What would you do to diagnose and repair...
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Battery is the most likely cause, but here are some other tips: CMOS checksum error[^]
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Does the system lose the time? (may have to catch in bios w/systems that fetch on startup) If so, it's likely the battery or connections. If the system is more than 7 y/o I wouldn't waste time on it. Funny story from many years ago...my brother-in-law calls me all freaked out thinking his computer has been hacked. Why? Any visit to a secure site was throwing up error warnings about certificates being invalid! A quick remote revealed that the system time was set to about 15 years in the past. He managed to replace the battery, but ended up replacing the system anyway...couldn't get over the idea that he'd been hacked. (he's the kind that brags about running 3 different A/V, scanning multiple times a day, and defragging his HDD at least once a week :wtf: )...extreme OCD! :laugh:
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Long shot, but I wouldn't rule out trying a new firmware version. Or re-applying the version he's got. Maybe something got corrupted to the point where re-saving even the defaults saves a corrupted version. Like I said - long shot. But if the battery's already been replaced and it's been re-seated properly...I'm quickly running out of ideas.
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Recommand your customer to change the flat, round battery which is mounted on the MB itself. Actual one is not providing enough current for the BIOS parameters to be retained while shutdown, causing the symptom you are describing.
667: The neighbour of the Beast
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Not helpful but ... that reminded me of this infamous message from time long forgotten! :-\ "Keyboard not found. Press F1 to continue."
A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!
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Not helpful but ... that reminded me of this infamous message from time long forgotten! :-\ "Keyboard not found. Press F1 to continue."
A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
If it is old enough for a battery change then it is possible that the older components on mother boards are flaky in more ways than 1. I have seen soldered in capacitors and transistors and resistors which have lost part of their physical being (in fact if you rubbed your fingers over a transistor it actually dusted down to nothing) and have thus changed their characteristics affecting such things as the real-time clock (slowing down / speeding up/ unreliable). Since the boot process does a timer check routine, if it fails then by even a couple nanosecs it says nogo (obviously because timers are heavily used for interrupt control along with the real time clock). In other words, hi ho, hi ho, its off to the shops we go.
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Battery is the most likely cause, but here are some other tips: CMOS checksum error[^]
That article states that "Sometimes leaving the computer can re-charge the battery". I never thought those batteries where meant to be recharged, or that mainboards are equipped with the circuitry required for recharging. Am I wrong about that? The picture shows a lithium cell. Modern rechargable batteries are based on lithium. That doesn't imply that all lithium cells are made for recharging, and charging a lithium cell takes more than applying 3V to it (at least to do it safely). Before lithium became the standard, most or all button cells couldn't be recharged at all. Still, they lasted for at least a couple of years before needing replacement.
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Not helpful but ... that reminded me of this infamous message from time long forgotten! :-\ "Keyboard not found. Press F1 to continue."
A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!
I was laughing at that message for years... Until I bought new tires for my car: In that dusty, oily workshop where the guy was balancing the tires, this balancing machine was contolled by a PC. I was the first customer that morning, watching him boot up the machine. In that environment, a keyboard would be clogged up with dust within a few days, so there was no keybaord! Besides, the guy was wearing protecting leather working gloves, which would make typing impossible. This famous error message appeared right above a huge green square, with an equally huge "F1" label, filling half of the screen, over which was stretched an elastic, clear plastic cover. The guy hit the F1 square with his fist, to make the PC complete the booting. All furhter operations was done by knocking on fairly large selection rectangles on the touch sensitive screen - typically 6 to 8 selections. In that dusty, oily environment (which car workshops are, almost by definition), it made perfect sense not to have a keyboard.
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Hi, It's probably been said but, clean the battery contacts with fine sand paper (or nail file!) and a cue tip dipped in IPA. Also mutter about a new PC if that is possible might be awkward due to drivers and ports...
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That article states that "Sometimes leaving the computer can re-charge the battery". I never thought those batteries where meant to be recharged, or that mainboards are equipped with the circuitry required for recharging. Am I wrong about that? The picture shows a lithium cell. Modern rechargable batteries are based on lithium. That doesn't imply that all lithium cells are made for recharging, and charging a lithium cell takes more than applying 3V to it (at least to do it safely). Before lithium became the standard, most or all button cells couldn't be recharged at all. Still, they lasted for at least a couple of years before needing replacement.
Seems exceptional to me too, in my experience most batteries are not rechargeable.
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Long shot, but I wouldn't rule out trying a new firmware version. Or re-applying the version he's got. Maybe something got corrupted to the point where re-saving even the defaults saves a corrupted version. Like I said - long shot. But if the battery's already been replaced and it's been re-seated properly...I'm quickly running out of ideas.
I had this problem with my 3 yo Lenovo -- each time I booted it got past the BIOS screen then hung. If I went into the BIOS setting, didn't change anything and exited, it would boot fine. Drove me nuts for a couple of months. I replaced the SSD, messed with everything I could think of -- no change. Then I flashed the BIOS. Problem solved. Depending on the age of the unit, battery sounds likely, but flashing the BIOS is an easy try.
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I had this problem with my 3 yo Lenovo -- each time I booted it got past the BIOS screen then hung. If I went into the BIOS setting, didn't change anything and exited, it would boot fine. Drove me nuts for a couple of months. I replaced the SSD, messed with everything I could think of -- no change. Then I flashed the BIOS. Problem solved. Depending on the age of the unit, battery sounds likely, but flashing the BIOS is an easy try.
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Look up Resetting the Motherboard on google there are various way to do
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
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Hi all, Tomorrow I'll have to visit a customer that has a computer that shows "CMOS error" when starts. If you press F1 enter the bios and reload the default values it restarts correctly. It happens each time the computer gets shut down... I thought about the battery, but they have changed it for a new one and the problem persists,... Apart of getting a new computer... what would you do in that case? Any recommendation? Thank you all! :thumbsup:
Try re-flashing the BIOS.
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I was laughing at that message for years... Until I bought new tires for my car: In that dusty, oily workshop where the guy was balancing the tires, this balancing machine was contolled by a PC. I was the first customer that morning, watching him boot up the machine. In that environment, a keyboard would be clogged up with dust within a few days, so there was no keybaord! Besides, the guy was wearing protecting leather working gloves, which would make typing impossible. This famous error message appeared right above a huge green square, with an equally huge "F1" label, filling half of the screen, over which was stretched an elastic, clear plastic cover. The guy hit the F1 square with his fist, to make the PC complete the booting. All furhter operations was done by knocking on fairly large selection rectangles on the touch sensitive screen - typically 6 to 8 selections. In that dusty, oily environment (which car workshops are, almost by definition), it made perfect sense not to have a keyboard.
They got the last laugh! :laugh:
A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!
