Member Avatar for JC SIX

Hey everyone. I have a gateway laptop about 4 years old and the screen goes out like about 1 minute or so after i disconnect the back ac adapter from it. I hate it cause i doesnt work as a "portable" devise anymore. I want to actually cary my laptop without having to plug it in. Does anybody know what can be wrong with my laptop? The battery can be 99% full and it still turns on. I try pushing the Fn + LCD button (F3) but it turns back on but right away it goes off.

Is it my resolution. Is it a little to high?
When i choose the monitor settings it doesnt say anything about LCD. Does that play a factor? It called FlatPanel something.

If anybody could give me ideas i'de appreciate it.

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Dani AI

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As described by , the internal display cuts out about a minute after the AC adapter is unplugged and Fn+LCD only brings it back briefly. and pointed to the battery, which is a strong possibility, but identical symptoms can also come from display backlight/inverter failures, power-management settings, or a flaky DC jack/charging circuit. A short, ordered diagnosis narrows the cause quickly.

Useful diagnostic steps:

  • Observe whether the laptop is still running when the screen goes dark (HDD activity, keyboard LEDs, sound). If the system is alive, the problem is likely the panel backlight or its power, not a full loss of system power.
  • Attach an external monitor. If the external stays on while the internal goes dark, the fault is confined to the internal display/inverter/cable.
  • Do the flashlight test: with the panel “off,” shine a bright light at an angle. A faint visible image means the LCD is producing the image but the backlight (inverter or LED driver) isn’t lighting.
  • Test power sources: boot on battery-only and on AC-only (remove one at a time). If the machine dies or the display fails on battery-only despite a “99%” reading, the battery or the battery-gauge/charging circuitry is suspect.
  • Check OS power-plan settings and any vendor power utilities (some laptops aggressively dim/turn off display when on battery). Update display drivers and BIOS if available.

Interpretation and next steps: a faint image or a working external display points to inverter/LED-driver or panel replacement; a total loss of function on battery points to battery cells, the fuel-gauge, or motherboard charging components. A loose DC jack or faulty adapter can mimic battery failure.

Replacement and safety notes: match the Gateway battery part number and prefer OEM or reputable brands; avoid very cheap unknown packs. Inverter/screen work involves high voltages on older CCFL panels, so consider professional service if not experienced. On modern Windows systems, a quick health check can be produced with:

powercfg /batteryreport

which helps decide whether replacement is warranted.

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Member Avatar for TheNNS

it could be your battery, it has to be because the screen isn't getting enough power.

Member Avatar for JC SIX

it could be your battery, it has to be because the screen isn't getting enough power.

You know what? I was thinking about that too. Now that you say that, i will buy a new battery. I ll see if that works. Thanks a lot:cheesy:

Member Avatar for robfm81

I would say it was the battery also. I have a 3 year old Packard Bell, used it mainly as a desktop machine, always plugged into the mains. This really quickly drained my battery life. Lasts about 10 minutes on its own. If you dont regularly use the battery on a laptop, its life span greatly reduces.

Member Avatar for TheNNS

yeah, in that situation I would take out the battery and just plug it in to ac, then charge it and let drain on it's own.

Member Avatar for JC SIX

yeah, in that situation I would take out the battery and just plug it in to ac, then charge it and let drain on it's own.

I will do that thanks you

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