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I have a Dell Precision M6800 running Windows 10 that consistently crashes when starting on battery. It automatically logs in like I've set it to, shows a complete desktop for a few seconds, and then BSOD's every time with WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

It only does this when starting on battery. I can start on AC, let it log in, then unplug and use it until it's dead, including any amount of sleep/wake cycles. I just can't cold-boot on battery. So it's practically useless on a trip if I forget to start at home and then sleep.

I found this, the answers to which seem reasonable, but didn't help at all for my system:

  • Identical power settings for AC and battery
  • Disable the power manager

Windows Update found a "Cumulative Update for Windows 10" today...which didn't make any difference either.

I've set up a "clean boot" from here, and even that still crashes.

I've been in the BIOS settings too, and disabled everything I thought might be power-related. Still no luck.

After several failed starts, the OS offers some troubleshooting options, so I tried Safe Mode. That doesn't crash, but it also doesn't support the apps that I need. :-/

Any ideas what's going on?

AaronD
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1 Answers1

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The Dell M6800 is a fairly old system (Circa 2013/2014). The WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR you are getting is, apparently, a hardware error It is quite possible that the battery can't handle the burst of power needed from the dying battery and is shutting down.

Its fairly likely your battery is failing due to its age.

I'm hesitant to suggest getting a new battery, as there is no guarantee this will fix the problem - but it does seem somewhat likely. Do you know anyone that has a battery you can try to use to see if it works ? If not, you might want to investigate the condition of your battery and take a punt.

An extremely long shot might be to go into the BIOS and disable as much as possible - especially any settings to do with optimizing performance.

davidgo
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  • I've been in the BIOS settings too, and disabled everything I thought might be power-related. Still no luck. I hadn't thought about the battery being weak. I have an external battery ("slice") that plugs into the dock port, so I don't think the main battery has ever actually seen any real use. I could check that, but they are the same age, being bought new around the time that you mentioned. – AaronD Nov 24 '17 at 04:38
  • Well, that seems to fix it. Pull the external battery and cold-boot on the main alone. Time to re-enable stuff and see if it still works. – AaronD Nov 24 '17 at 04:47
  • Yep, that's what it was. Everything's enabled again, rebooted a bunch in different configurations, and that's the difference. Apparently the external battery that got used a lot is just worn out. Still plenty of capacity, but can't take a startup load. If I unplug it to force the internal battery that's practically never been used, it works. Then I can plug in the external for my extra runtime. – AaronD Nov 24 '17 at 05:29
  • May be worth considering checking out the cost of sorting your external battery... – Solar Mike Nov 24 '17 at 07:14