Lately when I boot up my computer I get a warning that says something like:
"Warning - low system battery voltage, hit F1 to continue or F2 to run
utility" Nothing happens when I hit F1 or F2 and the only way I can get
anything to happen is to turn power off and on. Today, I had to do this 3
time
First, go through your BIOS and snap a digital photo of each page. But
if the cmos battery needs replacing
(http://www.google.com/products?q=cmos+battery), it's probably fairly
easy to do, if you're handy with pliers.
Yes, if you're really worried about it you can leave it on, but
eventually you m
Eventually the battery will get so low that you will lose the stored
data. You can delay this by keeping the computer plugged in to power.
Delay long enough and the battery will leak and burn a hole through your
motherboard.
New battery is around $10. Radio Shack carries the common ones. Also e
.
- Original Message -
From: "Ranbo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 1:36 PM
Subject: [CGUYS] Low battery voltage warning?
Lately when I boot up my computer I get a warning that says something
like:
"Warning - low system battery voltage, hit F1
First open the case and look the MB where you will find the battery.
Identify the
battery and buy the same. Replace. No pain.
Marcio
At 18:35 12/10/2008, Tom Piwowar wrote:
Eventually the battery will get so low that you will lose the stored
data. You can delay this by keeping the computer pl
Thanks for all the advice. Do these batteries always eventually go?
Randall
On Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 6:49 PM, Marcio V. Pinheiro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> First open the case and look the MB where you will find the battery.
> Identify the
> battery and buy the same. Replace. No pain.
>
> Marci
Yes,,, they always go, How do I know? The date and time in the
computer keeps falling behind...
Keep a couple of batteries at home and learn how to find it in the MB.
Marcio
At 00:50 13/10/2008, you wrote:
Thanks for all the advice. Do these batteries always eventually go?
Randall
On Sun, Oc
A digital clock doesn't slow down when the battery gets low. It either
runs or it doesn't.
I guess any battery eventually dies, but no, I've never replaced a
cmos battery, presumably because the boards are replaced first. My
oldest running system is about 7 (?) years old now - an old Pentium 2.
If you have set it to syc with a standard online clock, you will never
know your battery is failing/ the clock is losing time until the system
fails.
db
Tony B wrote:
A digital clock doesn't slow down when the battery gets low. It either
runs or it doesn't.
I guess any battery eventually di
Tony B wrote:
A digital clock doesn't slow down when the battery gets low. It either
runs or it doesn't.
I guess any battery eventually dies, but no, I've never replaced a
cmos battery, presumably because the boards are replaced first. My
oldest running system is about 7 (?) years old now - an o
Funny, I have always noticed that it gets kind of crazy when the
battery runs low.
Marcio
At 08:22 PM 10/13/2008, Robert wrote:
Tony B wrote:
A digital clock doesn't slow down when the battery gets low. It either
runs or it doesn't.
I guess any battery eventually dies, but no, I've never r
I imagine it could stop for a while, then start again, which might
simulate "running slow". But as someone mentioned, simply ensuring a
time sync periodically would prevent you from ever noticing it.
On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 7:58 PM, Marcio V. Pinheiro
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Funny, I have alw
Today it took turning the computer on and off about 10 times (and also
turning off power at surge protector) before it would boot up. I've ordered
the battery from Dell but might take several days to get it. At this point,
since it seems to be getting worse, should I just leave computer on all th
>BTW, Dell said they only sell refurbished
>batteries. The cost is only $1.99, but wonder how long this will last. I
>ordered an extra for a back up.
This sounds suspicious. In my experience batteries do not get refurbished.
*
When I turn computer on I get a message that the voltage battery system is
low. Today got this about a dozen times before finally got it to boot up.
On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 11:40 AM, Marcio V. Pinheiro
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> So, what makes you think that the vbattery is low? What are the si
How do I do this? When this low battery message comes up, except for one
time, nothing happens when I hit any key, so have to turn off, then on
again, repeatedly.
Randall
On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 11:06 AM, Tony B <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> As long as all the fans are functioning there's no dan
Having to reboot the computer 10 times to get it to come up is not
the MB battery.
That sounds more like Motherboard or Harddrive.
How old is this computer that the MB battery is dying?
Stewart
At 11:09 AM 10/14/2008, you wrote:
Guy at Batteries Plus said I should just take out the CMOS bat
So, what makes you think that the vbattery is low? What are the signs?
