Looking for all people with gateway power problems

[cairan22]

Hi, I have a Gateway Solo 1450 laptop and it seems to have a repeated problem with the power port breaking off inside the computer or loosening. Gateway will "fix" it for about $250 each time it breaks. This is the THIRD time it's broken and once again, Gateway's customer service people deny that this is an issue of poor design. However, I've noticed that LOTS of people with Gateway laptops have had this problem, so I believe it IS a problem with Gateway's power supply design. I am looking for all people who have had this problem because if we all come together, we can insist that Gateway fix it without us having to pay so much money each time. For me, it's not even about the money as it is the inconvenience of having to mail my laptop to them and then not having it to use. If you have had a similar problem with a gateway, please let me know. Thanks!

[John A]

I am looking for all people who have had this problem because if we all come together, we can insist that Gateway fix it without us having to pay so much money each time.

I know, it can be very frustrating and aggrevating to buy a computer that keeps breaking down, but just let me say something: online petitioning rarely works. I've never seen a successful online petition, so I doubt this is going to work.

Good luck with your computer (by the way, I have a MacBook -- try getting one of those)

[sjc]

<H1 style="MARGIN: auto 0in"><H1 style="MARGIN: auto 0in">Problems with Power Supply?

I am a paralegal with the law firm of David P. Meyer & Associates Co., LPA. Our firm has been researching a potential class action case against Gateway regarding an alleged defect resulting in power supply failure. If you are experiencing this problem, and are willing to assist with our investigation, please contact me at 1-866-827-6537 or www.dmlaws.com and fill out a form so that our firm can evaluate your situation.
</H1>
</H1>

[jonwells]

Hi, I have a Gateway Solo 1450 laptop and it seems to have a repeated problem with the power port breaking off inside the computer or loosening. Gateway will "fix" it for about $250 each time it breaks. This is the THIRD time it's broken and once again, Gateway's customer service people deny that this is an issue of poor design. However, I've noticed that LOTS of people with Gateway laptops have had this problem, so I believe it IS a problem with Gateway's power supply design. I am looking for all people who have had this problem because if we all come together, we can insist that Gateway fix it without us having to pay so much money each time. For me, it's not even about the money as it is the inconvenience of having to mail my laptop to them and then not having it to use. If you have had a similar problem with a gateway, please let me know. Thanks!

My son's Gateway laptop has just failed and won't start. The green battery light will come on, but not the power light. Do you know what breaks internally? Have you ever opened the laptop and seen it? Thanks.

[brandon8802]

Hello I also think that is the problem with my Solo 1450. I have had it since 02 and now i was working on it and it kept turning off. I had checked logs and couldn't find anything. One day i was working on it, it turned off, i went to reboot it and i cannot get anything no led's nothing any help would be appercieated. I think it might be the powersupply in the back because i have 2 ac cords and i know they both work so any input would be great thanks

Brandon

[jonwells]

My son's Gateway laptop has just failed and won't start. The green battery light will come on, but not the power light. Do you know what breaks internally? Have you ever opened the laptop and seen it? Thanks.

As a follow-up, I completely disassembled the laptop and reassembled it without finding anything. In the end I sent it to Gateway for repair and paid $322.18. Their response indicated that it might have been a bad power-on button.

[lllplus2]

I had the same power problem with my 1450. I bought mine from my old job, we rented Gateways. I saw the same problem with a lot of 1450s. They wanted $800 to replace my motherboard. I filed a complaint online with my state attorney general and in about two to three weeks I got a call from Gateway. They sent me a refurbished M275 to replace my 1450. Forget petitions and put your elected officials to work. My M275 is a tablet pc with a 60 GB hard drive, onboard wireless, 512 mb of ram, and a Pentium processor. Much better than the 1450.

[brandon8802]

I had the same power problem with my 1450. I bought mine from my old job, we rented Gateways. I saw the same problem with a lot of 1450s. They wanted $800 to replace my motherboard. I filed a complaint online with my state attorney general and in about two to three weeks I got a call from Gateway. They sent me a refurbished M275 to replace my 1450. Forget petitions and put your elected officials to work. My M275 is a tablet pc with a 60 GB hard drive, onboard wireless, 512 mb of ram, and a Pentium processor. Much better than the 1450.

Congrats to you but, i have a few questions. How old was your laptop i have had this one since 02 and now i am having this power issue problem. Also did you see the problem in the board failures or in the power supply failue?

