CMOS Pattern Test Fail

Thanks for that info but I think I'm a little afraid to replace the battery. Maybe I'll have to call Dell and have someone talk me through it, if that indeed is the problem.

Would the battery not working up to par cause the computer to freeze every now and then or is this just a video card problem and something I need to investigate in the video forum?

Sheryl

Sheryl,

 

Problems related to a bad battery usually arise up when the system is booting.  It sounds like your system is having other issues as well.  I would first try re-installing the video driver to see if that resolves the problem.  If it doesn't than I would cover all the bases and try posting your problem in the Video forum as well.

Sheryltoo,

 

About the only way to accurately test the battery is to use a battery tester.  If you don't have one available then a simple solution, given the cost, is to just replace it.  A new 3-Volt, CR2032, coin cell battery can be purchased for around $3 (US) and is available at any Radio Shack, computer stores and most discount stores like Wal-Mart.

You can click here < ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell> for your model's online service manual and the section pertaining to replacing the battery for your reference.

I'll try reinstalling the video driver but after I posted my last reply, I decided to restart my computer and re do that system scan only this time it didn't give me any errors.

Could that mean I don't have a problem with the battery?

My computer isn't quite a year old so it's still under warranty. If there is a problem with it, maybe I should contact Dell.

Sheryl

I just thought I'd tell you I reinstalled the old video driver at least that's what it looks like  since the version is different from what I had updated to and it seems as if my computer is running much better.

The internet had been running really slow so I figured it was my DSL service but now with these older drivers, it's running much faster.

I would imagine my computer might run slow if I had a problem with my video card.

Hopefully this fixed what ever was going on with the computer but I probably won't know for sure until the day is up.

I'll have to see if it freezes up at all.

A lot of times it would happen when I was trying to scroll in a web browser. I'd scroll down just so far and then it would freeze for a few seconds. It was quite annoying.

Thanks for your help.

Sheryl

Sheryl,

 

A bad battery in a fairly new system is rare, but it does happen.  Since your system is booting Ok now, I would tend to think the problem isn't battery related.  Instead you may have experienced a driver problem as Windows was booting up and loading the graphics driver.

 

Since the system is running better now, the re-installation of the graphics driver may have resolved your problem.  Time will tell if the problem was totally corrected.  In your web surfing, if you were viewing web pages that contained a lot of graphics, the driver problem may have prevented the graphics displayed on the page from loading quickly thus causing the freeze or lag. 

 

Glad to be of help !

That makes a lot of sense about why the compter was freezing. Things seem to work much better yesterday so I'm hoping I'm fixed.

Thanks again for your help and the information.

Sheryl