Clock keeps resetting on Windows XP

declanmcc

Hi Folks,
Every time I switch on my PC, the clock has been reset to 1/1/2001 0:00. Any ideas as to why this might be happening?

Dammam

Possibly the battery? How old is the computer or motherboard?

Poppycat

I wager its the battery as said. They cheap to buy about £1 to £2 pen type batteries, and can easily be obtained from a high street retailor or a shop that sells watches. If you switch the computer off making sure you remove the power plug at the back and look for a silver coin type round battery, take that out making note of the model of battery. I got my last one from Boots.

declanmcc

PC is brand new - only weeks old.
Many thanks for your suggestions - I'll have a look and see what's going on with the battery

Poppycat

Thats odd, the batteries should last for several years, sounds like they put in a dodgy battery in.

blinky

It's not unknown for a new system to develop a bad battery quite soon. You don't know how long the battery / motherboard / system has been sitting around the warehouse.

woohooman

If the pc is new then it can be that the person who built the pc has not set the CMOS clear jumper to 'normal' mode. Sometimes when this is set to 'clear' mode the PC wont switch on, but at other times it just wont save any information.

Give it a try, it will be the only red jumper on the motherboard - move it accross to the other pins IE if its on pins 1&2 move it to pins 2&3. Alternatively send it back.

solly_2

Beware of voiding any warranty.

Dammam

Good point Solly - may be worth just taking the PC back to where you bought it and let them suss it out. You don't want to take the back off to change a battery and find they've voided your warranty when the motherboard dies.