

Yours is a low profile dual Pentium Pro correct ? Think the picture is from same or similar Compaq board. Yes you should be able to remove it and use an external battery.
I found the archive page but it lists for a 800 but if same as "the History of Compaq" pdf should be same board. the picture is from the Spare part# board 273708-001, original board # 006462-101.
http://web.archive.org/web/19970605145216/htt … roLiant800.html
The battery replacement is an External 4.5v Alkaline # 160274-001....(same one used in Compaq DESKPRO 2000 SERIES)....

added: oops forgot the link to general 850R info: http://web.archive.org/web/20010608080927/htt … 850R/index.html
and forgot the link to archive of battery: http://web.archive.org/web/20010420102840/htt … P850RC2.15.html
You probably already researched them out but just in case...

Horun wrote on 2023-03-05, 22:48:

Yours is a low profile dual Pentium Pro correct ? Think the picture is from same or similar Compaq board. Yes you should be able […]
Show full quote

Yours is a low profile dual Pentium Pro correct ? Think the picture is from same or similar Compaq board. Yes you should be able to remove it and use an external battery.
I found the archive page but it lists for a 800 but if same as "the History of Compaq" pdf should be same board. the picture is from the Spare part# board 273708-001, original board # 006462-101.
http://web.archive.org/web/19970605145216/htt … roLiant800.html
The battery replacement is an External 4.5v Alkaline # 160274-001....(same one used in Compaq DESKPRO 2000 SERIES)....

added: oops forgot the link to general 850R info: http://web.archive.org/web/20010608080927/htt … 850R/index.html
and forgot the link to archive of battery: http://web.archive.org/web/20010420102840/htt … P850RC2.15.html
You probably already researched them out but just in case...

That is correct and that's actually more than I managed to find when I was searching it (that service manual would have come in handy to save an hour trying to figure out how to do a couple things last night, oh well) It is that exact type of battery in mind too. I even managed to find a couple cr2032 battery holders out of storage today that will go perfectly in there.

I think I found the Setup Util that came on the original CD for your server... archive says: Compaq System Configuration Utility *New*2.54A 12 Apr 2001, or 2.53A or 2.51A .
Reference is to http://web.archive.org/web/20010421195152/htt … nload/9850.html
You need SP16319 for v2.54A. https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/ftp.compaq. … 500/sp16319.txt
https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/ftp.compaq. … 500/sp16319.exe
or 2.53A: https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/ftp.compaq. … 500/sp14381.txt
https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/ftp.compaq. … 500/sp14381.exe
Takes 4 x 1.44Mb floppies...

Now I'm having an issue trying to make the BIOS update and system configuration disks. I've downloaded the files off the mirror of Compaq's FTP and transferred them over to my xp machine to make the disks but when I open them and it says to either press page down to view the license agreement or esc to exit but pressing either of those does nothing. Normally I'd use my 98 machine to do this, however that is currently out of commission until I fix its power supply. The update file is just too big to put on a floppy disk and the setup utility disk file is much too big to fit on one so I can't just boot off a startup disk and try from dos in there. It's not freezing the computer because alt-enter works to get out of the fullscreen cmd screen.

Ahh yeah you cannot run those Compaq files on any 64bit OS or some later 32bit OS. Let me see if I can do a work around on the old box 😀
Will post em if I can. It is possible they are corrupt at the source but me thinks you are correct and need a 16bit OS to extract.

I appreciate it. It figures my 98 box's power supply had to crap out a couple days before I started working on this one. Once I get this one's bios updated and Windows 95 installed this one is next up on the recapping bench.

Ok ran them on my old box and made disks then imaged them. All seemed to work OK but Winimage had a issue with last sector on one cfg3a or b cannot recall which (think the app did not write the entire disk just the data).
Only the ROM and first disk of Config is needed to be super good and bootable. the other 3 contain EISA .cfg files and Ether drivers and could actually just be zipped up....
Will post to archive org and add the link here in a bit. Just keeping you informed.

Excellent, the config disks will especially come in handy since I have two other Compaq servers (a Proliant 3000 and DL360) that use the same disks. If worst comes to worst I did manage to dig up a Windows 95 laptop of mine (figures it's another Compaq, totally unintentional) and see about writing that fourth disk if for whatever reason the last disk's files are indeed corrupt and if I need them for whatever reason, though if it's all EISA stuff I probably won't since the 850R at least is not EISA.

Uploaded here: https://archive.org/details/proliant-850r
Let me know if you have issues booting off the ROM disk or Sysdisk #1. I test booted them but was not on a Compaq so they gave error about system not proper or some such 🤣.....

So I did actually need the second setup disk too, however both worked flawlessly! The only problem I'm running into now is that I can't seem to get it to auto detect my sd to ide conveter's size since there appears to be no auto detect option? I'm using a 32gb card in it and it lets me type in drive parameters for a custom drive, though I wouldn't know what parameters to use for a 32gb one or if I would even need to bother with that at all? It says an error has occurred when accessing the fixed disk or something along those lines

yeah you need the parameters of that CF, best way to get them is from another computer with an IDE controller. Maybe if you post what make and model someone here already knows but there are variants...
Do you have ANY real IDE drives you can use just to get the server up and running ? BTW one member just fried two boards because of a poorly built CF adapter.... just a warning.

I use ones that directly adapt to sd and seem to be reasonably well made. I do see lights on it so I'm assuming its working. I do have another drive I'll grab out of storage to test it out fully for now. I use this exact type adapter in my 98 build to swap between 98, 2000 and soon a couple other os as well and it seems to be perfectly fine there. Maybe I can try throwing an identical sd card in another adapter I have in my Pentium laptop to see if I can get parameters off it. Though it being another Compaq I may or may not be able to if this is anything to go of off...

Well as a bit of an update I got both an ide and a scsi drive out of storage and the ide drive wasn't being detected but the scsi one is. Not quite sure what's up with that. Hoping the ide channel doesn't have issues, though it only seems to show options for master and slave on one ide channel anyways in the setup?

Not sure if the BIOS supports IDE disks at all?
These machines used to have SCSI HDDs at time of delivery and IDE was used for CD drives only.
Never tried to use an ide HDD in any of my proliants, as I still have sufficient supply of SCSI HDDs.

Before you install any OS try to create a system partition from the disks.
You will than be able to to enter the BIOS functions by simply pressing F10 during boot.
For your other Proliants the Smartstart 5.5 CD might be more convenient, but I am not sure if the 850R can boot it.
The 3000 comes in two different versions, the early version used the same PII CPU- and memory-boards like the PL1600 while the later one has the slots directly on the mainboard.
The Smartstart CD needs a Compaq branded CD-Rom drive to be bootable if I remember right.
It has been some time since I installed mine.

The original board and newer spare variant both have Primary and Secondary IDE so cannot imagine it not supported IDE drives, though booting off one may be a different story. Images from googling...