220-802 · Question #739
A user states that their old Windows XP notebook loses time when they power it off. Which of the following items would address this problem?
The correct answer is B. Replace the CMOS battery. A laptop that loses its system time whenever it is powered off has a dead or failing CMOS battery, which is responsible for maintaining the real-time clock and BIOS settings without external power.
Question
A user states that their old Windows XP notebook loses time when they power it off. Which of the following items would address this problem?
Options
- ARemove any over clocking settings in the BIOS.
- BReplace the CMOS battery.
- CReplace the main battery with a larger power battery.
- DUpdate the BIOS to new revision.
How the community answered
(30 responses)- A7% (2)
- B90% (27)
- C3% (1)
Why each option
A laptop that loses its system time whenever it is powered off has a dead or failing CMOS battery, which is responsible for maintaining the real-time clock and BIOS settings without external power.
Overclocking settings affect CPU/memory performance and do not influence the real-time clock or system time retention when powered off.
The CMOS battery (typically a CR2032 coin cell) supplies continuous low-level power to the real-time clock chip and BIOS memory when the laptop is off. When this battery is depleted, the clock resets to a default time on every power-off because there is no power to maintain it. Replacing the CMOS battery restores the ability to keep accurate time across power cycles.
The main battery powers the entire laptop during operation but is not involved in maintaining BIOS settings or the real-time clock when the unit is fully shut down.
A BIOS update may improve hardware compatibility or fix bugs but does not compensate for a failed CMOS battery that can no longer supply power to the clock circuit.
Concept tested: CMOS battery and real-time clock maintenance
Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-fix-the-windows-clock-losing-time-or-being-wrong-4dcc065f-1e35-2e36-e21c-6b0f40b63fdf
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