Gateway M-7301u laptop

grrretl4
grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User
edited March 2023 in 2017 Archives

Have a Gateway M-7301u laptop.
When the power button is pressed, the power button starts blinking, along with the status indicators for wireless, caps lock and num lock. The DVD drive and Hard drive status indicators do not come on or blink.

 

There is nothing on the screen, it is totally black.

 

Any ideas on what would cause this behavior?

 

Thanks for your help.

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    (1) WinVista or Win7? (2) Did this happen suddenly? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    Thanks for the reply.

    Running Vista Home Prem, it did happen suddenly.

     

    Have also noticed the fan is not spinning.

     

    When the power button is pushed, it blinks and blinks until the laptop is unplugged. The laptop cannot be turned off by continuously pressing the power button when the power adapter is connected.

     

    If there were an electrical short in the power button, would the fan work?

     

    The battery appears to be depleted, and the power button also blinks when the laptop is only depleted.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    >>> it did happen suddenly.>>>

     

    OK. Remove battery & power supply. Try re-seating memory modules a few times to clean contacts. Re-attach charger only, no battery. Report back with results. Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    Thank you for your suggestions, once again.

     

    Tried them, but the results are the same. No change in status.

     

    Darn!!

     

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    When you re-started the machine on charger only without the battery, did you hear any beeps? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    None whatsoever.

     

    Have not heard any beeps throughout this ordeal. Once the power button is pressesd, it is blink, blink and blink. Even after you disconnect the power adapter, it still blinks for a while, and the battery is out of the laptop.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    OK. Next we'll test each memory module and each slot.

     

    (1)  Remove the charger again. Then remove memory one memory module. Try to start the machine again on only one single memory module.

     

    (2) If it doesn't work, remove the charger again. Put the single memory module into the other slot. Re-try starting it again.

     

    If still no joy, do the same 2 tests as above with the other single memory module.

     

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    Thank you!

     

    Did exactly as instructed to  test each memory module and each slot.

     

    Same thing continues to happen.

     

    Man Frustrated

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    >>>The DVD drive and Hard drive status indicators do not come on or blink.>>>

    >>>The battery appears to be depleted>>>

     

    OK. Next, the voltage output of the charger's plug should be 18volts or more between the plug's inner pinhole and its outer cylindrical electrode. Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    Have no way of testing that, if that is what you want me to do.

     

    I did dismantle the laptop strip cover where the power button is, and cleaned it with compressed air, but, nothing new happened.

     

    Have used 3 adapters all which are Output: 19V 3.42A.

    One of them came with the laptop, another belongs to someone with the same laptop, and the third one is a replacement.

    Get the same results with all three.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    Try re-seating the HDD a few times to clean its contacts to the mainboard. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    Still in the same situation, no change.

     

    However, found a CD stuck in the laptop, not inside the CD player, but, outside, on the top surface of the CD player, between it and the keyboard.  Somebody had to use some force to get it there. Could this be the culprit? 

     

     

     

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    >>>Could this be the culprit?>>>

     

    The 'somebody' would be a more likely culprit than the 'disc'. 8^)

     

    I suppose banging away at a keyboard could've put undo stress on the mainboard (with the disc in between) till a vital component failed or loosened. At this point, if it were mine, I'd probably google "m-series" "disassembly" with the quotes for videos on how to take the machine apart. Then I'd probably proceed to re-seat every accessible ribbon cable connector and replaceable (unsoldered) component to, from, and on, the mainboard.

     

    Then, if it still didn't work, I'd suspect a cracked or loosened soldered mainboard component. At which point, I'd remove all the cables and unsoldered components. Then try to solder re-flow the mainboard by placing it on aluminum foil and baking it in a toaster oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

     

    Jack E/NJ       

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User

    Thanks, JackE.

     

    The laptop belongs to someone else, and I have disassembled it to the extent I can. However, placing it in the toaster oven is beyond me. Also, I have no strawberry preserve to serve it with.  Man Very Happy

     

    Found a similar Gateway that a friend is getting rid of. He is keeping the hard drive, but the machine is in good shape. The owner of the ailing machine has limited means, and I plan to take the HHD from the the sick machine to install Windows 7 Home Prem on it, and place it on the similar Gateway.

     

     

     

     

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    >>>The owner of the ailing machine has limited means, and I plan to take the HHD from the the sick machine to install Windows 7 Home Prem on it, and place it on the similar Gateway.>>>

     

    I agree. Seems like the way to go. But before you install Win7, you might want to check if the HDD has a hidden Gateway WinVista recovery partition. It should be visible using Disk Management. If present, WinVista might be recoverable if the similar gateway is similar enough to the sick gateway. The similar gateway might not function as well under Win7 unless updated drivers are available. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User
    Still working on this issue, and found a Motherboard for the ailing M-7301u Gateway laptop.

    Would appreciate very much your taking a look at it, and letting me know what is the white chip on the upper right corner and above the memory slots. It is connected by two cables to a USB port on the right side of the laptop.
    It is found at Walmart as: MB.WA506.002 Gateway M-7301u Laptop Motherboard
    Please look at top image.

    Thank you for your help.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,898 Trailblazer

    A USB controller should have at least one ribbon cable connecting it to the USB port. Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • grrretl4
    grrretl4 Member Posts: 10 New User
    Looked further, and it happens to be related to the Gateway M Series phone modem jack port. The USB port is above it, and all these parts can get confusing, at least for me.

    Thanks for your help, though.