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How do I replace the BIOS battery in my laptop?

What Does the BIOS Battery Do?

The BIOS battery is designed as a source of power that provides power to the clock and BIOS or configuration memory (CMOS) for your laptop.

How to Replace the BIOS Battery in a Laptop

The exact procedure that you use to change the BIOS battery in a laptop will vary depending on the make and model of the laptop that you have. However, the strategy that you use should be quite similar to the directions provided here. Most laptops today use a Lithium (Li) battery that is held in a spring-like manner. However, some laptops use a Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) battery.

Directions for Replacing the BIOS Battery in a Laptop

1)   Before changing the BIOS battery in your laptop, you should write down all of your settings from the setup mode if the laptop that you have is very old. You do not need to do this with newer laptops.

2)   Obtain a replacement battery before removing the BIOS battery. The battery must be exactly the same and is usually identified with a number. You can usually purchase the correct BIOS battery using the laptop’s make and model.

3)   You should close all open applications and turn off the laptop before switching bios batteries.

4)   Disconnect all peripherals from the laptop including external speakers, USB mouse, power cables, printer, etc.

5)   Carefully turn the laptop over and look for the area where the main laptop battery is secured. Open/unlock the release latches for the battery and carefully remove it.

6)   Since the BIOS battery sits in the motherboard, you now need to turn the laptop over and remove the cover. If your laptop is still under warranty, you might want to see if this activity is going to void your warranty before you complete this task. The keyboard assembly is typically connected to the laptop with ribbons that you must be careful not to damage.

7)   Remove the battery carefully. You might need a small screwdriver to help you pop the battery out. The Lithium battery is usually used with a socket that has a lateral tab, upper tab, or one in which the battery stands up. When you remove the battery, it is best to jot down how the current battery has been inserted in the laptop so that you can insert the new BIOS battery in the same manner.

8)   Insert the new battery in place of the one that you just removed.

9)   Reconnect the laptop’s peripherals and power cables.

What if the BIOS Battery Is Soldered to the Motherboard?

If the BIOS battery is soldered to the motherboard, then you must replace the entire motherboard or have an experienced technician replace it for you. It is uncommon for this to be the case, but it does happen.

I have tried to flash the BIOS of my ACER Aspire One using the instructions but no joy! What else could I do?

Did you try to flash the BIOS because you were having problems, or did you want to update it with a newer version? If you were already having problems with your machine, the failure of the BIOS flash may be related to that original issue.

Flash BIOS

I’m not sure what instructions you used, so I’m going to print the basic instructions here. The Acer Aspire has built in BIOS recovery that you can access using a USB stick.

1. Get a USB stick and format it with FAT.
2. Download the latest BIOS from the Acer website.
3. Put the FLASHIT.EXE and the BIOS file in the root directory of the USB stick.
4. Rename that BIOS file Z95IA32.FD. Leave the USB stick in the port.
5. Turn the computer off, making sure that there is a battery and AC adapter connected to it.
6. Press Fn+Esc at the same time. Keeping those pressed, push the power button to turn the computer on.
7. After a few seconds, release Fn+Esc. The power button should be blinking.
8. Press the Power button one time. The computer will start the BIOS flash. Make sure it is not interrupted, or you can really damage your system. The computer will reboot when it is done. The BIOS should be flashed and the settings set back to factory default.

Acer Recovery

I’m really not sure what the original problem was, but you can try Acer Recovery to see if that fixes your issue.

1. Turn on the computer. When you see the Acer BIOS screen (if you can see it at all), hold down Alt+F10. This will start the recovery process.
2. When eRecovery has loaded, choose “Restore to Factory Default Settings”.
3. Choose OK to continue.
4. The recovery process will run and update the data in the C drive.

Other Options

For a bad BIOS flash, many techs recommend crisis disks or downloads that you can find on the Internet. I can’t go all the way and recommend one, but you might want to do some research. Generally, if you have a bad BIOS flash, the best remedy is to contact the manufacturer - you will likely need professional help.

There’s one problem with this solution: The Acer Aspire One has no disk drive at all, so it doesn’t matter if you have a copy of Windows on disk. I have one and have been trying to boot from the disk using a USB DVD drive (Memorex DVD+-RAM 530L v1) but it doesn’t seem to want to let the disk boot, even after setting the drive to be first in the BIOS boot sequence; the boot sequence starts, then just goes right to that same error. How do I get it to boot from the DVD drive?

