Is there a back-up battery for the on-screen clock in my PC and if so, how difficult is it to change it?
deryckza asked:
The clock in the bottom right hand corner of my screen loses time when my PC is turned off overnight. If in fact there is a back-up battery installed to maintain the correct time, how difficult would it be for me to change it? Is there a standard place where it should be or is it a case of “Seek and find?”
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The clock in the bottom right hand corner of my screen loses time when my PC is turned off overnight. If in fact there is a back-up battery installed to maintain the correct time, how difficult would it be for me to change it? Is there a standard place where it should be or is it a case of “Seek and find?”

February 23rd, 2009 at 8:39 pm
? bit wierd, normally the clock in windows, is set by the system clock, and that is set in your bios, you can get to it by hitting differnet f keys or delete or something when your computer loads up.
should update automatically. perhaps bios reset?
February 24th, 2009 at 3:24 am
Open the case up. There is a flat circular battery on the board. Fairly easy to get at. That is, provided you aren’t on a lap top. That’s even easier.
xxR
February 25th, 2009 at 11:08 am
There is usually a lithium-ion battery on the motherboard. This maintains the system clock and bios chip. Some bios chips contain a built-in ‘battery’ but this is not replaceble.
The best thing you can do is to check the documentation which came with your computer. There may be a motherboard description provided if it was a decent company.
Or, discover the make and model of your motherboard, which may be specified in your computer’s documentation or you can search for the printed info on the board itself, then look it up on the maker’s web site.
This will tell you what type of battery you have, where on the board it is, and how to change it.
As a last resort you could get a torch and have a good look around. Make sure the machine is unplugged from the mains.
ADVICE: It’s up to you to accept this or not, but you may cause damage if you don’t. Should you find a replaceble battery on the motherboard (and there’s no guarantee that you will) then -
a) use an anti-static wrist strap clipped to the computer’s frame ALL the time that you are working. This is to protect the other components from static electricity damage which may shorten their lives or even destroy them. Some people mistakenly think that just ‘touching the frame’ before staring work is adequate - IT ISN’T good enough, you must be earthed continuously.
b) do not touch the surfaces of the new battery with your fingers whilst putting it in (use plastic tweezers or rubber gloves). This is because skin oils damage the connecting surfaces and shorten the cell’s life.