Gigabyte reviewers- Go on-be brave Help a newbie

[Cas141]

I read reviews of Gigabyte motherboards, and yet there is a glaring problem that none of the reviewers have answered ,as far as I can see. And I for one, a new Gigabyte owner, am stuck!
The newer boards do not have "Clear CMOS" jumper pins.The manual that came with the board - 7DXR+ - says there are, and illustrates them !- But there are none on the board.
There are three solder blobs in their place.
Does one use the blobs to clear CMOS as if they were pins?
If so, how?
If not, why are they there and how do you clear the CMOS?
It is important that I get an AUTHORITATIVE answer on this please, because many punters answers have been given ranging from
1. Put a wire across the blobs to
2. Whatever you do, don't touch the blobs, you'll blow the board.
Gigabyte do not seem to have given any guidance on this - if they have , please point the way to it.
Could one or more of the Motherboard reviewers give an accurate reply .
Thank you

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Cas141 on 06/02/02 09:06 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Unolocogringo]

These blobs are refered to as solder points. And yes just use a screwdriver ,wire paperclip etc.. to short or connect the points. Make sure the power is off or it will not work.

I aint signing nothing!!!

 

[Toejam31]

The simplest way to clear the CMOS on a jumperless board is to ground yourself, kill all power to the board, and take out the battery. Wait thirty minutes, and then put it back in.

Toejam31

<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
__________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>

 

[Crashman]

I use a flathead screwdriver to connect the blobs.

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

 

[Cas141]

With reference to my earlier posts, I have now taken the plunge and hopefully cleared the CMOS by removing the mobo battery for a couple of hours. I was able to find someone in Gigabyte UK tech support who told me how exactly to remove the battery. Good job too, because I would have been pulling on the “flange” till doomsday had he not explained that I needed to push it away from the battery so the the battery sprang up from its seating and then could be removed. No doubt most of you knew that- pretty basic? – But I didn’t, which was why I asked!
Still I got there in the end.
Now, when I install my new PSU in the next few days, I hope for a successful bootup. And hope I am go from there onwards.
Gigabyte UK’s explanation for no longer having a Clear CMOS jumper on the board was that people were clearing the CMOS when it wasn’t appropriate (sic )
BTW, he went on to say that shorting the replacement blobs may or may not clear the CMOS – some boards are “connected “ and some aren’t!! – But in any event, it won’t do any harm to short the solder blobs.
I explained it would have been nice for Gigabyte to have made that well known!

 

[Crashman]

What exactly was the problem that required you to clear CMOS?

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

 

[cakecake]

toejam I think you mean 3 minutes?

Censorship makes us so much more creative.

 

[Toejam31]

No, sir, I did not. I have seen ROM chips without power retain information for well over an hour in the past.

Toejam31

<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
__________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>

 

[Cas141]

The vote is with Toejam re the time out!!
The Gigabyte support told me to leave the battery out for 2 hours!! (And I did.) That fits in with Toejam's thinking.
The need for clearing CMOS is because I cannot boot up my recently built computer. Just get blank screen. I have been trying all the remedies, re-locating cards and memory etc etc. Couple of times i started to get into the bios , then a freeze.
From the beeps, it could be memory problem - Crucial lean that way as my memory is ECC registered, but I hadn't set it for that in bios. (It had run for four days OK from day of the build of computer.) I hadn't set it because I didn't know I had to! If Gigabyte had said in manual something like " If using ECC memory ensure etc etc etc"
It's amazing how much those who do know ( what to them is basic and obvious ) presume that others do as well.
BTW - Crucial is a damn good company in my book- They sent me a replacement stick of the approriate unbuffered type, even though they hadn't supplied the original. These days I call that good service!
It could be a PSU problem- I am getting a more powerful Antec one.
So, when I reassemble this lot back together, I figured I needed to do so with a cleared CMOS. Hence, the efforts to do that.