Advice, please....

I have a 1996 Altima. At the moment, it's dead in a parking lot. My girlfriend drove it yesterday to the park for a walk and when she came back about an hour later, the car would not start. I walked over there to see what I could see and left confused. When I turn the key in the ignition, nothing happens. No clicking noise, the car does not attempt to turn over, nothing. Furthermore, nothing works. No lights come on, the automatic doors and windows will not work, etc, which leaves me to believe that no power at all is being drawn from the battery.

No lights were on on the dashboard while she was driving it and I didn't notice anything when I last drove it Friday night either. The battery is only about a year and a half old, we just had the alternator replaced about six months ago, and it was just in the shop about a month ago for a tune up.

My first thought is that the battery is just dead. I can jump start it, or if that doesn't work, simply get a new battery and replace it myself. However, because I don't have a lot of money, I don't want to buy and replace the battery if that's not what it really needs. For some reason, the idea that it could be the starter is lingering in my head.

If you have any ideas as to what could be wrong, I would be very appreciative. I've tried searching the forum and didn't really come up with anything. I tried searching the internet at large but most of the stuff I found didn't quite match the situation I'm in. And I've tried calling friends but they are all as amateur as I am about all of this. So thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me.

Check all of the battery connections for corrosion, you may not need a battery. If it still will not start remove the battery and carry it to a Auto Zone or Advance auto, they will check it for free. Good luck.