[CameronGTG]

Hello,

When I start my computer I receive this message :

WARNING CPU HAS BEEN CHANGED OR CPU RATIO CHANGED FAIL.

PLEASE RE-ENTER CPU SETTING IN THE CMOS SETUP AND REMEMBER TO SAVE BEFORE QUIT!

When I do this my computer time when I get to my desktop is fine, until I restart my computer again. So typically I just press F1, and let my computer think it's some time in 2000, which effects my logon to sites with dated certificates. Just recently since I have moved I can no longer access my Hotmail account which may be unrelated - but that site prompts me to chose Yes / No / View Certificate - which normally would connect me to my e-mail.

My computer is a couple of years old - 2003 I think. Do I simply need to replace the battery on the motherboard. I would have tried this already, however I read somewhere online that my settings for the CPU may be lost if I remove the battery ?!?

Is this true ?

I replaced the battery on an older computer and never lost anything...

Thanks,
Cameron

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If the battery is bad the settings are being lost anyway. The battery should read just over three volts, if you have a meter handy. And costs about three dollars.

[Tyger]

If the battery is bad the settings are being lost anyway. The battery should read just over three volts, if you have a meter handy. And costs about three dollars.

[Fenor]

Hi CameronGTG!

When you replace the CMOS battery, only the custom changes to the BIOS will be changed, like if you overclocked your CPU or changed the boot order or disabled the onboard audio, etc... The DEFAULT factory settings will still be saved and will be used when you put the new CMOS battery in your computer. You will get a CMOS checksum error when you first turn on your computer after replacing the battery. Don't worry this is normal, it just means that you need to set the correct date & time. Just hit the F key it tells you to to enter SETUP and then change the date and time accordingly, and then make sure you SAVE SETTINGS & EXIT, so that the date & time you just entered will be saved. Then your computer should reboot as normal.

Fenor

Edited by Fenor, 31 October 2005 - 07:15 PM.