I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months, leaving
my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives. The
BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
still won't see the drive.
"Rich" <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote in message
news:2e974$48a6fcf6$21955@news.teranews.com...
> Hi Guys,
>
> I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months,
> leaving
> my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>
> I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
> disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives.
> The
> BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>
> How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
> still won't see the drive.
>
> Any ideas ?
>
> --
> Rich
> http://www.richdavies.com/fantasy-football.htm
>
>
>
> ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
>
fit a new mobo battery...........silver "shiny" 25mm 1" penny size thing on
mobo held in a clip.
tpow wrote:
> "Rich" <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote in message
> news:2e974$48a6fcf6$21955@news.teranews.com...
>> Hi Guys,
>>
>> I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months,
>> leaving
>> my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>>
>> I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
>> disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives.
>> The
>> BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>>
>> How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
>> still won't see the drive.
>>
>> Any ideas ?
>>
>> --
>> Rich
>> http://www.richdavies.com/fantasy-football.htm
>>
>>
>>
>> ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
>>
>
> fit a new mobo battery...........silver "shiny" 25mm 1" penny size thing on
> mobo held in a clip.
>
>
And after you replace the battery, set the CMOS back to default settings.
This will sometimes be called safe settings.
Rich wrote:
> Hi Guys,
>
> I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months, leaving
> my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>
> I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
> disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives.
> The
> BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>
> How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
> still won't see the drive.
>
> Any ideas ?
>
> --
> Rich
> http://www.richdavies.com/fantasy-football.htm
>
>
>
> ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Modern desktop computers might use one of these. It is held in a battery
holder on the motherboard of the PC. The battery maintains time keeping
(RTC) and also powers the CMOS RAM that holds the BIOS settings. The
battery should read 3V or so, when working. Below about 2.4V, it will
likely give dodgy results (clock stopped, BIOS settings lost when main
PC power is off). Replacing it is relatively easy. These last for
about three years, if left in the computer, and the computer is
stored in the basement. If the PC is constantly powered and "sleeping",
the battery will last the shelf life, maybe ten years.
Unplug the computer, install the new battery. When the computer next powers
up, enter the BIOS and correct the boot order and any other lost settings.
Program the clock value to reflect the current date and time. Do a "Save and Exit"
from the BIOS, so that all the new settings are properly recorded. The next
time the BIOS starts, it should be able to boot.
While you're inside the computer, you could visually check that all
hard drive cables are fully seated.
Your BIOS screen should show the identity string of the hard drive,
and that would prove that the drive has spun up and the BIOS could
at least read the identity.
I set my boot order to "floppy, cdrom, hard drive", and from a separate
menu, there may be one or more hard drives to choose from. If I don't stick
any removable media in the computer, then it reverts to the hard drive as
a boot device.
I currently have a stored PC, with a bad battery in it. The time is lost
and settings gone, when I plug it in and turn it on. But once I correct
the BIOS settings, I'm able to boot it. The battery should not necessarily
prevent a drive from being detected.
If you suspect the drive is bad, you can always get a USB IDE or USB SATA
enclosure or adapter, and connect the hard drive to your laptop, to see
if the drive is still working. A 3.5" hard drive, needs more power than
comes over a USB cable, so a 3.5" enclosure will come with its own wall
wart or AC power cord. A 3.5" disk might need about 12W or so, and a bit
more for the first 10 seconds during spinup.
On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:14:32 +0100, "Rich"
<nosp@mnospam.com> wrote:
>Hi Guys,
>
>I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months, leaving
>my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>
>I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
>disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives. The
>BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>
>How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
>still won't see the drive.
>
>Any ideas ?
Replace the coin cell battery on the board, it's usually a
CR2032, available at most places that sell coin cells for
about $2-4, maybe a little cheaper on ebay but sometimes
ebay sellers have old batteries so be sure you know it's
fresh not just "new" as some loosely use the term new as
never used even on items with a shelf life like a battery.
"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:bifea4lmhb7p42538fgst5o8q3q3i1cpo7@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:14:32 +0100, "Rich"
> <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi Guys,
>>
>>I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months,
>>leaving
>>my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>>
>>I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
>>disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives.
>>The
>>BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>>
>>How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
>>still won't see the drive.
>>
>>Any ideas ?
>
> Replace the coin cell battery on the board, it's usually a
> CR2032, available at most places that sell coin cells for
> about $2-4, maybe a little cheaper on ebay but sometimes
> ebay sellers have old batteries so be sure you know it's
> fresh not just "new" as some loosely use the term new as
> never used even on items with a shelf life like a battery.
