Hi,

My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy disk
controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once every
few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.

Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have replaced.
Now it happens on every boot.

Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?

Thanks & regards

Sonny wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy disk
> controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once every
> few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>
> Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have replaced.
> Now it happens on every boot.
>
> Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>
> Thanks & regards
>
>


It would appear that, when you changed the boot order, you somehow
managed to add the option to boot from Floppy Disk to the mix, and the
system is naturally protesting that it can't find it. (There's a Floppy
controller on the motherboard, even if you don't have a floppy drive
installed.) you should be able to simply re-adjust your boot order
choices to remove the Floppy dick from contention.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

On 11/27/2009 2:16 PM On a whim, Sonny pounded out on the keyboard

> Hi,
>
> My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy disk
> controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once every
> few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>
> Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have replaced.
> Now it happens on every boot.
>
> Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>
> Thanks& regards
>
>

Hi Sonny,

Did you try resetting the BIOS to its defaults?


Terry R.
--
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

Terry & Bruce,

Yes, I hit delete to enter the BIOS and reset the boot order, disabled the
floppy. F10 to save and exit. It'll boot just fine.

But if I turn off the power, turn it on again and reboot, it goes into F1
again and the date reverts to November 2007.



"Terry R." <F1Com@NOSPAMpobox.com> wrote in message
news:uJ2qLV7bKHA.2164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> On 11/27/2009 2:16 PM On a whim, Sonny pounded out on the keyboard
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy
>> disk
>> controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once every
>> few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>>
>> Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have
>> replaced.
>> Now it happens on every boot.
>>
>> Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>>
>> Thanks& regards
>>
>>
>
> Hi Sonny,
>
> Did you try resetting the BIOS to its defaults?
>
>
> Terry R.
> --
> Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
> Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

When you replaced the BIOS battery could you have inserted the
battery with the wrong polarity side up ?

Most batteries of that type only have the positive pole clearly marked.

"Sonny" <sonny@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:OjQ73g7bKHA.2188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Terry & Bruce,
>
> Yes, I hit delete to enter the BIOS and reset the boot order, disabled the
> floppy. F10 to save and exit. It'll boot just fine.
>
> But if I turn off the power, turn it on again and reboot, it goes into F1
> again and the date reverts to November 2007.
>
>
>
> "Terry R." <F1Com@NOSPAMpobox.com> wrote in message
> news:uJ2qLV7bKHA.2164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> On 11/27/2009 2:16 PM On a whim, Sonny pounded out on the keyboard
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy
>>> disk
>>> controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once
>>> every
>>> few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>>>
>>> Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have
>>> replaced.
>>> Now it happens on every boot.
>>>
>>> Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>>>
>>> Thanks& regards
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Hi Sonny,
>>
>> Did you try resetting the BIOS to its defaults?
>>
>>
>> Terry R.
>> --
>> Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
>> Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.
>
>

Sounds like you bought a bad battery or maybe put it in upside down.

SC Tom

"Sonny" <sonny@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:OjQ73g7bKHA.2188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Terry & Bruce,
>
> Yes, I hit delete to enter the BIOS and reset the boot order, disabled the
> floppy. F10 to save and exit. It'll boot just fine.
>
> But if I turn off the power, turn it on again and reboot, it goes into F1
> again and the date reverts to November 2007.
>
>
>
> "Terry R." <F1Com@NOSPAMpobox.com> wrote in message
> news:uJ2qLV7bKHA.2164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> On 11/27/2009 2:16 PM On a whim, Sonny pounded out on the keyboard
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy
>>> disk
>>> controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once
>>> every
>>> few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>>>
>>> Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have
>>> replaced.
>>> Now it happens on every boot.
>>>
>>> Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>>>
>>> Thanks& regards
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Hi Sonny,
>>
>> Did you try resetting the BIOS to its defaults?
>>
>>
>> Terry R.
>> --
>> Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
>> Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.
>
>

Your system is suffering from what is commonly called "Learned
Paralysis" . This is very much like a war veteran who suffers from pain
in the arm even though that arm has been amputated!.

