Almost all laptops are equipped with a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) chip. These chips typically house specific hardware settings and information about your system memory or the hard drive in use on your PC and even security settings – especially those for your BIOS (Basic Input Output System).
Why is my system battery voltage low?
Now, you must understand that CMOS chips are responsible for maintaining the internal system date and time. A small battery powers the CMOS package. CMOS batteries differ from the typical battery or cell you are used to seeing on the cover of computers.
When you see the ‘System battery voltage is low’ message, then your PC has probably detected your CMOS battery is outputting an insufficient amount of voltage. Due to the power shortage, your computer might end up losing data stored on its CMOS after your device gets powered off. In such scenarios, your system will prompt you to input the Date and Time information before Windows is allowed to start up.
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If your system is continuously losing its Date and Time settings, then there is a good chance that something is wrong with its CMOS chip or the CMOS battery in use. Perhaps, you have seen one of these messages or notifications:
- System battery voltage is low (especially is you use a device manufactured by Dell).
- CMOS Battery Failure
In this guide, we will walk you through some operations on resolving the ‘System battery voltage is low’ problem.
How do I fix the ‘System battery voltage is low problem’ error?
We ask that you proceed with the solutions in the order they appear below.
Reset and update your BIOS:
Assuming your CMOS battery is still in a decent state, then a reset of your BIOS should eliminate the faults or bugs causing the ‘System battery voltage is low’ message to come up. After all, your PC’s CMOS uses the settings or data that make up your BIOS.
In other words, if the issue is down to a system malfunction, then this operation should restore normality. Follow these instructions to reset your BIOS:
- First, you have to turn off your PC (if it is currently on). Press its power button.
Once your computer comes on, you have to press or tap (or press and hold down) a specific button to access your system settings. You have to perform this operation before your device begins to boot up Windows.
If you use a Dell laptop, for example, then the F2 key is likely to be the button in your case, and you must press it when the Dell logo appears.
If a different firm manufactured your device, you will do well to consult your computer’s manual for information on how to access your BIOS and reset its settings. You should be able to get help through the internet too.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to access your BIOS menu.
Most times, your computer will instruct you to use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through the displayed options while the Enter key must be used to select a specific option.
- Find the Reset to default or Factory reset option and select it (use it).
- Confirm and save the changes you applied, and then exit your BIOS; restart your PC.
- Once Windows boots up normally, you must verify that the ‘System battery is low’ message can no longer be triggered by the operations carried out on your computer. Try your best to recreate the issue and see how far you get.
If the problem in view persists even after you successfully reset your BIOS settings, then you must consider updating your BIOS software. Perhaps, your PC manufacturer has learned of the issue and moved to provide bug fixes or patches in a BIOS update for users to download and install.
Check your motherboard specifications or information page. You might find an option that allows you to update its BIOS manually. You should also be able to fetch the update from your PC manufacturer webpage or download center.
Regardless of the means you choose to use to locate the BIOS update, you must ensure that you fetch correct or appropriate version. BIOS is an essential component in computers. If you download and install the wrong BIOS upgrade, you might end up with more problems than you have currently.
After you install the BIOS update, restart Windows and see if things have gotten better as regards the low battery issue.
Correct the Date and Time values in your BIOS:
Here, we recommend that you check the Date and Time settings in use in your BIOS. Perhaps, the appearance of the ‘System battery voltage is low’ error message on your PC is a result of inconsistencies related to the use of the incorrect Date and Time values to configure your device.
In that case, after you input the correct Date and Time values, you should stop seeing the disturbing message. The Set the time automatically function might be faulty. Disable it, and then set your Date and Time settings manually.
Check your motherboard thoroughly:
If you purchased your PC just a few years ago, then there is a reasonable probability that the appearance of the ‘System battery voltage is low’ message has something to do with one or more of your motherboard components becoming damaged.
Most manufacturers design the CMOS chips on computers to run on the embedded batteries for many years, so relatively new devices are not supposed to go down with the problem in view.
You will do well to check all the pins and cables used to link the components in your motherboard with one another. Ensure that the right ports are in use. Verify that all the devices involved have been correctly configured.
