Battery Problems w/Desktop

Hi everybody, I'm having a similar problem as this. I have a "battery" error message on bootup of my Dell Dimension 4700 (see attached screenshot). It doesn't stop bootup - it just appears all the time, starting in the past week. Is it possible I have to replace the battery? Or just switch outlets? I'm trying to understand the problem here. Thanks!

 

Forgot the screenshot

 

You should not see that on a PC unless it is connected to an UPS (battery backup power). If this is connected to an UPS that also has a connected communications cable attached to the PC, it is telling you to replace the UPS batteries.

 

You just solved a mystery for me as to why a desktop would be complaining about a non-CMOS type battery!

 

IF that fixes his/her problem! If not a UPS battery notice, I don't know what it could be. Even a wrong Control Panel > Power Options setting "should" not give such an error - at least with my way of thinking.

 

This message comes up sometimes, even when a UPS isn't present. I don't know what the causes could be other than possibly a dying PSU.

It is also possible that Compbatt.sys is corrupt.

It can be silenced by turning off low battery alarms under power management settings.

The message comes when Compbatt.sys thinks there is a battery but cannot read the status.

 

Not saying it cannot happen but I have never seen it on a PC when a UPS was not connected. That said, if a USP at one time was connected and 3rd party UPS monitoring software was installed and still running, then I can see this might happen.

I don't see how a dying PSU could cause this. Standard PSUs do not communicate with motherboards/chipsets in this manner. A dying PSU typically results in system crashes, lock ups, reboots, or no boots.

On a PC, you should not even see any "low battery alarms" options in power management if no battery exists.

 

Power supplies convert AC to DC, which I am sure you already knew. Batteries are DC. So it would take a very specific circumstance, but there is no reason why this couldn't trigger it. It doesn't require third party software to be installed, only for the OS to think there is a battery installed. Who knows how an OS is going to react to voltage drops or fluctuations from a dying PSU? It is unpredictable.

Again, Compbatt.sys could be corrupted. If it is, we will get unpredictable results on what it considers to be a battery too.

Good point on the power management. I knew that was true for Vista+, but wasn't sure about XP.

Remember, you said you don't know what else it could be. I am offering suggestions on what else it could be. Thanks for shooting them down though, always appreciated.

 

I agree, it would take a very specific circumstance. What is it? I don't know! And I'm curious and would like to know.

I do know this is an ATX Form Factor compliant "PC". The chipset, BIOS firmware and motherboard were tailor-made and integrated for a PC (not a mobile device) and are expecting +12, +5 and +3.3VDC from the ATX compliant PSU. Not 19V only, as common with many notebooks.

No "data" circuits, except maybe fan speed, come from ATX PSUs (and I don't remember ever seeing fan speeds from Dells).

Again, not saying it can't happen, but I have never seen that on a PC and the OS "image" for factory built PCs are installed at the factory with the full complement of hardware specific drivers installed in the image. Compbatt.sys is Windows generic "composite" driver. There should be nothing in the Registry pointing to compbatt.sys - at least in my mind. I see nothing on my Toshiba notebook or two PCs to suggest compbatt.sys is, or has ever run.

So I don't understand what generated the error or where it came from. That's why I said software for an attached - or previously attached UPS.

Okay, then it might be good to suggest AloisD look for errors under Device Manager > Batteries. Microsoft Composite Battery should "NOT" be listed - unless this is a notebook. In fact, you should have nothing listed under Batteries at all, except maybe a driver for an attached UPS, if there is, or was one. That's where the APC UPS driver is listed for the APC UPS protecting this system.

I am also assuming the installation of Windows on the PC was installed at the factory, or with a Windows disk that was purchased for this PC.

 

Interesting reading all of your responses! I checked in Device Manager, and there is no Battery category listed. But under Power Options on Control Panel, I found the following, contained in the attached screenshot. I'm sure this will help you solve the issue. UPS may be shown, but I've never used one.

 

You sure? What is your computer plugged into and what brand is it?

Question 2:

Do you have APC Powerchute software listed in add/remove programs?

 

That's the generic UPS driver that is included in XP. It was created by APC. That said, it indicates you do not have an UPS attached and the service is stopped. That's is how it should be with no UPS attached.

I agree to check Control Panel > Add and remove programs for a 3rd party UPS program.

 

I can't find a third party program like APC. My computer is a Dell Dimension 4700 with Windows XP. I wish I could figure out how to get rid of that message! It shows up every time I boot now.

 

Then something is being loaded when Windows starts.

Look in your Startup folder under your Start Menu. If nothing there, we may need to search the Registry for a "run" command that is doing this.

