BIOS trying rebellion
 

Switching on power for my system this morning resultet in booting not the configruation that I had set and saved, but booting by apparent factory defaults that I manually had to change to the configuration that I want again. The Windows came up, and life was nice again. I made a warm-reboot again, and the saved BIOS configuration came up.

I then left home, and had power switched off (I never let the system run for hours or nights if it is not needed). Turning the system on when I was back again, saw it booting with factory defaults, the saved configuration from just three hours before was gone, and I had to configure everything manually again. then Windows went up as if nothing happened.

On the BIOS message screen on the beginning I saw an additional message after the hardware checkup list, "CMOS setting wrong". you know that these text displays disappear quickly, so this is the only unusual feedback I can see on this screen.

A bad feeling tells me this is an indication for something more serious gone broken, finally, with the future promising growing system failure(s), maybe related to the BIOS ROM. that would mean mainboard failure. That would mean end of system (it's an old Asus P4P800 SE). Argh! Sounds like needing a lot of money soon.

Any comments?

P.S. Could it be the battery on the MB?

Most likely, yes.

Yup battery.... good luck with that :salute:

Some motherboards are simple just replace the 'coin' battery with an equal.

Others not so much, they opted for a rechargable nicad hard and soldered to the mobo.

If it is the battery, I'll be happy, it is a normal CR2035 in an open capsule. I test it later this afternoon.

Yea, its query the RTC to get the correct time and date, but if the batt is dead the clock don't work.

Motherboards have batteries? :o

:doh: care to give some examples of motherboards that hava a rechargable nicad soldered battery ?

Earlier pentium series socket 7 mostly but some later models as well. I guess they all realized their folly as the simple failure of a battery could render the mobo useless. I have personally repaired a couple of such boards.

Of course mobo's have batteries not only to keep time but to keep the settings of the bios.

Wow I've never comed across such motherboards.
Even in my prehistoric Amstrad Pc 1512 (around 1987) the computer used standard alcaline batteries for bios.

You need to get out more ofter. :hmmm:

Obvious from his signature his thoughts are elsewhere!!:03:

It was the battery indeed.

Ah, good news Skybird!:up:

I wonder if trial software would last longer if you take out the battery? :hmmm:

The PC will not turn on without it :03: