I am losing time !

from WinCustomize Forums
I have an old E Machine 550, which I stripped to the bare necessities about 7 months ago. I use it for rendering of fractals. I noticed that I am losing time, right now it is about 2 hrs behind what it should be. I also find that when I go to save a file in the program Apophysis, when I check later it is not there. This last just started happening a day or so ago. Are the two items connected? Is it just going to die on me? It doesn't need to be defragged, that was done fairly recently, and like I said, I only use it for the one program...no internet, not alot on there...any ideas would be a great help. I know very little about the computer insides...not a techie
7,087 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
my first guess would be the CMOS battery.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
also...hmmm, old emachine? I read something a while ago about power supply issues with emachines...not getting enough power I mean. Just a thought.
Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thank you xtine, I din't know there was a battery in computers...how do I locate it and are they easy to change?
About the power supply, never had a problem with it till now at Moms. She has an older house so the wall socket is just the 2 pronged type, I bought an adapter and have it plugged in with that...is that a no no or?
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
you should always run your computr through at least one surge protector. i run mine through two so in case one gets zapped it's sure not to get through both.

the cmos battery is found on the motherboard and i wouldn't go about replacing it if you're not sure...it looks like a watch battery only a little bigger (the wafer looking ones)
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
They aren't that hard to replace. They usually slide under a little clip, similar to that on an old fountain pen. They are sbout the size of a quarter, and last about 3 to 4 years. The hardest part of replacing a battery is actually finding one that is proper.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Radio Shack has every kind of battery for CMOS that I know of.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
xtine, do you know if there is a way to upgrade a power supply problem like that? Smile!
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't really. I just read an article about it a while ago. I would think there would be, but I wouldn't know for sure without digging deeper. Luckily I haven't had to deal much with power supply issues cause electricity scares me.

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
A power supply can be an easy repair. Usually they are only held in the case by 3 or 4 screws, and clip onto the motherboard into a socket. The power supply socket only goes into the motherboard one way. They can be purchased at Staples, OfficeMax, CompUSA, or Ebay. There are only two basic power supplies AT, and ATX if you have a P2, 3 or 4 then you have an ATX, if it is an older Pentium 1 or mmx then usually is an AT. Now I could be wrong, as I am getting further away from building machines, and my memory is getting bad.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thank you sranshaft, Kona0197, clwoods, xtine and CygnusXII! I appreciate your help and will let you know how it went with the old emonster!
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks for the help everyone. I too have an eMachines, but iit is only a year old. No problems as of yet, but it's good to be educated just in case! Smile!
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well the emonster is fixed and running very well! It was the battery, and I did find it quite easy to replace, also was able to find the battery at Wally World!! Thank you all again for your help!!