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%Start CMOS: What It Is and What It's For GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Computers, Laptops & Tablets &gt; Accessories & Hardware 544 544 people found this article helpful <h1> What Is CMOS and What Is It For?</h1> <h2> CMOS and CMOS batteries: Everything you need to know</h2> By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years&#39; of professional technology experience. He&#39;s been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
Liam Wilson Member
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%Start CMOS: What It Is and What It's For GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Accessories & Hardware 544 544 people found this article helpful

What Is CMOS and What Is It For?

CMOS and CMOS batteries: Everything you need to know

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 28, 2022 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12&#43; years&#39; experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Accessories & Hardware HDD & SSD The Quick Guide to Webcams Keyboards & Mice Monitors Cards Printers & Scanners Raspberry Pi CMOS (short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) is the term usually used to describe the small amount of memory on a computer motherboard that stores the BIOS settings. Some of these BIOS settings include the system time and date, as well as hardware settings.
Victoria Lopez Member
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 28, 2022 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Accessories & Hardware HDD & SSD The Quick Guide to Webcams Keyboards & Mice Monitors Cards Printers & Scanners Raspberry Pi CMOS (short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) is the term usually used to describe the small amount of memory on a computer motherboard that stores the BIOS settings. Some of these BIOS settings include the system time and date, as well as hardware settings.
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Ava White 1 minutes ago
A CMOS image sensor is different—it's used by digital cameras to convert images into digital data....
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Andrew Wilson 1 minutes ago
Steve Gschmeissner / Getty Images CMOS (pronounced see-moss) is sometimes referred to as Real-Time C...
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A CMOS image sensor is different—it's used by digital cameras to convert images into digital data. <h2> Other Names for CMOS </h2> CMOS Battery on a Computer Motherboard.
Natalie Lopez Member
access_time 9 minutes ago
A CMOS image sensor is different—it's used by digital cameras to convert images into digital data.

Other Names for CMOS

CMOS Battery on a Computer Motherboard.
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Kevin Wang 3 minutes ago
Steve Gschmeissner / Getty Images CMOS (pronounced see-moss) is sometimes referred to as Real-Time C...
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Andrew Wilson 1 minutes ago

Clearing CMOS

Most talk of CMOS involves clearing CMOS, which means to reset the BIOS set...
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Steve Gschmeissner / Getty Images CMOS (pronounced see-moss) is sometimes referred to as Real-Time Clock (RTC), CMOS RAM, Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM), Non-Volatile BIOS memory, or complementary-symmetry metal-oxide-semiconductor (COS-MOS). CMOS is also an abbreviation for other terms that are unrelated to what&#39;s talked about on this page, like cellular management operation system and comparison mean opinion score.
Ella Rodriguez Member
access_time 12 minutes ago
Steve Gschmeissner / Getty Images CMOS (pronounced see-moss) is sometimes referred to as Real-Time Clock (RTC), CMOS RAM, Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM), Non-Volatile BIOS memory, or complementary-symmetry metal-oxide-semiconductor (COS-MOS). CMOS is also an abbreviation for other terms that are unrelated to what's talked about on this page, like cellular management operation system and comparison mean opinion score.
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Liam Wilson 11 minutes ago

Clearing CMOS

Most talk of CMOS involves clearing CMOS, which means to reset the BIOS set...
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Sebastian Silva 5 minutes ago
For example, maybe your computer is freezing up during the POST, in which case clearing the CMOS to ...
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<h2> Clearing CMOS </h2> Most talk of CMOS involves clearing CMOS, which means to reset the BIOS settings to their default levels. This is a really easy task that&#39;s a great troubleshooting step for many types of computer problems.
Sophie Martin Member
access_time 20 minutes ago

Clearing CMOS

Most talk of CMOS involves clearing CMOS, which means to reset the BIOS settings to their default levels. This is a really easy task that's a great troubleshooting step for many types of computer problems.
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Henry Schmidt 14 minutes ago
For example, maybe your computer is freezing up during the POST, in which case clearing the CMOS to ...
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Henry Schmidt 9 minutes ago
Easy Ways to Clear CMOS

How BIOS and CMOS Work Together

The BIOS is a computer chip on ...
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For example, maybe your computer is freezing up during the POST, in which case clearing the CMOS to reset the BIOS settings to factory default levels, might be the easiest solution. Or maybe you need to clear CMOS to reset misconfigured BIOS settings to fix certain hardware-related error messages, such as Code 29 errors. Other CMOS errors revolve around low battery voltage, CMOS checksum, battery failure, and read error.
Evelyn Zhang Member
access_time 12 minutes ago
For example, maybe your computer is freezing up during the POST, in which case clearing the CMOS to reset the BIOS settings to factory default levels, might be the easiest solution. Or maybe you need to clear CMOS to reset misconfigured BIOS settings to fix certain hardware-related error messages, such as Code 29 errors. Other CMOS errors revolve around low battery voltage, CMOS checksum, battery failure, and read error.
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Hannah Kim 12 minutes ago
Easy Ways to Clear CMOS

