Author Topic: CMOS battery replaced (Read 8245 times)

Ryan · « **on:** December 16, 2006, 09:55:57 PM »

Well, I finally have to report that the CMOS battery in my old computer has finally been replaced by my uncle. Now a new problem has arisen, which I hope to eliminate. The battery is new, I assume. When I boot up the computer, even when I restart it, it prompts me for the time and date. I set it, but it resets back to January 01 1990 every time. Any suggestions on getting it to hold the information? I'm not going for another battery, as I'm not going to open up the computer.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #1 on:** December 17, 2006, 03:55:03 PM »

That battery is dead, the correct values have not been set since it was changed or it is not inserted correctly. Is it in backwards? That is the default date for your BIOS.

Be sure and set the date and time in the BIOS and see if it will retain that information.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2006, 03:59:52 PM »

No one seems so desperate to report back the good news
when they are all fixed up.

Did you tinker with that CMOS battery,or not?

Ryan · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2006, 04:22:57 PM »

GX1_Man, are you sure that the battery is dead? It was in sealed factory packaging before it was put in. I've checked everything else in the BIOS setup, and can confirm that the other settings have not been lost. (Everything else is detected.) I'm just having a date and time issue, as it seems. This is not affecting the system's ability to run any games. Unlike most computers I've seen, this one has a board on top of the motherboard which holds the cards in place. The CMOS battery cannot be accessed without removing it. I will need to learn how to avoid the risks ESD before attempting that. I will not go anywhere near the insides of that computer at this time.

And no, the battery is not in backwards. The area with the text on the battery is facing away from the motherboard, like it was with the original CMOS battery.

Also, I have tried setting the time and date in the bios, and it does not help. The time and date reset instantly when I exit, even if I save.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2006, 06:48:35 PM »

I don't know the history of the battery. If it was a new and fresh one of the appropriate type that should work. Have a read here:

http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/booterrGBER12-c.html

I would try another battery first. What if you change other settings in the BIOS and restart. Are they retained?

After a quick review of your last 50 posts I am aware of multiple problems with that machine.

Ryan · « **Reply #5 on:** December 17, 2006, 07:21:23 PM »

The BIOS is asking for a password, GX1_Man. I'm thinking that unless I can get it right, it won't let me change the time.

Edit: That's odd. Often it doesn't ask me for a password. Sometimes it does though. *Shrugs* At any rate, if it does, I'll try the next three passwords, until I get the password right. I printed them off of the password page here at Computer Hope.

I did try changing some other settings, like the audio settings within the bios. These affect the ISA card, and it did let me keep those changes. It is only the time clock that I can't get to stay at the proper time when I turn the computer off. I guess I'll just have to set it in Windows. At least until I get the BIOS password correct.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2006, 08:59:06 PM »

If it truly is a BIOS password then you should not be able to get into the BIOS at all to change any settings. Try disabling the CDROM drive in the BIOS, unplug the machine from the wall for 5 minutes and restart it. Were the changes saved?

What is the make/model of the computer or motherboard? If you don't know download and run Everest Home, make a report and post it here along with your results of the above test.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

Ryan · « **Reply #7 on:** December 17, 2006, 09:41:51 PM »

No good. The CMOS is losing settings. The replacement battery must be bad. I may have to live witht this. Eventually I'm guessing we will have to get rid of that old computer (sans the SCC-1; I can't afford to get rid of that rare card) I ran everest and got a report. Unfortunately, I can't get it online just yet because my newest computer out of the three desktops we have, does not have a floppy drive, and I can't burn a file to a CD on our old HP Pavilion. This means I will need access to our Dell for this.

GX1_Man, if the settings keep getting lost, will the computer eventually fail to boot? If that is so, I'd like to save it somehow, if it is possible. I doubt it though. There may be a chance that the CMOS may be freaked out. Also, there were long time periods (months or more) where that computer never got used. I may need to find another computer that has Windows 95/98 instead of that one. Only time will tell. I've got some games that only run well on that old HP, that I cannot live without.

Should I try to use this program to save the CMOS settings or not?

http://www.majorgeeks.com/CMOSsaveCMOSrest_d4049.html

GX1_Man · « **Reply #8 on:** December 18, 2006, 04:32:26 AM »

There is no point in saving the default settings. If a new battery fixes it they will still be right there. If it does not, it will not matter.

Ryan · « **Reply #9 on:** December 18, 2006, 01:38:07 PM »

I'm going to go ahead and write down the bios settings, or save them to a disk. This way I won't lose them.

Tomorrow I plan on using our Dell to get the Everest report up here. I'll need to get a floppy disk and get it from the old PC first.

Edit: I should have said this earlier. This is the full error message that shows up. In fact, three errors show up on a cold boot in this order:

CMOS Checksum Invalid
Memory Size Decreased
CMOS Time & Date Not Set

Could it be the RAM? I have no idea. I could ask my father to try removing one stick of ram, and then the other, to find out if either of them is bad. The next thing to check would be the PSU, but we do not have a spare. (We'd have to find a matching one, and hopefully the Everest report will clarify what it is.)

