System Battery Low Error Report

[Pegleg]

Today when re-booting I received a "System Battery Low, Press F! to
Continue or F2 to enter Setup".

I chose F1 to Continue, not knowing what entering "setup" would do.

What does this error message mean? Does the battery need replacing?
The pc is not even two years old.

System is Dell Desktop, P-4, 3.0 ghz running Win XP-Home, SP2.

TIA
Pegleg
U.S. Navy Retired
Support Our Troops,
Question The Policy!

All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words:
freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Sir Winston Churchill

 

[thecreator]

Hi Pegleg,

Call Dell! Currently Dell is recalling its Batteries because of a Fire
Hazard.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1902669,00.asp

 

[Pegleg]

Hi Pegleg,

Call Dell! Currently Dell is recalling its Batteries because of a Fire
Hazard.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1902669,00.asp

Thanks for your response but please re-read my original post.

Pegleg
U.S. Navy Retired
Support Our Troops,
Question The Policy!

All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words:
freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Sir Winston Churchill

 

[Dave B.]

What an uninformed answer.

 

[Dave B.]

This likely means the CMOS battery needs to be replaced, any competent
repair shop can handle this, some are even user replaceable.

 

[Dave B.]

Oops, just noticed this was a desktop, the goofy reply of the Dell battery
recall threw me off.
You likely have a 3 volt button battery in there (CD2032), these can be
picked up at radio shack and are easy to replace, if you take the side cover
off the PC you'll see it on the motherboard.

 

[thecreator]

Hi Pegleg,

There should be no reason to replace a System Battery, with a system
that is under 5 years old. This could mean a faulty BIOS. Check with Dell. A
Faulty motherboard that is draining the Battery with the power off. Or
leaving the computer unplugged a great deal of time.

Pull the CMOS Battery from the motherboard and check the Battery with a
Voltmeter and a Battery Tester, See what the voltage is and find out what it
should be.

 

[Dave B.]

The possibility is there, and it is the most likely cause, I've had one or 2
brand new motherboards arrive with dead batteries.

 

[Ken Blake]

Hi Pegleg,

There should be no reason to replace a System Battery, with a
system that is under 5 years old.

Not at all true. All batteries don't last an equal length of time, and some
last much less five years--sometimes *much* less.

Sometimes brand-new batteries fail with a couple of months.

 

[thecreator]

Hi Ken,

True, but new Batteries depending on the application are told how long
it should last.

http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/Rechargeable_FAQ.pdf

18. How can I test NiCd or NiMH batteries to see if they're still good?
Due to their flat discharge profile and recharge ability, it is difficult to
define a simple
quality check for NiCd or NiMH batteries. For fully charged batteries, a
battery tester which
measures closed circuit voltage can be used as a general guide to determine
if the battery
is "good" or "defective". A voltmeter which measures open circuit voltage is
not a reliable
method for evaluating rechargeable batteries and is not recommended for this
purpose.
The most accurate way to measure the performance of rechargeable batteries
is to monitor
time and operating voltage during controlled discharge.


19. Is there a guarantee on Energizer batteries?
Yes, the Energizer/Eveready guarantee typically states: "We will repair or
replace, at our
option, any device damaged by this battery if it is sent with batteries to
Eveready.
Guarantee void if user or device recharges battery." Guarantee may vary
globally so check
with the local Energizer office for details.

 

[Ken Blake]

Hi Ken,

True, but new Batteries depending on the application are told how
long it should last.

But "should last" and "do last" are two different things. That's why your
statement "There should be no reason to replace a System Battery, with a
system that is under 5 years old" is not correct, and can badly mislead
someone with a battery that failed much earlier than five years.

 

[thecreator]

Hi Ken,

Question arises on length of time. If you unplug the computer and leave
it unplug, the battery is constantly being drained to keep the BIOS Settings
and Time up to date. Correct? If the computer, is constantly plugged in,
while the computer is off, then the Battery isn't being used as much? Does
the System Battery ever get recharged, while the computer is plugged in,
whether it is off or on?

 

[Ken Blake]

Hi Ken,

Question arises on length of time. If you unplug the computer and
leave it unplug, the battery is constantly being drained to keep the
BIOS Settings and Time up to date. Correct?

Yes, but the drain is very low, obviously. Otherwise it could never last as
long as five years.

If the computer, is
constantly plugged in, while the computer is off, then the Battery
isn't being used as much?

Correct. But again, the difference is normally small.

Does the System Battery ever get recharged,
while the computer is plugged in, whether it is off or on?

Not normally, but many years ago, I bought and installed an inexpensive
device that did just that. This was back in the 386 days, and I have no idea
whether such devices are still available, or whether it would be safe to use
on a modern motherboard.

As I remember, with that charging device, the battery lasted around five
years. Since I don't know how long it would have lasted without the device,
I have no idea whther it was at all effective, but my guess is that it
didn't make it last a whole lot longer.

With batteries being so inexpensive, it hardly matters anyway.