Windows 7 Need help, Error: CPU has been changed

[Ol Rod]

Is my CPU going bad? Startup error: "Warning! CPU has been changed. Please re-enter CPU settings."

It is HomeBuilt, 6years old. ABIT AN8 mobo; Phoenix-Award Bios v6.00PG; Athlon 64 3500+; 4 Gig. Corsair XMS, 400 speed; CoolerMaster 650W PSU; Windows 7 home prem. on 200 Gig Sata HD.

I like to shut down every night. Lately, it hangs with this error right after the flash screen of ABIT logo. It gives me the option F1 to continue, Del. to enter setup. If I punch F1, it promptly boots and runs just like always.

The same time this showed up, my clock on desktop runs slow. Real Slow.

So far I have scanned with MSE, then scanned with MBAM, I pulled the CMOS battery, then moved the CMOS jumper, waited several minutes, then re-set the jumper before I replaced the battery. Oh, yeh, "bout forgot I had a couple of extra hard drive hooked up, one Sata and another Pata, I unplugged both of them, also unplugged my USB flash drive also unplugged USB hub, and unplugged an old USB Zip Drive. I removed all that stuff before I re-set the Bios. Then, of course I reset both the calandar and the correct time.
I googled the slow clock and somebody said to go into device manager> IDE ATA/PATA controllers and check the box "enable DMA" on each Channel. I did that.

I shut down and re-started TWICE last evening with no error. Shut down overnight and today the error is back.

Any help appreciated

 

[Trouble]

Try replacing the CMOS battery and see if that resolves the issue and let us know.
Regards
Randy

 

[Ol Rod]

That post was too long, I forgot some details. More than a year ago, I had o' clocked that CPU, what i thought was mildly. It defaults @ 2.2 Ghz, I had it running @ 2.47Ghz. Ran that way for at least a year, maybe that just now caught up with me? I have a Zalman CPU air cooler, I re-did the arctic silver about 3 year ago. The only significate thing downloaded lately has been Windows automatic updates. When I check Computer> properties, it looks as if all is running as it is supposed to. And that's about all the clues I have.

 

[Ol Rod]

@ Randy. Thnx, it is about 30 minute drive for me to Radio Shack, next trip to town I will get 'nother battery, The one running now is only 'bout 3year old but that's something easy to try.

 

[Trouble]

Yes it is and would be my first suggestion towards solving the issue, as I was trying to indicate in my post above. The symptoms you are describing are indicative of a bad CMOS battery.
If you have continuing issues with the BIOS message you've described and the attendant problem with your system clock "running slow", then you may very well have a bad capacitor somewhere, likely in the power supply that is draining battery.
In addition to turning off the system every night, do you also use a switch (like a power strip switch) that cuts off all electricity from the power supply? Most current model PSUs will maintain a warm MoBo if power is left connected, but some of the older models would not whether power was left connected or not.
I am assuming of course that your computer runs normally after you jump through the initial booting hoops.

 

[Ol Rod]

@ trouble, Thank you for gettin in, I'll consider that PSU after I've tried CMOS battery. And yes, i do switch power strip off after proper shutdown. I know too many folk around here who have bought new computer because of lightening on line.
And yes, this mobo has some leds that stay on bright all night if i don't disconnect.

 

[Ol Rod]

FIXED!

@ Trouble, U R a good troubleshooter! Reason I didn't think replace battery is because I had replaced that one about 3 year ago. And as old folks think, "it was just new a while ago". I waited couple of days before this reply to convince myself that it was fixed. After new battery, I still had the hang and error about CPU.

The last line of error message was "Please re-enter CPU settings in CMOS setup". I had previously had CPU OC.ed to 2.47, and dead battery had reverted that to default. So I re-set my OC and all seems well.

This old mobo ABIT AN8 and CPU Athlon 64 3500+ has really been a very good machine. I have used it for "lab rat", ran different OS, used it to clean other folks infected hard drive and it has served me well. I wish it would quit so I could build new with i5 2500k and Z68 but the old one runs so good I can't justify the new. Thanks, again.