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speedball1 · Feb 22, 2006, 06:45 AM

Hey Guys, Speedball1 here.
Is there any way to check on the lithium battery in my mother board to see its projected life?
My clock's slowing down and I've got a hunch my battery's going bye bye.
Next question. If I have to change out the battery what should I do to save the information on my hard drives? Will I lose everything when I remove and change it out? But before I do anything I need expert advice on how to proceed. Thanks in advance, tom

ScottGem · Feb 22, 2006, 06:48 AM

You won't lose anything on the hard drives. Those are all non volatile memory. The only thing you might lose is your CMOS settings. Go into those settings and do screen shots of each screen so you have a record. Then change the battery and reccheck to CMOS to set anything that may have changed.

speedball1 · Feb 22, 2006, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by ScottGem

You won't lose anything on the hard drives. Those are all non volatile memory. The only thing you might lose is your CMOS settings. Go into those settings and do screen shots of each screen so you have a record. Then go ahead and change the battery and reccheck to CMOS to set anything that may have changed.

Scotty,
How can I check the battery and how does one "do a screen shot" of the CMOS?

ScottGem · Feb 22, 2006, 07:48 AM

To test it you would need to pull it and use a battery tester. Thse are not expensive batteries, so if unsure just replace it.

You can use the PrtScrn key when viewing the CMSO screens. Since they are text based they should be sent to yout printer. If not, then you need to note the settings.

speedball1 · Feb 22, 2006, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by ScottGem

To test it you would need to pull it and use a battery tester. Thse are not expensive batteries, so if unsure just replace it.

You can use the PrtScrn key when viewing the CMSO screens. Since they are text based they should be sent to yout printer. If not, then you need to note the settings.

Thanks Scotty,
I tried highlighting the CMOS and clicking prt scr but nothing happened. (I told you I was a computer dummy) However I coppied down the settings in case I need them. I feel much better now. You set my mind at ease from worrying that if the battery went belly up then I would lose everything on my hard drives. Thank you all very much. You guys have come through for me every time. And thank you Scotty, I'd award you two of those "lil green boxes" if you collected them. Tom