How to record system setup settings?

[Sandy J]

Does WindowsXPPro have a facility to backup my system settings?

I have WindowsXPPro
and IE7

I am having to reset the time settings in the system tray daily so I think
I'll have to replace the coin cell battery in my PC...
According to what I read I need to restore the correct settings in system
setup after I replace the battery.

Can anyone tell me how to back up the settings in system setup so I can
restore them? I'm pretty much of a technical dummy so as much detail as
possible will be appreciated.

Sandy

 

[Mike Torello]

Does WindowsXPPro have a facility to backup my system settings?

I have WindowsXPPro
and IE7

I am having to reset the time settings in the system tray daily so I think
I'll have to replace the coin cell battery in my PC...

When Windows loads... and you set the time, does it continue to lose
time with Windows running? If the answer is YES, then it's not your
coin battery.

That battery maintains time and other settings when your computer
power has been turned off.

 

[Sandy J]

When Windows loads... and you set the time, does it continue to lose
time with Windows running? If the answer is YES, then it's not your
coin battery.

That battery maintains time and other settings when your computer
power has been turned off.

Not that I can tell Mike.
The time is not synchronized at the appointed time. I see an event viewer
warning like this and the time is not synchronized unless I reset it using
the 'update now' button.


Event Type: Warning
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 36
Date: 12/3/2008
Time: 8:27:41 PM
User: N/A
Computer: NONE-E3YWIA8A8J
Description:
The time service has not been able to synchronize the system time for 49152
seconds because none of the time providers has been able to provide a usable
time stamp. The system clock is unsynchronized.


Sandy

 

[Mike Torello]

Not that I can tell Mike.
The time is not synchronized at the appointed time. I see an event viewer
warning like this and the time is not synchronized unless I reset it using
the 'update now' button.

That is a common error and it will appear every now and then.

Don't let it bother you.

 

[Daave]

Does WindowsXPPro have a facility to backup my system settings?

I have WindowsXPPro
and IE7

I am having to reset the time settings in the system tray daily so I
think
I'll have to replace the coin cell battery in my PC...
According to what I read I need to restore the correct settings in
system
setup after I replace the battery.

Can anyone tell me how to back up the settings in system setup so I
can
restore them? I'm pretty much of a technical dummy so as much detail
as
possible will be appreciated.

Sandy, please see this page:

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000239.htm

It appears you are confusing Windows settings with your computer's
actual settings.

It sounds like your CMOS battery on your motherboard does need changing.
But before you do that, you need to enter the BIOS and write down all
the settings. It's possible they are still all at the default value, but
in the event any were changed along the way, you need to know what they
are! The reason: removing the battery turns off your CMOS and your
settings will revert to the default ones.

Accessing the BIOS depends on what PC you have. It involves pressing a
key right after you turn on your PC (actually, right after you see the
first splash screen. If a Windows splash screen comes up, it's too late
and you need to try again.). See this page for which key you need to
press for your PC:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

FWIW, Windows Systen Restore sets regular system restore points (usually
every 24 hours as a rule, or whenever you install programs or updates).
It's very useful, and people do use it to return their Windows system to
earlier settings (best results would be for *recent* changes).
Unfortunately, some third-party programs (Norton programs, for instance)
interfere with Windows System Restore. If you want to see how far back
your restore points go, do the following:

Start | All Programs| Accessories | System Tools | System Restore

(there are other ways to access System Restore, too)

By default, "Restore my computer to an earlier time" is selected. If you
click on Next, you will see a calendar with a choice of dates. Don't
actually go through with the System Restore! I'm just letting you know
this option should be available. You can also manually create a restore
point if you wish. For more info:

http://bertk.mvps.org/

http://bertk.mvps.org/html/srfail.html

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/getstarted/ballew_03may19.mspx

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial56.html

I know, more info than you asked about! It still wouldn't be a bad idea
to bookmark one or two of these pages for future reference. It might
wind up saving you lots of aggravation.

