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I have a Gateway P-6860FX laptop that is not booting. I previously had a blue screen hardware error the night previous while gaming (Screen glitched up with horizontal lines, went to blue screen). The next morning I attempted to boot it, but it went to start-up repair. There the screen was weird and had similar horizontal lines that were in the normally black area around the repair box (moving mouse around caused weird glitchy effects).
It tried to restart after that, and it did not boot. Now it continues not to boot. The screen turns "on" (lights up black), and the keyboard lights turn on, including the wireless indicator and num-lock (hard drive lights blinks on a couple times then off). The fans do not run at all. I have tried various fixes (Memory and Hard Drive Reseating, as well as power button 30 sec. press, External Monitor Plugged In) to no avail.
Anything I can do short of taking it to my local repair shop?

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The symptom set — sudden horizontal artifacting followed by a black-but-backlit screen, keyboard LEDs on and fans not spinning — usually implicates the graphics chipset or another motherboard power/BGA issue rather than the hard drive or Windows. Before paying for a full board swap, a few quick, safe checks can narrow the fault and protect your data.

  1. Perform a power reset: remove AC and battery, hold power 30 seconds, then try AC only.
  2. Remove the HDD/optical drive and try to power on (this can force different POST behavior and lets you pull the drive to back it up).
  3. Test RAM one stick at a time and in each slot — a bad DIMM or slot can mimic boot failures.
  4. Attach an external monitor and toggle the display output (Fn+display key) to see if the GPU is driving an alternate output.
  5. Open the bottom cover (if comfortable): check the fan connector, look for swollen caps or burn marks, and ensure the fan cable is seated.
  6. If possible, verify the AC adapter voltage with a multimeter; a failing adapter or DC jack can cause odd power behavior.

If the shop confirms a GPU/BGA problem, ask exactly what they plan to do. A controlled BGA rework/reball or GPU replacement done on a proper rework station is far more reliable than a quick "heat-gun reflow" — reflow can be a cheaper short-term fix, reballing/chip replacement is more permanent. Request a written diagnostic, a clear description of the repair performed, and a warranty period (ask for at least 30 days burn-in).

Echoing , this is a common laptop failure mode, but avoid attempting a DIY heat-gun reflow unless experienced. Back up the drive first, get multiple quotes if cost is high, and if you keep the machine, insist the shop run a burn-in so any intermittent solder failures show up before you leave with the laptop.

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Member Avatar for Rik_

In short, no! You describe classic graphics failure. Your repair shop will telly you that you need a new motherboard, 9 times out of 10 you don't. The usual cause is a break in the soldering between the graphics chip and the motherboard. This can usually be repaired with a re-flow. It's still not a cheap job (I charge £100 for a re-flow) but it's a lot cheaper than a new motherboard which is likely to cost well in ecxess of £200.

Member Avatar for ImperiumLaw

In short, no! You describe classic graphics failure. Your repair shop will telly you that you need a new motherboard, 9 times out of 10 you don't. The usual cause is a break in the soldering between the graphics chip and the motherboard. This can usually be repaired with a re-flow. It's still not a cheap job (I charge £100 for a re-flow) but it's a lot cheaper than a new motherboard which is likely to cost well in ecxess of £200.

Thanks for the quick reply. I had a hunch it wasn't good once I exhausted most of the moderate do-it-yourself diagnostic/poor-man's-repair attempts. In addition to the motherboard, I shall look into the soldering issue.

I will post when I find out more.

Thanks Again.

Edited by ImperiumLaw because: n/a
Member Avatar for Rik_

No problem! It's a shame that you most likely are nowhere near where I am, I could save you a lot of money!

Member Avatar for ImperiumLaw

Credit to RikfromRCE. Nailed the diagnosis. Local Repair shop found that the connections had broken and the fix was quick and less than $100. Now just need for them to get the replacement tool that is needed to fix it (gets used a lot so I've been told).

Thanks for the help.

Member Avatar for Rik_

Good news indeed! :)

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