The solution is to reprogram your HD i.e. reformat/re-install the OS in
the same way as Professor Vilayanur Ramachandran re-programs the brains
of war veterans. Watch this video to get the idea:

<http://matthewjamestaylor.com/blog/the-synesthesia-condition-explained>

hth




Sonny wrote:

>Hi,
>
>My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy disk
>controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once every
>few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>
>Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have replaced.
>Now it happens on every boot.
>
>Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>
>Thanks & regards
>
>
>
>

wrong side up? Hmmm

I put the flat side facing outwards. The button is down, should be correct.


"SC Tom" <sc@tom.net> wrote in message
news:u4kyum7bKHA.4884@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Sounds like you bought a bad battery or maybe put it in upside down.
>
> SC Tom
>
> "Sonny" <sonny@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:OjQ73g7bKHA.2188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Terry & Bruce,
>>
>> Yes, I hit delete to enter the BIOS and reset the boot order, disabled
>> the floppy. F10 to save and exit. It'll boot just fine.
>>
>> But if I turn off the power, turn it on again and reboot, it goes into F1
>> again and the date reverts to November 2007.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Terry R." <F1Com@NOSPAMpobox.com> wrote in message
>> news:uJ2qLV7bKHA.2164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> On 11/27/2009 2:16 PM On a whim, Sonny pounded out on the keyboard
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> My computer keep asking me to press F1 because it can't find the floppy
>>>> disk
>>>> controller when I don't even have a floppy drive. This happens once
>>>> every
>>>> few days even when i changed the boot sequence and readjusted the time.
>>>>
>>>> Checks with help groups suggest a faulty CMOS battery which i have
>>>> replaced.
>>>> Now it happens on every boot.
>>>>
>>>> Anyone knows what else could be causing the problem?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks& regards
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Sonny,
>>>
>>> Did you try resetting the BIOS to its defaults?
>>>
>>>
>>> Terry R.
>>> --
>>> Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
>>> Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.
>>
>>

Sonny wrote:
> wrong side up? Hmmm
>
> I put the flat side facing outwards. The button is down, should be correct.
>

If you have a multimeter, you can check the voltage of the battery
by touching the top of the battery with the red lead, and touching
the black lead to a shiny screw on one of the I/O connectors on the
back of the computer. (Or take it to Radio Shack and have them
measure it.)

The battery should read about 3.0V or a bit more. Best case, it
would last ten years (shelf life), or three years if the computer
is unplugged and the computer can't get any +5VSB to draw on instead.
The battery is under use, when the computer is completely switched
off or unplugged. If it reads 2.4V or lower, it is worn out.

If you leave the "Clear CMOS" jumper in the clear position, it could
be drawing 3 milliamps from the battery on a continuous basis. And
there have also been cases of some unexplained motherboard leakage,
where the thing drained faster than it is supposed to. Normally,
the battery might have a 1K ohm resistor in series with it, and
that helps limit the maximum current flow. It is possible to do
that, because the VBAT rail only normally draws a few microamps
of current, to run the "32768Hz digital watch circuit". That is
why the battery can last for 3 years with the computer unplugged.
The battery is really lightly loaded, when it is called on
for juice, and if the power supply is still operating, the
battery doesn't have to provide any current at all. A reverse
biased diode prevents current flow.

Paul

Paul,

Thanks for your help. But it sounds so complicated, I think I'll buy another
new one. But I do think its unlikely that i bought a faulty battery.

At the moment, everyone seem to agree that the booting up is caused by the
battery. I just thought that there might be something else contributing to
the boot fault.

thanks again.

"Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message news:hepuu6$g00$1@aioe.org...
> Sonny wrote:
>> wrong side up? Hmmm
>>
>> I put the flat side facing outwards. The button is down, should be
>> correct.
>>
>
> If you have a multimeter, you can check the voltage of the battery
> by touching the top of the battery with the red lead, and touching
> the black lead to a shiny screw on one of the I/O connectors on the
> back of the computer. (Or take it to Radio Shack and have them
> measure it.)
>
> The battery should read about 3.0V or a bit more. Best case, it
> would last ten years (shelf life), or three years if the computer
> is unplugged and the computer can't get any +5VSB to draw on instead.
> The battery is under use, when the computer is completely switched
> off or unplugged. If it reads 2.4V or lower, it is worn out.
>
> If you leave the "Clear CMOS" jumper in the clear position, it could
> be drawing 3 milliamps from the battery on a continuous basis. And
> there have also been cases of some unexplained motherboard leakage,
> where the thing drained faster than it is supposed to. Normally,
> the battery might have a 1K ohm resistor in series with it, and
> that helps limit the maximum current flow. It is possible to do
> that, because the VBAT rail only normally draws a few microamps
> of current, to run the "32768Hz digital watch circuit". That is
> why the battery can last for 3 years with the computer unplugged.
> The battery is really lightly loaded, when it is called on
> for juice, and if the power supply is still operating, the
> battery doesn't have to provide any current at all. A reverse
> biased diode prevents current flow.
>
> Paul

Sonny wrote:

> Thanks for your help. But it sounds so complicated, I think I'll buy another
> new one. But I do think its unlikely that i bought a faulty battery.

When removing the wafer battery from the packaging, do NOT touch with your
bare hands unless you just thoroughly washed them (and with clean soap, not
the stuff with aloe or lotions). Body oil is corrosive to the steel
contacts.

Sometimes the case in which the wafer battery slides into is pretty snug so
you have to ensure that you pressed the battery all the way down. You might
also want to give it a twists back an forth a few times to ensure the
contacts get cleaned.

After replacing the CMOS/clock wafer battery, did you short the 2-pin mobo
header that resets (clears) the CMOS table copy of the default BIOS
settings? For a dead battery, power down, replace the battery, and clear
the CMOS. Leave the jumper on the 2-pin header for about 10-20 seconds,
remove the jumper, and power up. Resetting the CMOS is mandatory after
replacing a dead battery.

VanguardLH wrote:
> Sonny wrote:
>
>> Thanks for your help. But it sounds so complicated, I think I'll buy another
>> new one. But I do think its unlikely that i bought a faulty battery.
>
> When removing the wafer battery from the packaging, do NOT touch with your
> bare hands unless you just thoroughly washed them (and with clean soap, not
> the stuff with aloe or lotions). Body oil is corrosive to the steel
> contacts.
>
> Sometimes the case in which the wafer battery slides into is pretty snug so
> you have to ensure that you pressed the battery all the way down. You might
> also want to give it a twists back an forth a few times to ensure the
> contacts get cleaned.
>
> After replacing the CMOS/clock wafer battery, did you short the 2-pin mobo
> header that resets (clears) the CMOS table copy of the default BIOS
> settings? For a dead battery, power down, replace the battery, and clear
> the CMOS. Leave the jumper on the 2-pin header for about 10-20 seconds,
> remove the jumper, and power up. Resetting the CMOS is mandatory after
> replacing a dead battery.

If a person is going to play with the Clear CMOS jumper, they should
disconnect the power cord from the computer. This is to prevent
damage to the motherboard. Many motherboard manuals include
advice to that effect. Not all motherboards would actually
suffer damage if the Clear CMOS jumper is used, but because
so many of them were designed with the "feature" of getting
damaged when the Clear CMOS jumper is used, it is just a good
habit to unplug when doing it.

There are some cases where the computer manual does not
have a correct procedure documented for "Clear CMOS" and
you have to download an "insert page" for the manual, which
contains a correction. So even when you're doing the
right thing, and consulting the manual, sometimes the
instructions are not correct. One memorable manual managed
to get the jumper location confused, mixing up the "clear"
and the "don't clear" jumper positions. Naturally, that
causes all sorts of grief for people who forget where
the jumper was originally.

Paul

Paul wrote:

>> After replacing the CMOS/clock wafer battery, did you short the 2-pin
>> mobo header that resets (clears) the CMOS table copy of the default BIOS
>> settings? For a dead battery, power down, replace the battery, and
>> clear the CMOS. Leave the jumper on the 2-pin header for about 10-20
>> seconds, remove the jumper, and power up. Resetting the CMOS is
>> mandatory after replacing a dead battery.
>
> If a person is going to play with the Clear CMOS jumper, they should
> disconnect the power cord from the computer. This is to prevent damage to
> the motherboard.

