Wayne Chirnside wrote in a message to All:

 WC> Anyone know if installing a CMOS battery backwards will damage the 
 WC> CMOS?

It might.  I've known reverse-connected CMOS chips to get *real* hot. 
Sorta acts like a forward-biased diode...

 WC> I installed a new battery and it STOPPED the clock despite putting 
 WC> it in as indicated.

Hmm.

 WC> I'm thinking of reversing it from what the holder is marked
 WC> as I don't ubderstabd this.

That is pretty weird.

 WC> Clock holds fine when the machine is on with no battery.

You may have a screwed up checksum or whatever it is that they use in
there. There are ways to fix that,  if that's what's happening...

---