Bad CMOS Battery --> Dell Optiplex System Crash?

Dec 23, 2006 4 Replies
E

I have an old Dell Optiplex GL-1 with XP Pro on it. In the middle of doing something simple, I got an error notification that said something like, Windows Hard Error. I clicked OK several times, and then it came back, and I clicked it again several times. Then I got a longer error message that said something like Windows cannot write to the resume file. I powered the computer off, and then it wouldn't boot.



I tried booting from a Linux drive I had, and that worked fine, but the internet wasn't working under Linux. This might not be related to the current problem as I hadn't used Linux for a while. I tried resetting the mobo BIOS by putting a jumper on the BIOS pins and then turning on the computer. Not sure if this is the way to do it, but it's what I did. The computer doesn't do anything like this, so I shut down, and took the jumper off.



I pulled the CMOS battery, and it looks like it is dead. I'll definitely replace it to see if that makes a difference, but since the computer booted up into Linux, I have my doubts. And why would it crash in the middle of a session?



The computer had been exhibiting the signs of a bad battery for a while, forgetting the proper boot order being the main symptom. Didn't know what that meant until now.



I'll post back to report the results when I install a fresh battery.



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J

Try reseating the memory. Odd as it sounds, my Compaq DeskPro recently hiccupped exactly like yours: screen went black in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. Unable to reboot. I used an eraser on the memory chips and all has been fine since. If that doesn't work, listen for the POST beeps or enable POST messages in BIOS.

Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me.
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W

Hi!

I had something like this happen recently with a self-built box running Windows 2000. In fact, the error message was exactly the same. The only difference I noticed was that the motherboard would not see the hard disk after rebooting. If I let the system unit sit, it would run again for a while.

I put the hard disk (a Western Digital 80GB drive) into another system...and found nothing wrong with it. I then tried the cable in the other system with the offending hard disk. Still nothing. So I put the hard disk on the secondary IDE channel in the first system (the one that broke) and it worked like nothing was wrong. Then that too broke down with the same error from windows/failure to detect the hard disk at startup.

I began to suspect the motherboard until I grabbed another hard drive. To date, that hard disk and system have been working fine. I erased the offending hard disk and put it in another system. It is still working fine as well.

Moral of the story? Try the hard disk that won't start in another machine. Check the cabling too. I still don't know why the drive is rejected by the first computer...it works fine everywhere else I've tried it--in a Firewire enclosure, another self-built computer and a Power Mac G4...

I don't know if you can blame the CMOS battery yet. If the system is keeping good time, it may be OK. Proper and accurate timekeeping seems to be the first thing you lose when the battery gets weak. I would definitely be interested in hearing if a new battery fixes this problem.

William

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E

William,

Thanks for the good tip. I'll try the hard drive on the secondary IDE controller and report back. I did put a new battery in, and now the BIOS clock is running at warp speed, very fast. Still won't boot.

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E

Took the battery out for a couple of hours, and then I booted up with no battery. Things worked, but I had to set the time. Put the new battery back in, and everything seems fine. Maybe the BIOS had been corrupted, and it needed a couple hours of no battery to reset.

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