Nah...I wasn't suggesting the root cause to be a power drain. Just from personal experience with laptops/netbooks....where they were stuck in a loop like that, no matter the type of loop, that trick has worked for me every time. I don't know why or for what reason but removing the battery for 5 minutes seems to clear the loop. I've had it work for the repair loop and a update loop.
It's actually a standard troubleshooting procedure when a PC is somehow stuck. You need to power drain it to refresh the "memory" and get past the error.
Here's is the exact procedure sent to me by Acer Tech support (but this is for desktop PC, should be the same for laptops):
1.Turn off computer and unplug power cord.
2.Disconnect everything except monitor, mouse and keyboard.
3.Press power button and hold for 30 seconds.
4.Plug power cord back into computer and press power button.
5.Check front panel LEDs (lights) on bezel (front face) or optical drives and listen for power supply fan.
6.If LEDs are on or power supply fan starts spinning, watch for boot screen on monitor.
7.If computer begins to start, turn it off.
8.Reconnect any external devices.
9.Press the power button and make sure the computer starts.
Cheers!