In this series, I will demonstrate how you can perform basic troubleshooting if your computer is somehow not functioning as its supposed to. The technician might be blocks away or unavailable. So you should be able to know basic stuffs about how your computer works.
In this first series, I will demonstrate how to replace an important component inside the motherboard called CMOS battery. First of all, lets answer some important questions about it.
- What is the CMOS battery and what does it do?
- What shows that the CMOS battery is bad?
Alright lets get into the answers quickly. The first question is:
What is a CMOS battery
The CMOS battery is a computer hardware installed on the motherboard of every computer. The acronym CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor. The piece of hardware stores valuable information for the computer such as the time and date, BIO set-up instructions and other information. The CMOS battery is most useful after you have switched off your computer. The battery saves BIOS information needed to boot your computer after you had pushed the start button.
The CMOS battery which is a small chip holds power long after you have shutdown the computer. It makes it easy for the system to retain booting settings the next time you switch it on, and that includes making sure your computer retains current date and time. The CMOS battery performs these important work, which is why it has a long battery life running into years. Without it, your computer will miss vital functions such as remembering important setting and maintaining standard input/output operations.
What shows that the CMOS battery is bad
The computer will start to show a lot of signs to indicate that your CMOS battery needs to be replaced. The most popular sign of a failed CMOS battery is the inability to maintain correct date and time when you boot the computer. Even if you manually reset the date and time, it goes wrong again once you switch your computer off.
Other signs of a bad CMOS includes difficulty in booting the computer. Remember that the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) can only work if it has power which is supplied by the CMOS battery. So if the CMOS battery is dead, this might affect your booting - the computer might boot with difficulty or not boot at all. The computer will indicate that your CMOS battery needs to be replaced when it starts making beeping sounds after you turned it on. Different messages might be displayed on the screen depending on your system make. Also, if your input or out devices start malfunctioning, then a dead CMOS battery could be suspect.
When you see the above signs, then your CMOS probably needs to be replaced.
Replacing your CMOS battery.
Note: I will demonstrate this using a HP desktop computer. You can refer to your computer manual on how to open the computer case. If this would be to technical for you, better consult a qualified computer technician.
Step 1: Carefully slid and then lift the computer case to reveal the inside. At this point, you should see the motherboard and other internal components. The CMOS battery is roughly the size of a small coin. Its silver in color. You can see an arrow pointing at it in my image below:
Step 2: Push back the click holding the CMOS battery. Once it releases, you can hold and lift off the CMOS battery carefully. Check the image below to see an arrow pointing at the CMOS clip.
After removing the old CMOS battery, you can get the new one and install it back. Its not technical. Just put it into position and give it a little push until the clip makes a little sound, indicating that the CMOS battery has been properly placed in position.
Conclusion
The CMOS battery is an important hardware that ensures your computer works just fine especially after you turned it on. When the battery is dead, the computer malfunctions. This little guide will help you replace an old CMOS battery with a new one, and that should make your computer work just fine.
Note: All images are mine.
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