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Windows not booting after replacing CMOS battery. (Precision T3500)
Hello all,
I understand that there is an existing thread very similar to this, but I will try to go into as much depth as possible about my issue to make it easier to diagnose the cause of the problem.
So a few days ago I started getting the following message at boot; ' alert ! system battery voltage low'. At first I ignored it but it (obviously) showed this error each time I booted the pc. That day, I removed the CMOS battery and replaced it with a pre-used but still working battery. It was definitely the right type. I then booted the pc and still got the same alert as well as a 'previous processor thermal failure'. I restarted the PC a few times and reset and the bios settings, but it would always end up blue-screening (the error code was 'INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE'). A couple of days later, I bought a brand new battery. This time I waited 15 minutes before inserting the new battery (after removing the old battery). I still have the same issue. I've went through all BIOS settings, but I'm pretty inexperienced with computers so I was unsure of what exactly I needed to change, or whether it was a BIOS problem at all. There's also a possibility I could've damaged something while removing the battery, but its unlikely as I was very careful when doing this.
If you require, I can send a list of hardware specs. Please ask any questions if you needed.
Thanks
bradthetechnut
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September 17th, 2020 10:00
Thank you for posting the photos, that definitely helps. I have the light blue BIOS also, but it's somewhat custom to the PC.
In your photo showing SATA Operation, switch it to Raid Autodetect / ACHI. If by chance that doesn't work, try the option ending in "ATA."
You said SSD is your boot drive, so I take it you don't have RAID. If your not familiar, RAID groups together 2 or more HDD's/SSD's as one.
It looks like A17 is the latest BIOS for your PC.
bradthetechnut
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September 16th, 2020 19:00
BIOS > General > Boot Sequence > Boot List Options Then change mode to UEFI if it's on Legacy.. Or it could be the opposite. Of you pick the wrong one, it won't break the PC. It just simply won't boot.
If an HDD was loaded in Legacy mode, it won't boot with BIOS in UEFI mode, and vice-versa.
The last time I changed batteries on my PC, it did the same thing, no boot device found. The BIOS had switched itself to Legacy from UEFI.
Please let me/us know if this works or not, as there's still more options.
DELL-Cares
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September 17th, 2020 05:00
We tried reaching you on a private message but did not receive a response. Please feel free to reply to the private message whenever you are available.
chapig_396
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September 17th, 2020 10:00
Thanks for your reply.
Does the BIOS version matter here, as I tried the steps you suggested but I couldn't find any boot mode options or anything to do with UEFI/Legacy boot modes in the BIOS. The BIOS on my pc is A17.
I was also wondering if I should change the SATA operation to AHCI.
*The solid drive is my boot drive
chapig_396
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September 17th, 2020 12:00
Thank you very much!
Changing the SATA operation to AHCI sorted the issue, you're a life saver!
bradthetechnut
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September 17th, 2020 12:00
You're welcome! And thanks for the compliment. I'm glad it worked out!
Alex C
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August 12th, 2021 08:00
Thank you so much for this thread, I've joined up here SPECIFICALLY to say thanks for this!!! I've got an old Dell Optiplex 780 SFF that I use as the 'guts' of a bartop arcade cabinet. I got the message about the CMOS battery being low on voltageand after I'd changed it I could no longer boot to Windows and start-up repair could find no solution. I thought I was going to have to get a new PC, but changing the SATA operation to RAID autodetect/AHCI in the BIOS got it working again. You are an absolute bloody legend!