I always used the date and time changes...
Marcio
At 21:18 13/10/2008, you wrote:
I imagine it could stop for a while, then start again, which might
simulate "running slow". But as someone mentioned, simply ensuring a
time s
Could it be the Power Supply? I had this once.
If its not the battery - after it is changed - then it must be the
power supply. Dell must have
a replacement.
Marcio
At 01:16 PM 10/14/2008, you wrote:
Having to reboot the computer 10 times to get it to come up is not
the MB battery.
That sou
Open the case, look atthe MB, see where the battery is. Look at the battery and
see its number. Go to any place, buy one and replace. Mine are
usually 2025, 2032
or similar andthey are found any place.
Marcio
At 01:09 PM 10/14/2008, you wrote:
Guy at Batteries Plus said I should just take out
At 11:40 AM 10/14/2008, Marcio V. Pinheiro wrote:
>But as someone mentioned, simply ensuring a
>time sync periodically would prevent you from ever noticing it.
A decent time synchronization applet will provide a warning if the correction
required is "large," say two minutes by default and general
At 07:22 PM 10/13/2008, Robert wrote:
>Batteries -- actually a cell in a computer -- are strange. I had to replace
>my CMOS cell a few months ago in a Dell desktop about 4 years old. But some
>will last 10 years as they do in my watch.
Replacement time generally depends upon the explicit quali
At 11:53 AM 10/14/2008, Tom Piwowar wrote:
>This sounds suspicious. In my experience batteries do not get refurbished.
Likely is a "unique" battery type that is no longer in production because no
new equipment uses it. Very low demand item. But Dell would provide it for
its own computers on ge
Funny, the batteries in my generic computers ate 2025 or 2032 and they
are found everywhere. Are we talking about the same batteries. Or you are
speaking of power supply?...
Confused...
Marcio
At 11:41 14/10/2008, you wrote:
Today it took turning the computer on and off about 10 times (and als
If it were a hard drive problem with a good motherboard, one would normally get
an error message from the boot ROM, "Operating System Not Found" or similar.
Fred Holmes
At 12:16 PM 10/14/2008, Rev. Stewart Marshall wrote:
>Having to reboot the computer 10 times to get it to come up is not the MB
Remove all USB devices and as many adapter cards as you can (sound card,
modem, NIC card). If it boots up without a problem then, odds are the
power supply is starting to fail. They cost about $100 to have a
local shop replace one.
But you could also grab your data files while you have it r
As long as all the fans are functioning there's no danger in leaving
the machine on all the time. It's just a waste of power. But you
really shouldn't have to do that. At worst, you might have to go into
the BIOS and select "load safe defaults" on each boot.
Bad idea ordering the extra. As you've
Bought it in March 2004. Naturally past the 4 year Dell warranty I got.
What about that low system battery warning I get when I turn it on?
Randall
On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 12:16 PM, Rev. Stewart Marshall <
[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Having to reboot the computer 10 times to get it to come up
Guy at Batteries Plus said I should just take out the CMOS battery; that the
chances are 99% that on Desk Top it is just a simple battery that I can pick
up anywhere, CVS, Giant, their store, etc. All I have is a Dell part
number, which means nothing to him. Should I do this - take out the batter
>Having to reboot the computer 10 times to get it to come up is not
>the MB battery.
I have run into this several times and it was the battery in all cases.
*
** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, pr
>Guy at Batteries Plus said I should just take out the CMOS battery; that the
>chances are 99% that on Desk Top it is just a simple battery that I can pick
>up anywhere, CVS, Giant, their store, etc.
That is the right answer. This is a small battery the size of a couple of
quarters.
***
Well, removed all USB devices (including one from ISP modem) and it did boot
up after putting computer in hibernate. Didn't remove any internal cards.
What now? Repeat this experiment a few times to make sure this is the
difference? Would this mean that it's definitely NOT the battery?
Randall
If removing the USB devices made it change its start up behavior then it
is your Power Supply that is starting to fail. If you can find the
right replacement one, and change it out yourself without zapping your
board with static electricity, it will cost you $30-$50 or so. Having
a shop do
Thanks, but I don't have $400 at the moment and if I did have this to spend
on a computer, think I'd put it towards a laptop. I got the CMOS battery
from Dell yesterday. Should I still replace it and see what happens? Does
having various USB devices drain this battery somehow? When I started up
I don't know the particulars of a low battery warning but it sounds like
it is an inaccurate "half truth" error message as often happens with
computers. The fact that it boots without error when you remove
devices and reduce the load on the power supply indicates to me that the
power supply
What kind of battery you received? Do you know where to replace it?