 

[Sandy J]

Sandy, please see this page:

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000239.htm

It appears you are confusing Windows settings with your computer's actual
settings.

It sounds like your CMOS battery on your motherboard does need changing.
But before you do that, you need to enter the BIOS and write down all the
settings. It's possible they are still all at the default value, but in
the event any were changed along the way, you need to know what they are!
The reason: removing the battery turns off your CMOS and your settings
will revert to the default ones.

Accessing the BIOS depends on what PC you have. It involves pressing a key
right after you turn on your PC (actually, right after you see the first
splash screen. If a Windows splash screen comes up, it's too late and you
need to try again.). See this page for which key you need to press for
your PC:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

FWIW, Windows Systen Restore sets regular system restore points (usually
every 24 hours as a rule, or whenever you install programs or updates).
It's very useful, and people do use it to return their Windows system to
earlier settings (best results would be for *recent* changes).
Unfortunately, some third-party programs (Norton programs, for instance)
interfere with Windows System Restore. If you want to see how far back
your restore points go, do the following:

Start | All Programs| Accessories | System Tools | System Restore

(there are other ways to access System Restore, too)

By default, "Restore my computer to an earlier time" is selected. If you
click on Next, you will see a calendar with a choice of dates. Don't
actually go through with the System Restore! I'm just letting you know
this option should be available. You can also manually create a restore
point if you wish. For more info:

http://bertk.mvps.org/

http://bertk.mvps.org/html/srfail.html

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/getstarted/ballew_03may19.mspx

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial56.html

I know, more info than you asked about! It still wouldn't be a bad idea to
bookmark one or two of these pages for future reference. It might wind up
saving you lots of aggravation.

Thanks for all of the info Daave, I will check out those links. Too much
information is so much better than too little!

Sandy

 

[Twayne]

That is a common error and it will appear every now and then.

Don't let it bother you.

Even though he said originally, and it's been snipped away:
"
I am having to reset the time settings in the system tray daily so I
think
"
??. It's time to change the battery.

 

[Twayne]

Does WindowsXPPro have a facility to backup my system settings?

I have WindowsXPPro
and IE7

I am having to reset the time settings in the system tray daily so I
think
I'll have to replace the coin cell battery in my PC...
According to what I read I need to restore the correct settings in
system
setup after I replace the battery.

Can anyone tell me how to back up the settings in system setup so I
can
restore them? I'm pretty much of a technical dummy so as much detail
as
possible will be appreciated.

Sandy

No, XP does not. It's best to simply get out a pencil and paper and
write them down for future reference. It does sound like the battery is
giving up, for what it's worth.
If you have a digital camera and can get good, readable shots of the
screen, that's a way to do it, too.

Also, check in the BIOS settings: You may have an option to Save your
current BIOS setup to a file. If you do, use that and then you can
import it after the battery change.

Unless you have made manual changes to the BIOS settings, it's most
likely to be simply the default settings. If that's the case it will
either set those defaults after the change, or there might be a window
in the BIOS ssettings where you can tell it to load default settings.
Either way you should be OK.

There are also 3rd party programs that can read and create a printable
file of your CMOS settings but I don't use one and thus have none to
recommend. Your favorite search engine should turn something up though.

HTH,

Twayne

 

[Sandy J]

No, XP does not. It's best to simply get out a pencil and paper and write
them down for future reference. It does sound like the battery is giving
up, for what it's worth.
If you have a digital camera and can get good, readable shots of the
screen, that's a way to do it, too.

Also, check in the BIOS settings: You may have an option to Save your
current BIOS setup to a file. If you do, use that and then you can import
it after the battery change.

Unless you have made manual changes to the BIOS settings, it's most likely
to be simply the default settings. If that's the case it will either set
those defaults after the change, or there might be a window in the BIOS
ssettings where you can tell it to load default settings. Either way you
should be OK.

There are also 3rd party programs that can read and create a printable
file of your CMOS settings but I don't use one and thus have none to
recommend. Your favorite search engine should turn something up though.

HTH,

Twayne

Thanks for the info Twayne.

Sandy