Member Avatar for nikkisboricua

Hi everyone,

I received a nonworking laptop from a friend. She told me it stopped working and gave it to me just in case i got it working, i could keep it. When you hit the power button the power light turns on and it tries to read from the floppy drive. The monitor doesn't come on or respond and I plugged a CRT monitor into it and still received no signal. I called gateway technical support and they told me my laptop was dead and i needed to get it rebuilt. I opened it up and made sure all of the plugs were in and then closed it back up and then tried to get some kind of response from the laptop. It still didn't work. PLEASE HELP ME TO REVIVE THIS PC ASAP.

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Dani AI

Generated

Symptom summary from the thread: the power LED comes on and the floppy spins but neither the internal LCD nor an attached CRT show any signal. That combination usually narrows the fault to the display/graphics path or a motherboard-level problem rather than the external power source. ’s note about the video circuitry being integrated is consistent with that possibility, but several low-cost tests will help isolate the exact subsystem before deciding on a replacement board or a rebuild.

The following diagnostic checklist helps separate LCD/backlight, cabling, memory and motherboard faults:

  • Disconnect AC and main battery, press and hold the power button for ~30 seconds to discharge residual power, then try booting with AC only.
  • With the laptop powered, shine a strong flashlight at an angle across the LCD; a faint BIOS/POST image indicates an inverter or backlight failure (backlight/inverter replacement is much cheaper than a full motherboard).
  • Attach the CRT, verify the VGA cable is secure and the CRT input is correct, then use the display-toggle key (the Fn key with a monitor icon) while powering on; note that external VGA often depends on the laptop’s internal video being alive.
  • Reseat or swap RAM modules and try booting with one module removed; many laptops give POST beep codes when memory is missing — those beeps help narrow the fault.
  • Open the case for a visual check: reseat the LCD ribbon at the hinge, look for cracked solder joints or bulging/leaking capacitors, and confirm the inverter connector (if present) is seated.
  • For a soldered CMOS cell, options are careful desolder/replacement, soldering thin wires to the battery pads and fitting an external coin-cell holder, or sourcing a donor board — take polarity and static precautions seriously.

If no faint LCD image appears and the CRT stays blank after these tests, the likely root is motherboard-level (integrated graphics or power rail failure). Given the age of a Solo 2500, used donor boards or whole units are commonly used for parts; however, professional soldering or a shop evaluation is recommended if desoldering or board-level repairs are outside available skills.

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Member Avatar for Member #33065

I had the same issue with a laptop. Turned out to be the video board. Unfortunately these are built into the laptop on older laptops. Check on E-bay for a new one.

Andy

Member Avatar for nikkisboricua

I don't know if it would be built into a 99 machine. Hopefully I can still be able to revive it...

keeping the faith, nikkisboricua

Member Avatar for nikkisboricua

well, i found out that this lady that gave me this laptop said that the little battery (like a watch battery) that keeps the bios and clock running was welded to the motherboard. ugh... any suggestions?

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