While a CMOS battery generally lasts 10 years,
it can fail at any time.
A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
battery uses both negative and positive negative polarity circuits to operate.
According to Webopedia, this means that the battery chip is smaller than
standard chips, making them useful for small or portable devices. Laptops and
personal computers use a CMOS battery for certain memory functions, including
the date and time. If you computer is not working properly, you may not
actually have a problem with the computer. Check these symptoms first to
determine whether or not it's the CMOS battery
