How To Bake A Motherboard

My primary job was fixing the transmitters, receivers, transceivers, tower consoles, and associated equipment. To allow duplex operation on the same frequency, the receivers and transmitters were located in receiver sites and transmitter sites respectively - controlled remotely by the controller operators (the air traffic controllers) in the Control Tower. Because the "control lines" for said radios ran over telecom equipment, we maintained that too - at least until it left the building then the "real" telephone maintenance techs took over, then handed off to us again as it entered the remote facility.

Of course that is all moot now since "mechanical" relays are no longer used in those applications.

 

-> Superstar

You might find this document http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/si...x.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

from the HP website useful, if you haven't already got it. 6 Beeps [it says] means "Corrupted BIOS. You need to activate crisis recovery procedure." (as you have already found out) (7 beeps is defective m/b)

Dumb_Question
20.January.2014

 

Clean the CMOS battery ? If it's dirty it's probably been in there long enough to need replacing with a nice clean new one ! (light hearted) One of the easiest and cheapest to do (in most PCs). I expect you already did that though.

Also has been known to cure a multitude of non-reproducible boot faults (not that I think it will help your issue ).

Dumb_Question
14.January.2014

 

This board still has the battery in it since it was manufactured from what I know... Around 2002. When's a good time to change the CMOS battery? I thought you were only supposed to change it if the date/settings keep resetting. It's never lost the date or settings from what I know.

 

-> Superstar

I don't really know when a good time to change the CMOS battery is. They do last a long time. To clean the one you have I would remove it and rub it with a paper (lint free is usually recommended for computer stuff, but for this I think ordinary tissue paper would be good enough, or the corner of you handkerchief even) soaked in IPA.

Since removal and replacement is the major task in this job, I would try replacing the battery anyway, they are only about $1, and yours is very old (look at the expiry date on a new one - how far into the future is it ?). I doubt it will have any effect, but it's so easy it's worth a shot.

There's probably a video on Youtube or the HP website showing you how it's done, unless yours is very different from every other computer (newer) that I've seen.

Dumb_Question
20.January.2014

 

When it fails. The CMOS battery has 2 functions. The first is to keep the motherboard's RTC (real-time clock) ticking when the computer is powered off and unplugged from the wall. The second function is to put uninterruptible +3VDC "holding voltage" on the "holding pin" of the CMOS memory module. The CMOS memory module, of course, holds user changes to the defaults set in the BIOS firmware.

If the holding voltage is interrupted (battery removed, reset jumper moved) the data in the CMOS module is instantly lost (a basic characteristic of "CMOS" modules) and those user changes will be reset. This is why you have to reset the system clock after resetting the BIOS.

So, if you boot your computer and you have to reset the date and time, it is probably time to change the battery. If you boot your computer and you get a "chksum error", it is probably time to change the battery. Checksum errors happen during "POST" (power on self-test) and the hardware detected does not match what was expected (because the CMOS memory module "forgot" it!).

I don't recommend paper to clean batteries - except maybe the special (and expensive) acid-free paper used when storing rare photographs. I doubt even plain white tissue paper is chemical free.

A properly inserted battery should never get so dirty that it interferes with the electrical contacts. If handled properly when inserted (white gloves, clean sock, clean microfiber - no skin oils) the only dirt should be dust. And if properly inserted (just like RAM modules and graphics cards), the solid mechanical connection will prevent any dust from interfering.

That said, I agree that because replacement batteries are so inexpensive, it is often good to simply replace it because if not the problem, little is lost, but something was still learned.

I do recommend you take the old battery with you to the store however, as most battery centers will recycle. No need for millions of LiIon batteries in landfills.

 

Finally found some time to continue diagnosing my vintage computer. Unfortunately cleaning it out to the teeth still yielded the same results (slow hard drive access, extremely slow external usb hard drive autoplay). So my next step is to flash the bios to the latest version. Heck that's what the beep code initially said I had to do anyways. I figured it would be a good chance to clean the case and parts, so it's not a big loss. If it still doesn't work after a bios flash, the case will be clean enough for a new mobo. Unless I decide to test the capacitors, but I don't have a multimeter yet so...

Anyways quick question. I'm preparing my case for whatever reason. Trying to keep it clean, and have a problem. I've always experienced a bit of internal case dust build up because the three vents on my case (front intake, side intake, top exhaust), have a screen shield but the black metal shield holes are big enough for fine particles to make their way through. I was going to place some cut out static sheets (laundry type), and put them over the vents using 4 small strips of thin cut fridge magnets on each side to hold them up against the metal vents.

