What's Wrong W/ My Comp?

TheWatcher

So here's the scoop, i used my laptop a few days ago, all was fine.

i put it away, didn't touch it up untill yesterday which is when upon turning it on the vendor logo appears, hangs and then tells me CMOS checksum bad or invalid or what not, then to make me even happier the pc will reboot at random (not often thankfully!).

So now everytime i turn this junk box on i have to set the date and time, which of course doesn't save... what happened? any suggestions?

BTW, i haven't been tooling around w/ BIOS flashing programs or anything like that, i even formatted thinking it was file related but no such luck.

alexcrist

Hello TheWatcher,

CMOS is the memory in which the BIOS settings are stored (and contains all hardware configuration). CMOS is not ROM, it's RAM (because it has to be re-written everytime you change a setting in BIOS).

As you know, RAM is a volatile type of memory, meaning it gets erased when you cut off the power supply. And that's why CMOS needs permanent power supply to keep the information stored (and that's why the all mother-boards have a small battery on it ).

Also, that small battery powers the realtime clock, which is the clock of your system.

Because you have problems both with your CMOS and your clock, the most probable cause is, guess what? The Battery

Normally, the battery should be replaced every 2-3 years (depending on the battery and the motherboard). So try changing it (consult the motherboard manual to see how, and what type of battery you need) and see if you still have problems.

Cris.

TheWatcher

Hello TheWatcher,

CMOS is the memory in which the BIOS settings are stored (and contains all hardware configuration). CMOS is not ROM, it's RAM (because it has to be re-written everytime you change a setting in BIOS).

As you know, RAM is a volatile type of memory, meaning it gets erased when you cut off the power supply. And that's why CMOS needs permanent power supply to keep the information stored (and that's why the all mother-boards have a small battery on it ).

Also, that small battery powers the realtime clock, which is the clock of your system.

Because you have problems both with your CMOS and your clock, the most probable cause is, guess what? The Battery

Normally, the battery should be replaced every 2-3 years (depending on the battery and the motherboard). So try changing it (consult the motherboard manual to see how, and what type of battery you need) and see if you still have problems.

Cris.

Hey Cris! i was thinking the same thing, but i replaced the battery about a year ago... hmmm, well, i'll get a new one and see what happens, thanks man!