is there a way to set the CMOS setting back to its default settings? I dont really know what i did wrong, but everytime i turn on the computer, it would show up a message saying that my CMOS setting is wrong. Also, every other time i put in a CD, my computer restarts. Any help would be appreciated.

There's usually a "reset default settings" option somewhere amongst all the BIOS settings. It's usually one of the function keys. Go into BIOS\CMOS and look for it.

if not there should be a jumper on the mb to reset cmos to factory settings but if u do this u will have to reset your bios

"Load Optimized Default" if "reset default settings" not found.

if i reset my bios, will that affect my OS at all? Does plugging in the wrong IDE cables affect the CMOS at all?

No it won't seriously affect your OS. But its very difficult to say and judge from here. One needs to see the problem first.

IDE cable connection won't do anything to BIOS except the detection of HDD.