[mdlug] Help diagnosing hardware problem - not solved

[Robert Adkins]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org 
> [mailto:mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org] On Behalf Of Michael Rudas
> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 2:36 PM
> To: MDLUG's Main discussion list
> Subject: Re: [mdlug] Help diagnosing hardware problem - not solved
> 
> --- Robert Adkins <radkins at impelind.com> wrote:
> 
> [snip]
> > The battery doesn't have to be dead or near the end of its life for 
> > the BIOS to go wonky. I was recently running a restore on a new 1TB 
> > SATA HD installed into a fairly new HP higher end desktop 
> that came with 320GB drives.
> >
> > Part way through the process, the system just "coughed" or 
> something 
> > and it stopped recognizing the 1TB drive.
> >
> > After removing the CMOS battery, restoring it (after about 
> 10 minutes) 
> > and then reattaching the drive, the computer recognized the 1TB HD 
> > again and completed the installation of the master recovery program 
> > and completed the OS install.
> 
> All current motherboards have a "dump CMOS RAM settings" 
> jumper to eliminate the need to yank the coin cell and wait.  
> It's usually right next to the lithium cell.
> 

  No. They all don't.

  Some, if they do have one, might have more than one set of three pins with
a jumper on it near the CMOS. With no indication as to what jumper does
what.

  At least some MB manufacturers have been getting really, really crappy
with putting together documentation about their boards lately. I looked at
one brand name, brand new mainboard that came with nothing other than a
diagram of the MB, with all the text in Chinese and no clear indication of
what did what. There was nothing with better information on their website
either.

  In cases like that, it is easier/simpler just to yank out the battery,
wait a few minutes and then put it back in and deal with a freshly wiped
BIOS.

  Rob