booting into BIOS setup

  • Thread starter Thread starter Linea Recta
  • Start date Start date
L

Linea Recta

Sometimes when I switch the computer on, it boots directly into the BIOS
setup. (luckily nothing gets changed, because I use passwords).
Since I don't want to enter the setup, I press the reset button, and then I
can boot the OS normally.
What can be wrong?
I use NAV (updated each day).



--
MV

os: Windows 2000 Pro SP4 - mobo: Asus P4B266 - cpu: Intel P4 1,6 GHz. - mem:
512 MB. - video: Matrox Marvel G450eTV 32 MB. (AGP) - monitor: iiyama Vision
Master 1401 - sound: SB Audigy 1394 (PCI) - hd: 2 X Maxtor 60 GB. -
DVD/CD-ROM: Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1712 - DVD+RW/+R: AOpen DVRW2412Pro -
modems: ADSL: Alcatel speedtouch 330 (USB) - analog: Dynalink Lucent Win
Modem 56k6 (PCI) - printers: HP DeskJet 720C (parallel) & HP LaserJet IIP
Plus (parallel) - keyb: PS/2 MS Internet Keyboard - mouse: Logitech Pilot
Wheel Mouse Optical (USB) - webcam: Logitech QuickCam Zoom (USB) -
removables: Maxtor One Touch 120 GB (USB) - Iomega ZipDrive 100 (parallel)
 
Linea Recta said:
Sometimes when I switch the computer on, it boots directly into the BIOS
setup. (luckily nothing gets changed, because I use passwords).
Since I don't want to enter the setup, I press the reset button, and then I
can boot the OS normally.
What can be wrong?
I use NAV (updated each day).
Click to expand...

If the 3v lithium mobo battery is running down, the board may be
detecting a CMOS (BIOS settings stored here) checksum error
and taking you straight into the BIOS. If you can measure the
battery voltage, make sure it's above 3v. If you can't, try a new
battery.
HTH,
 
Rob Hemmings said:
then

If the 3v lithium mobo battery is running down, the board may be
detecting a CMOS (BIOS settings stored here) checksum error
and taking you straight into the BIOS. If you can measure the
battery voltage, make sure it's above 3v. If you can't, try a new
battery.
Click to expand...

All right, I'll check it out. (I wonder when they're going to invent a
battery which gets recharged by the system power supply...)




--
regards,

|\ /|
| \/ |@rk
\../
\/os
 
"Linea Recta" said:
All right, I'll check it out. (I wonder when they're going to invent a
battery which gets recharged by the system power supply...)
Click to expand...

A coin cell would blow up if you charged it. A rechargable battery
would self discharge and not give you the same continuous service
life that the coin cell does. It is really a good design, except
when the battery is dead to begin with. The only thing that would
be better, is using a larger cell, and that would be more
expensive to replace.

You might want to check your fan speed. On my computer, I have a
PS fan connected to a fan header, and on cold boot, the PS fan
runs so slow, the RPMs are less than the threshold in the power
monitor. The BIOS prompts me to fix it, but by the time I enter
the BIOS, the PS has warmed up enough that the fan speed is
then above the threshold, and there is nothing to fix. So,
check out your fan speed as a root cause. It could be the
BIOS has an option to [Ignore] the fan in question.

HTH,
Paul
 
Paul said:
"Linea Recta" said:
All right, I'll check it out. (I wonder when they're going to invent a
battery which gets recharged by the system power supply...)
Click to expand...

A coin cell would blow up if you charged it. A rechargable battery
would self discharge and not give you the same continuous service
life that the coin cell does. It is really a good design, except
when the battery is dead to begin with. The only thing that would
be better, is using a larger cell, and that would be more
expensive to replace.

You might want to check your fan speed. On my computer, I have a
PS fan connected to a fan header, and on cold boot, the PS fan
runs so slow, the RPMs are less than the threshold in the power
monitor. The BIOS prompts me to fix it, but by the time I enter
the BIOS, the PS has warmed up enough that the fan speed is
then above the threshold, and there is nothing to fix. So,
check out your fan speed as a root cause. It could be the
BIOS has an option to [Ignore] the fan in question.
Click to expand...


I suppose the battery is only to keep time/date clock running? Are the other
settings kept in flash memory?



--
regards,

|\ /|
| \/ |@rk
\../
\/os
 
"Linea Recta" said:
Paul said:
"Linea Recta" said:
"Rob Hemmings" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
Sometimes when I switch the computer on, it boots directly into the BIOS
setup. (luckily nothing gets changed, because I use passwords).
Since I don't want to enter the setup, I press the reset button, and
then
I
can boot the OS normally.
What can be wrong?
I use NAV (updated each day).

If the 3v lithium mobo battery is running down, the board may be
detecting a CMOS (BIOS settings stored here) checksum error
and taking you straight into the BIOS. If you can measure the
battery voltage, make sure it's above 3v. If you can't, try a new
battery.

