How to replace the CMOS battery in an Acer Aspire laptop.

General info
All laptops have a CMOS battery. The main purpose for the CMOS battery is to store the system time, date and BIOS settings even if the computer is turned off or the main battery dies. Individual Acer Aspire laptop models differ somewhat, but the general steps are the same when replacing a dead CMOS battery.

Before you start
1) Read through the owner's manual for your particular Acer Aspire laptop to determine what kind of CMOS battery you need.
2) Purchase the battery through Acer or a local or online computer parts dealer.
3) Turn the laptop off and unplug it. Also unplug any external hard drives, cameras, or other external devices.
4) Turn the laptop over (bottom facing up), then touch something metal to remove static charge.

Removal of the CMOS battery
Remove the Phillips screws that secure the motherboard cover (refer to your owner's manual if necessary), then release the cover from the clips on the bottom of the plastic casing. Lay the cover aside then locate the CMOS battery cable on the right side of the motherboard. Unplug the cable then remove the battery.

The battery should look something like this


Plugging the new battery in
Plug the new CMOS battery cable into the motherboard. Slide the battery partially under the laptop casing (somewhere to hold it in place), then align the cover with the slots on the bottom of the laptop housing. Replace the screws then turn the laptop back over.

Finalizing
1) Turn the laptop on.
2)Enter your BIOS (usually by pressing the "Delete" key) before the operating system loads.
3) Follow the BIOS prompts or refer to your Acer Aspire owner's manual to reset your time, date and desired system settings.

Reason: Anytime the CMOS battery is unplugged for more than a few seconds your BIOS will be reset to the default manufacturer settings. If you make any changes to the BIOS that cause problems with your Acer Aspire, unplug the CMOS battery for 3 to 5 seconds to correct the problem.

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