My system randomly loses BIOS settings.

Loss of BIOS settings, such as the correct time and date, may be an indication that the CMOS battery is low or drained. Once the battery is replaced, the computer should once again reliably retain BIOS settings as long as the CMOS battery supplies the proper voltage.

  1. If the computer is experiencing intermittent loss of BIOS information, and the computer is more then a year old, replacing the CMOS battery could possibly resolve this issue.

  2. If the computer is still experiencing a random loss of BIOS settings, obtain the latest virus protection software or versions of existing software, and then run a complete virus scan to ensure the computer is virus free.

  3. If the computer is randomly losing hard drive or optical drive information, reseat all power and data cables. If the random problem persists, replacing the data cable may resolve the difficulty.

  4. If a particular drive continues to be randomly missing from the BIOS setup, the drive may be defective and need to be replaced. If this is the primary or main hard drive containing the operating system, begin backing up information so that it can be moved to a new drive.

  5. If the computer has been updated with new drives, cables, and a CMOS battery and the random loss of BIOS information still occurs, replacing the motherboard may resolve the issue.

If following the above procedures did not resolve your problem, please contact Gateway through one of the following methods: