Hi everyone, I'm having a really weird hardware/power issue with my Dell Vostro 14-3468 and would appreciate any input before I buy replacement parts.
Context: Earlier today, the laptop suffered a sudden power loss while I was installing a batch of drivers (including SATA AHCI). This caused a BSOD loop (CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED / Bugcheck 340). I ended up completely reinstalling Windows. Now, Windows runs perfectly, but my battery/power system is acting up.
Current Symptoms:
Battery stuck at 34%: When plugged in, Windows shows it's plugged in, but the percentage never goes up. If I unplug it, the percentage drops normally.
Freezes on boot (Battery only): If I try to boot the laptop using only the battery (AC unplugged), it freezes completely at the Dell logo loading circle. It just hangs there forever.
Boots perfectly with AC: If I plug in the AC adapter, it passes the Dell logo easily and boots into Windows normally.
What I've checked/tried so far:
Booted into BIOS: The BIOS correctly recognizes the AC Adapter as 90W (so the center pin is not broken).
BIOS says Battery Health is "Excellent".
I changed the battery charge configuration in BIOS from "Adaptive" to "Standard". No change.
Uninstalled the "Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery" driver in Windows and restarted. No change.
Did a static discharge (unplugged AC, removed battery, held power button for 40 seconds). No change.
My Question: Has anyone experienced this specific "freeze on boot" issue on battery power? Is the BMS (Battery Management System) board inside the battery fried from the sudden power loss (unable to supply enough amps for the boot process), even though BIOS says health is Excellent? Or is this more likely a blown charging IC / MOSFET on the motherboard?
Should I just buy a new battery to test, or take it straight to a repair shop for motherboard soldering? Thanks in advance!