Computer Battery

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

I have an eMachine using Windows XP and I just noticed there's a warning in the back of the instruction book about changing the battery - but there's no other mention of it anywhere.

Does this desktop PC have a battery?
What's it for?
What happens if it runs out?
Where can I find more info? (eMachines support seems to have a problem.)

Thank you. As you can tell, I'm a really new user.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

"Bobby Jones" <BobbyJones@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote in news:1D0D8717-0467-4C69-90E7-A226C589919B@microsoft.com:
> I have an eMachine using Windows XP and I just noticed there's a
> warning in the back of the instruction book about changing the
> battery - but there's no other mention of it anywhere.
>
> Does this desktop PC have a battery?
> What's it for?
> What happens if it runs out?
> Where can I find more info? (eMachines support seems to have a
> problem.)
>
> Thank you. As you can tell, I'm a really new user.

Your BIOS is recorded in EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable
read-only memory). It will remember its values even if all power is
removed from it. CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) must
remained energized to retain the values stored in it. When you boot,
the BIOS stored in CMOS gets used (unless it is corrupted which forces a
reload of values from the EEPROM into the CMOS). The battery is used to
keep the CMOS energized. It can be a fixed (i.e., soldered) black box
on your motherboard (in old PCs), a wafer battery about the size of a
nickel in a snap-in holder on the motherboard, or a small square box
with leads going to your motherboard (usually a replacement battery for
soldered-on batteries that went dead).

The lithium wafer batteries have a shelf life 5 years. Due to
manufacturing storage, shipping, more storage at the builder, storage
for the computer it is in, and other delays before you actually get the
computer with that battery, the battery could already be a year or two
old. So replace them at 3-year intervals, or whenever you notice your
system clock is getting off (presuming you don't run a time-sync program
to connect out to a server to continually resync your clock which can
mask the time sync problem with a low battery), or when your BIOS
settings keep reverting back to their EEPROM defaults (because the CMOS
gets no juice to keep it alive).

http://www.computerhope.com/help/cmos.htm

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[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Your e-machine will have a lithium battery, about the size of a small coin,
that sits in a clip holder on the motherboard. Ensure the computer is
powered off then remove the computer case cover and locate the battery. It
is easy to replace the batter however doing so will often reset the BIOS
settings back to factory default. It is often necessary after replacing a
battery to enter the BIOS Setup and adjust the date as removal of the
battery might well take the system back to it's original date. There are
several programs that run off floppy that can save BIOS (CMOS) settings and
restore them. It is handy to run such a program prior to swapping out
batteries. You can then simply restore the BIOS settings after the new
battery is installed.

See here for instructions on changing batteries
http://www.liverepair.com/encyclopedia/articles/cmosreplace.asp

Download a CMOS Settings saver http://www.highfiber.com/~raster/cmos.zip
Read the included txt file. You can copy the file CMOS.COM to a bootable
floppy. Start computer with the floppy. At the command prompt type CMOS.COM
and press enter. Then type CMOS /SAVE and press enter. This will backup your
BIOS settings to a file on the floppy called CMOS.SAV

After you swap out the battery restart the computer with the floppy. This
time run CMOS.COM again and then type CMOS /LOAD this will restore the BIOS
settings and reboot the computer.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


"Bobby Jones" <BobbyJones@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1D0D8717-0467-4C69-90E7-A226C589919B@microsoft.com...
> I have an eMachine using Windows XP and I just noticed there's a warning
in the back of the instruction book about changing the battery - but there's
no other mention of it anywhere.
>
> Does this desktop PC have a battery?
> What's it for?
> What happens if it runs out?
> Where can I find more info? (eMachines support seems to have a
problem.)
>
> Thank you. As you can tell, I'm a really new user.

 

[S]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

>-----Original Message-----
>I have an eMachine using Windows XP and I just noticed
there's a warning in the back of the instruction book
about changing the battery - but there's no other mention
of it anywhere.
>
> Does this desktop PC have a battery?
> What's it for?
> What happens if it runs out?
> Where can I find more info? (eMachines support seems
to have a problem.)
>
> Thank you. As you can tell, I'm a really new user.
>.
>battery is there to remember settings such as time and
start up settings not quite sure how long batteries last
(i think round about five years) but you willknow when it
is time to replace it as the clock on youe pc will lose
time, it is easy to replace and easy to find, it's looks
like a large watch battery on your motherboard.

 

[Killer]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

All motherboards have a battery which is usually circular and around 20
millimetre diameter.
This holds the special bios settings if so arranged.
It means that you would have to manually reset the bios every time you start
the PC if the battery died.

The modern computer with "ATX" system is always on if your mains power is
left connected.
If left connected, your internal battery has nothing to do.
Hence it would last for many years.

 

[Unknown]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Wrong! The type of batteries used has a definate shelf life. It will die
whether being used or not.,
"Killer" <Devious@noplace.com> wrote in message
news:4101f9a6$1_1@news.iprimus.com.au...
> All motherboards have a battery which is usually circular and around 20
> millimetre diameter.
> This holds the special bios settings if so arranged.
> It means that you would have to manually reset the bios every time you start
> the PC if the battery died.
>
> The modern computer with "ATX" system is always on if your mains power is
> left connected.
> If left connected, your internal battery has nothing to do.
> Hence it would last for many years.
>
>