HELP PLEASE, intermitent CMOS error!

[alexp999]

Hi,
every now and again, on my dad's PC, a XFX 680i LT MOBO, he gets, cmos bad checksum error, and it loads defualts, it does not forget the time tho. If I putting the settings back to normal and reboot, it is fine, then it will got about another week before it does it again. Any help greatly appreciated,

Thanks.

 

[Namslas90]

Replace the battery, it could be low enough to cause problems but not low enough to lose the clock.

 

[alexp999]

Replace the battery, it could be low enough to cause problems but not low enough to lose the clock.

Hi,
Thanks will give it a try, have found a spare, let you know how it goes, any other ideas in case it doesnt work? is there a bios virus scanner or smthn?

thanks.

 

[Namslas90]

Hi,
Thanks will give it a try, have found a spare, let you know how it goes, any other ideas in case it doesnt work? is there a bios virus scanner or smthn?

thanks.

Well, you could always download the latest BIOS or re-flash the BIOS, just to make sure, I also recomend a NEW battery. Also check the mobo carefully for BAD Capacitors etc, give it a good cleaning, check for corrosion on the CMOS reset jumper and battery contacts etc.

Check these pics for examples of bad caps;

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=39327

 

[alexp999]

Hi,
we tried changing battery and flashing bios with latest update. VBAT in the bios monitor is reading at 3.12v so seems good. But we left it for an hour or so, unplugged at the back, and then when we came back and truned it back on there was the same problem. The error that keeps coming up looks just like a dead battery errro but the time doesnt get wiped out. Saying that, I just used the CMOS jumper (Dont know if that will help, find out later i guess) and that didnt wipe out the time either. It just seems to loose time for the amount of time it is being wiped or has no battery. I'm getting a bit confused now. Apart from that everything else is fine. What could be cuasing it? Magnetic interference mucking about with the CMOS memory, lol! It has only just started doing it in the last couple of weeks, nothing when we first got it a couple of months ago? any help appreciated, thanks for your comments so far.
Just hope we can get it sorted without an RMA! just seems weird, well anyway, let me know.

Thanks.

 

[little geek]

i get the same problem! just learnt to put up with it, if you dont unplug the pc its fine.

 

[alexp999]

i get the same problem! just learnt to put up with it, if you dont unplug the pc its fine.

thing is it does it with the PC plugged in!!!
Only thing that has changed since is a q6600, but surely this mobo is geared up for it. mind you there is not actual support list just says it supports all core 2 dous including quads. no actual this cpu works this one doesnt etc. We put the new g0 version in, would that make a difference, maybe i will mail XFX, they may say that they are working on an update now, how about I turn the 2 extra cores off,

Thanks.

 

[alexp999]

Hi,
just an update, my dad missed a bit from the problem. every now and again, he turns it on and it appears not to POST, the fans all kick in, everything lights up but the monitor never comes on (now I don't know how long to leave it incase it is damaging something), but it is left about 30 secs and nothing, so I then press the reset button. And YES! we have a green monitor light! But then, after the splash screen and at the end of the POST messages it says " CMOS checksum error - Defualts loaded" and " Press F1 to continue or DEL to enter setup", then sure enough you go into setup and all settings are on factory defualt, and once again it appears to have lost a minute or so of time (the amount we left it at orange monitor light? I don't know). Apart from this there is nothing wrong with it, it performs fine, no crashes or anything, it is one of the most stable computers he has had until this annoying CMOS thing started happening. Is there any way to turn memory tolerance or something on/off, or maybe a boot failure guard that is being over sensitive and disabling post for some unknown reason, I would imagine the BIOS wouldnt be much if any different from any other 680i chipset mobo. Any ideas? Anyone had any problems relating to another brand using the 680i chipset?

Thanks.

 

[alexp999]

Hi,
me again just done a bit of surfing, i read that on some mobos there is a two digit debugging code, where can i see/turn this on. Also it may just be coincidence but it seems to be more likely to happen when it is "COLD", whether the power is on or off, but as in hasnt been used for a little while, so all components would effectively be room temperature. Dunno, just throwing ideas about here. All help welcome, i have read about on Google and there are defo people having similar problems with mobos on 680i chipset, is it anything to do with q6600, i have seen a few people with problems using one, rather than taking it out do you think turning off the two extra cores would help until XFX release a bios update?

Thanks.

 

[alexp999]

Sorry again, was gonna leave people to post for a bit then an idea shot into my head. It has just started getting quite cold here in the UK it was 8*C on the forecast last night and my dad won't turn the heating on untill the first frost, lol! so going back to the COLD thing. We are using an artic cooling freezer 7 pro, now i reckon that this could regulate the temp of the q6600 in the case my dad has without the fan on. under load when we first got it and it was about 25*C outside the CPU fan never reached 1000rpm and the temps never went above 30*C and this i am talking about under load! now when we when i went to the bios after a cmos error, after about 5 mins of the machine being on i spose, the cpu temp was at 19*C. now all I am thinking is that is the freezer 7 pro keeping the component passively so cool when it is left off for a while that when we go to turn it on, it doesnt like it and so BOOT failure guard kicks in, maybe CMOS reads a very low CPU temp as it first powers up and thinks there is an error? As i say can BOOT failure guard or something like that be disabled?

Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

when i first got my p5k-premium yesterday and went into the bios for the first time,my cpu temp said 9c.i have a freezer 7 pro too,and also live in the uk(hull) were it is very cold (specially today).it booted fine even tho' it was reporting such a low temp.

dunno if this is any help but.....

 

[alexp999]

when i first got my p5k-premium yesterday and went into the bios for the first time,my cpu temp said 9c.i have a freezer 7 pro too,and also live in the uk(hull) were it is very cold (specially today).it booted fine even tho' it was reporting such a low temp.

dunno if this is any help but.....

Just an idea really, just thinking maybe this G0 version on this mobo, with such low temps, it thinks there is problem, cus i'm pretty sure that although it physically works, the P05 bios from XFX is pre q6600 g0, maybe it is using the b3/b2 (can't rem) ideas, which runs hotter and maybe that didnt like the cold? just seems odd that it is not the batt and it was fine for the first couple of weeks with that CPU and cooler, nothing has changed since it started doing it really, apart from the weather, unless it is so cold in his room now, that condensation builds up? I don't know getting but deperate now, just everytime it does it I keep trying a different bios setting, i really dont want to have to take the cpu out, it is all sitting in their so nicely now. I have mailed XFX though, so hopefully they will wirte back and help. Thanks tho, keep the ideas coming.

Thanks.

 

[Fiream]

Though there are generally several possible causes for every problem, this sounds a lot like a severe power sag on the board when it's first switched on. Do you have some high draw fans hooked up to the MB headers? If so, remove them and hook them to a spare Molex on the PS harness. What brand/specs is your power supply?

Unless you have a bad solder joint or connection on the board the cold temps aren't gong to cause a problem. Most electronic components are more efficient at lower temps so if you can survive so can they. Cold can cause higher current draws during spinup of hard drives and certain fans. You may be starving the board for voltage due to high current draw at startup. You could try unhooking everything not required to boot and see if that helps.
Good Luck,
Fiream

 

[alexp999]

Hi,
Thanks for your reply, we are currently running the system with a 750w Silverstone Strider. I rang up a local computer shop and had a chat and we think it may be a compliance thing, that the 2007 G0 version of the q6600 works physically but the bios does not fully understand it. I went into the bios the other day and it was trying to overclock the mulitplier from 9 to 23!!! this with all settings being on auto. I have now sifted through the settings, and taken away as many decisions by the bios as I can and so far so good, we have turned it on dozens of times in the last 48hrs, being left on and off at the wall and it is behaving itself. I have written to XFX to explain the problem so I am hoping they will write back, acknowledging it and getting us to hold out for a bios update or something .
Thanks for all the info though, will post what I get back from XFX, incase it is of use to anyone else.

Thanks again.

 

[3991vhtes]

definately a battery problem.

when you replace the battery make sure it is the SAME KIND!!!

Example - Most batteries are CR2032 3V. If you have this kind, make sure replace it with a CR2032 3V!!!!

Hope i helped!

 

[alexp999]

definately a battery problem.

when you replace the battery make sure it is the SAME KIND!!!

Example - Most batteries are CR2032 3V. If you have this kind, make sure replace it with a CR2032 3V!!!!

Hope i helped!

As you may have read above, we have replaced the battery, but check my post just above yours, it prob wasnt there when you wrote this

Thanks.

 

[Fiream]

I hope a BIOS update is all it is but I have to wonder since you said it worked fine for a couple of months. If it was a BIOS issue it ought to have given you grief from the beginning but you can't ever tell with electronics. Maybe tolerances changed a little as the board burned in allowing this problem to crop up. Is it still doing ok?
Fiream

 

[tkpenalty]

RMA it...

 

[Wile E]

I hope a BIOS update is all it is but I have to wonder since you said it worked fine for a couple of months. If it was a BIOS issue it ought to have given you grief from the beginning but you can't ever tell with electronics. Maybe tolerances changed a little as the board burned in allowing this problem to crop up. Is it still doing ok?
Fiream

It started happening when he put a G0 Q6600 in it (he posted that further down in the thread). Sounds like a BIOS bug to me.

 

[Fiream]

Hi,
we tried changing battery and flashing bios with latest update. VBAT in the bios monitor is reading at 3.12v so seems good. But we left it for an hour or so, unplugged at the back, and then when we came back and truned it back on there was the same problem. The error that keeps coming up looks just like a dead battery errro but the time doesnt get wiped out. Saying that, I just used the CMOS jumper (Dont know if that will help, find out later i guess) and that didnt wipe out the time either. It just seems to loose time for the amount of time it is being wiped or has no battery. I'm getting a bit confused now. Apart from that everything else is fine. What could be cuasing it? Magnetic interference mucking about with the CMOS memory, lol! It has only just started doing it in the last couple of weeks, nothing when we first got it a couple of months ago? any help appreciated, thanks for your comments so far.
Just hope we can get it sorted without an RMA! just seems weird, well anyway, let me know.

