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XPS 8900, how to remove the CMOS battery?
I have a Dell XPS 8900. Same problem as everyone else: the power switch does not work. Want to start by removing, testing and replacing the battery. However, this battery holder/compartment does not look like all the other ones I have seen! It is not the same as the one pictured in the xps 8900 Service Manual nor any of the ones I have seen on YouTube videos. There is no clip on the battery holder. It is solid plastic, all the way around. No spring, no clip. On top of that, the space to get tools or fingers near the battery is very, very cramped. How do I get this battery out? What is the trick to remove it?
speedstep
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December 23rd, 2020 08:00
https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/xps-8900-desktop/xps-8900-desktop/procedure?guid=guid-4b661fd9-ad4f-4e64-829e-81daa54773b5&lang=en-us
https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/xps-8900-desktop_service-manual_en-us.pdf
This is not obvious and I hate these sockets.
Ran out of time editing
You press in the gap with plastic spudger and lift and the battery pops out.
The new battery goes in at an angle and you press again and it will click into place. If you try to pry it with a screwdriver the battery will come out and it will break the plastic holding it in. This means you must replace the socket because its now broken. DO NOT USE METAL SCRIBE
This tool kit has the appropriate piece the black stick with hooked end.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015CMAJVK
Its very specific
speedstep
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December 23rd, 2020 08:00
This is not obvious and I hate these sockets.
You press in the gap with plastic spudger and lift and the battery pops out.
The new battery goes in at an angle and you press again and it will click into place. If you try to pry it with a screwdriver the battery will come out and it will break the plastic holding it in. This means you must replace the socket because its now broken. DO NOT USE METAL SCRIBE
https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/xps-8900-desktop/xps-8900-desktop/procedure?guid=guid-4b661fd9-ad4f-4e64-829e-81daa54773b5&lang=en-us
https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/xps-8900-desktop_service-manual_en-us.pdf
This tool kit has the appropriate piece the black stick with hooked end.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015CMAJVK
mangorunner
29 Posts
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December 23rd, 2020 08:00
I presume you mean the third tool from the right - the one that is all-black-plastic with the curved tip, curving to the right at its top?
mangorunner
29 Posts
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December 23rd, 2020 08:00
You are my absolute 100% HERO! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your speedy, thorough and photos reply! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm off to see if I can do it. Every bit of your explanation and pictures was helpful - and turned on the lightbulbs and moved the gears (in my head). I'll post back to let you know how it goes.
Very grateful,
Carol
speedstep
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December 23rd, 2020 09:00
yes the black hooked spudger
You can see the small gap that you press battery so that it pops up
You reverse the process to get it back in
mangorunner
29 Posts
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December 23rd, 2020 09:00
AMA ("against medical advice") as they say in the hospital, I used a metal pry tool (photos below). I looked around to see what I had available and I had the took kit below from my father. I used the tool on the far right which has a slight angled hook/tip. You had warned me about breaking the plastic holder, so I worked slowly and gently and inserted it, pointed end toward the center of the battery, into the slot you had showed me. I had no room to move the handle of the tool in any direction - you can only insert the tool completely vertical in that tight space - so no room to move the handle downward to get any leverage. I see why you have to have a curved tip on the end to work underneath the battery. Worked like a charm! Out it popped! On the first try!
For anyone in this same situation, inserting/replacing the new battery is much easier. You just slide it under the lip and easily press down and it snaps into place. Putting the new one in is quite easy.
Thanks a million for the help. I thought I was at a real roadblock. Never thought I would get good help this quickly and be able to move on. Merry Christmas and thanks again!
Carol
speedstep
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December 23rd, 2020 10:00
using metal tool can lead to explosion and fire due to shorting out the battery. My advice per using a plastic tool is based on your safety.
its not guaranteed that will explode but its also not guaranteed that it wont.
Lipo batteries explode when they are shorted.
Cmos coin cells are metal so its more likely to be a ballistic explosion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZOKLpOn_W4
mangorunner
29 Posts
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December 23rd, 2020 11:00
Holy mackerel, I guess I got very, very lucky. I thought your advice was just related to plastic breakage. I should have listened to you, Doctor! I won't repeat.
Thanks again for your time and expertise!
Carol
mangorunner
29 Posts
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December 23rd, 2020 13:00
Replacing the original, October 2015 CMOS battery seemed to fix the power button/switch problem. I vacuumed and cleaned up the entire computer, inside and out, put it back in its place and it powered right up. Whew, am I happy!!!!!! (...but still a little afraid to turn it off - I think it will sleep for the foreseeable future.)
Just out of curiosity, another question about the batteries: I tested both the old and the new battery with a digital voltmeter/multimeter. I had the leads in the correct jacks and the Range Selector Switch was set for the measuring battery amperage, 0.5V-9V. The old battery measured around 3mA and the new battery measured around 7mA. Does that make sense? I'm not sure. I know they are 3-volt batteries. Would the amperage of an old lithium battery of the same voltage be less than the amperage of new one? Thanks for any insight
Carol