XPS 8960 Service Manual
Real Time Clock (RTC) reset
The Real Time Clock (RTC) reset function allows you or the service technician to recover the recently launched model Dell computers from No POST/No Boot/No Power situations. You can initiate the RTC reset on the computer from a power-off state only if it is connected to AC power. Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. The computer RTC reset occurs after you release the power button.
NOTE:The RTC reset is aborted if the power button is held for less than 25 seconds or more than 40 seconds.
The RTC reset restores the BIOS to defaults and resets the computer date and time. The computer restarts several times during the reset process. Depending on how the computer is configured, you may see LED indications during the period the power button is held and after it is released. Once the reset is complete, the computer restarts and the Dell logo appears indicating that the reset is successful.
CAUTION:Once the RTC reset is complete, the computer may remain in a no-boot status until the time, date, and other BIOS settings are correctly set to boot in Windows. Failing to boot immediately after a reset does not mean that the reset has failed. You must restore the previous BIOS settings, such as the SATA Operation mode (ex. RAID On AHCI) for the computer to reboot normally.
The following items are unaffected by the RTC reset:
- TPM (remains on and enabled if it was in that state before RTC reset)
- Service Tag
- Asset Tag
- Ownership Tag
- Admin Password
- System Password
- Hard drive Password
- Key Databases
- System Logs
The following items may or may not reset based on your custom BIOS setting selections:
- Boot List
- Secure Boot Enable
- Allow BIOS Downgrade
- Password clear
The Master System Password is used to clear the admin and computer password.
To clear the system or BIOS passwords, contact Dell technical support as described at Contact Support at Dell Support Site.
NOTE:For information about resetting Windows or application passwords, see the documentation accompanying Windows or your application.
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