CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded

[nig]

Hello all!
I regularly have the folllowing line appear when my bios starts up -
CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded.
It seemed to start happening when i downloaded spybot search&destroy. I have since removed the program but still have the problem. I have changed the cmos battery on the mobo as recommended in other threads, but it still regularly (every few start ups) happens.
Any advice to solve the problem?

The board is only six months old. CPU and RAM test fine. I have two hard drives, non raid, sata connection.

 

[netbus]

when i started reading ya post.. i thought at the cmos battery too. the message from cmos happens because the cmos has been reseted. this ussualy is done or by removing the battery temporarily... or by a jumper on the board.
you replaced the battery so this isn`t a problem anymore.
maybe the battery isn't fit correctly. or the jumper is not correctly set.. and periodically the contacts are touched. you should check both .
it this fails.. is a motherboard problem... the cmos information is lost due to power lost from the battery that powers it.

 

[nig]

Thanks for that
I will look at the jumper and let you know.....

 

[nig]

Ok checked CLR_CMOS (Clear CMOS) header and it looks fine - nothing touching the two wires, its open. Its a GA-K8NXP-Sli board and there is no jumper as standard. I checked the battery and changed it again. The problem persists - the CMOS checksum error came up again and the defalts were loaded.

 

[iss]

it is possible there is some sort of corruption in the bios. have you checked for bios upgrades for your board?

 

[nig]

Ok....Have used the gigabyte @bios utility to update the bios. Will let you know how it goes.....

 

[gemmi_2481]

cmos battery... take it out and touch it on ur toung and if there aint no tingle its rooted.... i get plenty of DOA batteries... unless of course flashing your bios fixes it

cane

 

[mailpup]

A digital VOM (digital volt-ohmmeter) is a handy tool to use to test your battery. Of course, if you don't have one, then....never mind.

 

[nig]

Updated the BIOS using gigabyte's @bios tool and it hasn't made any difference- the cmos keeps resetting. Though the updated bios is better. Checked the battery again - its fine. I Have had the chassis on a carpeted floor so put a piece of wood underneath to prevent any possible static issues with the bios. Still no difference. Whats interesting is that if I restart the computer or turn it back on when its been switched off for a couple of hours its fine - boots up no probs. Its when it gets left off for a day or so that the resetting of the cmos occurs. Any one any ideas - or should I just send the motherboard back to SCAN (if I still can...).

 

[nig]

Have taken the motherboard out and checked if anything loose/touching where it shouldn't be. Everything fine - including the screws for mounting the board onto the posts, they touch where they should on the metal rings only. I can't see any obvious drain on the cmos battery which is what i guess must be happening. Have changed the battery again and will see how it goes, just in case the previous ones were doa.

 

[evilvampire]

having same issue

I recently gave my son my computer, installed 2 hard drives a cdrom and a vga card and sound card.... got the cmos checksum error message defaults loaded.
It gave me the option to hit DEL to enter setup or F1 to continue... It wouldnt let me do either option. I even tried a different keyboard.

I unhooked all hard drives, cdrom and sound card and vga card hooking my monitor up to teh onboard video in hopes that would help. I gott he same message. And still couldnt get into setup or continue. I bought a new battery today cause every where i looked hinted to that. It didnt solve the problem. Any help?!?!??!?

 

[nig]

I'd try to reset the cmos by either shorting the header clr_cmos or taking the battery out for half an hour and putting it back in. If you still can't access the cmos/bios settings by pressing delete and you have replaced with a new battery as described, then I would try and send the board back. It sounds as if it might be a old board though, so maybe try and ask the question under the motherboard specific forum and start a new thread.

 

[evilvampire]

hmmmm

well actually the board is fairly new but it has been sitting for about 3 months.


I bought a KM2M Combo series Via KM266 Chipset

MS-6738 mainboard

 

[boomdawgg_coop]

CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded (read all posts and nothing works)

Had a motherboard/processor combo for about 3 years and realized it was going out, I've had serious problems with it. So I went ahead and bought a new one. It's a Athlon 64 - ECS 755-A2 & Sempron 2500 CPU. Hooked my backup hd up first because my master hd has more valuable information on it that I am trying to save. Both HD's have winXP installed. First time I hooked up the drive and booted it, came the CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded. So ok, no idea what was going on, so I went into BIOS and changed it. Rebooted and it continued on then would reboot itself automatically without showing the Windows loading logo. I tried the other HD, same error, went into bios and changed it. Same error came up. I changed the batteries, it's still a no go. I tried letting it load with no drive connected, the error comes up, I go into bios to change it and when it goes to load, the Disk failure error comes up but the CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded error doesn't come up when I configure BIOS.

How do I fix this? Is it because information between the 2 HD's are conflicting with the old motherboard settings and the new one, or am I missing something? Please help, last resort. I refuse to go to an IT store.