All right, I'll check it out. (I wonder when they're going to invent a
battery which gets recharged by the system power supply...)
Click to expand...

A coin cell would blow up if you charged it. A rechargable battery
would self discharge and not give you the same continuous service
life that the coin cell does. It is really a good design, except
when the battery is dead to begin with. The only thing that would
be better, is using a larger cell, and that would be more
expensive to replace.

You might want to check your fan speed. On my computer, I have a
PS fan connected to a fan header, and on cold boot, the PS fan
runs so slow, the RPMs are less than the threshold in the power
monitor. The BIOS prompts me to fix it, but by the time I enter
the BIOS, the PS has warmed up enough that the fan speed is
then above the threshold, and there is nothing to fix. So,
check out your fan speed as a root cause. It could be the
BIOS has an option to [Ignore] the fan in question.
Click to expand...


I suppose the battery is only to keep time/date clock running? Are the other
settings kept in flash memory?
Click to expand...

The Southbridge has two areas of silicon in it. One is tiny and
contains 256 locations of SRAM (called the CMOS ram) plus a real
time clock. There is a 32KHz crystal outside the Southbridge that
oscillates just like in a wrist watch, and it feeds the RTC.
So, time and settings are contained in that part of the Southbridge.
(That part of the chip is sometimes referred to as the "CMOS well",
due to the isolation techniques used to separate that part of
the chip from the rest of it.)

From the ICH5 datasheet:

"Real-Time Clock
‹ 256-byte battery-backed CMOS RAM
‹ Integrated oscillator components
‹ Lower Power DC/DC Converter implementation"

The Southbridge has two power supplies. The majority of the Southbridge
runs from the main power outputs of the PS. The tiny chunk of
silicon containing the CMOS ram and RTC is powered by the standby
supply, and it consists of a diode-ORed combination of +5VSB (reduced
to 3V) and the 3V coin cell. When the computer power cord is unplugged,
the coin cell is the sole source of power for the Southbridge
standby. The dual diode prevents the 3V coin cell from being
charged by the +5VSB derived source.

When the computer is plugged in and switch on (on the back) but you
haven't pushed the button on the front, the +5VSB is operating and
the green LED on the motherboard will be lit. At this time, the
dual diode cuts off the coin cell, so no juice is drawn from the
coin cell. So, really, the only time the coin cell is draining is
when the switch on the back of the computer is in the OFF position
or the cord is pulled.

HTH,
Paul
 
Paul said:
"Linea Recta" said:
Paul said:
"Rob Hemmings" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
Sometimes when I switch the computer on, it boots directly into
Click to expand...
the
BIOS
setup. (luckily nothing gets changed, because I use passwords).
Since I don't want to enter the setup, I press the reset button, and
then
I
can boot the OS normally.
What can be wrong?
I use NAV (updated each day).

If the 3v lithium mobo battery is running down, the board may be
detecting a CMOS (BIOS settings stored here) checksum error
and taking you straight into the BIOS. If you can measure the
battery voltage, make sure it's above 3v. If you can't, try a new
battery.

All right, I'll check it out. (I wonder when they're going to invent a
battery which gets recharged by the system power supply...)

A coin cell would blow up if you charged it. A rechargable battery
would self discharge and not give you the same continuous service
life that the coin cell does. It is really a good design, except
when the battery is dead to begin with. The only thing that would
be better, is using a larger cell, and that would be more
expensive to replace.

You might want to check your fan speed. On my computer, I have a
PS fan connected to a fan header, and on cold boot, the PS fan
runs so slow, the RPMs are less than the threshold in the power
monitor. The BIOS prompts me to fix it, but by the time I enter
the BIOS, the PS has warmed up enough that the fan speed is
then above the threshold, and there is nothing to fix. So,
check out your fan speed as a root cause. It could be the
BIOS has an option to [Ignore] the fan in question.
Click to expand...


I suppose the battery is only to keep time/date clock running? Are the other
settings kept in flash memory?
Click to expand...

The Southbridge has two areas of silicon in it. One is tiny and
contains 256 locations of SRAM (called the CMOS ram) plus a real
time clock. There is a 32KHz crystal outside the Southbridge that
oscillates just like in a wrist watch, and it feeds the RTC.
So, time and settings are contained in that part of the Southbridge.
(That part of the chip is sometimes referred to as the "CMOS well",
due to the isolation techniques used to separate that part of
the chip from the rest of it.)