[lllplus2]

Congrats to you but, i have a few questions. How old was your laptop i have had this one since 02 and now i am having this power issue problem. Also did you see the problem in the board failures or in the power supply failue?

I bought my solo 1450 used in the fall of 2005. It still had 1 year of the original 3 year warranty left. It had already been serviced twice for the power supply breaking, but I thought it was just people being careless. It was the pin on board where the wall power supply plugs in that kept breaking in all of the 1450s that we carried. It went back two more times in 8 months after I bought it, the last time they said the motherboard had to be replaced and it would cost $800. My 30gb hard drive was also replaced with a non working 20. They claimed I had void my warranty by trying to fix my own motherboard with hot glue. Total bull along with them stealing my hard drive. With about 2 months left on my warranty I contact my state attorney general about the issue and the rest was history. Gateway called me and they were falling over themselves to take care of me. I live in Ohio and it was the second time in 5 years that they went to bat for me and hit the ball outta the park. Even if your warranty has expired your state can still help, especially if the stae has already helped other folks with the same problem.

[brandon8802]

I bought my solo 1450 used in the fall of 2005. It still had 1 year of the original 3 year warranty left. It had already been serviced twice for the power supply breaking, but I thought it was just people being careless. It was the pin on board where the wall power supply plugs in that kept breaking in all of the 1450s that we carried. It went back two more times in 8 months after I bought it, the last time they said the motherboard had to be replaced and it would cost $800. My 30gb hard drive was also replaced with a non working 20. They claimed I had void my warranty by trying to fix my own motherboard with hot glue. Total bull along with them stealing my hard drive. With about 2 months left on my warranty I contact my state attorney general about the issue and the rest was history. Gateway called me and they were falling over themselves to take care of me. I live in Ohio and it was the second time in 5 years that they went to bat for me and hit the ball outta the park. Even if your warranty has expired your state can still help, especially if the stae has already helped other folks with the same problem.

Wow so by that pin you mean the pin that you plug into from your power pack to the wall because i have mine apart and can't find anything broken inside the computer. The pin for the powersupply is loose and if thats the case i have seen those black powersupplies for 3.99 that i couls solider on the motherboard. I just hope its not the board but thanks for your input

[lllplus2]

Wow so by that pin you mean the pin that you plug into from your power pack to the wall because i have mine apart and can't find anything broken inside the computer. The pin for the powersupply is loose and if thats the case i have seen those black powersupplies for 3.99 that i couls solider on the motherboard. I just hope its not the board but thanks for your input

My problems started with that pin on the back of my 1450 being loose. I hope it works out for you.

[brandon8802]

My problems started with that pin on the back of my 1450 being loose. I hope it works out for you.

Thanks thats where I am at right now so i am going to buy a new piece and see if i can get it working thanks again for your information

[lizbleakley]

I have had my Gateway Solo 1450 since '02 and have had ONLY power-related problems with it. I can't remember the order in which the problems happened... but here they are:

1. Battery does not hold charge. I can only operate this thing when it is plugged in. So really, it isn't a laptop.

2. For a long period of time, the power button did not work. I would press it, the lights would flash on for maybe half of the flashing sequence I usually see and then nothing else would happen. The computer would be making noises but nothing would appear on the screen. Then about 2 months ago it went back to normal. (???)

3. The outlet where the power cord plugs in became loose. The cord had to be held or taped down at a certain angle to get power to the computer. VERY frustrating. Then it just became too loose to operate. I had it repaired by a computer repair place (was no longer under warranty) and it is still a bit loose to the point that I might accidentally bump it and cut off all power.

Hope this info helps.

[jbennet]

in relation to 1)

all batteries eventually get into a state where they hold no charge - thats the way they are - with everyday use its 2/3 years

2 and 3 sound like the problem most ppl are experiencing though

[NY 2007]

I have this same problem, the cord that connects the ac adapter to the comp always felt loose, and never felt like it was "in" all the way. Anyway in the past few days, i have to jiggle, move the wire around, i tried taping it with some coins behind the plug to keep pressure, its really annoying, i was about to call gateway support, did a search and found this thread. Im assuming buying a new ac adapter isnt gonna help much and i should just buy a new comp?

[katjust]

ok, thought it was just me too, the pin broke off in february, had the laptop sent out and the pin replaced, it became loose again and saturday actually caught fire. We have had so many problems with this laptop that it is unreal, for a while, it wouldn't boot up at all, i played around with it.. left the middle screw on the back panel off.. it worked ( tada?) the power supply, the overheating... anyway.. good luck with this. I hope that it does some good.