Consider Service if Under Warranty

You should be able to connect an external CD or DVD drive through the USB port and boot from the Windows disks that way. Before getting into those details, you might also consider Kat’s original advice and think about taking your machine in for repair if it is still covered by warranty. Sometimes failure to follow boot sequence instructions are also indicative of a larger problem and, compounded with your installation error might mean your computer has a variety of issues. Rather than trying to stick your finger in the dam, a thorough inspection by an Acer technician will ensure that you receive the value of your investment and can enjoy your notebook in the long term.

Configure the BIOS Sequence to Boot from an External Optical Drive

That said, let’s think about how to connect the external DVD drive and get the notebook to boot from it. There are two methods that you can try to get the computer to boot from the external optical drive but first you should remove it from the USB port and let things rest. You might even want to power your computer down to reset things. Put the Windows disk in the disk reader and reconnect it. Power your computer up. Now, you can either:

1. Press F2 as the computer is booting, as soon as you see the Acer logo on your screen
2. This should open the BIOS setup
3. Choose the Boot Menu
4. Follow the onscreen directions to set the bootable optical disk drive first

OR

1. Press F12 during boot up, as soon as you see the Acer logo
2. From the list that appears, choose USB ODD

Now, choose Exit Saving Changes or press F10 or press Enter to close the boot selection menu. You should now be able to follow the onscreen directions to reinstall your operating system or run the Windows Recovery disk.

Create a Bootable USB Recovery Flash Drive

If you have no luck with this, and your computer refuses to boot from the optical drive, you can create a bootable USB drive, but you will need a Windows Recovery disk and a second computer with an optical disk drive.

1. Put the Recovery disk in the secondary computer’s disk drive
2. Connect a flash drive - with a minimum 1 GB capacity - into the secondary computer’s USB port
3. Follow the directions detailed in the previous example to open the BIOS set up in the secondary computer and configure the ODD as the first device
4. Save the changes and exit the BIOS
5. Wait while the computer boots - you should see a list of options when it is finished
6. Choose install2usb
7. Now, from the list of disk presented, choose the USB drive and click Next
8. Now you have the Windows Recovery program saved on the flash drive - take it to the Aspire One and try again, this time setting the BIOS to the USB drive and try to repair your system this way

Consult with a Remote Assistant

If you have no luck with these steps, you might want to talk to a remote technical assistant who can troubleshoot with you in real time to help get to the root of the problem and determine an appropriate course of action. At Filetonic we recommend the support services available here. I hope this is helpful, good luck!

When I turn on my computer, all I can get to is the BIOS and the screen is blank. Help?

Take your Hard Drive to a Technician

It’s possible that your hard drive is fried. If your computer is still covered under warranty, you might want to consider taking it in to the dealer for repairs. To make sure that it is the hard drive that is failing, you can consult your computer user’s manual to find the manufacturer, then visit their website and look for a diagnostic tool check the health of the hard disk. Most of the major hard drive manufacturers offer diagnostic utilities that could help you narrow down the possibilities though since the computer won’t boot, this may not be an option.

Boot to Safe Mode

To get your computer up and running you can attempt to boot into Safe Mode. This way, hopefully, you can get access to your system with only minimal programs running, reducing the chances that you will run into problems. Turn your computer off, then turn it on again and start pressing F8. When you see the Advanced Menu screen, use the arrows on your keyboard to choose Safe Mode and confirm your operating system. The next time you boot your computer it will revert to Normal Mode, so there is no need to undo these steps.

Troubleshoot the Power Source and Cord

Another common cause of this kind of problem is a faulty power cord or battery. You can start by troubleshooting the power cord and outlet by plugging something else into the plug and swapping the power cord. You can also remove the battery and try the cord directly to remove the chances of a faulty battery interfering.

Reseat or Replace the CMOS Battery

Inside your computer there is another power source called the CMOS battery that is plugged directly into the motherboard. This battery allows the computer to keep time and other internal processes even when there is no other power source. CMOS batteries have an average life span of about 5 years, so it is also possible that you need to replace it. You can consult your computer’s user’s manual and check how to find and remove the CMOS battery. In some cases, removing the battery and then re-inserting it is enough to give it a new life, so you might want to try this before replacing it.

