I know someone here can explain this. Replace the PRAM battery because I was losing settings. The problem was not solved so maybe I just got a bad replacement battery. In the past I have on occasion had to reset the PMU to reboot the computer. Yesterday after some updates which required a restart, the computer shut down. I couldn't reboot it past the display engagement, and it would just shut down. PMU reset no joy.
I read some guy's Mac would not boot with a battery in place but would if the battery was removed. I said what the hell and removed the battery. Booted right up. Do I have a bad battery holder or connection? I'll test the battery today.