Bios Errors

encryptix

Not sure if i should be posting here or in building & upgrading.

Have a few problems with my pc lately, its an old pc but has been working fine up until now.

When I turned it on i get errors the first one being the other day "CMOS checksum error" and when i turned it on the time had reset (i presumed that the battery just needed replacing? )

But then today i got "CPU is unworkable or has changed" and couldnt boot so i loaded the failsafe settings and when it loaded the usb ports wont work (ive used the failsafe settings before and this hasnt happened). i think its a setting in the bios to turn the usb ports on but i dont want to turn the pc off incase it wont turn back on before i take some files off it.


is it as simple as the battery needs to be replaced or more?



specs :

Winxp pro sp2

amd athlon 64 processor 2800

1.84 ghz 768 mb ram


thanks for any input.

Deano12345

Yeah,wouldn't suprise me if it just needed a new CMOS battery.If that doesnt solve it,you cna get replacement BIOS chips off places like EBay

game4it70

+1 on the new battery and take it from there as that sounds like all thats wrong.

encryptix

thanks, i'll replace it and see how it goes

encryptix

just an update, went into a shop today to try get the battery and the guy said it would be between 50 - 70 € and thats the cheapest i could get it.:eek: I couldnt believe it, i asked him again to make sure that he knew i meant the button 3v cmos batteries (the cr2032 ones). they're 1 - 5 € online...

yoyo

encryptix wrote: »

just an update, went into a shop today to try get the battery and the guy said it would be between 50 - 70 € and thats the cheapest i could get it.:eek: I couldnt believe it, i asked him again to make sure that he knew i meant the button 3v cmos batteries (the cr2032 ones). they're 1 - 5 € online...

I know for a fact you can get CR 2032 batteries in maplins for a fiver around, the bloke was ripping you off.. Big time, Fair play for not paying it, had to buy a bios battery for my uncles machine last month, cost <€5 in maplins parnell st

Nick

Alanstrainor

encryptix wrote: »

just an update, went into a shop today to try get the battery and the guy said it would be between 50 - 70 € and thats the cheapest i could get it.:eek: I couldnt believe it, i asked him again to make sure that he knew i meant the button 3v cmos batteries (the cr2032 ones). they're 1 - 5 € online...

You can buy them in boots and tesco and the likes for around a fiver.

RolandIRL

had the same problem on my own computer. you can use batteries like the flat ones you put into those old-style radios (like the ones that came free in Kellogg's cereals years ago). they're very cheap cos i got a whole bunch of different sizes in lidl for €3 and they worked fine.
after you change the battery, i think you need to set the time in the BIOS menu, cos on mine, it didn't work unless you did that.
for a quick solution, try taking out the existing battery and putting it back in. then set the time. should tie ya over until you can replace the battery.