I hope these ideas are helpful, if you are still stuck, write again and let us know your computer model, operating system, and the results of what you have tried so far and we’ll go from there.

When I turn on my computer this message comes up: MSI CMOS BATTERY LOW CMOS DATE/TIME NOT SET.PRESS f1 to run setup. Can you help?

Computer CMOS Batteries

The CMOS battery is your computer’s internal memory and real time clock power source. This battery allows your computer to initialize its boot up procedure and remember the time and date, even when there is no other power source. CMOS batteries typically last between 2 and 10 years, but thankfully they aren’t very difficult to replace. The CMOS battery is round and flat, about the size of a dime, but about twice as thick and will most likely say something like Lithium Battery and a code and voltage on it.

Try to Force the Computer to Recharge the CMOS Battery

The first thing that you can do is try to force the computer to charge the CMOS battery. You can do this by leaving the computer on for about 24 hours then reboot and see if you are still getting an error message.

Locating the CMOS Battery

If it doesn’t work, then you are going to need to open the computer. If you have a PC, lay it on its side before opening. If you have a laptop, turn it over on a flat surface. Make sure that you unplug it from its power source and discharge any static electricity before touching anything inside your computer. Open the case and look for the battery on the motherboard. You might need to use your computer user’s manual to help locate the battery.

Remove, Reseat or Replace the CMOS Battery

Sometimes unseating and reseating the CMOS battery is enough to get things working again, so you could try slipping it out then repositioning it. Otherwise, remove the battery and take it with you to the computer shop to buy a replacement. They are inexpensive, under $20. You should know that, in some cases, CMOS batteries are not removable. If it doesn’t come out easily, or if there isn’t a clip that you can lift to remove it, it is best not to force it. Either take the whole unit into a shop or consult your manual for more information.

Contact Technical Support

If you are going to open your computer and remove components from the motherboard, you might want to contact a remote technician for some real time advice. The tech can go through the steps with you to make sure you are comfortable. We recommend the services available here.

Could you please tell me how to repair error codes 1xx 161 164 2xx 3xx 4xx 5xx 6xx 17xx?

BIOS Error Codes

The codes you describe are BIOS error codes. Each one indicates a problem with a different component of your computer. For example, any BIOS error code from 100 to 199 is related to a system motherboard failure. Specific codes such as 161 within that range further identify the issue (with 161 representing a CMOS battery failure).

The BIOS is a small chip on your computer that contains its own small self-executing program. It is the first program that runs when your computer boots up. BIOS first runs a POST (Power On Self Test), testing all hardware components before loading the operating system. If one of the tests fails, an error code is generated and your computer may or may not continue loading.

Repairing BIOS Error Codes

Obviously, repairing an error code depends on which error code is displayed. For example, if you have error code 161, the CMOS battery failure code, then you would need to replace the CMOS battery. Because different BIOS makers have tweaked the POST codes to suit their own needs, it’s best to refer to the BIOS manufacturer’s list of BIOS error codes to ensure that you are working off a list that matches your computer.

When you receive a BIOS error code, this almost always indicates a problem with hardware rather than software. By deciphering the code, you will have a better idea of where the problem lies. For example, if you know that codes 200-299 indicate a problem with memory, then you know it’s time to troubleshoot those memory chips. One of the chips may be bad or it may simply need to be reseated.

The codes that you listed, 1xx 161 164 2xx 3xx 4xx 5xx 6xx 17xx, are common error codes. Here’s a brief rundown of each:

• 1xx (100-199) - System motherboard problem
• o 161 - CMOS battery failure
• o 164 - Memory system size error
• 2xx (200-299) - Memory problems
• 3xx (300-399) - Keyboard problems
• 4xx (400-499) - Monochrome video problem
• 5xx (500-599) - Color video problem
• 6xx (600-699) - Floppy disk problem
• 17xx (1700-1799) - Hard disk problem

In order to best troubleshoot the error code, let us know the exact code that you are receiving as well as the manufacturer of your BIOS. If you have Windows Vista, you can find out your BIOS details by going to Start and typing “System Information” into the search bar. Click the System Information icon and view the summary.