Member Avatar for sdleikam

My wife has an older Gateway 600 YGR laptop. When the power button is pushed, the lights will momentarily flash and the fan runs continuously, but the laptop does not boot up. Upon checking the heat sink posts ( which were broken), I noticed that the CPU socket would move if you wiggled it a little. Does anyone know if this socket should be re soldered? I am going to repair the screw post as per the recommendations given in other threads, but I am not sure if the socket can be re soldered or if this is what is causing the problem.. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks

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Given ’s followups (CPU locked, heatsink-posts repaired but the machine still powers the fan and only briefly spins the drive with no display), here is a focused diagnostic flow and realistic repair guidance that fills the gaps in the thread and complements ’s caution about special tools.

Start with elimination tests you can do without soldering or special gear:

  • Remove battery, unplug AC, hold the power button 30 seconds, then try booting on AC only.
  • Remove the hard drive and any optical/media devices and try to power on (a blank HDD should not prevent POST).
  • Reseat and test RAM modules one at a time and try all slots; a bad or unseated DIMM commonly causes no‑POST.
  • Attach an external monitor (or watch for LED/beep codes) to rule out an LCD/cable problem. Note any keyboard LED blink patterns or beeps for POST diagnostics.

If those steps don’t produce POST, inspect the area around the CPU socket and the repaired heatsink posts under good light or a magnifier. A socket that moves usually means cracked solder joints, torn pads, or fractured PCB where the posts bear stress. Those faults will often stop a board from reaching POST. Reflowing or re‑soldering a socket and repairing lifted pads requires hot‑air/rework stations, socket replacement parts, and board‑level skill; hobbyist soldering irons and epoxy are poor substitutes and can make damage permanent.

Practical next steps: if confident with board‑level repair and having the right gear, consult a repair shop for a micro‑solder quote (ask them to show the before/after photos of the solder joints). If professional repair is too costly, sourcing a donor Gateway 600/YGR motherboard or a compatible used board is usually the most economical option. The lid switch fault mentioned earlier is unlikely to cause a complete no‑POST condition. Mentioning ’s similar motherboard/socket question highlights this is a common, often board-level issue rather than a simple part swap.

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Member Avatar for cguan_77

hi, have you checked whether the cpu socket is properly locked...maybe the lock on the socket is just loosen...don't know what type of socket you're using..
but if you're certain that the cpu socket from the mobo is the one having trouble...then it's quite difficult..you need special tools to do it..tools that are used in the production line..

Member Avatar for sdleikam

hi, have you checked whether the cpu socket is properly locked...maybe the lock on the socket is just loosen...don't know what type of socket you're using..
but if you're certain that the cpu socket from the mobo is the one having trouble...then it's quite difficult..you need special tools to do it..tools that are used in the production line..

I checked the socket and made sure the cpu was locked down (that was the problem). I fixed the posts for the heat sink per others recommendations, but to no avail. I have tested the HD in another computer and it is okay. When I turn the laptop on, the fan runs and I can hear the HD start to run, but quits. The monitor won't come on at all and the fan continues to run at full speed until I turn it off. Also, the switch that puts the laptop into sleep mode, when you shut the lid, is broke, but that should not affect the operation of the computer.

Member Avatar for cguan_77

it could be that your processor is overheating or either faulty....is your processor still using thermal compound? if its still using maybe try to put some and plug-in an external monitor check whether you can have a display or not..

Member Avatar for real4

hi i have an emx- mcp61p-avl motherboard type but the cpu socket in it is borken. can i possibly fix it?

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