Pulling the power cord is not required (to remove the 5-volt standby line
from an ATX-style PSU used for the power-on and wake-on-<event> logic on the
motherboard). You are not shorting a voltage line. You are dropping a
signal pin to ground or dropping the voltage across the logic to let the
memory drain; however, there is limiting resistor to prevent shorting the
power or battery to ground.

Although I don't have a circuit diagram for reference, why would the battery
exist if there were power across CMOS when the host was powered off (but
still connected with the cord)? The battery is still needed when you
soft-power off the host which means the standby power from the PSU for the
power-on logic is not available to the CMOS/RTC circuit.

Thanks to all. The issue has been resolved.

Read somewhere that batteries left on the store shelf for too long seem like
faulty batteries. So leave the computer on at least 12 hours and it'll be
just like new.

And it works great.

Thanks again.
Sonny.

"Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message news:heqnhl$4ps$1@aioe.org...
> VanguardLH wrote:
>> Sonny wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for your help. But it sounds so complicated, I think I'll buy
>>> another new one. But I do think its unlikely that i bought a faulty
>>> battery.
>>
>> When removing the wafer battery from the packaging, do NOT touch with
>> your
>> bare hands unless you just thoroughly washed them (and with clean soap,
>> not
>> the stuff with aloe or lotions). Body oil is corrosive to the steel
>> contacts.
>>
>> Sometimes the case in which the wafer battery slides into is pretty snug
>> so
>> you have to ensure that you pressed the battery all the way down. You
>> might
>> also want to give it a twists back an forth a few times to ensure the
>> contacts get cleaned.
>>
>> After replacing the CMOS/clock wafer battery, did you short the 2-pin
>> mobo
>> header that resets (clears) the CMOS table copy of the default BIOS
>> settings? For a dead battery, power down, replace the battery, and clear
>> the CMOS. Leave the jumper on the 2-pin header for about 10-20 seconds,
>> remove the jumper, and power up. Resetting the CMOS is mandatory after
>> replacing a dead battery.
>
> If a person is going to play with the Clear CMOS jumper, they should
> disconnect the power cord from the computer. This is to prevent
> damage to the motherboard. Many motherboard manuals include
> advice to that effect. Not all motherboards would actually
> suffer damage if the Clear CMOS jumper is used, but because
> so many of them were designed with the "feature" of getting
> damaged when the Clear CMOS jumper is used, it is just a good
> habit to unplug when doing it.
>
> There are some cases where the computer manual does not
> have a correct procedure documented for "Clear CMOS" and
> you have to download an "insert page" for the manual, which
> contains a correction. So even when you're doing the
> right thing, and consulting the manual, sometimes the
> instructions are not correct. One memorable manual managed
> to get the jumper location confused, mixing up the "clear"
> and the "don't clear" jumper positions. Naturally, that
> causes all sorts of grief for people who forget where
> the jumper was originally.
>
> Paul

Sonny wrote:

> Thanks to all. The issue has been resolved.
>
> Read somewhere that batteries left on the store shelf for too long seem like
> faulty batteries. So leave the computer on at least 12 hours and it'll be
> just like new.
>
> And it works great.

Shelf life is around 5 years from date of manufacture. If no expiration
date is shown on the package, figure the batteries are already 3 years old.
If a "new" battery just inserted still causes problems then it could be a
weak battery. It may measure as good voltage when tested with a DVM but
drop its voltage under load (i.e., when inserted in the circuit).
Personally I wouldn't trust a battery that was supposedly new and didn't
work immediately in the circuit.

Was this a CR-2032 wafer (coin cell) battery? They don't need a breaking in
time to get somehow "better". That is a 3V lithium battery.

There is typically a capacitor with an in-series resistor are in parallel
with the battery. This is what holds the voltage on the CMOS memory when
you are swapping out the battery to replace it. How old is this
motherboard?