Nope, no ghosts involved. Your observed initially erratic behavior, replaced by seemingly a functional device, makes me think..
I'd say you have either some lightly corroded connections between internal parts; some electrolytic capacitors that have mostly dried out; or a combination.
Does your 2101 have the PPC-210 S/DISH DSP module? (for dual DSP operation)
I'll suggest you open up your 2101, pull and re-seat all internal connections, and replace all electrolytic capacitors.
Re-seat the base S/DISH DSP chip on the motherboard, and also re-seat the PPC-210 as well (if one is present).
And still measure that the Lithium battery is at least at 2.7 volts.
If you don't believe in these suggestions, try unsoldering a few capacitors at random places (write down which ones, location and value), measure them with a capacitance meter, and I bet you'll notice they'll be quite somewhat down in value.
If you do not have a cap meter, go to some electronics store or repair whatever or a HAM dude for this check.