Watch what a failing CMOS battery does to a Dell OptiPlex clock when the machine sits in a cold garage for 3 months

Victor Butler · 2026-10-04T07:35:03.92254+00:00

Had a client bring in an OptiPlex 7070 from his shop in Gary, Indiana that was booting straight to a 2019 timestamp and kept failing Windows updates. I swapped the CR2032 for a 2 dollar cell from the drawer and told him to leave it plugged in overnight before he took it back. The next morning it was still showing 2019 and he called me saying I sold him a bad battery. Turns out that board holds the RTC in a weird spot and the coin cell won't charge unless the PSU has been live for a bit, so I had him leave it running for 30 minutes and it finally stuck. Anyone else run into boards that need a warm boot cycle before the clock resets right?

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Watch what a failing CMOS battery does to a Dell OptiPlex clock when the machine sits in a cold garage for 3 months | Computer Technicians - Librear