It’s 1980 all over again – or has the time in the BIOS been reset
Warning
Tools: Philips Head screwdriver, small Flat Head screwdriver, needle nose pliers
Your girl friend calls you and says, “Don’t forget we are meeting my parents for lunch”. You reply with the normal, “Yah” and get ready to hang up. Of course she can never stop there, but all you here is “blah, blah, blah”. Once again you reply, “Yah I’ll be there,” and finally get the chance to hang up. You of course go back to Battlefield 2 and forget you even talked to what’s her name.
What seems like minutes latter, but is actually hours, you are awakened from your gaming trance by the phone. You pick up and instantly say “didn’t you just call”. She replies, “you stood me up for the last time you jerk. You proclaim your innocence as you see your PC clock says 10:45… 1980.
Boy did you blow it, but what exactly happened to your PC clock? This is an easy answer; the BIOS battery is most likely dead or dying (usually). Because the battery is bad, every time your computer shuts down the BIOS resets. Your BIOS keeps the PC time and it of course was reset to its original settings. Before you bring your PC into your local Please Charge me a lot store let’s try to fix the issue ourselves. Actually this is issue is one of the easiest hardware fixes there is. So go ahead and print this post and then power down.
Let us open the case and ground ourselves. Now look around the mother board and you will find what appears to be a battery. Insure that you are grounded and remove it. Don’t be scared just be careful. Most modern boards have a little release button you can press with the small Flat Head screwdriver. Some systems (mainly older ones) you have to work out with the small Flat Head screwdriver. Here is my WARNING; if you have to work to get the thing out be careful, the hand on the top is fragile and will break. Position the small Flat Head screw driver between the battery and it’s housing so it slightly pushes the battery upward. Then carefully use the needle nose pliers to remove the battery.
CR 2032 is common between most major brands to include Energizer, Panasonic, and Maxell
Now make a trip to your local Target, Radio Shack, or electronic superstore and get a new one. Be careful you should not pay more than $3.50 for one. I have seen some places charge $10 for one. Take the old one to insure you get the right one.
After you get back home pop it in, put the case on your computer, and fire it up. As it is booting you should get an error that something is wrong with the time. You need to go to “Set Up” even if there is no error. Different systems have different commands to enter setup so watch the screen to see how to get to your “Setup”. Depending on the age of your system all you should have to do is set the date and time. This is usually off of the main menu. You will have to read the screen for your commands, because different systems have different commands. Also if you make other changes you should write down what you did, so if you screw up your system you can go back and change it back. After that save your settings and exit out, your system will reboot and you should be good.
One last thing; if by some fluke this does not fix your problem your board may be going bad. If it is still under warranty contact your computers OEM
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POSTED IN: Defend Yourself, Hardware, Intro To PC's, PC Repair Training
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