CMOS settings lost when unplugged, battery is good (was Re: [vox-tech] CMOS problems, battery dead?)

[Ryan]

On Saturday 27 April 2002 08:52 pm, ME wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Apr 2002, Ryan wrote:
> > After it's been off AC, I go to turn it on, and it whines about a CMO=
S
> > checksum error, and my settings have been reset to thier defaults.
>
> Is this a home-built system, or made by a vendor?
>
> If built by a local vendor or by a buddy, then I would suspect power
> supply and/or how it is connected to the motherboard.

Local vendor

> How old is the system? (I seem to recall you said 2 or 3 years, but am =
not
> sure.)

About a year and a half, motherboard was replaced 6 months ago

> On a related question, if on a power strip, what happens if you leave t=
he
> power strip "on" but halt the computer and reboot "sfot reboot via
> control-alt-delete?

Not a problem

> How about leave plugged in, and AC on, put cycle the
> power switch? How about power down, unplug, plug in, power on?

It lost my CMOS settings after an hour when a car hit a power line last w=
eek,=20
was fine when off for a few seconds.

> About how much time off of AC is required for this to happen? (Right aw=
ay
> or hours or ?)
>
> > Leaving it soft-off overnight didn't cause me any problems.
>
> Is soft-off the same as "standby mode" where it is sleeping, or "sleep
> mode" where it is low power, but in use or suspend mode where an image =
of
> memory is written to disk, and then upon powering up the image is read
> into memory toa llow the machine to pick up where it left off?

Soft off =3D=3D PSU on, plugged in, but fully powered down. (it cold boot=
s when i=20
turn it back on)

> We still have:
> power (we ruled out the battery itself, but the socket for the battery,=
 or
>   the power supply and feed to the mb are possible too.)
> CMOS/BIOS chip(s)  (failure)
> connection of chip to board
> motherboard failure/short (This includes setting a jumper to reset flas=
h
>  BIOS to factory configs - possible. Look for it. If set, unset.)

I gotta dig up my manual. if the reset jumper is set I'll scream.

How would you sugguest checking the others?

> What I can think of right now. Cant remember others. :-(
>
> There may be others, but power seems a good place to check.
> (Other lister reader welcome to make additions. :-)