when to replace system board battery?

[jw 1111]

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be
replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c.
just stop working? thanks

 

[Dave D]

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it
the instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board
can be replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole
p.c. just stop working? thanks

Usually, what happens is that the settings in the system's CMOS (AKA the
settings in the BIOS) will be lost and require reconfiguring. As many
systems just run with the defaults anyway, these days it isn't much of an
issue. I would expect the battery will be getting low. I've known them last
a lot longer than 5 years, but I've also seen them last less than one year!.

Generally, when you switch the PC on and you get the POST screen (the first
thing you see when you power on, when it does the memory count) it will
notify you if the battery is low with a message similar to 'CMOS battery
low'.

Most modern systems have a system monitor function in the BIOS, where you
can find out things like power supply voltage, CPU temperature and CMOS
battery voltage. To access the BIOS, consult your manual or watch for any
onscreen instructions on power on, usually something like 'press DEL to
enter BIOS'. If yours has a hardware BIOS monitor, check the CMOS battery
voltage is not significantly below 3V, ie 2.9V or 2.8V should be OK.

If your system does not have such a function, and it may not as it's getting
on in years, you can pop the battery out and check it with a multimeter.
Failing that, just replace it, they're cheap!

Dave

 

[Jeff]

Usually, what happens is that the settings in the system's CMOS (AKA the
settings in the BIOS) will be lost and require reconfiguring. As many
systems just run with the defaults anyway, these days it isn't much of an
issue. I would expect the battery will be getting low. I've known them
last a lot longer than 5 years, but I've also seen them last less than one
year!.

Generally, when you switch the PC on and you get the POST screen (the
first thing you see when you power on, when it does the memory count) it
will notify you if the battery is low with a message similar to 'CMOS
battery low'.

Most modern systems have a system monitor function in the BIOS, where you
can find out things like power supply voltage, CPU temperature and CMOS
battery voltage. To access the BIOS, consult your manual or watch for any
onscreen instructions on power on, usually something like 'press DEL to
enter BIOS'. If yours has a hardware BIOS monitor, check the CMOS battery
voltage is not significantly below 3V, ie 2.9V or 2.8V should be OK.

If your system does not have such a function, and it may not as it's
getting on in years, you can pop the battery out and check it with a
multimeter. Failing that, just replace it, they're cheap!

Dave

I know on older computers when the battery was dead you would get the "non
systems disk, please replace diska nd hit enter" message or messages asking
for date and time.

 

[Ralph Mowery]

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be
replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c.
just stop working? thanks

The battery usually does 2 things. It keeps the internal clock running
while the computer is off. It also holds the cmos settings such as what
hard drive and if you have a floppy drive in the computer. The first thing
that usually hapens is that if the time is nearly correct when you turn off
the computer and then turn it back on the time is way off.
Depending on the computer, if the battery is dead you will loose the
settings in the CMOS. Then you will have several possiabilities. ONe is to
hit F1 to continue. Another is you will go to the cmos and have to reenter
the settings, or the computer may do an automatic default to some settings
that may let your computer start up or atleast start in a very basic
configuration.

Some batteries last for a long time and some do not. Sometimes it depends
on if the computer is turned on all the time or just used once a week.

 

[w_tom]

Is the battery dead or is it on the verge of dying? Just
another reason why good techs have a meter. Whereas lithium
batteries are suppose to last 5 years, sometimes an IC has
leakage problems causing the battery to only last 1 year or 1
week. How weak is the battery? Measure battery voltage with
a digital meter. A 3 volt battery is ready for replacement
when voltage drops below 2.8 volts. IOW as the battery
approaches end of life, then the battery voltage starts to
drop quickly.

Some lithium batteries are 3 volts. Some were 6 volts. You
must read its label for voltage.

Any other answer would only be speculation. Obviously if
the date/time clock does not maintain time when powered off
overnight, then the battery is bad. Soon it will forget
information about disk drives and other hardware configuration
information. But if the clock still maintains time, that does
not say a battery is good. Battery could be on the verge of
failing and still maintain date/time overnight. Again, the
only honest answer required a meter to read battery voltage.

 

[Ross Herbert]

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be
replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c.
just stop working? thanks

If the battery is flat then the first indicator may be that the
current time and date are wrong. When the pc is running set the time
and date to current and then power down the pc (not a warm reboot).
Power on again and check that the time and date are correct. If they
aren't then the battery is dead.

