Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a 2004 Dell PC (3.2 GHz, 1 GB RAM) that is giving me a message I have never seen before when I boot up:
"Alert! System battery voltage is low."
I Googled the above message to see if this is a common problem. From what I can gather, I need to replace the battery. Would there even be a retailer who still sells the proper battery for my system with it being so old?
Besides the battery itself, have you updated the system BIOS itself? Check the Dell Support page for your model to see if a newer BIOS version has been released.
Raena77: Ooops! I forgot to mention that it is a desktop model.
Narfcake: I will look into the battery model that you mentioned and look into Dell's support page with regard to the BIOS.
Many thanks! I just don't want the system to lock up on me unexpectedly as this is my work computer (privately owned computer, not a company computer).
Raena77: Ooops! I forgot to mention that it is a desktop model.
Narfcake: I will look into the battery model that you mentioned and look into Dell's support page with regard to the BIOS.
Many thanks! I just don't want the system to lock up on me unexpectedly as this is my work computer (privately owned computer, not a company computer).
Pretty good ... at gouging the customer. Or stealing their data (Google it.)
Replacing a CMOS battery is not rocket science, and Dell's documentation on servicing is readily available. So why suggest someone pay $50+ for a $3 (or less) battery that they could readily do themselves?
It's a little watch battery on your motherboard that is dying. It supplies power to the real-time clock and NVRAM while the power is turned off. I've had old Dell PCs tell me that too. Narfcake gave you the right answer.
It's a little watch battery on your motherboard that is dying. It supplies power to the real-time clock and NVRAM while the power is turned off. I've had old Dell PCs tell me that too. Narfcake gave you the right answer.
Very correct, but do you think the OP knows what NVRAM is?
NVRAM = non-volatile random access memory
The battery allows the computer to retain a variety of hardware oriented settings even when the computer is not plugged in.
If the battery is dead - I suggest replacing it when the computer is still plugged in (but turned off). If you unplug the computer and the battery is dead, it may revert to complete defaults - which may require you to go into the SETUP program and update at minimum the time and date.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