Could this damage my internal hard drives that sit just like any other case, right in front of the front side vent (by the power switch). Or would there be not enough magnetic pull to damage anything since it's thin magnets?

Please look at the photo to see what I mean:

http://oi44.tinypic.com/21e6i6s.jpg

 

Hey superstar I wouldn't be stressing. My Antec 1200 case only has mesh filters which can only stop small beasties like spiders and silverfish etc and with four 140mm fans on the front and a big 200mm fan at the top it certainly accumulates plenty of dust. Don't worry too much about the dust as I only fire up my compressor and blow all my pcs out twice a year whether they need it or not (they always need it) but I know I have a dry air conditioned atmosphere usually between 18°C and 23°C so it isn't really a worry how filthy they get. The main pointer I use for time to clean my pcs is when the CPU temp is averaging 5°C warmer than usual at idle and as both my workstations are overclocked then my preference is that they run cooler so I clean. :cool
If the dust in your pc was getting damp or accumulates to the extent it reduces the pc's cooling ability then by all means give it a good clean and I agree with the others re cleaning the slot connectors. For slot connectors I have a bunch of old scrap cards that I roughed up the contacts slightly with some 400 grit wet and dry then washed them very thoroughly (to remove the abrasive) and burnished with a micofibre pad. When I want to clean the slot contacts on the motherboard I gently brush some Isopropyl or sometimes use Servisol contact cleaner then while it is still wet, insert and quickly remove the scrap card several times. The very slightly roughened surface helps move any dirt out and if you wipe the scrap card contacts after with a clean white lint free tissue (I use spectacle tissues) you will often find a grey residue has adhered to the contacts and is now on the tissue. If you are going to use this method make sure the roughened contacts are spotlessly clean before inserting as the rough surface can also hold unwanted contaminants which could damage the connector. Over many years and using ultrasonic cleaners in a laboratory and all manner of other chemicals and methods, I find doing this gives the best results for the least effort involved and once you have made your scrap card then the hard work is done (mine has a nice handle on it and any big components and heatsinks are removed and I have a different one for each type of slot connector)

Re hard disks and dust
Hard drives are to all intents sealed (they do have a microvent to help equalise internal pressure) so dust should never be a problem unless the dust is conductive and it is covering the circuit board.
BTW Never open up a hard drive unless you are scrapping it to get the neodymium magnets off the voice coil motor. Hard drives are manufactured in a clean room as they run to very close tolerances and event the smallest dust particle can cause read errors. In normal use dust can't get inside the HDD where the platters are so you don't need to worry about a bit of dust other than for aesthetic reasons.
Here
This is a video on how Seagate hard drives are made if you are interested.

re hard drives and fridge magnets
I doubt the fridge magnet would have enough field strength even if stuck directly on the HDD to do any damage.

cheers :major

 

-> Superstar

Couldn't you avoid any worry about magnetic fields by using tape (or even glue) to attach extra filtering material ?

Here, you can pick up a reasonably accurate (can't remember the spec, but even moderately priced ones can't do better than 1% IIRC - perhaps someone correct me on this, quoting chapter and verse ?) DMM for less than about £5 (~US$8)

Dumb_Question
23.January.2014

 

You cannot conclusively test caps with a multimeter. For conclusive testing, you need a capacitance tester. You can, with a multimeter see if a cap "appears" to be good, however - by checking to see if it "takes" a charge, and holds a charge.

I would not make that assumption. If a heat sink gets clogged with heat trapping dust, a cool ambient temperature will be of little help. The ambient "temperature" has nothing to do with how much dust, dirt, hair, dander, microscopic critters that eat dander (and all their fecal matter) that get jammed into the recesses of our computers.

As for the Antec filters, they actually are very effective. I prefer Antec cases with filters. It is important to note those filters are more effective as they get dirty. But of course, they also restrict air flow more when dirty too.

Sounds like a VERY BAD IDEA to me. Keeping your heat sensitive computer cool is more important than keeping dust from being drawn into the system.

Cleaning the interior is just a fact of life. Consider the fact without those filters, you would likely need to tear down and lug your systems outside for blasting 4 or 5 times a year, instead of just 1 or 2.