How BIOS and CMOS Work Together

The BIOS is a computer chip on ...
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Chloe Santos 4 minutes ago
CMOS is also a computer chip on the motherboard, or more specifically a RAM chip, which means it wou...
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Easy Ways to Clear CMOS <h2> How BIOS and CMOS Work Together </h2> The BIOS is a computer chip on the motherboard like CMOS, except that its purpose is to communicate between the processor and other hardware components like the hard drive, USB ports, sound card, video card, and more. A computer without&nbsp;a BIOS wouldn't understand how these pieces of the computer work together. The BIOS firmware is also what performs the Power On Self Test to test those pieces of hardware, and what ultimately runs the bootloader to launch the operating system.
James Smith Moderator
access_time 21 minutes ago
Easy Ways to Clear CMOS

How BIOS and CMOS Work Together

The BIOS is a computer chip on the motherboard like CMOS, except that its purpose is to communicate between the processor and other hardware components like the hard drive, USB ports, sound card, video card, and more. A computer without a BIOS wouldn't understand how these pieces of the computer work together. The BIOS firmware is also what performs the Power On Self Test to test those pieces of hardware, and what ultimately runs the bootloader to launch the operating system.
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Jack Thompson 5 minutes ago
CMOS is also a computer chip on the motherboard, or more specifically a RAM chip, which means it wou...
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Emma Wilson 8 minutes ago
The chip typically stores as little as 256 bytes of information.

What Is a CMOS Battery

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CMOS is also a computer chip on the motherboard, or more specifically a RAM chip, which means it would normally lose the settings it's storing when the computer is shut down (just like how the contents of RAM aren't maintained each time you restart your computer). However, the CMOS battery is used to provide constant power to the chip. When the computer first boots up, BIOS pulls information from the CMOS chip to understand the hardware settings, time, and anything else that's stored in it.
Scarlett Brown Member
access_time 32 minutes ago
CMOS is also a computer chip on the motherboard, or more specifically a RAM chip, which means it would normally lose the settings it's storing when the computer is shut down (just like how the contents of RAM aren't maintained each time you restart your computer). However, the CMOS battery is used to provide constant power to the chip. When the computer first boots up, BIOS pulls information from the CMOS chip to understand the hardware settings, time, and anything else that's stored in it.
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Alexander Wang 6 minutes ago
The chip typically stores as little as 256 bytes of information.

What Is a CMOS Battery

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The chip typically stores as little as 256 bytes of information. <h2> What Is a CMOS Battery </h2> The CMOS is usually powered by a coin-sized CR2032 cell battery, referred to as the CMOS battery.
Lily Watson Moderator
access_time 45 minutes ago
The chip typically stores as little as 256 bytes of information.

What Is a CMOS Battery

The CMOS is usually powered by a coin-sized CR2032 cell battery, referred to as the CMOS battery.
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Ella Rodriguez 42 minutes ago
Most CMOS batteries will last the lifetime of a motherboard, up to 10 years in most cases, but will ...
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Most CMOS batteries will last the lifetime of a motherboard, up to 10 years in most cases, but will sometimes need to be replaced depending on how the device is being used. Incorrect or slow system date and time, and loss of BIOS settings, are major signs of a dead or dying CMOS battery. Replacing the CMOS battery is as easy as swapping out the dead one for a new one.
Alexander Wang Member
access_time 30 minutes ago
Most CMOS batteries will last the lifetime of a motherboard, up to 10 years in most cases, but will sometimes need to be replaced depending on how the device is being used. Incorrect or slow system date and time, and loss of BIOS settings, are major signs of a dead or dying CMOS battery. Replacing the CMOS battery is as easy as swapping out the dead one for a new one.
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You can get a new CMOS battery on Amazon and through other retailers that sell computer replacement parts.<br> <h2> More About CMOS &amp CMOS Batteries </h2> While most motherboards have a spot for a CMOS battery, some smaller computers, like many tablets and laptops, have a small external compartment for the battery that connects to the motherboard via two small wires. Some devices that use CMOS include microprocessors, microcontrollers, and static RAM (SRAM).
Emma Wilson Admin
access_time 44 minutes ago
You can get a new CMOS battery on Amazon and through other retailers that sell computer replacement parts.

