I have a Gateway Laptop MT3423 (I have had nothing but trouble since I bought it 2+ years ago). It shut down on me and then I was not able to turn it back on. I have tried the trick where you remove the battery and unplug, hold the power button down for 30 sec and then plug it back and and turn it back on. That worked about 3 times. When I try to turn it on, the lights start up like it is going to boot and then the lights fade (you can see them very dimly) and then nothing happens. The monitor doesn't even flicker. Any advice? The warranty is up also.

Sounds like a power problem. Inspect the motherboard under a magnifying glass. look for any bad solder joints, especially around the battery plug area and the power jack area. It sounds like a connection is failing under load. If you fins abad solder joint, then repair it.

i hve a mt3422 with the exact same problem.the hard drive light comes on for a second then goes off but not a flicker on the screen.after a month of turning it on an off i got it to come on mysteriously,kept it on for a day turning it on and off worked fine.but when i turned it off and closed the cover then opened it up it wouldnt work again.the power lights stay on but no moniter.

One side of the DC circuit is failing. If it is a MA2 or MA3 it is most likely a MOSFET on the front end, (4814/4816/4916). Also check with a charged and known good battery