View Full Version : It finally happened Zelda-NES save games gone
Raedon
01-26-2006, 09:06 AM
It finally happened on my Zelda cart.. battery went dead. Luckly I've finished Zelda several times. Amazing how long it lasted almost 20 years.
DeputyMoniker
01-26-2006, 10:34 AM
I wonder how much longer my first CD will last before its dead. (A Christmas gift for you from Phil Spector)
It sure beats the DC VM battery.
Leo_A
01-26-2006, 11:08 AM
What's on that cd? Stuff like Silver Bells by the Supremes and Sleigh Ride by the Ronettes ?
Austin
01-26-2006, 11:40 AM
I'd hate to check the batteries in all of my NES games. *gulp*
I once found my Adventures of Link dead, but that was back in high school. Are they supposed to have a set life time, or is it based on use, or...?
DeputyMoniker
01-26-2006, 11:45 AM
What's on that cd? Stuff like Silver Bells by the Supremes and Sleigh Ride by the Ronettes ?
Yeah. I grew up listening to the record & this was the first CD my family bought...long before I got our first CD player.
1. White Christmas - Darlene Love
2. Frosty The Snowman - Ronettes
3. The Bells Of St. Mary - Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Crystals
5. Sleigh Ride - Ronettes
6. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love
7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Ronettes
8. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Crystals
9. Winter Wonderland - Darlene Love
10. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers - Crystals
11. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love
12. Here Comes Santa Claus - Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans
13. Silent Night - Phil Spector And Artists
You can listen to part of the songs here...
Click me 2 go 2 Amazon album data (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003BD7/qid=1138293516/sr=11-1/ref=sr_11_1/104-1664961-9905521?n=5174)
k8track
01-26-2006, 12:46 PM
How feasible is it to replace a battery in these carts? Is it just simply a matter of going to Radio Shack and having them put in a new one?
Xexyz
01-26-2006, 12:58 PM
It involves a specialized gamebit screwdriver, a soldering iron, and some solder.
jcheatle
01-26-2006, 03:49 PM
You know... I can honestly say that I can't remember any batteries going bad in my NES carts. But then again, I've hardly had many would've died. Maybe Zelda 1 and 2, but I think they're still running fairly well.
The only game with which I've ever had massive problems regarding data loss was Baseball Stars. For the amount of time we spent playing it and accidentally knocking the NES, it's no surprise we wiped the data a few times.
§ Gideon §
01-27-2006, 12:41 AM
My Zelda's still running okay. I played it the day before yesterday, actually. :)
Uhh... 'My condolences. Sorry. Find comfort in the inevitability of death.
goldenaxe90
01-27-2006, 01:13 AM
You might want to pick up one of the Grey Cart Zelda's. The batteries in those have to be quite a few years newer than the original gold Zelda's with the old seal of approval
You might want to pick up one of the Grey Cart Zelda's. The batteries in those have to be quite a few years newer than the original gold Zelda's with the old seal of approval
I'd just as well replace the battery, takes 10 minutes to open and solder a new one in, lasts another 20 years, you can even put in a bigger battery if you wish to.
Are they supposed to have a set life time, or is it based on use, or...?
The instructions all say 5 years.
Graham Mitchell
01-27-2006, 07:52 AM
You can call Nintendo customer service and I think they'll replace it for you. You just have to pay for it, but the work will be covered if they screw it up.
DeputyMoniker
01-27-2006, 08:38 AM
Are they supposed to have a set life time, or is it based on use, or...?
The instructions all say 5 years.
The average life of the battery is closer to 15-20 years. Nintendo was just covering their butts...they also used to offer a battery replacement service so perhaps they just hoping people really would contact them for replacements after 5 years. (They dont do it anymore though)
drwily008
01-27-2006, 11:57 AM
The worst is any of the Dragon Warriors....they play this horrible music when you start them up and the battery is gone.
Anyone who has ever heard this bad omen music knows exactly what it sounds like. :angry:
§ Gideon §
01-27-2006, 06:22 PM
The worst is any of the Dragon Warriors....they play this horrible music when you start them up and the battery is gone.
Anyone who has ever heard this bad omen music knows exactly what it sounds like. :angry:
Haha. Really? It's not a glitch or anything...? What's so bad about it? It sounds like an awesome idea.
InsaneDavid
01-27-2006, 09:36 PM
I'd hate to check the batteries in all of my NES games. *gulp*
I do that. LOL I go through them in rotations every couple years, keep things running right. There's not as many battery backed up NES games as one might think. I also usually replace the battery in most SNES games I resell - spending the extra couple bucks to replace the battery usually earns me $10 - $25 more on the 'Bay. Also why if you buy SNES games from me that have a battery there will usually be a series of save games named "Save Test" or "SAVE" on the cart.
How feasible is it to replace a battery in these carts? Is it just simply a matter of going to Radio Shack and having them put in a new one?
I can just see that now -
*goes into Radio Shack* um, hi, could you replace the battery in this NES cartridge?
