Original message:

>Which brings up the question . . .
>
>How does one go about replacing the motherboard battery?
>Should replacement battery be done with computer running?
>Plugged in?  How do I locate it?
>
>William Closure

With your PC turned off (but plugged in), open the case and look
for a coin-style battery (about the size of a quarter). If you find one,
that's your CMOS battery. To replace it, check the number on the
battery itself and buy another one of the same type. Just remove
the old one and install the new one (pay attention to polarity).

If you don't see a coin-style battery, you probably have a Ni-Cad
(rechargeable) battery SOLDERED to your motherboard. It
will usually be near the edge of the mb, and often looks like an
electrolytic capacitor - maybe an inch long and 3/8" in diameter;
often in a blue plastic sleeve. The only way to replace this type
of battery is to unsolder the old one and solder in a new one of
the same type (in this case, the same SIZE is usually sufficient).
Your local computer store (maybe even Radio Shack) will have
replacements.

Your PC should retain its CMOS settings for several minutes to
several hours with the battery removed, but you may need to
re-enter the CMOS data manually after removing and replacing
the battery. Most newer PCs will auto-detect your drives, but it's
a good idea to record the settings before you start the replacement.

Good luck,
Mike Brown

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