Urgent Help Needed. Gateway Laptop Won't Boot

[Fern]

Specs:

1. Gateway Laptop

2. Model MD261U, it's about 15 months old

Symptoms:

It won't boot.

When the power button is pressed fan starts up, (indicator) lights come on (see below re: lights) for about 5 seconds, then shuts down. This cycle repeats until power button is held down to shut down completely.

No image on screen/display at all. No flicker, zip nada.

Indicator lights:

I noticed the battery light was solid red colour. According to manual this indicates a bad battery. I removed battery and tried just ac power. No difference, the same cycle as described above.

I notice that when try to start up the wireless network and bluetooth indictator lights will alternatively light up. But do NOT see the HDD indicator light come on at all. (No HDD indicator light at all during start up attempts strikes me as odd.)

Have tried to boot into safe mode (F8 key), no success.

Have tried to access BIOS (F2 and delete key), no success.

Link to online manual:

http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/MUWA200008_Ajax2_eRecovery_Ref_Gde_R1_web.pdf

TIA

Fern

 

[Jambone]

Well, I had this issue and practically took mine apart to no avail, in fact I actually ruined the whole thing LOL, I suggest sending it off to a qualified repair man who can replace the necessary parts, cause having taken a good look at it, there doesn't seem to be much as an end-user that you can do to fix it. I seem to recall someone saying it was to do with a dodgy solder coming loose, but I can't be use, since then I just ditched the laptop

 

[Fern]

Thanks,

Well, I'd give the soldering the shot. Maybe I'll google around more to see if i can find others with this problem and hopefully determine where that problem might be (mobo etc) . So far, all similar examples were at sites I had no access to.

Edit: In the meantime, I've removed the ram and HDD yet can't get a 'complaint' beep when trying to power up.

Fern

 

[razel]

How about simplifing? It'll help troubleshoot before taking the laptop apart. Remove the HDD... try to boot. It should stay at the 'cannon find OS' type message. Does it stay longer than 5 seconds?

You mentioned no screen, no nothing, can you try connecting to an external display?

Next try removing the optical drive, if any. Then try swapping RAM slots or running just one RAM.

 

[Fern]

How about simplifing? It'll help troubleshoot before taking the laptop apart. Remove the HDD... try to boot. It should stay at the 'cannon find OS' type message. Does it stay longer than 5 seconds?

You mentioned no screen, no nothing, can you try connecting to an external display?

Next try removing the optical drive, if any. Then try swapping RAM slots or running just one RAM.

Thanks,

yeah have now tried removing ram, trying one of the sticks at a time. Removed drives etc.

Still doing the same thing - lights flash on, cpu fan comes on for 4-5 seconds, then shuts down and repeats (endlessly).

But am getting no beep etc. Nor will mobo give warning about no ram. HDD never gets 'hit'.

Looks to me like it's failing to even complete the P.O.S.T. that far.

I think now I'd like to reset the CMOS. However, after looking several hours cannot find any instructions on that. Were this a desktop, no prob. However I cannot seem to see any jumper, nor can I see the CMOS battery.

Heck, I cannot even find any disassembly instructions for this model. Service manuals which should have this info cost too much.

I suppose maybe I'll just go ahead and see if I can it break it down enough to remove the CMOS battery. I've got an external HDD enclosure so I can transfer my data. Then I'm gonna get all 'Joseph Mengele' on this thing

Fern

 

[mbevolution]

lol just make sure you remember where all the pieces are.. i hate working with laptops, broke 2 of them cuz some pieces were stuck and eventually i was pissed off so i just ripped stuff apart and couldn't put them back together anymore

btw just out of curiosity, what did u do to break it? or did it just break itself for no apparent reason?

 

[razel]

I suppose maybe I'll just go ahead and see if I can it break it down enough to remove the CMOS battery. I've got an external HDD enclosure so I can transfer my data. Then I'm gonna get all 'Joseph Mengele' on this thing

A Mengele reference.... We must be both above the same age, you're a history buff, or loves black leather or all three. I hate taking apart laptops as well. I've taken apart 4 over 5 years. The older ones were easier and more forgiving to mistakes and you'd think that you'd get faster overtime, but the latest one I worked on, a beautiful HP HDX18 with tight gaps took me 5 hours from disassembly to power up just to upgrade a CPU and keep it looking good.

A tip, have lots of table or ground space to lay out the parts and screws. Have a digital camera ready to take pics of your disassembly if thing don't look easy and keep masking tape handy if you cannot layout the screws on the ground in the same pattern as you removed them... you know when you remove a back piece, put the screws back in the hole and masking tape over it so you don't forget which screw goes where. Best of luck.

 

[Elias824]

Sounds like your not posting at all, my guess is you fried the board and your gonna need a new one. If its still under warranty I wouldn't take it apart, though at 15 months old im guessing its not.