Laptop shows no sign of life....

Techie19 · 08-16-2008, 06:02 PM

I have a Gateway 200ARC laptop that does not want to turn on. It went from working fine to not powering on at all. I tried with just the AC adapter, and nothing. I tried with both battery and AC adapter together, and nothing. And I also tried with just the battery, and again nothing.

When I connect the AC Adapter to the laptop, the battery LED turns on to a solid "green" which according to the manual it means that the battery is ok. This is the only sign of any life, besides that, the laptop doesnt do nothing else. When I press the "on" button, nothing happens.

Now, even the battery is no good, from my understanding, the laptop should still be able to work with just the AC adapter.

I have researched and came accross a couple of sites that claim that this can be do to the DC jack being no good, or not making good contact with the motherboard. So I went ahead and carefully took the laptop completely apart down to the motherboard to check that the DC jack was infact making good contact, and from what I saw, it looks to be ok.

Can it be the motherboard itself?

I love this laptop cause its light-weight, and easy to work with. So I want to try to get it working again.

The specs are:

1.4GHz Intel processor
Windows XP Professional
1GB DDR RAM
Wi-Fi
60GB 4,200RPM IDE HD
The motherboard part number is BA41-00353A

According to Gateway tech support, from the symptoms it shows that the motherboard is dead. They want me to ship it to them and it would cost me a total of $300 to get repaired, but that its not 100% for sure that its the motherboard.

Now, if it is the motherboard, I can just buy ti myself, and fix it myself. I checked and it cost about $150 at a website I found. I just want to be almost sure that its infact the mobo before I buy it.

Please guys, any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

**TriggerFinger** · 08-17-2008, 01:32 AM

Yup it could be the motherboard but before you replace that, check the power board. It is the circuit board where the power ON switch and the LEDs are mounted.

Techie19 · 08-17-2008, 11:58 AM

How can I check the power board as you stated? And another thing, the power ON switch and the LEDs are not in the same place. The Power ON switch is on the top right hand side, and the LEDs are in the front center of the laptop. Does this mean that it has to power boards?

When I took the laptop apart, I noticed the there is a small board that houses the video S port, the DC power jack and an USB port. This board connects to the motherboard via pins.

The pic of the board is shown below. Is this the board you are talking about? and if so, How can I check it? The power ON button is located directly above this board on the case of the laptop.

Techie19 · 08-17-2008, 12:08 PM

Here is a pic of the front of the laptop. click on it to view larger image.

**TriggerFinger** · 08-17-2008, 12:29 PM

See attached file... power board should be below the RED dotted line

Techie19 · 08-17-2008, 12:37 PM

OK triggerfinger. Thanks for that. Now, how can I check if its working? Anything in specific I gotta do?

**TriggerFinger** · 08-17-2008, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Techie19

OK triggerfinger. Thanks for that. Now, how can I check if its working? Anything in specific I gotta do?

Well it depends how it is designed I guess. Me I use a multimeter but I have another that I did not have any idea on how to test so I brought it to a TV repair technician

(cheaper than a computer repair store). I just asked the TV tech to test the switches (of course I have already marked them I just need somebody electronically savvy to help me test if the switches are still working or not). You can check also with online stores like the ones in eBay if they have one for sale. These usually are priced reasonably... like cheap.

Usually the buttons are just an interface. These buttons are mounted on top of the actual switches. They have like a plastic thingy that pushes down clicking on the switch itself. Sometimes these become weak so try pushing the switch directly with something like a plastic toothpick. Use a plastic tool to prevent electric shock.

Techie19 · 08-17-2008, 01:02 PM

Thanks again triggerfinger. I'll try the TV repair tech first.

fishbowl · 08-17-2008, 05:01 PM

That happened to my HP. It wouldn't turn on at all. There weren't any lights, either.

I was told by multiple IT techs (Circuit City, Best Buy, HP, and two friends who work for different IT centers) that it was an issue with the motherboard. Apparently the solder point (?) on the motherboard can break, and it's a fairly common problem.

Techie19 · 08-17-2008, 06:08 PM

I think I'm gonna go ahead and get the motherboard for this laptop. I found it for $149 online. If anybody can find it cheaper please let me know.

The motherboard part number is: BA41-00353A

Thanks

08-16-2008, 06:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Techie19 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elizabeth, NJ Posts: 246 OS: XP Media Center SP3 My System	Laptop shows no sign of life.... I have a Gateway 200ARC laptop that does not want to turn on. It went from working fine to not powering on at all. I tried with just the AC adapter, and nothing. I tried with both battery and AC adapter together, and nothing. And I also tried with just the battery, and again nothing. When I connect the AC Adapter to the laptop, the battery LED turns on to a solid "green" which according to the manual it means that the battery is ok. This is the only sign of any life, besides that, the laptop doesnt do nothing else. When I press the "on" button, nothing happens. Now, even the battery is no good, from my understanding, the laptop should still be able to work with just the AC adapter. I have researched and came accross a couple of sites that claim that this can be do to the DC jack being no good, or not making good contact with the motherboard. So I went ahead and carefully took the laptop completely apart down to the motherboard to check that the DC jack was infact making good contact, and from what I saw, it looks to be ok. Can it be the motherboard itself? I love this laptop cause its light-weight, and easy to work with. So I want to try to get it working again. The specs are: 1.4GHz Intel processor Windows XP Professional 1GB DDR RAM Wi-Fi 60GB 4,200RPM IDE HD The motherboard part number is BA41-00353A According to Gateway tech support, from the symptoms it shows that the motherboard is dead. They want me to ship it to them and it would cost me a total of $300 to get repaired, but that its not 100% for sure that its the motherboard. Now, if it is the motherboard, I can just buy ti myself, and fix it myself. I checked and it cost about $150 at a website I found. I just want to be almost sure that its infact the mobo before I buy it. Please guys, any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Last edited by Techie19; 08-16-2008 at 06:06 PM. Reason: spelling error

08-17-2008, 01:32 AM	#2 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11,802 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: Laptop shows no sign of life.... Yup it could be the motherboard but before you replace that, check the power board. It is the circuit board where the power ON switch and the LEDs are mounted. __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE

08-17-2008, 12:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
Techie19 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elizabeth, NJ Posts: 246 OS: XP Media Center SP3 My System	Re: Laptop shows no sign of life.... OK triggerfinger. Thanks for that. Now, how can I check if its working? Anything in specific I gotta do?

08-17-2008, 01:02 PM	#8 (permalink)
Techie19 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elizabeth, NJ Posts: 246 OS: XP Media Center SP3 My System	Re: Laptop shows no sign of life.... Thanks again triggerfinger. I'll try the TV repair tech first.

08-17-2008, 05:01 PM	#9 (permalink)
fishbowl Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: USA Posts: 9 OS: Vista SP1	Re: Laptop shows no sign of life.... That happened to my HP. It wouldn't turn on at all. There weren't any lights, either. I was told by multiple IT techs (Circuit City, Best Buy, HP, and two friends who work for different IT centers) that it was an issue with the motherboard. Apparently the solder point (?) on the motherboard can break, and it's a fairly common problem.

08-17-2008, 06:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
Techie19 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elizabeth, NJ Posts: 246 OS: XP Media Center SP3 My System	Re: Laptop shows no sign of life.... I think I'm gonna go ahead and get the motherboard for this laptop. I found it for $149 online. If anybody can find it cheaper please let me know. The motherboard part number is: BA41-00353A Thanks