my other computer is a emachine t1440, it comes on, the power supplky is good. But the cmos wont start.?

Question

checked the Ram with some other ram i had, not that. Checked the hard drive with old one that worked fine. Still just power supply comes on, lights come on and no cmos starting. Anyone know how to reset the cmos from the jumpers on the motherboard?

Answer 1

I know it sounds silly but have you tried changing the CMOS battery? As a general rule, users should record the PC's CMOS settings before the batteries die out. Here is some information from PC World which you might find helpful:

1. Hassle-Free PC: Ten Sure-Fire Fixes for a Problem PC
Treatments include six free tools, a CMOS repair, and an unfreezing trick. -- pcworld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,126459;page,1/article.html)


2. Answer Line: Stop Those Annoying Boot-Up Error Messages
Plus: Get an old app to print via USB; Spybot's faulty DSO bug report; and create a backup of your CMOS. -- pcworld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/article/120357-1/article.html?findid=53862)


Excerpts from the articles:

"The Hassle: Periodically, my PC boots to a black screen with a message saying that my hard drive doesn't exist. When I reboot, Windows loads and everything's fine. Well, almost--the clock is always wrong. Help!

The Fix: You have a dying CMOS battery on your motherboard. You'll first need to record the system's existing CMOS settings, which you can find in the PC Setup program. When you boot up the machine, you should see on-screen PC Setup access instructions before Windows starts. Use a digital camera to snap an image of each page, or record the details with pencil and paper. For another option, read "Make a Backup of Your CMOS" in the June 2005 Answer Line. Then buy a fresh battery at Radio Shack (about $5) and follow the steps at LiveRepair." -- article 1


"Make a Backup of Your CMOS

Is there any way for me to back up the CMOS chip on my PC's system board? Its data, some of which is necessary to boot a computer, will disappear if the motherboard's battery runs out.

Charles Ruggles, Phoenix

The most reliable tool I've been able to find for creating a CMOS backup is Super Win Software's $25 WinRescue. This program backs up all your system files. Be sure to download the edition of the program that's designed for your particular version of Windows.

The CMOS backup is in WinRescue's Boot Disk feature. Begin by opening WinRescue and clicking the Boot Disk tab. If you're running Windows 2000 or XP, select DOS Boot Disk from the pulldown menu (the other option produces a disk identical to the emergency boot floppy I described in my November 2003 Answer Line column, "What to Do When Windows XP or 2000 Won't Boot"). Click the Boot Disk button and then follow the prompts.

If that fateful day ever arrives when you find that you need to restore your CMOS, all you'll have to do is boot to the floppy disk that you just created and then click the Restore CMOS button." -- article 2