And while those magnets are surely weak, I would avoid using magnets anywhere near a computer. Magnets near floppy disks and magnetic tape meant sure data loss. HDs are heavily shielded so no worries there (at least with weak magnets). But I would still be concerned with interference.

So if me, I would NOT use anything to block any vents. But if still insistent, I would use plain sticky tape. And FOR SURE, I would keep careful and constant watch on my temps.

 

Very educational video right there Joffa! I was aware of the internal parts of a hdd to an extent. But never seen the manufacturing process. Which makes me wonder why some hdd's fail upon purchase, or within days/months? If hdd manufacturers run rigorous tests why do some fail, or get to customers hands doa (without shipping accidents)? I guess more importantly one has to ask what the odds are that a hdd would be defective in say every batch of hdd's made per day at Seagate, WD, etc? Are they even running all of these tests on every single drive that leaves the plant, or just every thousand or so to make sure the factory robot arms are doing their jobs right?

Interesting indeed... Well here goes my day of bios updating on my vintage pc, wish me luck!

I'll have to look for a good capacitor tester on eBay or something. It should come in handy as I work with a lot of electronic components all of the time.

I hear you... Problem with my case is it's so damn hard to open. Since it's made out of see through acrylic plastic, it takes like an hour or more to just get the right angles to clean everything out properly. Otherwise the dust just gets pushed into nooks/crannies. Which is why I'm trying to avoid dust in my system. My vintage pc and parts are currently in this specific case. From what I know these old parts shouldn't heat up so much to the point that they would need as much adequate cooling as a newer system would. How much heat could a P3 processor, and AGP 4x card get to? Not much I would assume, I could be wrong though on a hot summers day...

 

P3 max dissipation should be available through the Intel website or on cpu-world

Powers of many graphics can be found on manufacturer's websites or by searching the internet

But the power generated by a component isn't the issue. If its well thermally insulated (eg by a layer of dust) it's temperature will rise high if it's dissipating any power.

Sorry to state the obvious.

Digerati - Some good points about Speedfan, fortunately it supports my ancient m/b

Dumb_Question
23.January.2014

 

There are many levels of support - primarily based on motherboard and fan features. Not all motherboards have temp sensors to monitor. And not all chipsets support fan speed control through the motherboard. And finally, not all fan support monitoring either.

 

I have a system monitoring utility that tells me when the temperature exceeds the limits that I set and has up to five thermocouples which I have placed around the motherboard. Generally my pcs average around 34°C at idle and 50°C when working quite hard so when they get up to 39°C at idle and about 60°C working then it is cleaning time. If my pcs exceed 60°C then I get an audible and onscreen warning that shutdown will occur when it reaches 65°C. This works OK for me but other ppl might not like their workstation shutting down while they are working if they don't pay attention to the alarms. The reason I have a temperature monitor is because years ago I was doing some heavy CAD processing on a pc with an overclocked AMD Thunderbird and it got so hot that it caught on fire LOL. Set off the smoke detectors in the lab and cost the company a fire brigade visit LOL My manager was not impressed because a fire brigade visit costs quite a lot of money :-o

Yeah I like Antec cases too and the mesh filters keep out most of the beasties. One of my old pcs was being used in the garage as a network server for movies and I didn't have all the slot blanking plates on the front rolleyes One cold night we were watching a movie and then lost connection. It was late and I didn't feel like going out to the cold garage so went to bed. Checked the server the following day and a mouse had climbed inside for warmth and got electrocuted when he chewed on the power cables. When I found him his teeth were still locked onto the wire. Eewwww rolleyes

re: floppies, magnetic tape and magnets
The only floppies and magnetic tape I have touched in the last 5 years were ones I was tossing out. Over here most companies I know backup to optical media these days.
Fridge magnets are so weak that I used to keep several with my diagnostic floppy disks in a zip up folder to hand out to customers when I did some pc service work years ago. The fridge magnets never caused any corrupted floppies. They weren't stuck to the floppy but just in a pocket in the same folder so they were near but not touching. Don't forget there is at least one very powerful neodymium magnet inside every hard disk so the platters do have reasonable magnetic immunity. The only experience I have with magnetic tape is that the R&D dept I was working for tested their daily tape backups every week and it always reported OK. The only time we ever needed the backups was when the lab got flooded and destroyed everything including the server cabinet so they got the duplicate backups from the waterproof fire safe and they were corrupt so then they got the copy from off premises and it too was corrupt so we lost 12 months research data and product development records. So you don't need fridge magnets to damage tape.

