Batteries and Power

[#1]

I have a client's PC here...the AC power light glows when you attach the AC adapter, and the battery light will glow as well, and eventually change (over the course of an hour or more) from amber to Blue indicating the battery is charging. When you press the power button, the power light flashes blue for a moment, then all lights go out. Pressing the button again after this does NOT make any lights go on or off.  To get the AC Power light to glow again requires unplugging the AC Adapter AND the battery for about 10 seconds, and then when replugged, it will glow again.

We replaced the motherboard assuming it had suffered a static shock, but the new board does the exact same behavior.  I have checked the DC-In Jack, and it's both solid, and well mounted, so it's not a loose power jack (this has the jack on a pigtail that plugs into the motherboard). The fact that it charges the Battery charges, as tested on an identical unit, so we know the battery was discharged, and then takes a good charge, means it's getting proper DC power.

I've disconnected both the Wireless LAN AND Modem, and swapped RAM with a sister unit, and still no power.  Any suggestions would be very helpful.  I'm suspecting a bad CMOS battery at this point, but I can't find any identifiers on the one from the old motherboard that tells me what it is to get a replacement.

Help!  I'm pulling out what remaining hair I have.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

I was just searching around the site, and stumbled upon a post in the General category that led me to test if the machine booted without the DVD-Burner connected.  IT DOES!  RELIABLY!!!  So it must be a bad DVD drive shorting the entire system.  I just need to swap that drive with it's sister to see if it boots with any drive in the bay.  If so, a simple purchase of a DVD Burner for this and it's resolved.

Hope this helps someone else. (btw...removing the DVD burner requires one screw on this model, labeled F5. It's marked on the bottom of the machine, and does NOT require opening the case. Remove the screw, then gently pull the entire drive out of the machine.)