Do you have a dead motherboard battery? I too have dealt with expired or failed motherboard batteries and know the headaches it can cause.
In this article, I will explain what a motherboard battery is, how it works, issues that can arise due to a faulty or failed battery, and even how to save money and replace it yourself.
What is a CMOS Battery
TheCMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)or motherboard battery works as anRTC (Real-Time-Clock)on your motherboard. The CMOS acts as a battery-powered semiconductor chip inside your computer that stores theBIOS settings.
These include the system clock and hardware configurations likefan speeds,boot order,overclocking, etc. for your computer to startup and load correctly.
All this information is maintained with a near-quarter-sized lithium battery located directly on the motherboard of the computer.
What Causes a Dead CMOS Battery
Corruption of CMOSis unfortunately very common. Theaverage lifespan of CMOS batteries is 3 to 10 years. If you use your computer more often, thebattery will last longer.
If you go a long time without using your computer, the battery is constantly drained to preserve all that important startup information.
How to Detect a CMOS Battery Failure
Although the battery can outlive theusability of the system, it does fail over time. Here are a few signs that point to a failing CMOS battery:
Troubleshooting a Dead CMOS Battery
To verify that the battery is the issue we will need to narrow it down. We can try first by resetting the CMOS. After that verify if the battery is dead using a multimeter and then replace it with a new one.
Before taking your PC apart, check the motherboard’s user manual for the exact location of the CMOS battery and the Clear CMOS jumper/header. Additionally, you are going to handle internal PC components so, ensure toground yourselfbefore proceeding
This is a very simple task that requires a #2 Phillips-head screwdriver. Use it toremove the side panel of the caseand then later short the CMOS jumper.