A DMM with a capacitance scale is OK for testing caps and they can be bought quite cheaply as pmed to superstar. They will never be as accurate as a wheatstone bridge type capacitance and inductance tester but then the DMM hasn't got the same price. When electrolytic caps are generally used then near enough is usually good enough and a DMM with capacitance scale is easily good enough for the job. :cool

 

How so? What roll do these neodymium magnets play inside a hdd? I've seen them in use here and seem to be quite powerful (pull wise). Funny video btw "GeekBusters," check the I.T. karate kick at the end lol! These guys are basically testing if magnet can erase a computer hard drive in the video below. :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22nulswuU7M

 

The neodymium magnet is part of the voice coil motor (or actuator) which drives the heads.
Here is a vid that explains how it works very clearly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iaxOUYalJU
cheers :cool

 

Thanks Joffa!

OKAY - OKAY this is where things start to really get bizarre. I REALLY need all of your input here (that means everyone who posted). Everyone's personal opinion would help, because I find what just happened to be extremely bizarre.

So let's recap... Out of nowhere my vintage pc [built off the back of a HP Vectra VL400 motherboard], started acting real slow. Slow hdd access, slow external autoplay, & well those were pretty much enough signs to tell me something was wrong. Slow as in 10/20 seconds to scroll sides through the section of a folder, or 10 minute autoplay load up on my external hdd. So then shortly thereafter a couple days of scratching my head I tried a few obvious things. Scanned with Eset [already installed on the machine], Malwarebytes, Spybot, ran CCleaner, and even did a registry error check/maintenance. Nothing came up bad with all of those scans. Then BAM out of nowhere on about the 3rd day I turned the pc on to troubleshoot some more. & the computer rebooted on it's own shortly after displaying the Win XP desktop. It then gave a serious bios beep code [6 beeps indicate - Corrupted Bios/You need to activate crisis recovery procedure], which would basically have you re-reflash the bios via floppy disk. With a newer version since I still have the bios version one step down since 2001 according to the Phoenix date on screen [my current bios isn't available for download anymore - IP.01.07]. I did look through my bios a couple or so times, and noticed no change from previous settings I had slightly manipulated all these years [usually just the boot order to load off cdroms at times]. Figured the 6 beep code [which happened twice within a two day span] may "luckily" be the cause of random errors due to dust, or pci/agp chip creep. I then decided to have a go at cleaning my custom acrylic case, & all components inside out to the teeth [can of compressed air, dust brush, and 99% isopropyl alcohol on a brush]. Since I hadn't cleaned it in 3 years [yet it was still very dust free]. Figured at worst if the motherboard was dead/failing, I would then either try testing/changing the capacitors, or ready the case up for a new motherboard/potentially new parts to go along with it too.

So here's where it ALL WENT DOWN!!!

I finally found the time to create a MS-DOS based boot up floppy disk using another one of my computers today. The floppy contains the HP Vectra VL400 "Crisis Recovery" procedure, which is essentially just the latest flash bios IP.01.08 as seen below:

http://oi44.tinypic.com/2pql3xi.jpg

I also had a normal floppy made years ago that has the standard [non crisis] flash procedure using the same updated bios version IP.01.08. But I wasn't going to use that one of course. Anyhow I turned on my problematic vintage pc [not so vintage I mean all of the added parts were bought in recent years brand new, except for the motherboard], and decided to take one final look around the bios. As I mentioned before nothing seemed to be "different," in comparison to what I've had set for years. So this was it... I was going to set the floppy drive to boot first in the bios. I did so and hit "Save & Exit..." After you hit "Save & Exit" the pc always loads Win Xp. So I had no choice but to wait for it to load, shutdown, and then do the crisis recovery with the floppy I had created on my other pc tower. Now the bizarre part... I'm in Windows and decided to take one last look at my baby. Knowing the crisis recovery could eventually end in disaster, or no change at all. So for one last time I clicked a folder to scroll through, and noticed IT SCROLLED FAST AS IT DID BEFORE THIS ISSUE EVEN HAPPENED!!! I thought "What's going on here?" So I turned on my external hdd that after the problem would take 10 minutes to load up on autoplay. & it too LOADED UP FAST IN 15 SECONDS AS IT DID BEFORE THIS ISSUE EVEN HAPPENED!!!

