Unusual system actions. My data is being altered unexpectedly.
Unusual system actions. My data is being altered unexpectedly.
Hey there, I’ve noticed some unusual and concerning changes on my desktop lately. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. System Problems: When using Hammer++ for source mapping, certain map files vanish unexpectedly, leaving error messages in Visual Studio Code. In Notepad it appears empty, yet the file still occupies space. Experts say most people haven’t seen this before. My environment settings often stop functioning—things like Node.js or other tools suddenly fail to load. My Git repositories are also malfunctioning. I’m seeing errors such as: “could not delete reference refs/remotes/origin/HEAD: cannot lock ref” which is confusing. For those unfamiliar, Git helps manage code changes and acts like a version control time machine. This kind of error means Git can’t find the file or version it expects, possibly because it’s missing or corrupted. Last week my header broke completely; it was a minor fix. Now it seems my Git version is entirely broken, requiring another patch. My drive checks via CrystalDiskInfo show all drives are healthy and stable. There have been no recent crashes or blue screens, but the behavior is definitely out of the ordinary. I mainly use this setup for development, mapping, and gaming, with no recent installation of suspicious software. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Did you check for viruses just in case? I’d replace the CMOS battery first. Do you have an extra boot drive? I’d remove your current storage and install a new Windows to test if the files get corrupted again. If they don’t, it’s likely a driver or Windows issue. If they still do, there may be bigger problems like a failing motherboard. Hope this helps!
Virus scan didn't find anything. My PC has three hard drives, and the problems keep happening no matter which one you use. I might have to reinstall Windows soon, even though I do it once a year and am already overdue. I'm thinking about replacing the CMOS battery. Everything else except the GPU is starting to feel outdated, so rebuilding my setup could be the best option.
I might be mistaken, but according to my understanding, the CMOS battery doesn’t lead to data loss when the operating system starts. It mainly influences system time and BIOS configurations, without touching the OS or its files. If the battery fails, you may notice warnings during boot—especially in older systems (like the Smoll screenshot I mentioned). While I haven’t tested it myself, some users reported alerts about configuration saving issues when the battery was dead. You could try basic checks such as running sfc /scannow or using chkdsk to see if problems exist.
Corruption in the CMOS data may lead to incorrect BIOS configurations and affect drive access methods. You might also discover a CMOS battery at dollar stores—it’s typically a CR2032. What are the consequences?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong there. My curiosity was real, but from what I know, if the CMOS battery fails, it usually just erases your BIOS/UEFI settings—returning to their default state, which is typically safe for the operating system and storage devices. On certain systems, this could stop the OS from booting if specific configurations are lost, like the boot order, but it shouldn’t lead to data corruption within the OS itself. I’m not claiming a faulty BIOS or UEFI setup can’t cause problems at all, but generally, modern hardware defaults work well for most users.
From what I’ve read (including an article I found), older systems sometimes suffered data loss due to incorrect BIOS settings, which could reset BIOS parameters on every boot, causing long POST times and wrong system time. After replacing the battery, those issues usually disappeared without any data loss. In my experience, a dead CMOS battery paired with default BIOS settings today is unlikely to harm your OS, especially if you don’t notice anything unusual about the battery.
I agree that buying a CMOS battery is safe—it’s inexpensive and probably won’t make a difference. For more details, I’ve seen references from HP, Promax, Mini Tool, and various electronics sites. They all seem to support this view, though some articles mention rare risks if BIOS settings are misconfigured.
Just to clarify, I’m not trying to argue or be negative; I’m open to learning more whenever possible. If anything came across as harsh, I didn’t mean it. Have a great day!
This simple advice points out a possible issue with BIOS settings being damaged. It might be linked to a weak or failing battery, though it’s hard to say for sure. Replacing the battery is inexpensive, and I’ve shared this tip before without anyone raising an issue. What’s the concern? Have a great day.
Hello again, I'm not trying to make a big deal out of it, there is no problem at all and I'm not trying to make some, I've said it many times in my previous message, my point is not to argue or to be mean, just trying to learn myself while discussing with others ! I was sharing my own perspective on the problem and trying to understand yours as I never heard of this kind of symptoms of a dying battery before, and so I "started a discussion" with you to try to understand how it could be possible ! TL;DR: I just like learning and I might have started a discussion that wasn't needed ^^ Sorry if my message came out as cold or mean, this is not my intention! I'll stop the discussion here for me ^^ I hope you have a nice day