There might be many occasions where you might need to clear your CMOS / BIOS memory in your geeky endeavours.

Some of the most common reasons you may need to do so are:

1. You might have forgotten your BIOS password and want to reset it.
2. You may have changed some BIOS settings and due to some error, are not able to load your BIOS and now you want to reset them to their default values.
3. To reset the System Clock directly.
4. Just to show some geeky tricks to your friends.

In any of these cases, you will need to reset your CMOS / BIOS memory. Now the BIOS or CMOS memory is powered by a small CMOS battery and it stores all BIOS settings, the BIOS password and the System date and Time settings so that you don’t lose them each time you shut down your computer.

Procedure:
There are many ways to reset your BIOS / CMOS memory in such eventualities, but the 3 listed below are the most popular.

1. Remove the CMOS battery
To clear your CMOS memory using this method, just shut down your PC, locate the CMOS battery on your motherboard and remove it for about 5 minutes before inserting it back in. Now when you boot up your computer, the BIOS should have been resetted with all values and passwords set to default. If you can’t locate your CMOS battery, refer to your motherboard manual.

2. Use the Motherboard CMOS Jumper

To clear your CMOS memory using this method, just shut down your PC, and check out the CMOS CLEAR or CMOS CLR near the CMOS battery. Check your motherboard manual for more details and to locate the jumper. Generally, you will need to remove the Jumper from it’s default position – the 1st and 2nd pin, and use it to short the 2nd and 3rd pins. This procedure may vary from motherboard to motherboard. Refer to the manual for detailed procedures.

3. Using Software to reset your CMOS settings
You can use software like KillCMOS to reset your CMOS settings directly. Or other software like !BIOS or CMOSpwd to recover your BIOS password to reset the settigns yourself manually.