Okay now I'm dumbfounded. I had heard that if weird issues occur, and you think they are because of your bios/motherboard. You can just either clear cmos, or simply enter/exit the bios. As I mentioned earlier I tried entering and exiting the bios having a look see, nothing changed the problem was still there. Never tried to clear cmos... & as you know now ALL I DID right now was change the device boot order to load from FLOPPY 1st, instead of what it was before for 3 years [since I last changed it]. Saved & exited the bios after that boot order change, and now my pcs fine???

What gives here??? I have no idea what to do now. Joffa famously said many times, in many threads "If it's not broke - don't fix it." Well my friends, it's not broke - I don't know if I should fix it. This leads me to ask a serious of questions.

1. Should I leave it be now that it's working?

2. How did this happen & why did me changing/saving a simple boot device order in my bios correct my problem?

3. Should I still do the crisis recovery procedure?

4. If one of your answers has to do with the cmos/battery/saved settings, should I buy a new battery and install it onboard? [It's been there since the mobo was manufactured]

5. Should I [now that my pc is working], update to the latest bios using the standard [non crisis recovery] update procedure? Or just leave my bios as is one step version down?

6. Anything you have to add because I'm dumbfounded, yet happy!!!


:wave:-D:majorcool


P.s.
Thank you all so much for your continued support, knowledge, and help. We are a community, and brotherhood. I'm always glad to hear opinions I can rely/learn from.

 

For mine I would change the battery as it is a very small cost and even if it doesn't fix anything you will have a fresh battery that is not 10+ years old
Digerati had some good tips and although I don't wear gloves I do make sure I have very clean hands and after cleaning the new battery I only hold it by the edges :-D

Changing the boot order means the BIOS has been resaved and it has possibly repaired the error while saving. Maybe the stored HDD type became corrupt or didn't identify all your HDDs if you have more than one .... dunno only guessing here :confused

If you want an adventure upgrade the BIOS by all means but I only upgrade BIOS versions if something doesn't work and I have no other option

 

I spoke too dang soon... Turned off the pc, let it rest while I ate. Turned it back on to see if it "working fine" was a fluke, & then BAM the pc rebooted after loading up the Win XP desktop, then gave out the same 6 beep code.

Guess it's go time for this crisis recovery floppy... Ahhhh man... I'll post back. At least I know it's obviously a bios issue for damn sure.

 

I've tried "Crisis Recovery" using a floppy with the latest bios. It won't let me update the bios. Upon first boot the screen is black, I have to hard shutdown. Second power on shows a message about "Crisis Recovery Activated Flip Switch & Reboot" but doesn't go past it. Meanwhile the switch is flipped already as per the crisis recovery procedure in the manual. I reboot and back to the black screen. I also tried to flash using a normal floppy with the latest bios update (not crisis recovery floppy). & I get the "Remove Disks or Other Media" message on screen. It won't let me flash the bios! Tried a special MS DOS based cdrom I made of the bios that should boot, but it also does the same as the last I mentioned. Running out of ideas here. Bios is still the same version I had before, and loads into XP without any floppys or cdrom present. But I know I'll get the 6 beep code eventually. I'm going to try and reset the Bios to default via the bios menu... Maybe that would work? Maybe pull the battery out for a while? Or should I declare this board a done deal?

 

@joffa

Can you look at the photos on page 2 of my motherboard and tell me if you can spot exactly which chip is my motherboards bios chip? I just ran into a custom service provider that can make and program any bios chip with the latest update. In which case I could easily desolder my corrupt bios. Pcs just been sitting there for a while, been crazy busy. Just bought some new CMOS batteries today. Someone I know swears by the fact that just because the bios doesn't revert to defaults, the bios corruption error could still be from the over 10 year old battery. I guess in theory it's possible... We'll see I'll test the new battery out tomorrow morning.

Thanks

 

Hey superstar
I can't read the number on the 8 pin device closest to the block with 5 switches (near the CMOS battery) but I presume it is probably an EEPROM which is likely to be the BIOS chip. The numbers on the other nearby ICs manufactured by Philips that I can almost read the numbers would only be two more guesses of which the 20 pin device is probably octal tri state inverting buffers and the other is too unclear so I will leave them for now. If you PM me a link to a much better resolution picture of just this area of the motherboard so that I can read the numbers with total certainty then I can identify the ICs.

