Longevity of the CMOS battery

[The Olde Man]

Thinkpad 2645-45U

This rig was 'refurbished' about 6 yrs ago. I travel a lot with it. Should the CMOS battery die at an inopportune time, am I just inconvenienced, or is it the kiss of death until I replace it.

Considering the age of the battery, should I carry a spare, in other words?

[losmeme]

They are so inexpensive, just replace it as opposed to waiting until it dies.

[trent9008]

For me it's just an inconvenience -- you can boot into the operating system, after correcting the date and time, by turning the thinkpad off, then immediately back on. So it's still usable even if the CMOS battery dies. However, I do recommend buying a spare battery and keeping it on hand; it's bound to die eventually.

[The Olde Man]

I have followed your good advice and ordered out a new battery.

Thanks.