CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor, which is a type of technology used in electronic devices such as computers, smartphones, and digital cameras. In a computer, the CMOS is a small battery-powered chip that stores critical system information such as the date, time, and hardware configuration. It is used to keep track of the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) settings, which control how the computer interacts with its hardware components. Without the CMOS chip, a computer would not be able to start up correctly because it could not store that very basic data.

The CMOS chip is usually located on the motherboard and is powered by a small battery. It stores information ranging from the system time and date to your computers hardware settings. The battery is responsible for keeping the CMOS chip powered even when the computer is turned off, so that the information stored in it is not lost. The standard lifetime of a CMOS battery is around 10 years, but this can vary depending on the use and environment where the computer resides.

If you experience issues with your computer’s hardware configuration, resetting the CMOS chip may be a useful troubleshooting step. To reset the CMOS chip, you will need to turn off your computer, unplug it from the power source, open the computer case, locate the CMOS battery, remove the battery by gently pushing down on the retaining clip and pulling it out of its socket, and wait for 10-15 minutes to ensure that all the data stored in the chip is cleared.

In summary, CMOS is a small amount of memory on a computer motherboard that stores the BIOS settings, and it is powered by a small battery. It is used to keep track of the computers hardware configuration and without it, the computer would not be able to start up correctly.