You might also look in MSCONFIG. Although MSCONFIG should NEVER be used for permanent changes to the system, it is great for troubleshooting and my lead us to the culprit, when can then be properly removed (instead of simply disabled in MSCONFIG).

 

Hi, Digerati, thanks for your response. Not much under Startup, as you can see below. I've also attached 4 screenshots of everything in MSCONFIG. Maybe you can decipher and identify the culprit?

 

Disable the following:
1. APSDaemon http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/APSDaemon.exe-27028.html
2. SMax4pnp http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/SMax4PNP.exe-4986.html
3. IndexSearch http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/IndexSearch.exe-2182.html
4. IMPJPMIG http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/IMJPMIG.EXE-2171.html
5. IMEKRMIG http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/IMEKRMIG.EXE-2166.html
6. igfxtray http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/igfxtray.exe-2147.html
7.igfxpers http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/igfxpers.exe-12481.html
8. qttask http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/Qttask.exe-4313.html
9. HPWuSchd2 http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/HPWuSchd2.exe-2003.html
10. I need to know what the HP Digital item is at the bottom of the 3rd screenshot
11. I also don't know what the first item on the 4th screenshot is
12. hpqthb08 http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/hpqthb08.exe-10037.html

 

It's HP Digital Imaging Monitor. The other is HP Image Zone Fast Start. They're both in MSCONFIG twice for some reason. When you say "disable", what do you mean? The reason I'm not sure is that in the post before yours Digerati discouraged (at least permanently) disabling in MSCONFIG. So if I do "temporarily" disable in MSCONFIG, then what do I do?

 

As I noted, MSCONFIG should not be used for "permanent" changes. Any disabling as plodr suggests can simply be re-enabled again.

 

They appear twice because they have been disabled at some time. Notice in your last screenshot NONE of the items are checked/ticked because they are not starting up.

Easy program to control startup items
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/startup_control_panel_standalone_version.html

One with more bells and whistles
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/winpatrol.html

 

Okay, I disabled all 12 of those programs, and it worked. No more battery message. Now what?

Also, when I disable I get the error message below (see screenshot) about needing to be an administrator. But I am the administrator. I'm the only account. I went and changed it recently to make sure I was designated as administrator. So why isn't it recognizing me? Even so, once I click OK, then I get a message that I have to reboot for changes to take effect. So it still makes the changes, even though it tells me I couldn't do it.

Thanks again!

 

Systematically re-enable them until the error comes back.

Divide and conquer to find your culprit.

 

I couldn't decide if this computer was ever plugged into a UPS. If the User didn't ever have a UPS, was this Dell purchased used? If so, it might have been originally installed with a UPS.

The batteries inside a UPS die after a period of time - they need periodic replacement (and proper recycling - often the local battery-selling stores will accept them - grrr, they should!).

I see this message when our APS-type UPS-using computers have low- or dying batteries. It takes a day or so for new batteries to be charged so computers will display these errors during that process.

 

Add them back one at a time and see which is causing the error.

Some things need you to run as admin, even if you are one. Typically you can just right click on the item and select, Run as administrator.

 

Okay, I'm stilled confused. I'm still getting the error message, so I started searching it on Google. One of the questions by somebody else about this problem mentioned another symptom I'm having: the computer will not stay on once I don't use it for a while (and it goes into hibernation or power conservation mode). Instead, the computer shuts off - though the green light is still on and computer is still humming - and I have to hit the power button again to get it to come back on. But first, I have to shut down the computer so that the green light goes off and the humming stops. Then, it will power back up, and I'll get the error message again. Which all leads to believe that, even though I don't and never have plugged into a UPS, there must actually be a battery in there that is bad and causing the computer not to stay on. Is this maybe the case? I just don't quite understand the concept yet of a desktop having a battery, when all you do is leave it plugged in. In any case, my computer always used to stay on if I didn't power it off. Now, it doesn't. Sorry if I'm missing something here!

 

No. Not with a PC. Desktop PCs do NOT have a battery (except the CMOS battery, but that's for a different purpose).

We need to have ALL your symptoms noted up front. Now it sounds like you have bigger problems than we were first led to believe.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907477

 

Sorry, I didn't really recognize that as part of the problem, until I read that question/answer by someone else. I was aware of the computer going off, but just not paying attention to it, until that other person mentioned the same symptom. I'll read the article you linked. If you can think of anything else for me to do in the meantime, please let me know. Thank you.

 

No problem. Remember, it is best we have too much information than not enough. We can weed through the extra but needing more adds delays for you.

Please keep us posted.

 

Nope, never connected to a battery or UPS. And while I get this message on boot up most of the time, it's not always. So I don't know what the variable at play is.