To ascertain the actual state of things within your computer’s motherboard, you have to disassemble your laptop. If you lack the necessary experience to do this, you have to take it to a service center for repairs.
Check the regulators in use:
If something goes wrong with any of the regulators your motherboard employs, then leakages are likely. In such scenarios, a good number of essential components will struggle to function, which means your system might end up displaying false error messages or incorrect notifications to inform you of problems.
If you detect an issue with any regulator, you have to resolve it to stop seeing the ‘System battery voltage is low’ message. This fix is likely to prove effective if the error notification comes up when Windows is starting up or when your PC is being rebooted.
Replace your CMOS battery:
By providing you with fixes while working with the assumption that your CMOS battery is in a decent state, we have done our best to rule out the common causes of the problem in view.
Well, if you went through the solutions to get to this point (with the ‘System battery voltage is low’ issue still active), then there is not much else you can do but replace the battery. See the steps below:
- First, you have to disassemble your PC.
Before you begin removing its screws, we recommend that you unplug your computer’s power cable.
- Check for the CMOS battery on your device’s motherboard. Verify that this component is accessible.
Most modern devices use a small coin-like battery (or one usually in the form of a button). This battery is identical in shape to the one found in wrist watches.
- Take out the CMOS battery.
Note: Some manufacturers use a metal clip or bar to hold down the CMOS batteries in their devices in place. You might have to slide the battery out through the barrier carefully. You must avoid bending the clip.
If your computer uses a battery in the form of a coin-shell, then the battery removal operation in your case should be relatively easy. All you have to do is use your fingers to grab onto the edge of the battery and pull it up (and out of the socket housing it). If you find a clip holding the battery down instead, you have to use one hand to move the clip up (or apart), and then use your other hand to pull out the battery.
If you are struggling to find the CMOS battery, you will do well to consult your motherboard manual (if one exists) for its location. If you know your way through the internet, you might be able to find a video or tutorial on disassembling your device or a very similar model at least.
In some scenarios, depending on the way your PC was designed, you might find yourself having to disconnect cables or wires, unplug drives, and even remove other parts of your device to access your CMOS battery.
- Once you have the battery in hand, you will do well to test its voltage.
As a general rule, if the determined voltage is less than 2.8V, then the battery has to be replaced. Your system struggles to function when the battery is delivering voltages lower than the stated value.
A good CMOS battery typically outputs voltages ranging from 3.2V TO 3.3V.
- Get a replacement for the battery.
New CMOS batteries are cheap and easy to purchase online. Before you buy a battery, though, you have to determine the exact type or model that is needed.
Most manufacturers hardly indicate the exact type and model of the CMOS batteries used in their products, so you will have to conduct some research on your own.
The essential details that define a CMOS battery include its output voltage, chemistry, and wiring. You will do well to write down those specifications somewhere easily accessible.
- Insert the new CMOS battery. Put it firmly and ensure that it holds or stays in place.
Some reports indicate that certain CMOS batteries might explode if they are incorrectly installed or if they get placed in appropriate devices. Precautions are necessary here.
You must understand that not all CMOS batteries are removable, at least not by users. Some manufacturers design their devices in a specific manner to ensure that only certified or experienced technicians are capable of removing and replacing the CMOS batteries in them. You might have to drop your PC at a service center to fix things.
- Once you have placed in the new CMOS battery, you must turn on your PC and reset the CMOS settings in use (accessible through your BIOS) to their default values.
This way, your computer gets to understand that a new adequately-powered battery is now in use. If the recommended procedure fails to deliver the needed result, you must try powering down your computer through at least 3 cycles.
- Once you are done getting your system to use the default CMOS values, you have to save the changes in your settings, and then exit your BIOS menu.
If your system continues to display the ‘System battery voltage is low’ message even after you replaced your CMOS battery successfully, then we can only assume that at least one of your hardware devices or components is damaged. At this point, considering how long you have struggled to resolve the problem, it is best you hand your PC over to a computer expert or a certified professional for repair.
TIP:
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