 

[James Sweet]

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be
replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c.
just stop working? thanks

You replace the battery when the clock starts to lose time or the PC
complains at boot that the CMOS settings are incorrect and when you correct
them they're lost again when the computer is powered off.

 

[Asimov]

"Ralph Mowery" bravely wrote to "All" (14 Sep 05 22:38:15)
--- on the heady topic of "Re: when to replace system board battery?"

RM> From: "Ralph Mowery" <[email protected]>
RM> Xref: core-easynews sci.electronics.repair:342122

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be
replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c.
just stop working? thanks

RM> The battery usually does 2 things. It keeps the internal clock
RM> running while the computer is off. It also holds the cmos settings
RM> such as what hard drive and if you have a floppy drive in the computer.
RM> The first thing that usually hapens is that if the time is nearly
RM> correct when you turn off the computer and then turn it back on the
RM> time is way off. Depending on the computer, if the battery is dead you
RM> will loose the settings in the CMOS. Then you will have several
RM> possiabilities. ONe is to hit F1 to continue. Another is you will go
RM> to the cmos and have to reenter the settings, or the computer may do an
RM> automatic default to some settings that may let your computer start up
RM> or atleast start in a very basic configuration.

RM> Some batteries last for a long time and some do not. Sometimes it
RM> depends on if the computer is turned on all the time or just used once
RM> a week.

That clock/cmos battery is a racket because a tiny solar rechargable
battery could be used for the clock and the bios settings could be
stored in nonvolatile memory eeprom.

In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to
wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up?
Then too why should most programs need to access the internet making
the pc vulnerable to any number of malwarez and snooping?

Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre
technology and nobody is complaining!!!

A*s*i*m*o*v

.... The current limits placed are based on resistance

 

[James Sweet]

"Ralph Mowery" bravely wrote to "All" (14 Sep 05 22:38:15)
--- on the heady topic of "Re: when to replace system board battery?"

RM> From: "Ralph Mowery" <[email protected]>
RM> Xref: core-easynews sci.electronics.repair:342122

hi, in an old pc i have had second hand for five years or so it says it the
instruction booklet that it has a lithium battery in the system board can be
replaced.

how would i know when this needs to be replaced please? will the whole p.c.
just stop working? thanks

RM> The battery usually does 2 things. It keeps the internal clock
RM> running while the computer is off. It also holds the cmos settings
RM> such as what hard drive and if you have a floppy drive in the computer.
RM> The first thing that usually hapens is that if the time is nearly
RM> correct when you turn off the computer and then turn it back on the
RM> time is way off. Depending on the computer, if the battery is dead you
RM> will loose the settings in the CMOS. Then you will have several
RM> possiabilities. ONe is to hit F1 to continue. Another is you will go
RM> to the cmos and have to reenter the settings, or the computer may do an
RM> automatic default to some settings that may let your computer start up
RM> or atleast start in a very basic configuration.

RM> Some batteries last for a long time and some do not. Sometimes it
RM> depends on if the computer is turned on all the time or just used once
RM> a week.

That clock/cmos battery is a racket because a tiny solar rechargable
battery could be used for the clock and the bios settings could be
stored in nonvolatile memory eeprom.

In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to
wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up?
Then too why should most programs need to access the internet making
the pc vulnerable to any number of malwarez and snooping?

Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre
technology and nobody is complaining!!!

A*s*i*m*o*v

.... The current limits placed are based on resistance



A solar cell wouldn't do much good in a lot of offices and here at home
where my PC is tucked under a dark desk, and there'd be no point because
there's standby power available in modern PC's that would keep it going most
of the time. Rechargable battery would work but they tend to fail and leak
after about the same 10 years lithium batteries are supposed to last. I
suppose a memory backup capacitor might work though.

PC's take time to boot up because we still don't have cheap gigabyte
nonvolatile memory that's fast enough to be used as system RAM, a
synthesizer is a single function device with a FAR less complex operating
system. It's not just Windows, but *any* modern PC operating system needs to
be shut down properly before turning it off, Windows is actually one of the
more tolerant of them in that respect.

 

[Dave D]

That clock/cmos battery is a racket because a tiny solar rechargable
battery could be used for the clock and the bios settings could be
stored in nonvolatile memory eeprom.

They had rechargeable cells in mobos a few years back. They were a disaster-
they would leak, often long before the mobo was obsolete, and the chemicals
would eat through the traces of the mobo rendering it useless. Also, they
were not user-replaceable.

Lithium cells are a huge step forward IMO, they don't leak and are
user-replaceable in seconds. I'm not sure why you feel they are a racket-
they generally last the life of the mobo (in terms of obsolescence), and
when they don't they are, at least in my country, extremely cheap to replace
and widely available.

