# Boot problem, CMOS error messages



## undersan (Sep 16, 2004)

Hello all,

I've had my computer for a couple of years. Recently, I started having problems booting up each morning, although I haven't made any changes to the computer. It goes like this:

1. I push the power button. Nothing happens. No fans spin, no power supply LED flashes.
2. I toggle the power supply's power switch a few times. I push the reset and power buttons a few times. I turn the power switch off and clear the CMOS via the jumper. I try all of these things several times. Eventually, the machine decides to power up.
3. I get "CMOS batter low" and "CMOS memory size wrong". I push a key to continue.
4. I get "CPU is not working properly or has changed. Please check Soft Menu."
5. I go to Soft Menu and load CMOS defaults. The machine then boots fine.

About my computer:
- ABIT SR7-8X motherboard
- Antec SL350 power supply
- P4 2.53 GHz
- Radeon 9600 Pro
- One DDR 512mb 333 MHz Corsair memory stick
- two hard drives, a DVD drive, a CDRW drive, a floppy drive

I replaced the CMOS battery, to no avail. Perhaps something has been damaged by an electrical surge, what with the *multiple hurricanes* here in Orlando  .

Any advice? If I want to start replacing components one by one, can anyone suggest which components to try first?


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## tendigits (Sep 19, 2004)

*CMOS Problem*

I was going to post a very similar question when I saw yours. 
I have been getting "Warning! Checksum error".I have been having to go into the bios everytime I boot up and reset my settings. Sometimes it will except them otherwise it will lockup and not reboot. If it actually goes to Windows it hangs as it loads the desktop and I get a portion of the screen going blank. Thought it was the battery.
I tested my battery and it was fine. Talked to a local tech at a store and he said that there was probably a short circuit on the motherboard - not worth $$ to search and fix. Time to get a new one!
I have an Epox 8KHA motherboard and AMD Athlon procesor.
This may not help but maybe someone else can give us advice whether we should be looking @ new boards before we waste a whole lot of time doing PC triage...


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## batty_professor (Jul 29, 2004)

OK guys, clearing the CMOS with the jumper will set flags for low battery, memory, and CPU by default in most all systems. The erratic nature of your complaint leads me to believe you are experiencing power supply failure. Just a hunch at this point, but I think it's where I'd have to start, especially if it has lots of runtine. Power supplies typically deliver so many watts of power over X number of hours before they fail the bigger they are over your system requirements the longer they last.


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## Valtelino (Sep 4, 2004)

I second that. Sounds like power issues.


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

First off, I'd make sure the battery is installed correctly, the button should be down, and the + side up in most motherboards. Also, make sure you didn't bend the battery holder clip so it's loose and not making good contact.


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## undersan (Sep 16, 2004)

*And the winner is...*

And the winner is...

batty_professor!

I replaced my power supply and the machine appears to be working fine now. :bgrin:

To everyone who replied, thanks for your help.

On a side note, I'm a little skeptical that there's actually something wrong with my old power supply. It is actually just one year old, not two as I mistakenly mentioned earlier, and by my calculations, my machine was well within its wattage limit. I'm wondering if the real problem was simply a loose cable somewhere, which got fixed when I installed the new power supply. Maybe I will test this theory (I'd like to return the new power supply and save $80).


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## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

If you want to check about how much wattage your computer consumes go HERE


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## batty_professor (Jul 29, 2004)

A side note, be warned you risk damaging other more expensive components in your computer trying to use a defective power supply. You say it's only 1 yr. old, but what does that figure to in actual running hours for you? If you leave the machine on 24/7 that's a lot of time. Note that the box the new unit came in should have a MTBF number that's the expected life in hours at rated load. Take this into consideration.


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