Should I exchange my motherboard?

[Head On]

I think this is my 4th thread and near my 10th post since I joined, lol. Sorry for starting many different threads but each time I solve a problem with my computer it seems like a new one keeps popping up.


One day, a little while ago, I turned on my computer after it had been off for a little while and an error screen came up. I was stupid enough not to write anything down but the jist of it was something like:

"Warning! You CPU settings have been changed. Press F1 to continue or press Del to enter setup"

I've never messed with the CPU settings or tried to OC it and the warning screen has only come up only once. This doesn't seem to be affecting performance to the best of my knowledge. Anyways, I brought this up before and someone on this site mentioned that it is probably due to a dead CMOS battery that was probably a manufacturing defect. My question is, first off, could this be the only possible problem? Second, if so, is the CMOS battery really that important for the computer? Right now, it doesn't seem that critical. I haven't seen any problems so far. But, I did read up about CMOS on Wikipedia and it seems to have a lot to do with bios. Will a dead battery prevent me from changing bios settings or OCing if I ever want to in the future? Third, if I should get the battery replaced, is it possible to buy it from MicroCenter or Newegg or will I have to send the entire motherboard back to Newegg for replacement/repair? Please help.
specs are in my sig if you need them

 

[Taylor1]

thats not really a problem. did you do something w/ your BIOS?

 

[Celegorm]

Even if the CMOS battery is failing, it's very easy/quick to replace. its fundimentally a watch battery. It's purpous is keeping your BIOS settings saved while the computer is powered off. It is possible to have a dead battery right out of the box no matter what kind you get, so its not something to worry over too much.

Get a new battery, if this happens again in a relitive short time (less than one year without you changing anything), then i'd start looking at the motherboard.

 

[Head On]

Taylor: I've barely done anything with my BIOS. I've just adjusted the time/date and set the computer to boot to the hard drive. Other than that, I haven't touched it.

Celegorm: Is the battery purchasable and installable by itself or will I need to send my motherboard back for a replacement battery?

 

[Celegorm]

Its something you can replace by yourself. you can't miss it on your board. its a circular silver object that generally stands out from every other component on the board. Take the battery with you when you go to buy a new one. Most comptuer stores will not need to see it, but just to make sure you get one of similar voltage.

 

[Atomic Rooster]

You can also find those batteries at your local drug and hardware stores.

 

[Celegorm]

true ture, but atleast at a comptuer store you won't have to choose from like 30 different batteries that all look the same.