Re: system configuration data updated ERROR

  • Thread starter Thread starter Andrew McLaren
  • Start date Start date
A

Andrew McLaren

EntiatD said:
system configuration data updated ERROR,--Need a solution I have a
fairly new Gateway M-1625 laptop running windows vista 32 bit, sp1.
I turned it on and beeped twice (beep, beep) and gave me an error
message that reads "system configuration data updated ERROR, system
configuration data read error"
Press f1 to continue f2 to enter set up.
Click to expand...

The error message is coming from the BIOS. The "System Configuration
Data" is information about the machine's hardware which is cached in
CMOS memory this includes info about the hard disks etc. If this SCD
gets damaged, then the machine cannot locate the hard disk, in order to
boot up Windows.

I'm not sure what BIOS is in those gateway laptops; on an Award BIOS, 2
short beeps means damaged config data; so that would be pretty consistent.

The most common cause of the CMOS failing is a dud battery - ie, not the
main laptop power battery, but the very small battery on the motherboard
which keeps the CMOS memory intact when the laptop is turned off. These
are quite easy to replace on big desktop machines (you can buy a
replacement battery at any electronics shop); but it might be a lot
harder/more fiddly to change one on a laptop. If you can get it to a
Gateway Support centre, I suspect that's your best bet.

Other folks may have extra ideas, hope this helps a bit.

Andrew
 
But it seem my bios time seems to be fine would this not be effected if
the battery is going?
Click to expand...

I dunno :-) If the RTC runs off the same battery as the CMOS, then yes,
I'd expect them to fail together. But without detailed specs for that
machine, who knows? (The RTC might draw power from elsewhere - eg, this
is found in some server machines)


Bad SCD could also be caused by CMOS corruption - maybe a few bits got
flipped by random interference. On a desktop board you can clear the
CMOS by shorting the CMOS jumpers. But accessing the CMOS jumpers (if
the exist) on a laptop would, again, be somewhat more difficult. Or
there may be an option to clear the CMOS in the BIOS menus.

In any case, it's pretty much a hardware issue. You can try to fix it
yourself, or take the machine to a hardware support vendor; but there's
nothing you can do using Windows to repair the problem. Your initial
troubleshooting was good, but as you saw, it was unable to resolve the
problem.

Good luck!
Andrew
 
Okay,
I am now in the hunt for the CMOS battery on this thing does anyone
know where it is located. It does not seem obvious to me as I am looking
at the motherboard.

Also I did find the driver for the Bios at the gateway site but they
have only instruction for flashing from windows.

This is frustraing damn thing is just a year old.
Click to expand...

Some companies have instructions on their websites for certain maintenance
items (I think I recall that HP told me how to change RAM on some computer
a few years ago).

Maybe somewhere on Dell's site you can track down how to find and replace
the CMOS battery.

Negative anecdotal evidence: this computer is a VAIO all-in-one, and I
couldn't find anything at Sony about how to change the hard drive (I was
just curious).

Good luck.
 
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