Gateway Parts

My Gateway Laptop won't turn on. What's the problem?

So I was on my laptop last night and it was working fine, or so I thought. Turned it off, went to bed etc etc. Came home a few hours ago and tried to turn on my computer, and it wouldn't. I have a Gateway NV5214u, and the start button is on the side. I pushed the button, and for a few seconds it sounds like it's going to start; the fan or drivers or whatever start going (I really think it's the fan) but then after a few seconds it just kinda dies down, and stays at a really low rpm. So I can touch the buttons for like volume and stuff, and they light up (they're on a touchscreen type part, not regular buttons), but the screen doesn't even turn on, nothing else starts up etc. So, technically it still turns on, but I can't do a damn thing... I asked my tech friend if he had any suggestions and he said it sounded like the fan might not be working, so it throws an error code and it won't turn on. I could understand that, like a failsafe...if the fan won't work, it won't cool properly so why even turn on...but he wasn't actually around, so he couldn't be sure. So obviously, I need to know what it is. Like I said, I'm guessing it's the fan or maybe the motherboard. The battery's been fried for awhile, so I have to leave it plugged in. I never plugged it in to another outlet, but I really don't think that's the problem. Please please help me. Thanks. Actually it's not that old. I got it August 31, 2009, so it's only 19 months old. And in any case, being a Gateway doesn't really help my situation.

Public Comments

1. the problem is it's a gateway... and a really old one from what you're describing
2. It sounds like its just starting to wear out. It might be time for a new one.