Spent 2 hours chasing a ghost boot issue on a customer's Dell last Tuesday

I had a client bring in a laptop that would turn on but show nothing on screen. After checking the RAM, the SSD, and even the display cable, I was stumped. Turns out the little CMOS battery was dead and the BIOS was stuck in a weird loop. I swapped it for a fresh CR2032 from my drawer and it booted right up. Charged the guy $60 for the fix and he looked at me like I was a wizard. Has anyone else had a goofy BIOS issue that ate up way more time than it should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_williams29d ago

Did the BIOS actually show any warning or message about the CMOS battery, or did it just stay completely black? I've seen some Dells that give a beep code for a dead battery, but others just freeze up with no fan spin. Trying to figure out if the system was totally silent or if you caught a hint before digging in.

lee_butler29d ago

Man, wait... that thing actually gave a beep code? I figured it would just sit there dead silent like most old boards do. Now I'm wondering if I missed something obvious before I even opened the case.