[emily8127]

I have a Gateway MX6436 notebook. I've had it for just over a year (my warranty went out last Friday, I think). I have had to get my hard drive AND CPU replaced under warranty and they said they wouldn't fix my power port because it was my fault. It's loose from the motherboard. I don't recall putting and extra pressure on it... so I don't know why it would be my fault. And now that my warranty is out there is nothing I can do. I literally have $7 to my name and no way to fix it. My boyfriend was going to, but he doesn't think he can because he can't get the thing off to sauder it back on. It would cost me at LEAST over 100 to get it fixed at, say, Best Buy. And that's just a guess. '
I'm having to use the desktop, which is in horrible condition...
I just don't know what I'm going to do.

[emily8127]

I say we should get together and demand refunds....

[Mystex]

My wife and I bought a gateway laptop about 2 years ago and the only problems we've had have been with the power port on the back. Ours is loose and the only way we've been able to get a charge in it is by holding the plug at an angle. If I had the money right now I'd get a macbook instead.

[solareus]

How do I get together with people on this issue? My power button broke on the computer as well. I went to CompUSA and the guy opened it up, and showed me how to fix it. He said the motherboard DOES NOT NEED to be replaced... WHAT THIS ALL BOILS DOWN TO IS GATEWAY SCAMMING THE HELL OUT OF EVERYONE WHO BUYS THEIR PRODUCTS!!! And, along with everyone else here, I am enraged and this DEFINATELY needs to be REPORTED. I did not pay $1500 for a computer just to have turn around and spen another $300 less than 2 years after having bought it. They made it to break AFTER the warranty expires, so that they can SCAM people! Please tell me how to get involved in the lawsuit!!! Thanks, Lisa

[lllplus2]

How do I get together with people on this issue? My power button broke on the computer as well. I went to CompUSA and the guy opened it up, and showed me how to fix it. He said the motherboard DOES NOT NEED to be replaced... WHAT THIS ALL BOILS DOWN TO IS GATEWAY SCAMMING THE HELL OUT OF EVERYONE WHO BUYS THEIR PRODUCTS!!! And, along with everyone else here, I am enraged and this DEFINATELY needs to be REPORTED. I did not pay $1500 for a computer just to have turn around and spen another $300 less than 2 years after having bought it. They made it to break AFTER the warranty expires, so that they can SCAM people! Please tell me how to get involved in the lawsuit!!! Thanks, Lisa

The problem with these large companies is they ignore the individual and it is usually too difficult to mobilize a bunch of strangers for a class action unless it is in the news. Take the complaints to you state attorney general's office. It is part of their job to take care of the consumers in their states. They live off our tax dollars so put them to work. That is what do when a company tries to screw me.

[gwe2n]

Hi there. I'm new to the site but wanted to weigh in on this. I have a Gateway MA3 made into an MX6453. Manufacturing issues have very little to do with tax dollars or incentives.

However the power problem is real. I believe the root cause is the female power input pin that resides on the motherboard. The problem was exacerbated for me because before I found thie root problem I noticed when I put a slight side load on the power cord the machine would charge once again. Over a very brief time this caused a fracture in the solder joint inside the molded portion of the power cord where it plugs into the computer. You would only see this after cutting the molded portion of the strain relief away from the adapter. Again I am speaking only of the part that plugs into the computer. After soldering that back together and checking current with a meter, I fully expected my computer to charge. It didn't. That's when I again put a side thrust on the pin/cord to get a connection. Over a brief time I broke my own solder joint. It has now gotten so bad that the only way for me to use the computer is on battery. I have to shut it down to charge it, and prop it on a book on the power adapter so a connection is made. As a design engineer I'm pretty sure this is not appropriate. I think the board was put together inappropriately. My next step is to open up the box and take a look at the board - after I finish taxes.

[sweetcass27]

My gateway notebook is a year old, got it new last April and it has power cord/button trouble. I called two days after the warranty expired and am at a loss of what to do? I've taken it to a lot of places and am unwilling to pay hundreds to have a new notebook fixed.... If I wiggle the power cord enough, sometimes it starts and I can use it until it looses power and then I have to figure out the position all over again...any ideas?

