For you curiosity, all motherboards have a CMOS battery, however most of the new ones r build in either to the BIOS or to the motherboard itself..
Regards, MOP
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Question
Help Please!--Changing CMOS Battery in Dell Inspiron Laptop
Hi,
I have a neighbor who owns a Dell Inspiron laptop. She's owned it for around 4 years. Recently, the time has begun to be off significantly. I told here I think it's the motherboard battery.
1. Is that a reasonable conclusion? Could it be anything else?
2. I've replaced my desktop pc's battery before. Should this be any more difficult a procedure?
3. I've never opened a laptop before. Is it just a matter of unscrewing a few screws? Or is it trickier?
4. Assuming it's the CMOS battery, where's a place to get one? Should it be a standard type of CMOS battery, or do you suspect it would need to be ordered?
5. After changing it, will I have any trouble just booting the laptop back up? Will it only be a matter of resetting the time? Or might/will I lose anything? If so, what can I do to prevent that?
Finally, just curious, do all motherboards' CMOS's have batteries? I bought a new motherboard (an ASUS) for my desktop. I forgot to look as it was being installed, but I didn't notice a battery on the board (again, I didn't really look hard for it). Do the newer motherboards not have CMOS batteries, by chance.
Thank you all very much! :))
Marylyn :))
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Answers
1-
I think you are right, it can be the CMOS battery. I dont think it is a software issue.
3-
Yes, just becareful with the screen. It can be tricky, just take your time and you should do fine. Also wear an ESD strap just to be on the safe side.
5-
Backup is always a good option, however the CMOS battery just store cmos information. If the battery is remove the CMOS would be set to factory standart (like loading setup defaults).
Hello,
CMOS simply means Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor.
CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) is the semiconductor technology used in the transistors that are manufactured into most of today's computer microchips.
So from this we understand that that CMOS can be a collection of such CMOS transistors in a Microchip or an IC- Integrated Circuit.
Now so far, from my meager understanding and knowledge of computers, I am yet to see a CMOS battery built into the CMOS Chip. Most motherboards have a CMOS Battery outside of the motherboard CMOS Chip. In the newer computer Motherboards it will be a small quarter (25 Cents) shaped flat Cell (Battery) Generally it is CR 2302 battery that you can get at your friendly neighborhood Drug Store.
>>1. Is that a reasonable conclusion? Could it be anything else? <<
Yes, a computer may normally lose time when the battery is giving up its ghost. It will finally reach a stage where it may tell you that the CMOS Settings are not right.
>>2. I've replaced my desktop pc's battery before. Should this be any more difficult a procedure?<<
Yes, it is a tad difficult process. Replacing the CMOS battery of Desktop is quite easy when compared to replacing the battery of a Laptop. You have to be extremely careful and always remember be ESD Safe. Ground yourself properly if you have the temerity to do this.
>>3. I've never opened a laptop before. Is it just a matter of unscrewing a few screws? Or is it trickier?<<
Yes, opening a Laptop can be quite tougher because of the extreme minimal maneuverable space involved. There are many screws and wire connections that are involved. Moreover, one may not really know where exactly the CMOS Battery is located.
>>4. Assuming it's the CMOS battery, where's a place to get one? Should it be a standard type of CMOS battery, or do you suspect it would need to be ordered?<<
You can get it at any store that cells batteries for hearing aids, cameras, calculators etc. CVS (if you have one nearby) would be a good start. So far I havent heard of the CMOS battery being a special order item.
>>5. After changing it, will I have any trouble just booting the laptop back up? Will it only be a matter of resetting the time? Or might/will I lose anything? If so, what can I do to prevent that?<<
If the installation of the CMOS battery is a successfull mission possible accomplished then you dont need to worry. You should be able to boot up the computer normally. But before you actually do anything and any replacement of CMOS battery, I would suggest that you record the information in the BIOS/CMOS Setup as it now is.
Then, merely reset the CMOS to those values after you have installed the new CMOS Battery. Normally in such cases there shouldnt be any lose of data or anything else for that matter. In case anything bad happens....take a headache pill and call the friendly neighbourhood Tech Guy.
Hope this helps.
1 -
just foung this Microsoft article worth a look:
Windows Clock on Taskbar and in Date/Time Tool Loses Time
(http://support.microsoft.
Perhaps I didnt make myself clear about the build-in cmos batteries. Following is something that I found a while back when looking for the cmos battery on an AT-motherboard
"Some older computers have the battery and real-time clock built into a single unit(which is usually black and rectangular in shape). Dallas Semiconductor made many of them. They are supposed to last about ten years. If that unit is soldered to the motherboard and it dies, it usually spells the end of the motherboard (you may be able to pry off the top of the unit and “splice” a battery into it). I have not done that either. If the battery is cylindrical (usually blue), soldered to motherboard, and is leaking, it must be removed. The ooze will eat the traces on the motherboard and ruin it. Never attempt to unsolder one of these batteries (or any battery). They can explode. I carefully twist them off with piers and clean-up the remains with a small pair of diagonal cutters. Plugging a battery in backwards can damage the CMOS on some motherboards."
From FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - CMOS and CMOS Batteries
(http://www.duxcw.com/faq/
5
I concur with Arjun1 record the CMOS info. Also a backup would not hurt, for the computer can, in a worst case scenario, become unbootable. That is if the BIOS becomes corrupted, thus not loading the boot-strap loader. Although I doubt that will happen just because of the CMOS battery. I dont know if it makes your confortable but today I probably removed 5 CMOS bat in class from different machines, I didnt have any problems whatsoever.
What I'll do is get the exact model number of the Dell Inspiron and let everyone know. I'll keep this question open a while to see if maybe I can locate someone's who's changed a CMOS battery in the exact (or extremely similar) model. That may help me decide whether I should attempt this on my own.
You're all very helpful--thank you. :))
Marylyn
Before you jump to conclusions opening up your laptop & risking breaking it....first check what software is installed on the computer & look into other scenarios. Sometimes if there are a lot of programs running in the background (such as precision time & date manager) you will see significant loss in time. Uninstall any such software first. Then you may want to get Search & Destroy by Spybot & check for any spyware and ad programs that could be tossing you up.
Then if all of those fail, then look into replacing the battery....I have had laptops for way more than 4 years and never had the battery go dead on them, the liklihood of yours going bad after 4 years is very slim.
Hmmm...well, now rustyrpage, i'm torn. i was almost sure it was the little CMOS battery. my neighbor only usess her laptop these days at home, and often goes quite a few days before checking her mail. so i figured it just had to be her CMOS battery,
also, she does very little web surfing and downloading (no downloading to speak of, in fact). i'm almost sure there are no programs on there that are slowing the clock down. she has very little loaded on there at all.
i wonder if there are others out there who would comment on rustyrpage's comment: that he feels the likelihood's low it's the CMOS battery.
thanks again for everyone's patience and help.
john
Hi,
Apart from all of that....You can may want to find a service manual to the laptop. What is the model? You can find documentation at: http://support.dell.com/su
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by: loccPosted on 2003-05-14 at 16:16:10ID: 8528403
Well, I never opened up a inspiron, but i have opened a latitude, which is pretty easy. make sure you have unscrewed all screws and just remove.
You might want to check for the CMOS batter under by the mousepad.
as for the battery, Do a search on google for the exact model of the laptop and usually you can find someone that is selling the battery.