Any detriment to not replacing PRAM batt?

[SteveO]

My aunt's iMac G3 400 on 10.3.9 needs a PRAM battery. I've got the time and date set to Apple Americas so that's not a problem. Wondering if there is anything bad that could happen if the batt is not replaced...system crashes, the eighth gateway to hell is unlocked, etc. She is 200 miles away. Thanks.

[BigGuynRusty]

[quote SteveO]My aunt's iMac G3 400 on 10.3.9 needs a PRAM battery. I've got the time and date set to Apple Americas so that's not a problem. Wondering if there is anything bad that could happen if the batt is not replaced...system crashes, the eighth gateway to hell is unlocked, etc. She is 200 miles away. Thanks. Temporal Vortex.
Not really an issue.
No, not a problem.

BGnR

[Harbourmaster]

I have had wake from sleep issues with an iMac tha had a dead PRAM battery.

I suggest setting the energy saver prefs to never sleep the Mac, just dim the screen if necessary.

[dk62]

No, had 4 computers with dead batteries, no problem.

[Acer]

Depends on model. A 6100 needed to be powered on twice in succession to boot with a bad pram battery.

Now get off my lawn.

[dk62]

Yes, some computers in the 6100-6400 series had issues. According to Apple and to my experience, none of the later ones did. Notably, some people on the forum claim that they had issues that were resolved with the battery change. Noting that the battery change would also reset PRAM in most cases, I am not sure whether this was a correct expression of their troubleshooting experience, but one can never be sure. A marginal battery might cause PRAM corruption, so dead battery is better than a dying one. However, if she keeps her computer plugged in, there should be no issues. It is most certainly not worth a 200 mile trip.