Member Avatar for jmzjmz

I have a Dell Inspiron 500M notebook that has a mind of its own.
If my note is shutdown over a period of 24 hours, it will not boot up unless of course I waited long enough to the notebook to charge, even though the laptop is physically plugged into a wall socket. Regardless, the electrical cord must be connected and charge for a while.
Otherwise, if there is a docking station nearby, I will have no problems booting it up right away. This has never happened to me before in the last 4 years. Can someone tell me if this has anything to do with the CMOS battery that is failing or if it is an issue with the power on button on the notebook.
thanks
James

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A short, practical diagnosis and checklist for the symptoms described by (won't power on after long shutdown unless left charging, but boots immediately on the dock).

The CMOS/RTC coin cell keeps clock and BIOS settings and normally will not prevent a laptop from powering on when AC is present, so a dead CMOS battery is an unlikely root cause CMOS battery. The fact the machine boots instantly from a docking station points the finger at the laptop's AC-in/charging path or power‑distribution logic rather than the front power switch; docks often supply power via a different physical path, so they can mask faults in the barrel jack or charge circuitry .

Useful, ordered checks to narrow it down (don’t skip the visual/LED clues):

  • Note LED/beep behavior when you plug the adapter in and when you try to power up. Charging lights or blink patterns are diagnostic.
  • Check the adapter label for rating and measure the barrel voltage with a multimeter while unplugged and while connected to the laptop. If the voltage collapses under load, the adapter, cable, or jack is suspect.
  • Inspect the DC jack and cable for looseness, wiggle the plug while watching LEDs; a loose jack or bad solder joint is common on older Inspirons.
  • Perform a full power reset: disconnect all power, remove the main battery (if feasible), hold the power button 15–30 seconds to discharge caps, then plug in AC only and try to start.
  • Check battery health in BIOS/OS and compare behavior with a known-good adapter or battery if available.
  • If tests point to the jack/charging board, replacing the DC-in assembly or having a tech inspect the onboard charging components is the next step. If unsure, a repair shop can quickly confirm with bench power.

As and suggested, start by isolating adapter/ battery differences; the steps above extend that approach to identify whether the fault is the adapter, jack, or on‑board charging circuitry. Use ESD precautions and professional service if not comfortable with internal repairs.

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Member Avatar for HoustonIT

What happens if you remove the battery and then try to shut down and start up on AC power? I wouldn't believe this to be as cmos battery issue since the problem isn't uniform across all configurations.

Member Avatar for zeroth

it sounds like the system battery has a problem...try with a battery known to work properly...

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