Finding the C-MOnSter battery..

[iago]

Wait, no, I meant the CMOS battery! (see rinkworks.com/stupid).

Anyway, my grandpa has a really old computer (Intel, made in '95) and his CMOS battery is dead.  As hard as I look, I can't find it!  Where can it be, besides the front of the motherboard?  

[Adron]

Wait, no, I meant the CMOS battery! (see rinkworks.com/stupid).

Anyway, my grandpa has a really old computer (Intel, made in '95) and his CMOS battery is dead.  As hard as I look, I can't find it!  Where can it be, besides the front of the motherboard?  

Some computers have a separate battery pack on a wire from the motherboard.

Some computers have a flat silvery mercury battery sitting somewhere on the motherboard.

Some computers have a battery that looks like a chip. Look for a black chip that's a bit higher than most. It would probably have 18 to 24 legs. Dallas makes lots of those.

[Thing]

Some computers have a separate battery pack on a wire from the motherboard.

I've seen one of those before.  I think it was a AA battery in a holder mounted to the case.

[Adron]

I've seen the battery packs on wires on at least two computers. In one of them it was a regular pack of 4 AA batteries, easily changed.

I've also seen batteries that look like a 1 cm long, 1.5-2 cm diameter cylinder, lying axially down on the motherboard. Kind of like a very cut off AA battery. Soldered to the motherboard with one connector at each end.