Dave

 

[inti2]

I know on older computers when the battery was dead you would get the "non
systems disk, please replace diska nd hit enter" message or messages asking
for date and time.

The pc looses all the disk and boot infos and it will not recognize hard
disks and floppy drives, and it will not boot. In very old pcs there are
1) DALLAS CHIPS : a RTC chip with a battery built in
2) 3,6V Lithium Batteryes
3) 3V small batteries, CR2032.

I.

 

[Dave D]

The pc looses all the disk and boot infos and it will not recognize hard
disks and floppy drives, and it will not boot.

That hasn't been the case for many many years now. Most mobos will auto
detect the HDD and assume a 1.44MB 3.5" floppy if they forget their
settings, and self-configure into a usable state. They will generally
display a warning though, and prompt to correct the settings or continue
booting.

In very old pcs there are
1) DALLAS CHIPS : a RTC chip with a battery built in
2) 3,6V Lithium Batteryes
3) 3V small batteries, CR2032.

That's 3.6v nicad batteries, the CR3032 is lithium.

Dave

 

[Bob Kos]

In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to
wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up?


Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre
technology and nobody is complaining!!!

- Did you ever hear of suspend mode? It does what you want. Or better yet
get XP and NEVER turn your PC off.

 

[mc]

In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to

wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up?

All operating systems take time to start up and shut down.

Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
loading and and waiting business?!

It does, it does! Suspend mode and hibernate mode. Suspend mode starts and
stops almost instantly, but requires some electric power to the computer
while suspended. Hibernate takes a few seconds to stop and start, but
persists without power.

 

[3T39]

Hello, mc!
You wrote on Sat, 31 Dec 2005 22:37:44 -0500:

??>> In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to
??>> wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up?

m> All operating systems take time to start up and shut down.

??>> Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
??>> one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
??>> can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
??>> loading and and waiting business?!


The reason all this stuff has to be loaded up every time is because of the
versatility of computers, different motherboards-graphics cards-modems etc
all need their own driver software. The music synth only does that one thing
and so the relatively simple program required to do it can be kept on a
hardwired flash chip. Makers are currently working on motherboards with
enough flash ram to hold the OS. They should be available in a few years.


With best regards, 3T39. E-mail: [email protected]

 

[Dr. Anton T. Squeegee]

Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre
technology and nobody is complaining!!!

The 'suspend' mode on newer PCs does as you describe, though it
takes a lot of hard drive space and RAM to accomplish.

Anyway... One reason this is difficult is because PCs are built as
general-purpose devices (as in they can be configured to do a lot of
different things). Flexibility like that comes at the cost of a complex
operating system that has to be able to detect and use many different
types of hardware devices.

In some cases, such as video or mass-storage adapters, the OS has
to be shut down and restarted before it can use the drivers for newly-
added or changed hardware. Even Unix-type OS's have this restriction
where some hardware types are involved.

Music synthesizers, being dedicated-purpose devices, do not have
to be as complex or versatile because they're designed for a single
purpose. This makes it a lot easier to make something that will come
right up, in the same state you left it, at power-on.

Keep the peace(es).

--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"

 

[kip]

I've seen some shit web pages and yours is in the top 5 of them.

(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,

www.bluefeathertech.com

 

[Sjouke Burry]

In fact the whole win o/s is a joke because why should one have to
wait to shut down a machine and then wait again for it to load up?


Many musical sythesizer modules can be turned off any time and when
one turns them on again they are right back where one left them. Why
can't we have pc's that work the same way without all this stupid
loading and and waiting business?! We are needlessly getting mediocre
technology and nobody is complaining!!!

- Did you ever hear of suspend mode? It does what you want. Or better yet
get XP and NEVER turn your PC off.

Use suspend mode an be prepared for system crash after having
done that often enough. Windows software suffers from memory
leakage,and realy rebooting on occasian ,solves that problem
for the time beiing.

 

[jw 1111]

Use suspend mode an be prepared for system crash after having
done that often enough. Windows software suffers from memory
leakage,and realy rebooting on occasian ,solves that problem
for the time beiing.

Please could you tell me how long would the 'cooling fan' motor last
(roughly speaking) if the pc was left running all the time ?

 

[Ralph Mowery]

Please could you tell me how long would the 'cooling fan' motor last

(roughly speaking) if the pc was left running all the time ?

Not sure but at work we have over 50 that have been for over 5 years, maybe
longer. They go back to the 450 Mhz chips.