I have been having problems with my ECS A770M-A motherboard on my home-built Linux desktop: Even when I replace the battery with a fresh one, I am still getting "CMOS Battery Low" error on my desktop.

The story went as follows: When I installed the motherboard (and all the other components) into a new case, I got all the hardware working fine. Then, suddenly, when I tried booting, I got errors while Ubuntu was fsck-ing the file system and the bootup dropped to a shell. Then, suddenly, a kernel panic. When I turned the computer off and back on again, the BIOS suddenly comes up with these errors and I have no idea what's causing them.

Would a BIOS update fix the problem with the CMOS battery not registering? If so, how can I update the BIOS from Linux?

Did it ever work correctly?

I doubt the bios update would do anything unless the update exactly says "fixed cmos battry low". You would be advised to not update the bios at this time.

Is it remotely possible that the connectors are damaged or the battery is off a bit or in backwards. Is there a jumper to clear bios that may be in wrong position? Is there a jumper to remove battery voltage from system (to save the battery in transit.)

Hi

Concur with "Jefro"
Suggest:

Checking that the "CLEAR CMOS" jumper is not enabled
Replace the CMOS battery with a fresh one* (*strongly suggest this)
Inspect the battery holder for damage

Also consider
Removing the motherboard from the new case, ensure that the metal case mounts are not fouling the motherboard circuitry by causing any shorts. A good test would be to setup the motherboard + PSU + HDD (as a minimal configuration) on a desktop without the case and see if the problem occurs again. Non-conductive washers are available to prevent screw tops and mounting posts from making unwanted contact with motherboard tracks.

Avoid flashing the BIOS if possible. It may lead to "bricking" (rendering useless) the motherboard under these types of circumstances.

Interested to hear how you get on

C.

It did - before I transferred the components over to the new case (Antec Sonata III 500). I do understand that the CLR_CMOS jumper will cause it to do that. So, I need to check to see if that jumper isn't enabled.

Already done. In fact, before I posted this thread!

Kenny_Strawn

Cool

C.

Not so cool when it's still not working!

Hi

Did some Googling about.

You've covered all the bases:
changed the battery
cleared the CMOS settings
Reduced the system down to a basic configuration

Not much more you can try if you save changes and it fails to store them correctly.
That is a diabolical state of affairs.
Only thing left is to take the machine to a repair shop and get them to refresh the BIOS
with an entirely new copy (assuming of course you can find someone who is willing to do it and at the right price, and that they have a copy of the BIOS to start with).

Even then it might still be a hardware problem (ie. BIOS code is OK, but there is some malfunctioning hardware).

Only thing that occurs to me is to shoot an Email to ECS via their www site asking if they would take it back (for a fee) and correct the problem, or provide you with a complete BIOS image and matching flash utility. But I don't fancy your chances of success.

Wish I could be more helpful.

C.

Hi,

Depending on the age of the motherboard, I would check the holder clips. Top and side clips for cleanliness. sometimes when the clip(s) are bent by replacing a battery you will need to reform them. If the clear jumper was installed to gnd or clear when powered up then potential damage has been done to the MB.

What about testing the replacement batteries? I always load test the battery before placing in a system. If the bubble package doesn't have a posted date be sure to check & see the manufacture date on the body of the battery.

Yeah... Maybe I should take it to Fry's, since I think it's the BIOS that's corrupted.

One more hing: The first time I turned it on, it actually did boot into Ubuntu 10.04. However, fsck reported that it found errors within the file system (ext4). After that, the computer dropped to a shell, then a kernel panic, and then, upon rebooting, these errors. What could be causing them if such weird stuff happened before the incident?

It is less than 2 years old - got it in 2008 when the original AMD Phenom processors came out, as it supports the AM2+ socket.

I actually did NOT clear the CMOS settings when I put the new battery in, which I could try. Does the CMOS need to be cleared once the new battery is inserted?

No...

If you mean, is it usual to clear the BIOS when you replace the CMOS battery, no it is not.

Your problem is sufficiently intractable and obscure that any solution that is not going to involve returning or replacing the motherboard soon reaches the borders of the improbable.

My contribution to the effort is a suggestion that you check all the cable connections, just in case. It might be more relevant to suggest that you insure that the motherboard risers are in number and position where they should be and that nothing else is contacting the case where it should not be, causing a short.

That is, I would guess that your problem is with the hardware somewhere, but who knows where?

Did you try the suggestion of booting without the cabinet on a non-conductive surface with only the PSU, motherboard, one stick of RAM and either the HDD or a CD drive and a live-cd?

I would try using memtest to see if the RAM is bad. I've never heard of a CMOS battery causing this much havoc.

Also can you post what errors are being printed to the screen ?

Installing Cheese right now to take a screenshot of the errors with my Acer Aspire One's webcam.