Trying to figure out why my hard drives consistently/frequently lose information (serial number, label (bizarre symbols instead of a label or number during boot), MBR, sometimes partition table, lose "initialization") on my linux computer.

It is 6 years old. When I pull the harddisk(s), erase them and test them on a benchmark computer, they are fine. SMART shows nothing wrong, and these drives are less than 60 days old. I don't think my motherboard is fried, as it seems to work okay otherwise. Linux works fine if and when it boots.

What should I be looking for to check the mobo or bios battery? Any other ideas?

Thanks

That differently sounds like a ram problem. run memtest86 and SuperPi these will tell you if there is anything wrong with the memory.

Batteries are pretty cheap so I would suggest changing it regardless - 6 years is a long time, so it could be due for a change. These are watch battery size, so your local hardware store, jewelers or whatnot should have some in stock.

^ + 1 xavierp
cr2032

hi

supermarket is cheaper place to buy batteries but would just like to be negative and suggestion you may have a bad journal...what partition filesystem are you using please...and what frequency do you have it set to?

and silly one but a goodie...always push in connectors and check ram is pushed in firmly pls...assuming you have discharged static before attempt

RAM is fine, and so are the hard disks, by testing on another computer. Cables (IDE) are fine. Other device on same cable as master hard drive (a DVD drive) are fine.

I will change the BIOS battery and see if that helps. If not, anybody got a P4 chip/mobo based on IDE I can buy?

I don't see how the CMOS battery has anything at all to do with HDD's acting as the OP describes.

I vote for a bad IDE controller, which translates into a bad motherboard.


Sasha