Aargh!! Stupid laptop might be dead... any ideas??

We bought a Gateway laptop a year and a half ago in the US. About 2-3 months after that (and we'd been in the UK), the power cord died. We did phone Gateway who were going to send a new one (still under warranty) but we ended up buying one here as it was the faster option.

4-6 months later, again, the power cord dies. After chatting with the neighbor (an electrician), we wonder if it's a problem because we are the first house next to an electricity sub-station. Unless we bought made in the UK lightbulbs, they would blow within weeks, our microwave went, and, of course, the power cords. We buy a 'better' power cord and just before we move to Cumbria, it starts to act up.

6 weeks later we think that one has now died. So we take the laptop to the shop wondering if it's something internal. They disect it, get a sparky to look at it. No clue. The power cord is actually ok, but you can't get the laptop to start now. There is no internal evidence of electrical damage at the power point or on the motherboard.

Anyone have any other ideas before we are forced to go buy another laptop??? We so cannot afford this right now. 

A few questions for you...

1. Does it start on battery power?

2. If you remove the battery and plug it in, does it start?

3. When you say it doesn't start, what do you mean exactly? Do any lights come on, or is it just completely dead?

4. What are the specs of the computer (model, processor, etc.)?

A few questions for you...

1. Does it start on battery power?

2. If you remove the battery and plug it in, does it start?

3. When you say it doesn't start, what do you mean exactly? Do any lights come on, or is it just completely dead?

4. What are the specs of the computer (model, processor, etc.)?

1. Yes. But I only have 3 minutes power left on the battery so can't try this anymore.

2. I don't know how to remove the battery!

3. It won't start off the mains electric. I was getting lights but now, with the battery almost dead, I'm not sure how long it will do that.

4. Gateway ML 30 512/80 Turion (is that what you need?)

Any help you can provide would be hugely appreciated!! Thanks!

If it's able to start on battery power, it shouldn't be too big of a problem to fix.

I Googled the model you gave and couldn't find anything. Can you get a link from the Gateway site or something for the exact computer you have? (So I can get a picture of it to walk you through a few other tests.)

Also, do you tend to use it as a mobile laptop (on battery power) or as a desktop machine (plugged into the mains power)?

If it's able to start on battery power, it shouldn't be too big of a problem to fix.

I Googled the model you gave and couldn't find anything. Can you get a link from the Gateway site or something for the exact computer you have? (So I can get a picture of it to walk you through a few other tests.)

Also, do you tend to use it as a mobile laptop (on battery power) or as a desktop machine (plugged into the mains power)?

Sorry, model is MX6433. The battery never lasts more than 2 hours so I tend to plug it in as often as possible.

First thing to check is what happens when you try to power it without the battery installed. Unplug it and flip it over. There should be two little latch things next to the battery (which is at the back of the computer), move them both to unlocked and slide the battery out. (In the picture below, A is the battery, and B &C are the latches.)



Now, plug the AC adaptor into the computer as normal, connect it to the mains power, and see if anything happens when you try to start it up.

I've had power problems with both of my laptops, and have gone through all the tests with them. One was a loose connection, the other was a faulty battery. Both are simple fixes that cost way less than a new laptop.

OK, finally got to do this - sorry it took so long. Toddler under-foot all day!

Nothing happens at all when I try to power it up with no battery in it. No light, nothing at all.

When you say that the power cords are dying, do you actually mean just the cord itself, or the complete power supply?   Over-voltage wouldn't affect the cord, at least not until it was so high that it blew the laptop apart anyway!

I don't know how much your neighbor explained about the supply situation, but the utility company has a statutory duty to maintain the voltage between set maximum and minimum voltage limits (currently 216.2 to 253 volts).    If you are next door to a sub-station in some areas your supply can tend to average nearer the top end of that range.   What often happens is that originally your supply may well have averaged 240V or thereabouts, but as the area has grown and loads during peak times have increased the utility has stepped up the voltage a little in order to avoid it dropping too low at the distant end of the cables from the sub-station, so anyone living close to it can see their voltage increase to nearer 250V during periods of low load. 

That in itself shouldn't affect the laptop supply, since the supply should have been designed with this tolerance in mind.  Unfortunately, some of the imported units do have a tendency to object a little if run constantly at the higher end of the allowable range. 

If the voltage is always maintained below the 253V official maximum you have no come-back, but if it often exceeds this level then you can complain to the power company and they have a statutory duty to investigate and correct it.   No doubt your sparky neighbor would be able to keep an eye on the voltage for you to see if it frequently rises too high during low-load periods. 

When you say that the power cords are dying, do you actually mean just the cord itself, or the complete power supply?   low-load periods. 