Personally I think desoldering the IC should be a last resort if you can't reflash the BIOS and you can't part with your motherboard.
My best case solution would be to seek out a working secondhand motherboard on ebay or your local Trash & Treasure Market or you might even get lucky and find a computer recycler with a stack of old secondhand Vectra motherboards sitting in a box on a shelf somewhere. Prices over here would range from A$5 to A$20 for mobo, CPU and RAM complete and not separate. Of course there is no saying how long a secondhand motherboard would last but it is the same situation if you fix your own motherboard.

cheers

 

Best to check your motherboard manual. There is (or sure should be) a labeled illustration of the motherboard. Look for the chipset (it might be under a big heatsink or HSF). The BIOS chip (or chips, if dual-bios) will be located very close (within an inch or two) of the chipset.

Also, the chip or chips should be labeled too.

 

-> superstar
best to buy a brand new battery (coin cell) to replace the 10 year old one. It may not solve anything, but because it's cheap and easy to do, it's worth a shot.

If Joffa can read the chip numbers, it is a relatively straightforward task to identify an/the EEPROM.

Dumb_Question
13.February.2014

 

The quad flatpack IC (which is similar to a PLCC package) near the battery is one of the ICs in the chipset. Without even reading the number, I believe it would be the Southbridge and it controls the PCI bus and other i/o such as floppy drives and other featured i/o ports. The Southbridge also is connected to the BIOS chip hence my guess. The block of 5 switches are all for BIOS functions so logically, the BIOS will be between the Southbridge chip and this switch block because PCB designers don't like running tracks further than is absolutely necessary due to I²R losses and also for EMI/RFI considerations. Besides long tracks waste valuable board area where extra components could have been mounted or the board size could have been reduced to save money.

If you are interested in Northbridge/Southbridge general layout below is a picture that is probably very close to how the Vectra functional layout would be and is typical of earlier computers. Mass integration in current computers has changed the component landscape and allowed even greater miniaturisation of board sizes which can be seen in tablets and smart phones. Here is one example of size reduction where on older PCs the North and South bridges were on separate chips (called the chipset) and now they are both in the one highly integrated component package.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Motherboard_diagram.svg/555px-Motherboard_diagram.svg.png

If you are still interested and want some extra reading on basic functional motherboard layout then good old wikipedia has this on Northbridge and this on Southbridge
Otherwise read any of the older Intel CPU and chipset technical databooks as these have very clear layout instructions for the PCB designer to allow the processors to achieve their rated speed. For example these pdf download links are for volume 1 and volume 2 datasheets for i7 - 900 series processors

Code:

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/datasheets/core-i7-900-ee-and-desktop-processor-series-datasheet-vol-1.pdf

and

Code:

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/datasheets/core-i7-900-ee-and-desktop-processor-series-datasheet-vol-2.pdf

and if you search Intel's site you can find datasheets on most of their old processors.

Cheers

 

I must explain and even apologise for, some muddled thinking I was having.

The battery associated with the CMOS chip that holds any changes (I think, such as boot device order, etc) that you may have made to the BIOS and it is needed so that this chip doesn't forget the changes (and powers the RTC, and other functions probably). For reasons that I do not quite understand a failing CMOS battery may cause boot problems (maybe the data stored in it is corrupted ?).

The BIOS is stored in an EEPROM, often known as flash memory, which does not need a battery. This is a permanent record (unless you re-flash the BIOS)

I have written this because I have given some less correct information earlier, to give contributors with more knowledge the opportunity to correct my thoughts (and me to learn from that), and for my own reference. Apologies.

Dumb_Question
14.February.2014

 

Huh? Don't understand? You explained it in your previous sentence. The battery holds the charge on the CMOS module so the data inside the CMOS module is retained. Remove the voltage (pull battery, bad battery, move reset jumper, push reset switch - if your board has one), and CMOS module no longer has the "holding voltage" it needs to keep the data alive. The CMOS module transistor "gates" revert back to their "quiescent state" - which dumps the data, thus resetting the BIOS back to default settings.

 

This would explain a reversion to original BIOS settings, not the multitude of unusual things that people often experience.

Dumb_Question
15.February.2014

 

Huh? Sorry, I don't know what "this" is, but my explanation is correct. If you have a bad battery, or you remove the battery thus resetting the BIOS, you lose your boot drive information, and you also lose the correct time, which can cause corruption too, if way off.

 

I think this thread has run its course and has become a catch-all for several topics. Digerati, would you kindly stop it with the Huh? comments? They come off as belittling to others.

Thanks!