Question

srt4cab3

M$1.00 Funded By Mahalo ? | March 09, 2009 01:31 AM

CMOS Checksum Error - Defaults Loaded. I am having this error when I boot up this computer. Read below...

The original battery on the motherboard was dead and it HAS been replaced but I still get this error, and I am not able to boot the computer up again after shutdown unless I remove the battery on the motherboard and re put it back in, then CMOS loads up the defaults again. Anyone know whats wrong? I have been told that its a problem with the CMOS/Motherboard (or ideally, the CMOS chip) and you'd need to replace the motherboard to get it fixed. Please help me!

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waulok

March 09, 2009 01:51 AM

Either the motherboard itself is faulty and you need to replace it as it's not getting the voltage from the battery.. or you could try reflashing the BIOS and see how it goes.
Most motherboard manufacturers release new versions of their BIOS several times before the motherboard is not supported. Even reflashing with the same BIOS is worth a go.

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srt4cab3

March 09, 2009 04:06 AM - New Source

How do I flash the BIOS? So also I wanted to re include that this computer doesn't post without pulling the battery out again. What's the difference between the CMOS and BIOS?

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waulok

March 09, 2009 04:53 AM

CMOS is the type of the chip and BIOS is the data on the chip.
You should look at the computer when it's booting up. The black and white screen will say something like "AMI BIOS" or "PHOENIX BIOS" or similar. That way you know what BIOS you have.
Better yet, find out the make and model of the motherboard you have and go to the manufacturer's webpage for that model. They usually have drivers to download under the Support or Drivers page. You will also see the Make and Model of your motherboard on this startup 'POST' screen.
There's a couple of ways to flash a BIOS.

1) Download a file and insert a floppy disk/cd into the drive. Run the file and it burns out the bootable file which will update the BIOS.

2) Windows install (ASUS uses this method). Download the BIOS Updater for Windows application (eg. ASUS Updater) and it will try to connect to the website and download the latest BIOS after comparing the version you have with the latest one on the website. You can also just download the BIOS of your choice from the website and choose that from the folder you saved it in, to flash to the BIOS.

Either way, don't interrupt the power to the computer when flashing nor stop the procedure once it starts or you can cause your computer to fail.

Some newer motherboards also have a 'Backup BIOS' in case the main one fails. Check the website for your manufacturer for details.

PS: CMOS stands for: complementary metal oxide semiconductor.

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