More About CMOS & CMOS Batteries

While most motherboards have a spot for a CMOS battery, some smaller computers, like many tablets and laptops, have a small external compartment for the battery that connects to the motherboard via two small wires. Some devices that use CMOS include microprocessors, microcontrollers, and static RAM (SRAM).
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Brandon Kumar 5 minutes ago
It's important to understand that CMOS and BIOS are not interchangeable terms for the same thing...
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Audrey Mueller 25 minutes ago
When the computer is first starting up, there's an option to boot into BIOS or CMOS. Opening the...
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It&#39;s important to understand that CMOS and BIOS are not interchangeable terms for the same thing. While they work together for a specific function within the computer, they are two entirely different components.
Ava White Moderator
access_time 48 minutes ago
It's important to understand that CMOS and BIOS are not interchangeable terms for the same thing. While they work together for a specific function within the computer, they are two entirely different components.
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Lucas Martinez 29 minutes ago
When the computer is first starting up, there's an option to boot into BIOS or CMOS. Opening the...
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Lily Watson 19 minutes ago
CMOS chips are desirable for battery-powered devices like laptops because they use less power than o...
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When the computer is first starting up, there&#39;s an option to boot into BIOS or CMOS. Opening the CMOS setup is how you can change the settings it&#39;s storing, like the date and time and how the different computer components are first started up. You can also use CMOS setup to disable/enable some hardware devices.
Harper Kim Member
access_time 39 minutes ago
When the computer is first starting up, there's an option to boot into BIOS or CMOS. Opening the CMOS setup is how you can change the settings it's storing, like the date and time and how the different computer components are first started up. You can also use CMOS setup to disable/enable some hardware devices.
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Natalie Lopez 24 minutes ago
CMOS chips are desirable for battery-powered devices like laptops because they use less power than o...
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Ryan Garcia 36 minutes ago
You can also reset your Mac's PRAM. FAQ What are typical symptoms of CMOS battery failure?...
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CMOS chips are desirable for battery-powered devices like laptops because they use less power than other types of chips. Although they use both negative polarity circuits and positive polarity circuits (NMOS and PMOS), only one circuit type is powered on at a time. The Mac equivalent to CMOS is PRAM, which stands for Parameter RAM.
Christopher Lee Member
access_time 70 minutes ago
CMOS chips are desirable for battery-powered devices like laptops because they use less power than other types of chips. Although they use both negative polarity circuits and positive polarity circuits (NMOS and PMOS), only one circuit type is powered on at a time. The Mac equivalent to CMOS is PRAM, which stands for Parameter RAM.
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Chloe Santos 63 minutes ago
You can also reset your Mac's PRAM. FAQ What are typical symptoms of CMOS battery failure?...
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You can also reset your Mac's PRAM. FAQ What are typical symptoms of CMOS battery failure?
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You can also reset your Mac's PRAM. FAQ What are typical symptoms of CMOS battery failure?
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Several issues can be related to CMOS failure. For instance, if a laptop has difficulty booting up, ...
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Several issues can be related to CMOS failure. For instance, if a laptop has difficulty booting up, can&#39;t connect to the internet, or is constantly beeping. Other symptoms include drivers disappearing, peripherals not responding, and the date and time resetting.
Joseph Kim Member
access_time 80 minutes ago
Several issues can be related to CMOS failure. For instance, if a laptop has difficulty booting up, can't connect to the internet, or is constantly beeping. Other symptoms include drivers disappearing, peripherals not responding, and the date and time resetting.
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What is a CMOS Checksum error? A CMOS Checksum error is a conflict between the CMOS and BIOS when booting.
Evelyn Zhang Member
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What is a CMOS Checksum error? A CMOS Checksum error is a conflict between the CMOS and BIOS when booting.
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You can fix this error by following several troubleshooting steps, including restarting the computer...
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You can fix this error by following several troubleshooting steps, including restarting the computer, downloading and flashing a BIOS update, resetting the BIOS, and possibly replacing the CMOS battery. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know!
Andrew Wilson Member
access_time 54 minutes ago
You can fix this error by following several troubleshooting steps, including restarting the computer, downloading and flashing a BIOS update, resetting the BIOS, and possibly replacing the CMOS battery. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know!
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Phoenix Beep Code Error Troubleshooting What Are Beep Codes? (BIOS Beep Code Definition) How to Fix ...
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Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Clear CMOS (AKA Reset BIOS Settings) How to Fix a Computer That Turns on but Displays Nothing How to Fix a CMOS Checksum Error How to Fix Problems During the Windows Login Process What Is a POST Code? (Power on Self Test Code) How to Fix a Computer That Turns On and Then Off How to Reset Your Mac's PRAM or NVRAM (Parameter RAM) How to Fix Error Code 29 How to Fix Problems that Occur During the POST What Is a Power on Self Test Card?
Ryan Garcia Member
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Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Clear CMOS (AKA Reset BIOS Settings) How to Fix a Computer That Turns on but Displays Nothing How to Fix a CMOS Checksum Error How to Fix Problems During the Windows Login Process What Is a POST Code? (Power on Self Test Code) How to Fix a Computer That Turns On and Then Off How to Reset Your Mac's PRAM or NVRAM (Parameter RAM) How to Fix Error Code 29 How to Fix Problems that Occur During the POST What Is a Power on Self Test Card?
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Phoenix Beep Code Error Troubleshooting What Are Beep Codes? (BIOS Beep Code Definition) How to Fix ...
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Phoenix Beep Code Error Troubleshooting What Are Beep Codes? (BIOS Beep Code Definition) How to Fix Freezing & Other Issues During Windows Startup What Are the Types of System Resources in a Computer?
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Phoenix Beep Code Error Troubleshooting What Are Beep Codes? (BIOS Beep Code Definition) How to Fix Freezing & Other Issues During Windows Startup What Are the Types of System Resources in a Computer?
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