Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs Forum

I received this laptop in the mail last night. If the item is plugged into an electrical outlet right after being unplugged and I turn the computer on, the following message would appear:

CMOS Settings Wrong
CMOS Date/Time Not Set
Press F2 to run Setup

Scott, could this be a sign of a defective motherboard? I would apparently have to have the laptop constantly plugged into an electrical outlet in order for the above message to not appear every time I turn on the computer. I currently have two other laptops, and a similar message doesn't pop up every time I plug in one of them to an electrical outlet right after an unplugged period and turn the puppy on.

replace the MB battery ... nice link BTW

You mean the CMOS battery?

It could also be a defective main battery. The battery in a laptop that old would normally be dead (or nearly so) and the CMOS battery would most likely be dead as well. What happens when you replace the CMOS battery and run the system without the main battery installed? Scott.

Scott, I've located the CMOS battery in the Averatec 4200 Series laptop that I have.



Is there a particularly good way to get it out? How do I put in a replacement?

You just unplug it and plug in a replacement. You can purchase a direct replacement for a few bucks or replace the battery in the existing unit using a new coin cell, conductive tape and heat shrink tubing. Scott.

Scott, I have stuff to replace the current battery with. My big concern is that the current battery is not in a socket. It appears to be held in place by an adhesive.

The cable connecting the battery to the motherboard is plugged into a socket. You will of course need to unplug it before you can plug in the replacement.



Note that different 2-pin connectors may be used by different models so you will want to insure that your replacement battery has the same connector as the existing one. If not you can splice the existing cable and connector to the cable on the replacement or attach a new bare battery to your existing cable using the method shown in the last link in my previous post. Scott.

I have tried but failed to remove the cable from its socket. Would using tweezers be a good idea?

The connector is a self-latching friction fit type, similar to that used for cooling fans. Normally you just grab the wires and pull. A tweezers used improperly could cause damage to the cable, connector or possibly even the motherboard. Scott.