 

[Sharkfood]

If you've replaced the battery more than once, it has a good connection in it's seat, a BIOS flash hasn't helped.. there are only a couple remaining things that could be happening:
1) Bad CMOS memory chip. This does happen. It's a small, couple K battery backed chip. The chip itself, mainboard tracings or circuitry leading to it could go bad or be defective.
2) Mainboard is shorting on the case somewhere. The tracings on the mainboard can definately short/ground or have periodic shorts causing the cmos memory to become corrupt.
3) Something electromagnetic is effecting the CMOS memory. A poorly shielded fan or other magnetic source is wiping out the CMOS memory periodically. You don't have like a refridgerator magnet on the side of the case do you?
4) Temperature. If for some reason your mainboard has a hot-spot, excessive temperatures for the CMOS chip can cause it's contents to scramble.
5) Unstable power. If one of your voltage rails from the PSU is bad, it can wipe CMOS memory contents. Get a hardware monitor and let it run to watch voltage ranges.
6) BIOS virus. Some virii attack the BIOS/CMOS memory space. Run a full scan and if you cannot afford a good virus program, try AVG. Even if your system comes up clean, look for patterns in usage (like a particular CD you use when it happens, etc.etc.)

I'd say it's most likely just a bad chip/mainboard. I've seen this periodically.

 

[evilvampire]

cmos error

so if its the bios chip is that replaceable? or do you have to get a new MB?

 

[Jeremy_HHA_NZ]

CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded - GIGABYTE

I have just built 9 systems for a client using Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4(rev. 1.0)
motherboards. 2 of the systems have started doing this as soon as they were delivered to the client. And co-incidentally the 2 that are doing it are sitting side by side on the same table. Like mentioned previously, rebooting after displaying the message works fine, no messages etc, but rebooting the following morning displays the same error message. I have looked at everything and cannot find a problem. I have 7 other working systems to reference off and everything is identical, hardware, software, drivers, bios, system monitoring result etc. I have logged a job with gigabyte but as yet they haven't looked at it. Will let you know any updates I get.

Might start looking into enviromental differences in the room, that might be effecting these 2 machines.

Jeremy

 

[Jeremy_HHA_NZ]

CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded - GIGABYTE

I have just built 9 systems for a client using Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4(rev. 1.0)
motherboards. 2 of the systems have started doing this as soon as they were delivered to the client. And co-incidentally the 2 that are doing it are sitting side by side on the same table. Like mentioned previously, rebooting after displaying the message works fine, no messages etc, but rebooting the following morning displays the same error message. I have looked at everything and cannot find a problem. I have 7 other working systems to reference off and everything is identical, hardware, software, drivers, bios, system monitoring result etc. I have logged a job with gigabyte but as yet they haven't looked at it. Will let you know any updates I get.

Might start looking into enviromental differences in the room, that might be effecting these 2 machines.

Jeremy

 

[nig]

Gigabyte probs

Thanks for letting me know - yeah, i'd be interseted to know what you come up with. As for environemental factors - the problem is much more common in winter months...

 

[Jeremy_HHA_NZ]

Reply from gigabyte

Pretty much just the standard reply from gigabyte (do 4 hours of labour before bothering us anymore about the problem, be more cost effective for me just to buy a new MB).

Any way enough of my complaining have a read of the following.

>>

Dear Sir,

Thank you for supporting GIGABYTE products and contacting GBT Tech Support. As to the problem you mentioned, we suggest you follow the steps below to do some basic examination.

1) If possible, please try testing with other memory modules.

2) If your M/B is inside a case, please make sure that there’s not a short circuit. You can try building the whole system outside the case. Or remove every device except the essential ones such as CPU, RAM, VGA, FDD, HDD, CD-ROM and power supply. Then reboot the system and see if the condition gets better.

3) Please try to update your BIOS to the latest version, and load optimized setting after updating BIOS. (If you are already using the latest version, then make sure you Load Optimized.) Or, try clearing CMOS with taking off the on-board battery to leak voltage for more than one minute. Please be noted that the power supply should also be removed before the clearing CMOS is performed.

4) Please try downgrading the memory speed in BIOS setting first, and check if the BIOS can locate the HDD successfully. If it can locate the HDD, please save the setting first.

5) Please try formatting your HDD and re-installing OS and all drivers of your system, and then make sure that there’s no exclamation or question marks in the device manager of your OS.

However, if unfortunately, the problem remains, a further testing or examination to your system might be required. We suggest you to contact your supplier or nearest dealer and see if they help you to test your system directly. We are really sorry for the inconvenience you have with our product.

If you still have any further question or suggestion about our products/service, please do not hesitate to contact with us directly. We will try our best to help you resolve the problem ASAP.

Best Regards,
GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY

 

[Condor]

cmos battery... take it out and touch it on ur toung and if there aint no tingle its rooted.... i get plenty of DOA batteries... unless of course flashing your bios fixes it

cane

interesting way to test it lolx =P

 

[holtbone]

Make sure you have a keyboard that's hardwired (not wireless) and hold down del and F1 to get to bios setup. exit and SAVE (y).
After it boots you can reboot with your wireless.

When you get the "CMOS checksum error" it cannot see the wireless keyboard, and you can't then get to the bios set-up. always have your old hardwire version handy in the closet.