Thanks.

Well, either I can't read or my comprehension skills have crapped out.

 

[Wile E]

thing is it does it with the PC plugged in!!!
Only thing that has changed since is a q6600, but surely this mobo is geared up for it. mind you there is not actual support list just says it supports all core 2 dous including quads. no actual this cpu works this one doesnt etc. We put the new g0 version in, would that make a difference, maybe i will mail XFX, they may say that they are working on an update now, how about I turn the 2 extra cores off,

Thanks.

Well, either I can't read or my comprehension skills have crapped out.

You're reading comprehension skills must have failed you, you skimmer. lol j/k

 

[Fiream]

They may have, it is pretty early but the OP is going to have to clear that up because the way I read it is he got the new CPU a couple of months ago and it only recently started causing problems. If that isn't the case surely they would have reinstalled the old processor immediately and verified the problem.

I don't skim, ever. That's one of my biggest peeves when I see people making posts that don't even remotely address the issue clearly outlined. That's the main reason you'll never see a multi thousand post count by my name on any forum I'm on. I just rarely have the time to devote to give the answers I think people deserve.

Anyway, if the current problem didn't start until the moment the CPU was replaced then I'd certainly agree that it's probably BIOS related but if it worked for any length of time, particularly two months, then I wouldn't be holding my breath on a BIOS fix. It certainly could no doubt. If the board was only borderline stable when the new chip was installed then it wouldn't take much to kick it over the edge. Whatever it turns out to be I hope the OP will post back with the cure so we'll all know.
Fiream

 

[Wile E]

They may have, it is pretty early but the OP is going to have to clear that up because the way I read it is he got the new CPU a couple of months ago and it only recently started causing problems. If that isn't the case surely they would have reinstalled the old processor immediately and verified the problem.

I don't skim, ever. That's one of my biggest peeves when I see people making posts that don't even remotely address the issue clearly outlined. That's the main reason you'll never see a multi thousand post count by my name on any forum I'm on. I just rarely have the time to devote to give the answers I think people deserve.

Anyway, if the current problem didn't start until the moment the CPU was replaced then I'd certainly agree that it's probably BIOS related but if it worked for any length of time, particularly two months, then I wouldn't be holding my breath on a BIOS fix. It certainly could no doubt. If the board was only borderline stable when the new chip was installed then it wouldn't take much to kick it over the edge. Whatever it turns out to be I hope the OP will post back with the cure so we'll all know.
Fiream

You know, now that you mention it, I'm a little confused by what the OP means as well. But I think you are correct, and the OP should reinstall the old cpu to test (if they still have it on hand).

And I take offense to your skimming comment (no, not really. lol), I have a multi thousand post count, but I don't skim either. (And please excuse my currently somewhat strange, smart-assed sense of humor, I'm a bit tired. lol)

 

[Fiream]

Hey I wasn't aiming that at you! Sorry it came out that way. Sure didn't mean it to. Quite a few people spend a lot of time on the boards and if they participate will naturally have high post counts. I just meant that with the limited time I have to devote to replies and the fact that I really do read the posts means I'll never likely hit 100 posts much less break a thousand on any given forum. I wasn't trying to imply you skim or that you don't make good posts. Sorry man, it's early/late and I haven't been to bed either. Really, I didn't mean it towards you. There ARE people who can break a thousand in a week and whose total contribution will fit in a thimble. I know you're not one and I hope I don't become one either.

But really, it could be read either way in the OP's posts, I ass-umed if he still had the old CPU when the problems started he would have put it back in and tried it. Maybe he'll post back sometime today and clear it up. It's hard to be concise and still provide enough info to solve a problem particularly if you aren't sure what info is relevant and what isn't.
Sorry Again,
Fiream

 

[Wile E]

Hey I wasn't aiming that at you! Sorry it came out that way. Sure didn't mean it to. Quite a few people spend a lot of time on the boards and if they participate will naturally have high post counts. I just meant that with the limited time I have to devote to replies and the fact that I really do read the posts means I'll never likely hit 100 posts much less break a thousand on any given forum. I wasn't trying to imply you skim or that you don't make good posts. Sorry man, it's early/late and I haven't been to bed either. Really, I didn't mean it towards you. There ARE people who can break a thousand in a week and whose total contribution will fit in a thimble. I know you're not one and I hope I don't become one either.

But really, it could be read either way in the OP's posts, I ass-umed if he still had the old CPU when the problems started he would have put it back in and tried it. Maybe he'll post back sometime today and clear it up. It's hard to be concise and still provide enough info to solve a problem particularly if you aren't sure what info is relevant and what isn't.
Sorry Again,
Fiream

No need for apologies. I wasn't offended at all.