Radio Shack guy: ..what's an NES cartridge? what's a battery? what's replace mean? ... Wanna buy a cell phone? high speed internet service? a TV? satellite radio? car accessories? DirecTV? ..please? I NEED MY COMMISION!
LOL
I usually hot glue the replacement battery in place since it makes removal easier if you get shafted with a bad replacement battery.
Chuplayer
01-27-2006, 11:52 PM
How feasible is it to replace a battery in these carts? Is it just simply a matter of going to Radio Shack and having them put in a new one?
Yes. I replaced my Zelda 1 battery when I was 11 or 12. I only had a flathead screwdriver to work with. Luckily my cart had pre-gamebit screws that resembled flatheads so I was able to open the cart. Then I grinded away at the battery securers with the screwdriver, bending the contacts to all hell, and I replaced the battery. I had to tape it in there, but it's been working well for years.
You'll want to not grind away at the fasteners with a flathead. You'll see what I mean by fasteners when you get the cart open. It's almost like they soldered the battery to the connectors, but not quite. It's a bitch to break with a flathead.
The worst is any of the Dragon Warriors....they play this horrible music when you start them up and the battery is gone.
Anyone who has ever heard this bad omen music knows exactly what it sounds like. :angry:
Haha. Really? It's not a glitch or anything...? What's so bad about it? It sounds like an awesome idea.
Yup.
Goes:
dododo
dododo
do do.
Just tells you what file is gone, sucks, but thats why you save on all three! Also, its not *quite* a sign your battery is going, you might of turned it off or currupted the data, and killed that file by accident or an electric charge, better safe then sorry though.
drwily008
01-28-2006, 11:38 AM
The worst is any of the Dragon Warriors....they play this horrible music when you start them up and the battery is gone.
Anyone who has ever heard this bad omen music knows exactly what it sounds like. :angry:
Haha. Really? It's not a glitch or anything...? What's so bad about it? It sounds like an awesome idea.
Yup.
Goes:
dododo
dododo
do do.
Just tells you what file is gone, sucks, but thats why you save on all three! Also, its not *quite* a sign your battery is going, you might of turned it off or currupted the data, and killed that file by accident or an electric charge, better safe then sorry though.
I always turned of my NES properly (hold in reset, turn off power). It seemed to happen if the cartridge was blinking and you tried to get the blink to fix.
Once it erased all 3 of my save files...hence having to listen to that infernal horrible music 3 times in a row.
crazyjackcsa
01-28-2006, 02:05 PM
Wow! 20 years is a hell of a long time. EA must have cheaped out on the Genny version of NHL 95, that battery lased about 2 years.
The worst is any of the Dragon Warriors....they play this horrible music when you start them up and the battery is gone.
Anyone who has ever heard this bad omen music knows exactly what it sounds like. :angry:
Haha. Really? It's not a glitch or anything...? What's so bad about it? It sounds like an awesome idea.
Yup.
Goes:
dododo
dododo
do do.
Just tells you what file is gone, sucks, but thats why you save on all three! Also, its not *quite* a sign your battery is going, you might of turned it off or currupted the data, and killed that file by accident or an electric charge, better safe then sorry though.
I always turned of my NES properly (hold in reset, turn off power). It seemed to happen if the cartridge was blinking and you tried to get the blink to fix.
Once it erased all 3 of my save files...hence having to listen to that infernal horrible music 3 times in a row.
Had it happen once, which was bad enough, but three times on a single startup?
*music*
"God damn it. My backup save was 4 hours back."
*music*
"GAAAAH! I was only at the second town on the third save."
*music*
*throws controller* 'Fuck this game."
drwily008
01-28-2006, 05:03 PM
Had it happen once, which was bad enough, but three times on a single startup?
*music*
"God damn it. My backup save was 4 hours back."
*music*
"GAAAAH! I was only at the second town on the third save."
*music*
*throws controller* 'Fuck this game."
That was about it too!
I think it was Dragom Warrior III and I had been playing on the same save since 1991 or 1992...man it pissed me off!
GarrettCRW
01-28-2006, 07:57 PM
The only game with which I've ever had massive problems regarding data loss was Baseball Stars. For the amount of time we spent playing it and accidentally knocking the NES, it's no surprise we wiped the data a few times.
Tecmo Super Bowl is another battery-backed game with memory issues. When you get towards the end of the season, the amount of stats saved really tax the battery, meaning that you absolutely need to hold reset when you turn it off.
Had it happen once, which was bad enough, but three times on a single startup?
*music*
"God damn it. My backup save was 4 hours back."
*music*
"GAAAAH! I was only at the second town on the third save."
*music*
*throws controller* 'Fuck this game."
That was about it too!
I think it was Dragom Warrior III and I had been playing on the same save since 1991 or 1992...man it pissed me off!
God bless the toploader eh?
Jorpho
01-29-2006, 02:03 AM
Tecmo Super Bowl is another battery-backed game with memory issues. When you get towards the end of the season, the amount of stats saved really tax the battery, meaning that you absolutely need to hold reset when you turn it off.
It seems highly unlikely that the amount of data you can read off the cart makes any difference to how much energy is being drained from the battery.