The Dell Latitude 3450 fails to power on despite repeated random restarts and blue screen occurrences.
The Dell Latitude 3450 fails to power on despite repeated random restarts and blue screen occurrences.
I acquired a Latitude 3450 roughly 3 to 5 years ago. It initially failed due to overheating from a faulty battery. The device came from an old business disposing of outdated laptops, so it wasn't purchased new. It remained inactive for about three to four years until I replaced the battery and restored functionality. However, it then restarted unexpectedly. After several restarts and encountering BSoDs, the system triggered a DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error (stopped working at that point), followed by MACHINE_CHECK_EXECPTION warning stating automatic restart was expected but didn't occur. I restarted it, only for it to freeze during the "Getting Windows ready" prompt. I left it on for about ten minutes before powering it off.
I attempted to replace the RAM with various compatible modules, but it wouldn’t power up. I suspect the battery is still functional (since it just arrived), though I’m not certain. My charger and hard drive appear intact. The RAM worked previously, so it’s likely a hardware issue. The power button light stays illuminated when pressed, then turns off when released, while the battery icon remains active but the battery symbol icon doesn’t activate.
I learned from experience that my old battery is indeed working (see image 2), but it still won’t boot. I’m considering testing it again as a last option. I also tried using only the charger, but it didn’t start either. If you’d like more details about what I was doing at the time, feel free to ask in the comments.
The issue stemmed from a gradual accumulation and an RTC power loss, which should be resolved.