Laptop won’t boot with battery but will without one. Help please! [Long Read]

Understanding and Troubleshooting Power and Battery Issues in the HP Spectre x360 15t-dt100

Introduction

Experiencing hardware issues with laptops can be both frustrating and puzzling, especially when symptoms don’t align with common problems. Recently, an HP Spectre x360 15t-dt100 user encountered an unusual situation where their device fails to boot with the battery installed but operates normally when the battery is removed. This article delves into the details of this complex issue, explores potential causes, and offers guidance on troubleshooting and resolving similar problems.

Background

The device in question is an HP Spectre x360 15t-dt100, manufactured in December 2019, running Windows 11 Home (version 10.0.26100, build 26100). The user reported that their internal battery had become significantly bloated, causing physical deformation of the chassis and interfering with the trackpad’s functionality.

The User’s Approach

Seeking a fix, the user ordered a replacement battery from a reputable seller identified through high ratings and extensive sales volume. After successfully replacing the swollen battery, they faced unexpected booting issues:

The laptop remained silent when the power button was pressed initially.
On a subsequent attempt, it powered on but displayed a CMOS checksum error (see the attached screenshot).
Despite this, Windows 11 started normally after the error, performing standard operations before the screen went black and the device shut down unexpectedly.
Troubleshooting efforts included disconnecting from power and examining the power supply via multimeter, which indicated a voltage slightly below the expected 19.5V.

Further Observations

The user noticed a peculiar clicking sound from inside the laptop when attempting to power on with the AC adapter connected, sometimes accompanied by brief fan activity. After testing the AC adapter with a multimeter—confirming approximately 16.7V output (slightly below the rated 19.5V)—a professional diagnostic at a local repair shop concluded that the AC adapter was functioning correctly, but the new battery was likely defective.

A key discovery was that:

The laptop would not boot with the battery installed.
It would boot successfully when the battery was removed, despite the presence of the CMOS checksum error.
Reinstalling the battery after a boot attempt often led to the same CMOS error and failure to boot.

The user’s observations raised pertinent questions regarding potential causes and solutions.

Potential Causes and Considerations