Cmos Polarity ...Need Quick help!
Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: Cmos Polarity ...Need Quick help!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992

    Cmos Polarity ...Need Quick help!

    I was replacing the cmos battery in a Acer AX3300 PC. The battery on the MB is in a vertical housing. I inadvertently pulled the battery without checking the polarity. Looked all over the web trying to find the right direction for the batt. to no avail. So I crossed my fingers & stuck in in to give it a try. It will boot to the bios but won't boot to the OS. States that I have a problem & goes into a search for problem mode & from there it goes on & on & on. I have to pull the pwr cord in order to stop it. Is this happening because the batt might be in backwards?? I was always under the impression that without the cmos batt. , the pc would not even start period. Right or wrong ?? Thanks for your time..................
    Where there's a will, there's a way

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Arkham Asylum, Cell 13
    Posts
    11,686
    I found a manual for an X3300. Are you sure it's an AX3300? If it's an X3300, then the bottom of the battery faces the ram slots. It's also called an RTC battery in the manual.
    http://dl.owneriq.net/a/a7148e5e-790...3607c80132.pdf

    The PC can start without a CMOS battery. It just won't save the BIOS settings, so you'd need to reconfigure it. Did you verify that the hard drive is detected in the BIOS?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
    Posts
    18,063
    If it uses a coin battery like the CR2032, all of the holders for those that I have seen have the plus (+) side visible.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Arkham Asylum, Cell 13
    Posts
    11,686
    On the Acer, the battery is perpendicular to the MB. Most manufacturers have it flat with the + side up. I guess Acer was trying to save space?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992
    I turned the battery around so as the bottom side faced the ram. Assuming that what you called bottom would be the + side? However, it made no difference. It boots to windows repair mode & then stalls forever seeking a fix. The reason for pulling the cmos was because when the PC went into sleep mode, the front panel LED's would flash or blink till the PC became active again. Being that the PC was in the Bedroom, the blink was annoying. I had read on the web that if you pulled the cmos battery & reinstalled it, that would resolve the blinking ..
    Where there's a will, there's a way

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992
    It finally came up with an option to do a system restore. I picked a restore point, it went through the process & the stated that the restore was successful. However, when I reboot, goes back to the repair mode. It gives two options: one to boot to normal mode & the other to repair. Either one sends me to the repair mode... BTW, the OS is Win 7
    Being that it went this far, I have to assume that the battery is in the right direction. Why Acer would put a battery housing in a vertical position, is beyond comprehension.....
    Where there's a will, there's a way

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Arkham Asylum, Cell 13
    Posts
    11,686
    No, the bottom is the - side. If you look at the battery text side, there is a big +.
    http://media.digikey.com/photos/Ener...tos/CR2032.jpg

    Is there a setting in the BIOS to disable the LEDs? If not, I don't see how merely pulling the cmos battery would disable the LEDs. Can you unplug the LEDs from the motherboard individually or are they all in one block?
    Maybe you should have just put tape over the LEDs.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Arkham Asylum, Cell 13
    Posts
    11,686
    Ah, you posted again while I was replying.

    Did your BIOS settings get reset after you removed the battery (did you have to reset the date/time)? Did you check if the SATA ports are set to IDE or AHCI?

    Why Acer would put a battery housing in a vertical position, is beyond comprehension.....
    It was probably to save space on the MB. They probably wanted to make the MB as small as possible to save costs.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
    Posts
    18,063
    Even with a vertical mount holder, the plus (+) side of the battery should contact the outer rim of the holder, while the negative side should have a contact that hits the center of the battery. You should still insert it so the plus side faces you as it is placed into the holder.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992
    I follow you on the "bottom" side of the battery. That's the way they are setup on most PC MB's. However, when the batt. is in a vertical housing, then the "bottom" becomes questionable. What page did you see that batt position ? I looked at the PDF file & be danged if I can find the pic. of it ....
    Where there's a will, there's a way

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Arkham Asylum, Cell 13
    Posts
    11,686
    Pg 68. You can see the bottom edge of the battery facing the black ram slots. That's for the X3300. You didn't confirm if that's the model you have. The AX3300 might be different.

    Like jdc2000 mentioned, the - side would have a center contact.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992
    My PC is the AX3300, but what I have checked, is that ACER dropped the AX- part on their support page. All of the drivers I used in setting up this PC were for the x3300. The PC had been working flawlessly, till I decided to pull the cmos batt. The strange part is that I had it right the first time, but it didn't work. So then I switched, after the "bottom" debacle.
    It seems more like a OS problem than a hardware problem as I am able to get into restore mode as well as the beginning of the win7 startup. Oh well..... Anyway, thanks for your time, guys. If I get tired of fussing with it, I'll dump it....................
    Where there's a will, there's a way

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Arkham Asylum, Cell 13
    Posts
    11,686
    Ah ok. Strange that they did that.

    If you tried system restore as far back as possible, you can try a in-place upgrade (repair install)
    http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...r-install.html
    http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/...ive-reinstall/

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992
    Thanks again Midknyte; I'll give that a shot. If a success, I'll post back.. Have a great weekend..........
    Where there's a will, there's a way

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Location
    Valley of Sun
    Posts
    1,992
    This is one of those cases when one falls into a crapper & comes out smelling like a rose.. I was able to get the questionable PC back up & running. Could not do a repair but had to do a complete reinstall. I found that Acer no longer supports this PC with drivers etc, but fortunately I had previously stored most of the drivers on a thumb drive. Whether or not I can get them updated, still remains to be seen. I will call this case RESOLVED...................
    Where there's a will, there's a way

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •