All machines and electronic devices are a whole complex system made up of lots and lots of smaller parts that interact with each other making the whole thing work. Some components are more important than others, but they all have their specific role in the perfect functioning of the whole device. That is exactly the case with laptops, too. So the moment one such component gets damaged the whole system colapses and does not work. And that’s when you have to look for the symptoms and put a diagnosis just like a doctor would do. I mean if you are really good with computers and stuff, because otherwise the best thing to do is take your laptop and go to a repair shop and have it fixed by a specialist.
Well, laptops are only machines and they can have lots of problems and malfunctions, that it is impossible to know them all and how to repair all the possible troubleshooting. That is why the internet was invented and the forums talking about all these problems. Go on one of these discussion forums about laptop problems and ask around and I guarantee you that somebody will give you the right answer. Another possibility is to call the people from Gateway that are in charge with assistance and support and explain to them what happened and they will fix the problem eventually.
One of the many problems a Gateway laptop can have is not to start booting or entering Windows or other operating system but the hard drive is still running. Well, just like a doctor, you have to start looking for symptoms and try to eliminate one possibility after another after a thorough checking. First of all you should try and see if the monitor is fine and functioning. You can do that by either holding a lit flashlight in front of it or trying to start the laptop with an external monitor.
If the external monitor shows image, it’s the screen. If not, check again for further information. Open and close the laptop lid for a few times consecutively to see if it’s not just a loose connection between the screen and the laptop. If nothing happens go deeper into the problem. Try to reposition the memory cards and the graphic cards because this problem can be caused by one such card jumping out of its slot when you shake your laptop by mistake or move it a bit more violently. Turn on the laptop again and if the problem persists, that it’s most likely a fried up motherboard. But there’s one more step until you can be sure of it.
If your Gateway laptop won’t start but the hard drive is running and you want to be sure it’s a broken motherboard, then just remove all the possible drives: the hard drive, the RAM, the CD ROM or DVD ROM and then hit the power button. If you can hear a beep code saying that if would work if it had any RAM, than your laptop’s motherboard is functioning just fine and try to look for another explanation from the above mentioned or just go to a specialist. If there’s no sound at all, then you should try to buy a new motherboard and replace the fried one. Search the Google for a tutorial if you want to do this yourself and you don’t know how.