I'm new at this computer fixing but I'm trying...could someone please tell me where to get info on the bios battery? It's for a windows 98; everytime now I start her, I get several error messages on a black screen with the option to push f1 or f2. If I push f2, takes forever to boot. If I push f1, goes to bios blue screen and I push f5 for factory default settings and then I only get date and time error and she boots up faster. Now I was told that it is my bios battery...ok if so, how do I make sure, how do I change it and where do I find one? Loved that computer; so easy to use and fix and she was always there no matter what. Could someone please point me in the right direction? Thanx

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums.

The type of BIOS battery you have would depend on just how old the actual harware is. If Win98 was original with the machine then it is likely to have a coin cell battery, which looks like a silver coin hence the name :p
These are fairly easy to find simply by looking at the motherboard and should be reasonably easy to replace at a computer or electronics store.

Thank-you! How do I make absolutely sure it is battery? I'm no puter genius but I sure will give er a shot

If your getting the error frequently then a faulty battery is certainly a prime suspect. Replacing shouldnt cost much so can be worth it anyway on a system thats 3-5 years old.

If that doesnt fix the problem then you may need to start looking at what else on the system might have failed.

The number to look for in a replacement battery is CR2032. For about $2, you can rule out the battery as the culprit.

But, it does sound to me like that might just be the fix. Any department store, hardware store and even some grocery stores should have the battery. I always buy Duracell, they last longer.

Just bought one this morning at Radio Shack for $3.17, its a Sony brand
battery.

To know that you have found the battery, it is about the size of a nickel and a bit thicker. It is bright metal and is usually held in place with a small clip. If you have the manual for your computer/motherboard it will tell you where it is in a diagram of the board.

Thank-you all for your input! Will peel the side off the tower and take a peek. Once I've replaced the battery hopefully that will fix the problem...all I'll have to do after is reset the date and time once and for all.