Hi Folks,

I used to be subscribed as phil@pthane.co.uk but couldn't figure out how to change the email address so here I am re-subscribed. Same old codger with weird issues though...

I have a 'new' desktop PC made from random parts. The MoBo is made by MSI but was an OEM product for HP. Searching for advice on MSI site says refer to HP. The HP support site appears to be crashed, permanently. I think I need a BIOS update and hundreds of sites offer them but how do I find a reliable one?

There are two issues:

1. The BIOS fails to find a bootable disk unless I hit f9 and select one. I can enter the BIOS setup via f10 and set boot order there but it doesn't remain in CMOS memory, on next boot I have to do it again.

2. The PC is set to suspend after 30 mins inactivity. On re-awakening the clock is precisely 86 hours fast! Same happens if I put it to sleep manually. It can't be reset via the OS (Mint, Cinnamon), or via hwclock. It resets correctly when rebooted, without needing to fiddle the Date and Time settings in BIOS.

I thought maybe the CMOS battery was failing so scrambling the memory. Volt meter showed 3.1V but having tried everything else I replaced the battery anyway, but to no avail. Neither problem is a show stopper, I can set the sleep timer to 'never' and remember to hit f9 during boot, but it's annoying.

Any ideas? Or a reliable source of BIOS upgrades?

-- Phil Thane Email: philthane@gmx.co.uk Tweet: @pthane Web: https://pthane.weebly.com