From the ICH5 datasheet:

"Real-Time Clock
< 256-byte battery-backed CMOS RAM
< Integrated oscillator components
< Lower Power DC/DC Converter implementation"

The Southbridge has two power supplies. The majority of the Southbridge
runs from the main power outputs of the PS. The tiny chunk of
silicon containing the CMOS ram and RTC is powered by the standby
supply, and it consists of a diode-ORed combination of +5VSB (reduced
to 3V) and the 3V coin cell. When the computer power cord is unplugged,
the coin cell is the sole source of power for the Southbridge
standby. The dual diode prevents the 3V coin cell from being
charged by the +5VSB derived source.

When the computer is plugged in and switch on (on the back) but you
haven't pushed the button on the front, the +5VSB is operating and
the green LED on the motherboard will be lit. At this time, the
dual diode cuts off the coin cell, so no juice is drawn from the
coin cell. So, really, the only time the coin cell is draining is
when the switch on the back of the computer is in the OFF position
or the cord is pulled.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this usefull information. Does it apply specifically to my MB, or
generally?
I'm customed after work, to close down Windows and finally switching off all
power(consuming) blocks, i.e. the computer itself and all periferal devices.
But if leaving the computer connected, as I understand, adds to the life of
the coin cell?



--
regards,

|\ /|
| \/ |@rk
\../
\/os
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
"Linea Recta" said:
Paul said:
"Linea Recta" said:
"Paul" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
"Rob Hemmings" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
Sometimes when I switch the computer on, it boots directly into the
BIOS
setup. (luckily nothing gets changed, because I use passwords).
Since I don't want to enter the setup, I press the reset button, and
then
I
can boot the OS normally.
What can be wrong?
I use NAV (updated each day).

If the 3v lithium mobo battery is running down, the board may be
detecting a CMOS (BIOS settings stored here) checksum error
and taking you straight into the BIOS. If you can measure the
battery voltage, make sure it's above 3v. If you can't, try a new
battery.

All right, I'll check it out. (I wonder when they're going to invent a
battery which gets recharged by the system power supply...)

A coin cell would blow up if you charged it. A rechargable battery
would self discharge and not give you the same continuous service
life that the coin cell does. It is really a good design, except
when the battery is dead to begin with. The only thing that would
be better, is using a larger cell, and that would be more
expensive to replace.

You might want to check your fan speed. On my computer, I have a
PS fan connected to a fan header, and on cold boot, the PS fan
runs so slow, the RPMs are less than the threshold in the power
monitor. The BIOS prompts me to fix it, but by the time I enter
the BIOS, the PS has warmed up enough that the fan speed is
then above the threshold, and there is nothing to fix. So,
check out your fan speed as a root cause. It could be the
BIOS has an option to [Ignore] the fan in question.


I suppose the battery is only to keep time/date clock running? Are the other
settings kept in flash memory?
Click to expand...

The Southbridge has two areas of silicon in it. One is tiny and
contains 256 locations of SRAM (called the CMOS ram) plus a real
time clock. There is a 32KHz crystal outside the Southbridge that
oscillates just like in a wrist watch, and it feeds the RTC.
So, time and settings are contained in that part of the Southbridge.
(That part of the chip is sometimes referred to as the "CMOS well",
due to the isolation techniques used to separate that part of
the chip from the rest of it.)

From the ICH5 datasheet:

"Real-Time Clock
< 256-byte battery-backed CMOS RAM
< Integrated oscillator components
< Lower Power DC/DC Converter implementation"

The Southbridge has two power supplies. The majority of the Southbridge
runs from the main power outputs of the PS. The tiny chunk of
silicon containing the CMOS ram and RTC is powered by the standby
supply, and it consists of a diode-ORed combination of +5VSB (reduced
to 3V) and the 3V coin cell. When the computer power cord is unplugged,
the coin cell is the sole source of power for the Southbridge
standby. The dual diode prevents the 3V coin cell from being
charged by the +5VSB derived source.

When the computer is plugged in and switch on (on the back) but you
haven't pushed the button on the front, the +5VSB is operating and
the green LED on the motherboard will be lit. At this time, the
dual diode cuts off the coin cell, so no juice is drawn from the
coin cell. So, really, the only time the coin cell is draining is
when the switch on the back of the computer is in the OFF position
or the cord is pulled.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this usefull information. Does it apply specifically to my MB, or
generally?
I'm customed after work, to close down Windows and finally switching off all
power(consuming) blocks, i.e. the computer itself and all periferal devices.
But if leaving the computer connected, as I understand, adds to the life of
the coin cell?
Click to expand...

I think they are all like that. If you unplug the computer and
leave it in a corner for 2 or 3 years, that might be enough to
drain the coin cell. Leaving the computer plugged in and
the switch on the back in the ON position, removes the load
from the coin cell, and then the coin cell will last for
its shelf life (whatever that is). When in the ON position but
not running Windows, the computer is wasting up to 10W of power
(to make +5VSB and run stuff like DRAM refresh for the sleep
function), so you'll have to compare the cost of the electricity
with the cost of replacing the coin cell in a few years.

HTH,
Paul
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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