Flashing icon - battery problems? Something else?

Hopefully I have, at last, found the right forum...My lime clamshell iBook, running system 9.2.2, froze yesterday, and when I restarted, a flashing folder with a ?, switching with a folder with the Mac two-facing-profiles symbol, was on the screen. I have never had this symbol ever.
I found my hardware test disk and tested the system -- no probs. But the flashing folder remained whenever I restarted.
Over on the OS 9 board, there is a discussion about this flashing icon previous to my crisis today, and the group said an internal battery is the problem. I asked exactly what model I needed for my old iBook (I'm in Germany, and the Mac store here needs exact names and numbers for anything to do with my old system). I was told "Your lime iBook ca. 2000 machine has the Apple designation of iBook (Firewire). That model, like all iBook models, does not have a separate backup (internal) battery such as some PowerBook models and all desktop models have. The only battery the iBook models have is the main battery." A poster suggested I head over here on this branch of the forum and seek advice. But I posted to the wrong portion of this branch so, hopefully, this is the right one.
Someone on the other branch said something about resetting something... but if I can't turn the computer on (past the flashing icon), then how can I reset anything?
I JUST replaced this battery, not a year ago. But about six months ago, it started losing all power after just an hour or so, and I would have to reset the clock, etc. when the power just suddenly ended when my computer was unplugged. Now, I can't unplug my computer at all except for a few minutes, otherwise, the batter just quits suddenly, poof. I put the old battery back in today, but it didn't help.

I'm not sure what you are reading but it doesn't sound like a battery problem. It sounds like the iBook can't find a valid system folder to start from.
In KB 58042, A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac under "Steps for Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9" you will find the following:
The possible causes and solutions for this symptom appear in the order that you should try them. If any step resolves the issue, you don't need to continue to the next one. If at any time in this process you determine that your System Folder or its contents are missing or were intentionally deleted, reinstall Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 9.
If you normally start up from Mac OS 9 but don't have a Mac OS 9 CD that can be used as a startup disk, follow the steps for Mac OS X above. Some computers include Mac OS X Installation CDs and a Mac OS 9 Restore CD that can't be used as a startup disk. Once you've started up from Mac OS X, make sure a copy of Mac OS 9 is installed. If you erased your disk since the last time you started up in Mac OS 9, you may need to need to install Mac OS 9 drivers.
Start the computer from the Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 9 Installation or Restore CD that came with the computer.
Open the Utilities folder and locate Disk First Aid.
Open Disk First Aid and repair the disk.
Open the Startup Disk control panel.
Choose your hard disk as the startup disk.
Restart the computer.
Note: If your hard disk is not available (mounted) when started up from CD, reset the PRAM as described below, then repeat these steps. If your hard disk is still not available after resetting PRAM, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Technical Support.
If you can't choose your hard disk in the Startup Disk control panel, your System Folder may have been altered or removed. In some cases, you may solve the issue by moving files back into the correct location in a process known as "reblessing" the System Folder. A "blessed" System Folder is one that is recognized as a valid startup System Folder, as indicated by the appearance of the Mac OS logo badge on the System Folder.
Reblessing the System Folder only works when all the original files are still installed and in the correct location (or you can put them back in the correct location). If any files have been deleted, you may need to reinstall system software. If you have deliberately removed System Folder files, this includes putting them back where you found them.
Additionally, you should only have one folder named "System Folder" on your disk (not to be confused with the folder named simply "System" that is installed by Mac OS X, if both systems are installed on the same disk).
To rebless your System Folder:
Start up from CD.
Close any open windows.
Open the hard disk.
Choose By Name from the View menu.
Locate the System Folder. Tip: You should only have one System Folder. If necessary, rename any other "System Folder" you're not using. Don't rename "System" if Mac OS X is also installed.
Open the System Folder. At this time, you should replace any items that you have previously removed from the System Folder, if applicable.
Do one of the following:
->If Mac OS X is not installed or is installed on a different volume than Mac OS 9, drag the System suitcase and the Finder to your hard disk icon. If you have more than one hard disk, drag the files to the hard disk where the System Folder is.
->If Mac OS X is installed on the same volume or partition as Mac OS 9, create a new folder outside of the System Folder but on the same disk, then drag the System suitcase and the Finder to the new folder.
Close the System Folder.
Drag the System suitcase and Finder back onto the System Folder icon.
When the Mac OS logo reappears over the System Folder, it has been reblessed. Select the folder in the Startup Disk control panel, then restart the computer.

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