Do Laptops Have CMOS Batteries?
If you are not familiar with CMOS then here is a brief history and explanation.
CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor and it is the name of the chip that holds the basic information of your computer.
Information like how many floppy drives you have memory size type of video card etc.
This information is stored in the CMOS so that the computer can remember this information even when it is turned off.
Some older computers will not boot if the CMOS information has been lost.
The battery on a motherboard keeps this memory active even when the computer is turned off.
If you were to remove this battery then your CMOS settings would be lost when you turn off your computer.
This can usually be solved by replacing the battery on the motherboard with another one of the same size and voltage output.
Where is the CMOS battery located on a laptop?
If you are wondering where this battery is then open up your computer case and look for a small round battery about the size of a nickel or quarter and about 1/4″ thick.
This should be located near one of the corners of your motherboard and should have wires going to it from another part of the board.
Can a laptop run without a CMOS battery?
You can use your laptop without a CMOS battery but you will have to set the time and date every time you reboot.
It is possible however to make a laptop that does not need the CMOS battery to keep track of time.
It is called the time-of-day clock which uses the internal clock to keep track of the current date and time even when the computer is turned off.
The time-of-day clock has a battery backup to prevent losing the date and time information when there is no power.
Why does my laptop not have a CMOS battery?
Your laptop likely does not have a CMOS battery because it is a newer model.
The CMOS battery is used to store the BIOS settings and clock when the computer is turned off.
Newer laptops do not need this battery because they save the BIOS settings and clock in memory.
Older laptops used the CMOS battery to keep the BIOS settings and clock when the computer was turned off.
If your laptop is older you may want to consider purchasing a CMOS battery to keep your BIOS settings and clock.
You can find CMOS batteries for purchase on various online retail websites.
