Inspiron 14 3420 Cannot Turn on When Battery is Low

The computer does not turn on, and the LED stays amber while connected to the AC adapter power. The issue occurs when the battery capacity is under 7%.

Affected Platform:

• Inspiron 14 3420

This is Qualcomm common design to turn on the computer only when the battery capacity is above or equal to 7%.

1. Connect the AC power. The LED stays amber if the battery capacity is under 7% with charging mode.
2. Connect the AC power and wait until the LED stays white (>7%). Battery Capacity is under 7% if the adapter is plugged.
   
   Figure.1 How the LED behavior changes

Workaround:

1. Connect the battery and ensure that the battery capacity is above 7% during start-up.
2. Change Low Battery Level, Critical Battery Level, and Reserve Battery Level to prevent this issue from occurring.
   1. Open Control Panel. View by small icons and select Power Options (Figure 2).
      
      Figure 2. View by small icons and select Power Options
   2. Click Change when the computer sleeps (Figure 3).
      
      Figure 3. Click Change when the computer sleeps
   3. Click Change advanced power settings (Figure 4).
      
      Figure 4. Click Change advanced power settings
   4. Adjust Low Battery Level to 12%, Critical Battery Level to 8%, Reserve Battery Level to 10%. Click Apply and OK (Figure 5).
      
      Figure 5. Adjust Battery Levels