I thought we were thinking that your ´problem was the power supply. Would
you know how to replace it?
Marcio
At 10:04 AM 10/16/2008, you wrote:
Thanks, but I don't have $400 at the moment and if I did have this to spend
on a co
I got a CMOS battery from Dell, thinking I should replace the one on the
motherboard, as several advised here. Haven't replaced it yet.
Randall
On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 3:31 PM, Marcio V. Pinheiro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> What kind of battery you received? Do you know where to replace it?
> I
"refurbished" is a technicality used in the the consumer goods business.
Legally, they cannot sell something as "new" if the produce was offered
for sale (i.e. sold to a retailer). So if it comes back to the
manufacturer for any reason, even if the package was never opened, it
has to be sold as
When I unplug most of the USB devices computer starts up normally. If not,
I keep getting the low system voltage message, though now usually when I hit
F1 (as it says; to continue) it starts up. Have repeated this experiment 4
or 5 times now. Still haven't replaced the battery. Should I still r
If it's not hard to get to the battery for replacement, I'd go ahead
and do it. Reason being, it'll go bad anyway just sitting in a drawer.
But, as I predicted on day 1, it likely has nothing to do with your
problem. You may not even need to replace the power supply if you
don't want. Just get an
Thanks,
What would an external powered USB hub cost? These problems started after I
added an external hard drive for back ups. Could that have been adding one
too many things, a straw tipping some balance, so to speak?
Randall
On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 10:59 AM, Tony B <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>What would an external powered USB hub cost? These problems started after I
>added an external hard drive for back ups. Could that have been adding one
>too many things, a straw tipping some balance, so to speak?
That sounds very much like a right answer.
Before going for a powered hub, doesn'
Replacing the battery wouldn't hurt since you have it. The important
aspect is the system does not have enough power to service all the
devices now but it did before.
Getting a USB hub will only fix the symptom not the cause.
This symptom will probably be progressive. At some point the syste
Ten bucks. On a good day.
I bought a 10 buck one for my 90 year old mother in law to charge her I-pod.
She's still groovin' to her tunes.
- Original Message -
From: "Ranbo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: [
Okay, so are these my options?: 1) wait and let it fail (presumably even
if first unplug all the devices) 2) buy a new power supply 3) buy a new
computer?
And is the CMOS battery now an irrelevant issue to this problem, as I think
you are suggesting?
Thanks,
Randall
On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at
Yes, the external hard drive has its own power supply, but I'm having this
problem with this, so I'm not sure how this solves the problem.
Randall
On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 12:52 PM, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >What would an external powered USB hub cost? These problems started afte
>Yes, the external hard drive has its own power supply, but I'm having this
>problem with this, so I'm not sure how this solves the problem.
Can you confirm that the external drive is getting power from its power
supply? With the USB disconnected does the drive still show power lights
and spin?
When I disconnect the external hard drive USB connection the light goes out
on external hard drive and do not feel it spinning. Plugging the USB in
turns it on. If I unplug the USB when computer is off and then turn it back
on, still get the low power message, UNLESS I disconnect 2 or 3 other USB
>Now I'm really confused - why would the external HD's power supply not be
>supplying its power?? What, pray tell, does all this mean as far as the low
>power messages?
I think you have demonstrated that your drive's power supply is kaput. So
the drive has to pull all its power over the USB.
Th
Do you mean the power supply of the External HD (which I just recently
bought)?
This is getting weird; Now the computer (last 4 times or so) has started up
fine, whether or not I have the External drive USB plugged in or not, and
even with the other 3 USB devices plugged in.
Bought this External
Naturally Office Depot won't take the External Hard Drive back, citing their
14 day policy (which I was told was 30 at the time). Guess I have a lemon
that I need to try to now return to the manufacturer (Seagate)? Does the
CMOS battery still need to be replaced?
Randall
On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at
Probably not. Just get a powered hub and plug everything into that.