[rridgway]

I'm in the same boat. The charging unit is sending a constant 19V to the computer but the computer only sometimes charges. This is the second time this has happened. The first time Gateway repaired it no charge but now its out of warranty. Obviously this is due to a crappy connection mechanism. This is my wifes laptop and she is not hard on computers. My sons HP has gone through hell and back and still works fine.

Hope we can get some support but I'm not holding my breath.

Rob.

Hi, I have a Gateway Solo 1450 laptop and it seems to have a repeated problem with the power port breaking off inside the computer or loosening. Gateway will "fix" it for about $250 each time it breaks. This is the THIRD time it's broken and once again, Gateway's customer service people deny that this is an issue of poor design. However, I've noticed that LOTS of people with Gateway laptops have had this problem, so I believe it IS a problem with Gateway's power supply design. I am looking for all people who have had this problem because if we all come together, we can insist that Gateway fix it without us having to pay so much money each time. For me, it's not even about the money as it is the inconvenience of having to mail my laptop to them and then not having it to use. If you have had a similar problem with a gateway, please let me know. Thanks!

[RegB]

I have a CX-2618 tablet laptop.
I had a CX-2610 previously, but had to junk that because the swivel fell apart.

Anyway, I have the power plug problem with the CX-2618 and feel confident that I could probably solder it up if I could only get the case apart.
OK, so I removed all the screws from the back, all the access panels, the two screws under the hard drive, the one under the heat sink & cooling fan assembly, three more that were hiding over the CD-DVD drive bay. . That was all I could find, including the two marked "K". The trim around the keyboard lifts up a bit, but there is no clear sign that the case will open and give up the motherboard. From other readings I gather I need access to BOTH sides of the m/board, so that pretty much says it has to come out entirely.

How have you separated the case halves, or otherwise got the m/board out ?

tnx,

Reg

[RegB]

Any news from ANYONE on getting their Gateway notebook fixed ?
Any news on "How TO" open it up and DIY the power connector issue ?
I have done web searches and found offers to sell the parts for around $5, also repair shops that will do it for some amount of money, but they won't quote until they get it and look.
Best Buy's Geek Squad were no help, they just receive it and ship it back to Gateway and say it is conditional that it MUST have the hard drive - with no guarantee that it will be returned with that same drive, or that Gateway won't do a clean wipe and re-install over whatever is on there.
I can't be without this one for even two days, it is only running now because I have it firmly on a table and am avoiding any movement.
Gateway offers a questions and answers subscription "service" for some ridiculous amount of money, but I can't see paying for info on their product screw ups.
Heck, I already KNOW about their product's problems, I need to know how to FIX it.

Any soldering iron types out there ? HELP !!!

[mixx911]

Hi I have a Gateway MA3 MX6447. I replaced the DC Power Jack on the Motherboard and is working fine. I had the same problem had to wiggle the cord to get it to charge or power on. This is a common problem on most laptops I do this repair for 3 computer stores in the Cleveland Ohio area if anyone is in that area I could help them out. Let me know

[gregp]

Can you provide details for where you got the parts and how you get the laptop open? My wife's laptop is having this problem and it is at the point where it is getting power less time than not.

[mixx911]

dcpowerjacks.net
should be part pj18

I don't know if there is a site to show you how to take it apart.

But I will tell you this you will need a good soldering station to do this job and you will need to know how to desolder and solder, if you don't do it correct and put to much heat to the board you can unsolder the chips that are next to the dc jack.

Taking it apart is the easy part, if you dont have the tools ask around at some electronic shops and see if they desolder and solder and have them change the jack and just take them the motherboard.

Keith

[longtime01]

My gateway laptop has been broke for about 2mo's and i cannot get any power to it. It started to get loose and i would have to hold it in a certain place for it to charge . And now nothing, no charge at all or no power. Makes me mad. ive only had it for just over a year. I cant afford to get it fixed for awhile either.

Hi, I have a Gateway Solo 1450 laptop and it seems to have a repeated problem with the power port breaking off inside the computer or loosening. Gateway will "fix" it for about $250 each time it breaks. This is the THIRD time it's broken and once again, Gateway's customer service people deny that this is an issue of poor design. However, I've noticed that LOTS of people with Gateway laptops have had this problem, so I believe it IS a problem with Gateway's power supply design. I am looking for all people who have had this problem because if we all come together, we can insist that Gateway fix it without us having to pay so much money each time. For me, it's not even about the money as it is the inconvenience of having to mail my laptop to them and then not having it to use. If you have had a similar problem with a gateway, please let me know. Thanks!