I have a Lenovo IdeaPad S145-15API and a Dell Latitude 3460. I moved a SATA SSD into the Lenovo and installed the Lenovo's original 2.5-inch hard drive in the Dell. I backed everything up, shut both laptops down completely, disconnected their batteries, and used the Dell's separate drive-access panel without touching the motherboard.
The Dell worked normally for seven days while I restored backups, reinstalled Windows, updated the BIOS and drivers, and installed several applications. On the eighth day, after someone took it to another location, they reported that it was repeatedly shutting down during use. It then stopped powering on entirely. The charger's indicator works, the battery is new, and the laptop also fails to start with the battery removed and the charger connected.
My family believes the drive swap caused the failure. Could installing or replacing a 2.5-inch drive cause delayed shutdowns and a complete motherboard or power failure more than a week later, or are issues such as a damaged power-button board, overheating, transit damage, or a power fault more likely? What should I test next?
4 Answers
I wouldn’t call the drive swap physically impossible as a cause of every conceivable failure, but the evidence makes it a poor explanation. An incorrectly installed or shorted drive would usually cause an immediate boot or storage problem, not seven days of flawless operation followed by shutdowns. Also, malware or an operating-system issue might cause shutdowns, but it would not usually explain a laptop that now has no power response at all.
The drive swap is very unlikely to be responsible, especially since the Dell ran normally for a week afterward. A drive installation generally affects storage and the operating system, not the laptop’s main power circuitry. It also would not normally cause a delayed motherboard failure. The repeated shutdowns point more toward a power, thermal, or physical hardware problem, although timing alone cannot prove exactly what happened.
The power-button assembly is worth checking on this model. A damaged or stuck button, or a loose connector between the button board and motherboard, could explain shutdown behavior followed by an apparent no-power condition. Since the drive bay is separate from that area, the storage replacement would not be the first thing I would suspect.
Start with basic power troubleshooting: disconnect the battery and charger, hold the power button for 30–60 seconds, then try the charger alone. Check for charging or diagnostic LEDs, test with a known-good compatible charger if possible, and inspect the DC jack and internal connectors. If it still shows no response, the fault may be in the power-button board, charging circuit, or motherboard and will require hardware testing.
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