When there is something wrong with your Gateway laptop and you are not so sure what exactly happens, first read the technical book of your laptop provided by the laptop producer. If you can’t find it or you misplaced it somehow or you simply did not get it when you purchased your laptop, you can find it on the official website of Gateway, www.gateway.com. All you have to do is know exactly your laptop’s model and number and search it there and you will find a section with FAQ and common troubleshooting. So check this first when you don’t know what cause your Gateway laptop’s malfunction.
For example if your Gateway laptop power light is blinking, it does not necessarily mean it is broken. Some Gateway models have this feature and when the battery is running low, the red light is blinking. If you are trying to start the laptop at this moment it won’t because it does not have the necessary power to do that if it is not connected to an adaper at the same time. If the battery is charging, the yellow light will be blinking, but you will be able to start your laptop thanks to the adapter being plugged in. If the battery is almost completely charged the blinking light will be green. But this is the fortunate case when you can use your laptop can be operated, but the bliking lights only announce you the level of the battery.
However, there are some other situations when the blinking light does not stop and the laptop does not start. Some experts who own a laptop repair shop say that most of the times this signals the fact that a part of the motherboard is toasted and it needs to be replaced. So check out if this is really the problem and then buy a new motherboard compatible with your laptop model from Ebay or another similar website.
Never ever purchase a laptop component unless you are totally certain of the problem causing the malfunction. Borrow a compatible motherboard from a friend and see if your laptop works with it and this way you can be sure this is the problem. But if your laptop does not work with this one either then start looking for another cause.
There is one more possibility that cause your Gateway laptop to show the power light blinking and not start. This happens when your laptop’s battery is almost dead and no adapter in the world can charge it. It does happen pretty often, as batteries are recharged very frequently, sometimes even twice or three times a day , so they will get damaged after a few years.
You must do a very simple procedure and try to turn on the laptop after you have removed the battery and you only have the adapter connected. If your laptop works now, you already know what to do: buy a new battery. They are not very expensive and if you do that and your laptop is an older model, you can even buy an improved version that will last longer than the original one.
But if nothing I said seems to tell you the exact diagnosis of your laptop and you still can’t use it, go to a specialist or call the Gateway support number, as they may be able to help you identify the problem.