These days it's crazy not to have a powered hub. Or a really big power
supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817394026
On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 10:58 AM, Ranbo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Naturally Office
On most OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) computers the power
supplies are woefully inadequate. (Power Supplies)
Most home built ones start at 400 watts and go up from there (I have
seen some in the 1000 watt range.)
Stewart
At 10:10 AM 10/24/2008, you wrote:
Probably not. Just get a p
If the power supply isn't actually "supplying" the External HD adequately,
that's grounds to return it for refund as defective merchandise, isn't it?
Randall
On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 11:30 AM, Rev. Stewart Marshall <
[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On most OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) comput
There are two different power supplies we are talking about.
The one attached to the external harddrive and the one attached to
your motherboard (Computer)
I am doubtful that the external harddrive is faulty but it is a real
possibility.
I can guarantee you that the internal power supply (D
It wouldn't be the first time a power brick failed. If the drive stays
on with the USB disconnected, the drive power is fine. If not, get a
new brick for it at Radio Shack or someplace if you have to. No point
in obsessing over the warranty after the fact. Maybe you can get the
manufacturer to send
>It wouldn't be the first time a power brick failed. If the drive stays
>on with the USB disconnected, the drive power is fine. If not, get a
>new brick for it at Radio Shack or someplace if you have to. No point
>in obsessing over the warranty after the fact. Maybe you can get the
>manufacturer to
I thought so too. That should warrant a refund, right?
Randall
On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 8:15 PM, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >It wouldn't be the first time a power brick failed. If the drive stays
> >on with the USB disconnected, the drive power is fine. If not, get a
> >new brick f
>I thought so too. That should warrant a refund, right?
Or a replacement of the power supply.
It is worth a try. Sometimes a kindly clerk will swop your bad part with
one in another box and send the open box back to the manufacturer.
***
Sorry for the continuing questions on this, but computer is exhibiting new
behavior at start up. Today, even with all the USB devices pulled, still
got the low system battery voltage warning, and on first few tries nothing
happened when I hit the F2 key to continue, as it says on screen. Finally,
I'll vote for the Power supply.
Ranbo wrote:
Sorry for the continuing questions on this, but computer is exhibiting new
behavior at start up. Today, even with all the USB devices pulled, still
got the low system battery voltage warning, and on first few tries nothing
happened when I hit the F2
If you have to spend $100 to have someone replace the computers power
supply... replacing the machine instead is something to consider as a
better long term investment.
But you also need to think about how you are going to get your data off
of that machine.
Taking out adapter cards will help
Again I vote for computer power supply.
Question, what kind of power strip is this plugged into and is it
plugged into some sort of Battery Back up line filter?
Final note if you are not really in love with this machine and need
portability I vote for a good laptop.
Stewart
At 09:22 AM 10
If I remember correctly this is a generic Dell desktop.
I remember hearing somewhere (This MAY NOT BE ACCURATE) that Dell
used a proprietary wiring setup in their machines.
I belive that there are some adapters that would allow a good 400
watt power supply (which should cost less than $50.00
Laptops are great for portability. They are very expensive when taking
into account durability, lifespan, repair costs and ooommph.
db
Rev. Stewart Marshall wrote:
Again I vote for computer power supply.
Question, what kind of power strip is this plugged into and is it
plugged into some so
Greatly depends on manufacturer and models.
They have gotten much easier to work on and maintain.
Changing out a keyboard, harddrive, memory battery are easy and quick fixes.
The most expensive repair and usually the most normal repair is the display.
The display on a laptop is not only critic
I don't think it is model dependent.
There are BIG tradeoffs in compute power, expense, durability and repair
costs in exchange for portability when you move from desktop to laptop.
If you need or value portability, these trade offs can easily be
worthwhile but you are kidding yourself if you
>I remember hearing somewhere (This MAY NOT BE ACCURATE) that Dell
>used a proprietary wiring setup in their machines.
Not accurate for desktops. Laptops are all proprietary to some extent.
*
** List info, subscription man
Computer and External HD are both plugged into a Surge Master II power
strip. Not plugged into a battery back up line filter, as don't even know
what that is.
Not in love with machine, though money for new computer or laptop is
somewhat an issue. Eventually, want laptop, as would be better for b
I'm doing pretty basic stuff; no gaming, for example. What would I lose
going to a laptop if don't have exotic needs or for great speed or power?
Randall
On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 4:17 PM, db <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I don't think it is model dependent.
