Gateway M520 will not turn on

[SteelGal4lif]

OK, so I am probably not even on the right site, because from the looks of it, its mainly for techies that actually know what they are talking about... me.... not so much! But here goes anyway....

This is my husbands laptop, but we both use it alot. I know in the past it would randomly shut off even when plugged in, but I think I personally only experienced that happening once. (I would have to ask my husband if it happened to him alot)

Now.... I have had it turn off while only on battery life, not realizing the battery was dying, but it would always immediately turn back on when I plugged the laptop in.

The one time I remember the thing randomly turning off while plugged in, it was hot, and I mean HOOOOOT. It wouldn't immediately turn back on, so I let it go for an hour or 2 and it went right back on then.

So then... the other night, I had it plugged in in the living room, and had it on the carpet. I was using the computer for maybe... 2 hours, and had it sit without using it for maybe an hour. Well, I wanted to bring it upstairs so I set it on the bed temporarily until I plugged it in. Well it seemed the second I plugged the thing in, I hear the fan just sorta die out and turn off. whole computer just turned off. Power light was flashing blue tho, and plug light was on. I kept hitting the power light and nothing. Not too long after that the power button wasnt flashing at all anymore either. I let it sit plugged in over night. Next morning.... Nothing. After work today... NOTHING!

What could be wrong with it? Please help!

[visuss]

The laptop may be dead. Usually for laptops you will have a power drain procedure which might help you in this case too.

Check your laptop's manual to see if it has a reset button. If not, remove the battery, unplug AC adapter, press and hold the power button for a minute or two. Connect only the AC adapter, and try powering it on.

If that does not help, or you see no lights flashing, get in touch with your Gateway support to check on the warranty coverage.

[RueB2sDe]

Hi,

I use to troubleshoot for Gateway and eMachine PC and Laptops. The Suggestion we usually start with is to take the battery out of the machine and leave it out for 24 hours.
Then try to see if anything occurs.

If no power you might want to replace the battery or go to Best Buy and have them check the integrity of the Battery. When they test it they will let you know if it should be replaced.

Hope that helps.

[SteelGal4lif]

well it decided to work on its own after a few days, of just not touching it, but since this isnt the first time that its suddenly powered off, I am afaid the situation is not completely resolved. Also the other night when I was starting up, I could tell the fan was still running and the blue light still on, but screen went blank and I had to shut it off thru alt ctrl delete and then it worked fine...

oh yea, the hinges are cracked, dont know what that has to do with anything...

[RueB2sDe]

Hinges should be covered under the Warranty. This is a typical issue with the eMachines and Gateway laptops that were released in certain years.

Sometime the battery just needs to be recalibrated. The only way to do that is to allow the battery to run completely dry. Just like you said. You had it off for a few days,
This can re calibrate the battery.

So yes letting your battery run dry and then recharging can solve this issue.

Try calling Gateway and see if they will still support the cracked hinges. It was a recall when I was employed with them.

RueB 2s De

[BrendaBabe]

OK, so I am probably not even on the right site, because from the looks of it, its mainly for techies that actually know what they are talking about... me.... not so much! But here goes anyway....

This is my husbands laptop, but we both use it alot. I know in the past it would randomly shut off even when plugged in, but I think I personally only experienced that happening once. (I would have to ask my husband if it happened to him alot)

Now.... I have had it turn off while only on battery life, not realizing the battery was dying, but it would always immediately turn back on when I plugged the laptop in.

The one time I remember the thing randomly turning off while plugged in, it was hot, and I mean HOOOOOT. It wouldn't immediately turn back on, so I let it go for an hour or 2 and it went right back on then.

So then... the other night, I had it plugged in in the living room, and had it on the carpet. I was using the computer for maybe... 2 hours, and had it sit without using it for maybe an hour. Well, I wanted to bring it upstairs so I set it on the bed temporarily until I plugged it in. Well it seemed the second I plugged the thing in, I hear the fan just sorta die out and turn off. whole computer just turned off. Power light was flashing blue tho, and plug light was on. I kept hitting the power light and nothing. Not too long after that the power button wasnt flashing at all anymore either. I let it sit plugged in over night. Next morning.... Nothing. After work today... NOTHING!

What could be wrong with it? Please help!

Same thing has happened to my laptop,
how many days was it exactly until it was able to work again?

[BrendaBabe]

how long was it exactly before your laptop started to work again?