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The Battery Problem

Old computers often have a battery problems.

Laptops Have Two Batteries

There are two types of batteries in a laptop computer.

    • The Laptop Battery.
      • This is the rechargeable device that supplies power to a laptop computer. It allows the laptop to operate without being connected to a power outlet.
    • The CMOS Battery.
      • The CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) battery, helps the BIOS or UEFI to store the hardware configuration settings. It helps keep a record of the date and time when the computer is switched off. The CMOS is a small coin-cell battery on the motherboard.
Inside older computers, the batteries can fail and when they fail they show different symptoms.

Laptop Batteries

There are many types of laptop batteries, the most common are lithium-ion. Laptop battereies degrade over time with an average lifespan of about three years or 1,000 charge cycles.

Signs of a failing laptop battery include decreased battery life when not connected to power, slow charging times, overheating, and physical damage or swelling of the battery.

There are several software tools that allow you to check the battery’s health status.

However, the failure of the laptop battery typically does not prevent the user from using the computer plugged into a power outlet.

Laptop batteries are (usually!) easy to replace and not that expensive. Replacing laptop batteries is often quite straightforward and most manufacturers explain how to do that on their web site. Typical costs of new laptop batteries vary form $30 to $50.

CMOS Batteries

CMOS batteries are located in the computer’s motherboard and, despite costing less than a dollar, are usually very difficult to replace.

The most obvious symptom of a failed CMOS battery is that the system forgets the date and time. While this does not seem like much of a problem, a failed battery often has more serious consequences. For example, failed CMOS batteries can result in random restarting of the computer, failure to restart, drivers not responding, beeping noises, and inability to connect to the internet.

Don’t try to replace the CMOS battery unless you are experienced in taking computers apart; comfortable disconnecting and re-connecting tiny cables; and removing and re-installing circuit boards.

Early computer manufacturers seemed to make the replacement of the CMOS battery especially difficult.

Therefore, the process of disassembling the computer to get at the CMOS battery is not for the faint of heart; it is a very complicated process.

You often need to take apart the entire machine to get to the CMOS battery. Unless you have significant computer hardware skills and tremendous patience, you should probably seek out a professional computer repair shop.

Even though the battery costs less than $1, typical repair costs will run from $100 – $200.