>
how many times does he have to be told.............
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:06:26 +0100, "tpow"
<wd40@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
>news:bifea4lmhb7p42538fgst5o8q3q3i1cpo7@4ax.com.. .
>> On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:14:32 +0100, "Rich"
>> <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Hi Guys,
>>>
>>>I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months,
>>>leaving
>>>my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>>>
>>>I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
>>>disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives.
>>>The
>>>BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>>>
>>>How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
>>>still won't see the drive.
>>>
>>>Any ideas ?
>>
>> Replace the coin cell battery on the board, it's usually a
>> CR2032, available at most places that sell coin cells for
>> about $2-4, maybe a little cheaper on ebay but sometimes
>> ebay sellers have old batteries so be sure you know it's
>> fresh not just "new" as some loosely use the term new as
>> never used even on items with a shelf life like a battery.
>>
>
>how many times does he have to be told.............
>
"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:ldifa41rsets82sctc9v9j3arhmmruvgfh@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:06:26 +0100, "tpow"
> <wd40@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
>>news:bifea4lmhb7p42538fgst5o8q3q3i1cpo7@4ax.com. ..
>>> On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:14:32 +0100, "Rich"
>>> <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hi Guys,
>>>>
>>>>I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months,
>>>>leaving
>>>>my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>>>>
>>>>I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have completely
>>>>disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any drives.
>>>>The
>>>>BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>>>>
>>>>How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
>>>>still won't see the drive.
>>>>
>>>>Any ideas ?
>>>
>>> Replace the coin cell battery on the board, it's usually a
>>> CR2032, available at most places that sell coin cells for
>>> about $2-4, maybe a little cheaper on ebay but sometimes
>>> ebay sellers have old batteries so be sure you know it's
>>> fresh not just "new" as some loosely use the term new as
>>> never used even on items with a shelf life like a battery.
>>>
>>
>>how many times does he have to be told.............
>>
>
> 4
LOL
Better 4 than 0 ! Thanks for all.
I've played with the BIOS and CMOS settings, and managed to boot into
windows, so at least the HD is OK, which I was worried about. I will replace
the CMOS battery when I can get one, but until then, will the PC trickle
charge the CMOS battery ?
--
Rich http://www.richdavies.com/fantasy-football.htm
> ... but until then, will the PC trickle charge the CMOS battery ?
No. The battery specifically says not to charge it.
Something about exploding or the like. The motherboard
even has a diode, to prevent current from flowing
backwards. The current can only flow out of the battery.
The diode stops current in the reverse direction.
"Rich" <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote in message
news:ae911$48a7edf7$8925@news.teranews.com...
>
> "kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
> news:ldifa41rsets82sctc9v9j3arhmmruvgfh@4ax.com...
>> On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:06:26 +0100, "tpow"
>> <wd40@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
>>>news:bifea4lmhb7p42538fgst5o8q3q3i1cpo7@4ax.com ...
>>>> On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:14:32 +0100, "Rich"
>>>> <nosp@mnospam.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Hi Guys,
>>>>>
>>>>>I moved house, and have been using a laptop for the past 10 months,
>>>>>leaving
>>>>>my main PC boxed up due to lack of space.
>>>>>
>>>>>I have just set up my main PC, and all the BIOS settings have
>>>>>completely
>>>>>disappeared. The system won't boot, as the BIOS isn't seeing any
>>>>>drives.
>>>>>The
>>>>>BIOS date has gone back to Jan 1st 1999.
>>>>>
>>>>>How can I resolve this ? the Primary Hard Drive is now set to Auto, but
>>>>>still won't see the drive.
>>>>>
>>>>>Any ideas ?
>>>>
>>>> Replace the coin cell battery on the board, it's usually a
>>>> CR2032, available at most places that sell coin cells for
>>>> about $2-4, maybe a little cheaper on ebay but sometimes
>>>> ebay sellers have old batteries so be sure you know it's
>>>> fresh not just "new" as some loosely use the term new as
>>>> never used even on items with a shelf life like a battery.
>>>>
>>>
>>>how many times does he have to be told.............
>>>
>>
>> 4
>
> LOL
>
> Better 4 than 0 ! Thanks for all.
>
> I've played with the BIOS and CMOS settings, and managed to boot into
> windows, so at least the HD is OK, which I was worried about. I will
> replace the CMOS battery when I can get one, but until then, will the PC
> trickle charge the CMOS battery ?
> --
> Rich
> http://www.richdavies.com/fantasy-football.htm
> ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
>
BIOS help 
Linear Mode
