Thinkpads Forum

Cant find a cmos, should be right there when you open teh mem slot right? Am i missing something please help

If you are referring to the CMOS backup battery, then yes it should be accessible upon removal of the memory cover. It is tucked up between the Ultrabay device and the front edge of the laptop. You should be able to see two wires (red and black) going from the motherboard connector to that area. Simply push down on the retaining tab and gently pull on the wires.

Ok yes im talking about the cmos/ backup battery. When i open the laptop memery cover, i dont see a big yellow thing or anything thats poking out. But the laptop still runs. With the exception of the 161 and 163.

With the laptop upside-down, the front edge of the laptop nearest you and the memory panel removed, the white battery connector on the motherboard is located about 2 inches up from the bottom right corner of the open memory bay. A pair of red/black wire will lead to a coin-type battery wrapped in yellow (or black) plastic.

If you do not see any wires running down toward the front edge of the laptop then that means your system is missing the battery, thus the 161 and 163 errors on boot. You can continue to operate the laptop without the battery, but you will keep getting the boot errors. A proper backup battery can be purchased off of eBay for about $5 to $8 (IBM FRU 02K6502 is what you should search for).

Im confused, my other tech site. A guy told me that a thinkpad wouldnt run without a cmos in it. also he said the battery might be directly connected to the mobo. If thats true then couldnt i just put the new cmos in the slot( the regualr one under the memory cover)?

The 600 series WILL run without a CMOS battery. Infact, most Thinkpads will. My R40 is currently running without a CMOS battery attached.

Without a CMOS battery, you might have to reset the date and time and everytime you turn it on, after having turned the system off and removing all power from it.

EDIT: What was the other Tech site?

I meant the other computer site i use sometimes ( Hardforum). So all i have to do is buy a new cmos. Also do you think i should wait to put until i get a battery

If you still have questions where to find your cmos battery you can find all you need here.

It may be helpful to remove the unit in the UltraBay if the CMOS battery has slipped around and is hiding.

I found it, actually there wasnt one, i boght a new one and it works fine now thanks for the help guys