A user reports that their workstation is experiencing sudden reboots and the system clock frequently resets to an incorrect time. Swapping out which of the following components is the FIRST and most relevant step in the troubleshooting process?
Replace the CMOS battery on the motherboard.
Replace the power supply unit (PSU) with one of higher wattage.
Reinstall the operating system to fix any corrupt files.
Apply fresh thermal paste and reseat the CPU cooler.
Both symptoms point to loss of BIOS/UEFI settings. The real-time clock and firmware settings are kept alive by a coin-cell CMOS battery on the motherboard. When that battery is weak, the clock resets on every power cycle and instability-including spontaneous reboots-can occur. Reinstalling the OS, reseating the CPU cooler, or upgrading the PSU may address other causes of reboots but will not resolve the persistent time loss, making the CMOS battery the most appropriate first step.
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What is a CMOS battery and what does it do?
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What are the signs of a failing CMOS battery?
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Can a faulty CMOS battery cause other hardware issues?