Edit 2: At any rate, if I can't do anything to remedy this issue, I'm going to make sure that this PC gets sent to the Geek Squad.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #10 on:** December 19, 2006, 03:36:33 AM »

Do you have the correct voltage ETC. battery for the CMOS?

As Gx1_Man has pointed out until you change that CMOS battery
and use the correct battery when you do it.....No one can really
tell you anything. :-?

Why would you be rushing off to the GeekSquad?They already
know how to do the job.What knowledge would you gain?

The battery is no harder to change than any other battery
incuding a flashlight battery.Once you learn how ,it's just
another boring chore.

Ryan · « **Reply #11 on:** December 19, 2006, 10:10:27 AM »

Street1, both the original battery and the new one are 3V CR2032 Lithium coin-cell batteries. The original one was swiss-made. The replacement was made in Japan. One thing I can tell you is that there's no data loss with the drives, as they're all detected. The PC is able to boot up successfully every time. I haven't checked safe mode, but I know that normal mode boots up fine. One strange thing that happens when I access my computer, is that the floppy drive is labeled as a 5 1/4" drive. Of course, when I restart in MS-DOS mode and return to Windows, the same drive is then labeled as a 3 1/2" drive, as it should be.

Also, I'd rather have the Geek Squad do it myself. I'm not the type of person who likes to open up his computer and deal with the problem. I'd rather not take a risk at damaging this PC, as I need it for my older games. (At least I know they still run well.) Right now I have this computer on, in DOS mode. I'm leaving it on for a while and not shutting it off. I'll restart it in a few days and check on the CMOS. Within the next few hours, I'll try to get the Everest report up if possible.

Update: Here's the Everest report. I have to do this in multiple posts.

--------[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003-2005 Lavalys, Inc. ]------------------------------------------------------------

   Version EVEREST v2.20.405
   Homepage http://www.lavalys.com/
   Report Type Quick Report
   Computer DEFAULT
   Generator
   Operating System Microsoft Windows 95 4.00.1111B (Win95B OSR 2.0)
   Date 1990-01-01
   Time 00:07

--------[ Summary ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Computer:
   Operating System Microsoft Windows 95
   OS Service Pack -
   DirectX 4.08.00.0400 (DirectX 8.0)
   Computer Name DEFAULT
   User Name

   Motherboard:
   CPU Type Intel Pentium, 200 MHz
   Motherboard Name Intel Ruby RU430HX
   Motherboard Chipset Intel Triton 82430HX
   System Memory 125 MB
   BIOS Type AMI (07/19/96)

   Display:
   Video Adapter S3 ViRGE (86c325)
   3D Accelerator S3 ViRGE
   Monitor Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB] (62262207414)

   Multimedia:
   Audio Adapter Creative SB PCI128 (Ensoniq ES5880) Sound Card

   Storage:
   Floppy Drive Standard Floppy Disk Controller
   Disk Drive QUANTUM FIREBALL_TM3200A (3 GB, 4500 RPM, Fast ATA-2)
   Disk Drive WDC AC38400L
   SMART Hard Disks Status OK

   Partitions:
   C: (FAT32) 8008 MB (7575 MB free)
   D: (FAT32) 3057 MB (2863 MB free)
   Total Size 10.8 GB (10.2 GB free)

   Peripherals:
   Printer HP DeskJet 560C Printer
(Note from Ryan: There is no printer connected to this PC.)

--------[ DMI ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  [ BIOS ]

   BIOS Properties:
   Size 64 KB
   Boot Devices Floppy Disk, Hard Disk
   Capabilities Unknown
   Supported Standards DMI
   Expansion Capabilities Unknown

  [ System ]

   System Properties:
   Manufacturer HP Pavilion
   Product 7285D3903A
   Serial Number US63502940

  [ Motherboard ]

   Motherboard Properties:
   Manufacturer Intel Corporation
   Product RUBY
   Version AA659433-504
   Serial Number S02826185

(Continued on next post)

Fed · « **Reply #12 on:** December 19, 2006, 12:01:48 PM »

Your new battery may not be making a good connection, someone may have bent the little clip too much.

Ryan · « **Reply #13 on:** December 19, 2006, 12:07:03 PM »

I'm not sure, Fed. My uncle has been working with computers for years.