>
> There are BIG tradeoffs in compute
Are you saying this would solve the problem of the presumably bad power
supply for the desk top and also the bad one for the External HD? What's
the difference between a powered hub and and a power supply? Sorry to be so
naive.
Thanks
Randall
On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 11:10 AM, Tony B <[EMAIL PR
I believe you have since said that you're having trouble even with
everything disconnected, so it's more likely you need to replace your power
supply. Please write back after you've done that and let us know how it
worked out.
On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 8:50 PM, Ranbo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> A
Actually, laptops tend to pose more ergonomic problems than desktops..
The angle between keyboard and screen are too close together for good
neck posture and laptop keyboards are problematic for tendinitus/ carpel
tunnel... and you can't adjust either of them without adding another
keyboard a
Each device needs power. In some cases via certain conduits (Like
USB), the power can be alternatively supplied from the computer's larger
power supply but doing so can easily overload the computer power
supply's capacity.
It seems that has happened in your case and the power supply is now
I have my laptop in a dock at work. Pop it in, use monitor and
keyboard with mouse. Pop it out take it home.
For me that is the best solution.
Stewart
At 10:40 PM 10/27/2008, you wrote:
Actually, laptops tend to pose more ergonomic problems than desktops..
The angle between keyboard and
That is one of the reasons I choose the Latitude series of notebooks for work.
The docks can be had for less than $20 on Ebay, plus you can buy one
that will accept drives. Depends on how much you want to pay.
Plus the laptop locks into the dock.
To Laptop or not is a serious question. For
At 10:22 AM 10/27/2008, Ranbo wrote:
>bonus question: Should I forget the whole thing and find way to buy a
>laptop, which, I think, is what I really want anyway?
Depends on whether you believe that troubleshooting is a interesting and fun
challenge.
Fred Holmes
**
The true measure of a geek
Stewart
At 08:37 AM 10/28/2008, you wrote:
At 10:22 AM 10/27/2008, Ranbo wrote:
>bonus question: Should I forget the whole thing and find way to buy a
>laptop, which, I think, is what I really want anyway?
Depends on whether you believe that troubleshooting is
Spoke to Seagate tech support today re. External hard drive. He denied
that the light going out and the drive stopping to spin when unplugging it
from USB on computer means it is getting it power from the computer's power
supply and checked with some others at tech support who agreed. Then it
oc
Both.
Stewart
At 09:51 PM 10/28/2008, you wrote:
Spoke to Seagate tech support today re. External hard drive. He denied
that the light going out and the drive stopping to spin when unplugging it
from USB on computer means it is getting it power from the computer's power
supply and checked wit
Okay, one more naive question - why a notebook over a laptop?
Randall
On Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 8:25 AM, Rev. Stewart Marshall <
[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> That is one of the reasons I choose the Latitude series of notebooks for
> work.
>
> The docks can be had for less than $20 on Ebay, plus you
Nowadays they are the same thing.
At one time there was a delineation between sizes and weight on
wether or not one was a laptop or a notebook.
Now the term is synonymous for the majority of laptop/notebook
computers out there.
There are not touchscreen computers, and sub notebook sized com
Okay, one more naive question - why a notebook over a laptop?
As Stewart says, these are mostly synonymous, sort of. What is
considered to be a notebook today is usually a full function general
purpose computer with the smallest possible form factor that may
also be optimized for weight. This
Ranbo wrote:
Okay, one more naive question - why a notebook over a laptop?
I don't know if the above explanations are true or not.
My understanding is that these portable computers started getting so
warm on the bottom that manufacturers stopped calling them laptops
because they are to hot
>Okay, one more naive question - why a notebook over a laptop?
I would never consider a laptop because of the cramped screen, cramped
keyboard, and track pad. Everyone I know with a laptop has it connected
to an external monitor, external keyboard, and a real mouse.
If I had to work on the road
Could this be why sound via speakers hooked to computer has recently been
significantly less volume no matter what I set the volume at?
Randall
On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 4:31 PM, db <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Remove all USB devices and as many adapter cards as you can (sound card,
> modem, NIC
No. or very doubtful at least...
Did you try that test?
db
Ranbo wrote:
Could this be why sound via speakers hooked to computer has recently been
significantly less volume no matter what I set the volume at?
Randall
On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 4:31 PM, db <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Remove
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