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The cord didn't work anymore. What part of it exactly, I don't know. One tech at PC World though there was some melting on the last one we replaced - but I should stress that he also said we didn't have a very good cord and we did buy a better one this time. I know from the bloke at the shop we took the laptop to yesterday that the cord we now have is apparently ok. Hence the new issues with the laptop itself.

As for the issue about upper levels of voltage, yes, our neighbor did explain all that. The power company is well aware of it. But it's a non-issue now as we've moved.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The cord didn't work anymore.

I was just trying to be sure it was actually just a cord and not a power supply unit, i.e. a separate little box located somewhere between the wall outlet and the laptop or one of those "wall wart" units where the power supply electronics are in a big plastic box into which the plug is molded.

Assuming just a plain cord, if there were signs of melting then something was definitely overheating.  I'm guessing it might have been the end which plugs into the power supply unit? 

I was just trying to be sure it was actually just a cord and not a power supply unit, i.e. a separate little box located somewhere between the wall outlet and the laptop or one of those "wall wart" units where the power supply electronics are in a big plastic box into which the plug is molded.

Assuming just a plain cord, if there were signs of melting then something was definitely overheating.  I'm guessing it might have been the end which plugs into the power supply unit? 

As far as I am aware, all laptop cords have a 'box' of some sort between the mains and the computer itself? Every one I've every had has. It's the bit that also does the conversion when you travel I think?

Anyway, the 'melting' if it was indeed that, was actually at the bit that went into the laptop. Where the thin cable part meets the adaptor bit that actually goes into the computer. But again, we're pretty sure that was a rather bad cord and that it isn't happening to this one. I hope.

As far as I am aware, all laptop cords have a 'box' of some sort between the mains and the computer itself? Every one I've every had has. It's the bit that also does the conversion when you travel I think?

Yes, it's the charger/power supply which converts the 120 or 240V power down to whatever specific level is needed by the particular laptop. 

I was just trying to clarify exactly which part was the problem, since technically a cord does not include that power unit, but I realize that a lot of non-techie people might use cord to mean the entire cord/charger assembly, especially if it's a type where the input and output cords are permanently wired rather than being detachable from it.

Anyhow.....   

Anyway, the 'melting' if it was indeed that, was actually at the bit that went into the laptop.

Ah, could be poor contact at the connector which can result in heating.  It might be caused by something inside the laptop resulting in heat being conducted back out though.  I'd keep an eye on it when charging to make sure it's not still overheating.

Did a bit of looking around and apparently power supply problems are a well-known issue on Gateway laptops (as they are on older Compaq ones).

I'd guess the same as Paul, that the problem is inside the laptop and the heat was from that, which is why the better cord hasn't melted.

Most of the time, it seems that the problem is the connection is weak, begins to move out of place, and eventually stops working. The repair for it is very simple (I did it on my Compaq) and involves opening it up, putting in a new power connector bit, and soldering it on in the right place.

One of the tell-tale signs for this kind of problem is that the laptop will charge if you wiggle the cord or pull it to the side a bit. Basically, it won't make the proper connection in the normal position, but if you move stuff around to suit where things have moved to it works (sorta).

If it's only been a year and a half since you bought it, and it's been a problem from the start, you should lodge a complaint with Gateway. (Though, from what I read, I'd be wary about sending it to them for repairs... there were more than a few horror stories where for a power supply issue, Gateway replaced peoples hard drives with smaller, cheaper units and didn't even tell them.) That might get the cost covered.

If you take the laptop to a local tech person, tell them to check the power supply connections inside the laptop. It's usually pretty easy to find (it's just the other side of the place you plug the cord into). They might need to order the connection piece (for the  Compaq, it cost me about 50 cents for the piece and another $1.50 for shipping), and the labour involved should be under an hour.

There was talk of some sort of class action against Gateway for the problem, but I don't know where that stands right now.

Hope this helps!

Hey, thanks so much.

We took it to a local shop as I mentioned above. But I'm not convinced they really did much. There's another shop we can try in Penrith so I think they will be our next place to try.

*fingers crossed!!*

One of the tell-tale signs for this kind of problem is that the laptop will charge if you wiggle the cord or pull it to the side a bit. Basically, it won't make the proper connection in the normal position, but if you move stuff around to suit where things have moved to it works (sorta).

A common problem on a lot of modern electronic equipment is that the soldered joints to the printed-circuit board are the only thing which is physically holding the socket in place, which means that they are placed under stress every time you insert or remove the plug, and eventually the joints start to fail.

It's cheap, shoddy construction, but it saves the manufacturer a penny per unit or something equally silly compared to designing it properly and having connectors securely mounted to a chassis or the case.