@Dave1047,
I understand that you are receiving the internal battery (601) error for your system. Despite how the error message is worded, this message is typically referring to the actual notebook battery rather than the CMOS battery. See DavidPK's response in this thread. Have you ran the battery or start-up test to verify the battery is in good order? If not, I recommend doing so by turning the notebook on and pressing F2 about once a second. Select battery test, or start-up test if battery is unavailable, to test the notebook battery. If the CMOS battery is in fact good, then I'm not certain why the clock is not saving the time (the CMOS battery is usually at fault).