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    system cmos checksum bad

    Discussion in 'Acer' started by jpp, Mar 25, 2005.

  1. jpp

    jpp Newbie

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    the latest in my saga... When removing and replacing the battery, at boot it tells me that the system cmos checksum is bad. I go into setup, reconfigure everything, shutdown, remove and replace battery, turn system back on and same error. The other weird thing is the battery remaining info in epowermanagement shows 50+ hours remaining where as the windows battery icon shows a drastically reduced time. I know 7200 rpm drives draw a little more power but not enough to reduce run time by 2 hours. Any ideas on what I can do before contacting support?
     
    jpp, Mar 25, 2005
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  2. Venombite

    Venombite Notebook Virtuoso

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    The bad checksum error you're getting might be because the CMOS is getting wiped everytime you pull the battery. There might be a short somewhere which is screwing up the CMOS. This is a similar problem I used to get on the older desktops when the onboard CMOS battery would start to fail. Replacement of the CMOS battery fixed the problem. If your internal CMOS battery is not getting power/charged, then it could lead to this kind of problem. For this, you might want to get the systemboard looked at.

    Regarding the issue with the reduced power/incorrect power listing. This kind of sounds like an OS or software problem. I heard of an issue where a similar thing was happening (battery life not correct) and it just required a software upgrade (either to the OS or the BIOS). Since you're having problems with your BIOS, this could be related. When you put 50+ hours, I'm assuming you meant to say 5+ hours because if you can get 50+ hours of battery life on your notebook, I'll buy it [ :D]. If it's an OS or software problem, try reloading your OS from scratch rather than using Acer's Restore CD's, this way you'll know eliminate all the excess junk loaded into the unit.

    If you're getting reduced battery life from your battery, it could mean that the battery is starting to go. It might be a new notebook, but the battery may just be defective or your system is not charging the battery properly. This could also be related to the other 2 issues you listed. I'd recommend sending the unit in for service and see if it's the motherboard, charging unit (on the mainboard) or battery causing all these problems.

    -Vb-
     
    Venombite, Mar 27, 2005
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  3. jpp

    jpp Newbie

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    thanks for the reply. Haven't been around in a while and didn't notice your response. Will have it looked at when I'm back from France :D
     
    jpp, Apr 27, 2005
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