(Continuing from previous part of report)

[ Chassis ]

   Chassis Properties:

  [ Memory Controller ]

   Memory Controller Properties:
   Error Detection Method None
   Error Correction None
   Supported Memory Speeds 70ns, 60ns
   Supported Memory Types FPM, EDO, SIMM
   Supported Memory Voltages 5V
   Maximum Memory Module Size 32 MB
   Memory Slots 4

  [ Processors / Intel Pentium Processor ]

   Processor Properties:
   Manufacturer Intel Corporation
   Version Intel Pentium Processor
   External Clock 102 MHz
   Maximum Clock 512 MHz
   Current Clock 512 MHz
   Type Central Processor
   Voltage 3.3 V
   Status Enabled
   Upgrade ZIF
   Socket Designation CPU-1

  [ Caches / Cache #1 ]

   Cache Properties:
   Type External
   Status Enabled
   Operational Mode Write-Back
   Maximum Size 512 KB
   Installed Size 256 KB
   Supported SRAM Type Asynchronous, Pipeline Burst
   Current SRAM Type Pipeline Burst

  [ Memory Modules / SIMM-2 ]

   Memory Module Properties:
   Socket Designation SIMM-2
   Type EDO, SIMM
   Installed Size 32 MB
   Enabled Size 32 MB

  [ Memory Modules / SIMM-3 ]

   Memory Module Properties:
   Socket Designation SIMM-3
   Type EDO, SIMM
   Installed Size 32 MB
   Enabled Size 32 MB

  [ Memory Modules / SIMM-4 ]

   Memory Module Properties:
   Socket Designation SIMM-4
   Type EDO, SIMM
   Installed Size 32 MB
   Enabled Size 32 MB

  [ Memory Modules / SIMM-5 ]

   Memory Module Properties:
   Socket Designation SIMM-5
   Type EDO, SIMM
   Installed Size Not Installed
   Enabled Size Not Installed

  [ Memory Modules / SIMM-6 ]

   Memory Module Properties:
   Socket Designation SIMM-6
   Type EDO, SIMM
   Installed Size Not Installed
   Enabled Size Not Installed

  [ System Slots / PCI-1 ]

   System Slot Properties:
   Slot Designation PCI-1
   Type PCI
   Data Bus Width 32-bit

  [ System Slots / PCI-2 ]

   System Slot Properties:
   Slot Designation PCI-2
   Type PCI
   Data Bus Width 32-bit

  [ System Slots / ISA-1 ]

   System Slot Properties:
   Slot Designation ISA-1
   Type ISA
   Data Bus Width 16-bit

  [ System Slots / ISA-2 ]

   System Slot Properties:
   Slot Designation ISA-2
   Type ISA
   Data Bus Width 16-bit

  [ System Slots / ISA-3 ]

   System Slot Properties:
   Slot Designation ISA-3
   Type ISA
   Data Bus Width 16-bit

  [ Port Connectors / COM A ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type Serial Port 16550 Compatible
   Internal Reference Designator J6K1
   Internal Connector Type None
   External Reference Designator COM A
   External Connector Type DB-9 pin male

Ryan · « **Reply #14 on:** December 19, 2006, 12:08:20 PM »

[ Port Connectors / COM B ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type Serial Port 16550 Compatible
   Internal Reference Designator J5K1
   Internal Connector Type None
   External Reference Designator COM B
   External Connector Type DB-9 pin male

  [ Port Connectors / LPT1 ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type Parallel Port ECP/EPP
   Internal Reference Designator J3K1
   Internal Connector Type None
   External Reference Designator LPT1
   External Connector Type DB-25 pin female

  [ Port Connectors / VGA ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Internal Reference Designator J230
   Internal Connector Type None
   External Reference Designator VGA
   External Connector Type DB-15 pin female

  [ Port Connectors / Keyboard ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type Keyboard Port
   Internal Reference Designator J8K1
   Internal Connector Type None
   External Reference Designator Keyboard
   External Connector Type Micro-DIN

  [ Port Connectors / MOUSE ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type Mouse Port
   Internal Reference Designator J7K1
   Internal Connector Type None
   External Reference Designator MOUSE
   External Connector Type Micro-DIN

  [ Port Connectors / AUDIO/MIDI ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type MIDI Port
   Internal Reference Designator J9H1
   External Reference Designator AUDIO/MIDI
   External Connector Type None

  [ Port Connectors / VESA ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type None
   Internal Reference Designator J220
   External Reference Designator VESA
   External Connector Type None

  [ Port Connectors / FLOPPY ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type None
   Internal Reference Designator J123
   Internal Connector Type On-Board Floppy
   External Reference Designator FLOPPY
   External Connector Type None

  [ Port Connectors / IDE-1 ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type None
   Internal Reference Designator J123
   Internal Connector Type On-Board IDE
   External Reference Designator IDE-1
   External Connector Type None

  [ Port Connectors / IDE-2 ]

   Port Connector Properties:
   Port Type None
   Internal Reference Designator J123
   Internal Connector Type On-Board IDE
   External Reference Designator IDE-2
   External Connector Type None

  [ On-Board Devices / AUDIO ]

   On-Board Device Properties:
   Description AUDIO
   Type Video

Computer Hope Forum

News:

Author Topic: CMOS battery replaced (Read 8245 times)

Ryan

CMOS battery replaced

GX1_Man

Re: CMOS battery replaced

street1 (RIP)

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced

GX1_Man

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced

GX1_Man

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced

GX1_Man

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced

street1 (RIP)

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Fed

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced

Ryan

Re: CMOS battery replaced