Amihisss

Hello all,

I've been having a reoccuring problem with my year and a half old Gateway laptop. (I got it sometime in May 07.)

The damned thing's been going through power cords as fast as House pops painkillers! It's gone through three power cords in the past six months!

It had it's own fully functional one for a year, but a minute tear caused that one to stop working completely; then a bought a Universal cord from Best Buy which worked swimmingly for, oh, about four months - but it had this problem of, whenever it wasn't in a -just right- positioning, it would stop feeding my computer power until it FINALLY died.

Then, about a month and a half ago, I bought a new power cord that worked beautifully for the first few weeks, but it was starting to have the same problems that my old one did, and so now I'm begining to question whether or not it's my actual power cord, or the power modual.

Now, the laptop, when connected, will just kind of sputter a bit, the little purple light will flash a few times, wink in and out, then it just totally died about two hours ago. Though I have a very small percentage of power left.

I'm absolutely petrified that it's something internally wrong with my laptop; if it is, I really don't have the funds to pay for it. : / And I'm too chicken to open it up and take a peek for myself; I don't know my way around the hardware of a notebook, or a desktop for that matter.

Please, any advice or help AT ALL would be VERY much appreciated!! This has been my baby for quite a long time, and I don't want to loose it!

dai

stick to genuine replacements

Amihisss

As in, order a new power cord from gateway? But, what if the same problem resurfaces? I don't want to sped money I don't have on a power cord that's only going to work for a few months then die because thee's a chance it might be internal? (I'm pretty much pulling this all out of my ***. I have NO IDEA how a destop/notebooks hardware works.)

sobeit

are you using surge protectors? If not, then you need to get one.

Amihisss

Again, no knowledge. Pray tell, what is a a surge protector? (I feel so stupid right now. XD)

sobeit

a picture of one is a better way to describe one.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10250447
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10231683

There are surge protectors and there are power strips and they look the same. If you get one, make sure the packaging says surge protector.

Amihisss

Alright... I'm taking my laptop to Best Buy after school to see what the real problem might be, because, again, no money. But thank you sobeit - I'll ask about 'em and I'll buy one. :3

sobeit

something to consider, if surges are the problem with your power cord, it could also be doing damage to your laptop.

Its a pay me now or pay me later situation and if you cannot afford a surge protector, ask yourself, can you afford a new laptop when the surges finally take their toll on it whether it be next week or a few months down the line?

Unfortunately with todays digital technology, everything needs surge protectors. Its a hidden cost that you dont know about until something happens or you had a good sales clerk who will mention it (though they will mention it for the sale)