Yes it seems to happen when the battery hasn't been used for some time on PB 1x0 machines, and usually a good way to get a cheap Mac as it refuses to turn on unless the battery is pulled
When the is Mac turned off, if you plug in the battery and let it charge for a while, then power on, it'll probably chime but quickly switch off. Keep repeating this (charge for ~ 1 hour, try turning on, pull battery in/out), and it should be happy to run with the battery installed.See it it charges, and then run Battery Amnesia utility to cycle it - some I've had good success with (getting ~ 45 minutes after a few cycles), others not so (refusing to charge, or going for a while then refusing to charge back).
JB