BI:MoboBattery

From CastleCopsWiki

[edit] Caution

Be sure to discharge any static electricity BEFORE you touch any of the components by touching the bare metal inside surface of the case. Do this FREQUENTLY while you are working.

[edit] What to do

The motherboard has a battery on it. When it starts to go bad, it can cause all sorts of strange behavior. If it is the battery, then nothing else will work. Replace it with a new, fresh battery. You can find CR2032 (most of them are this kind) batteries almost anywhere that sells batteries - it is very common, and it only costs a couple of dollars.

Shut down the system, unplug it from the wall and wait about 30 minutes. Unplug everything from the back of the unit (be sure to note where to plug it back in), then open the case by undoing the screws. Be sure to discharge any static electricity BEFORE you touch any of the components by touching the bare metal inside surface of the case. Do this FREQUENTLY while you are working.

You will find a flat coin shaped battery on your motherboard. You might have to look around for it. (Mine is located under the modem card, which I have to remove to get to the battery.) There is usually a small retainer clip holding the battery in place, Using a small screw driver, push on the retainer clip and the battery should just pop out (be sure you note which side is up). Try not to handle the new battery too much before you install it. It should just pop right into the retainer clip.

If you had to move anything to get to the battery, now is the time to put it back. Make sure that it is securely in place. Also, be sure that you didn't dislodge anything. Close the case, reattach the power and other peripherals, and boot.

Note, on the first boot after changing the battery you will need to enter the bios and change any important settings, including the time and date. Otherwise you will get an error message from the bios every time you boot. It should take you to the BIOS on the first boot automatically.