Gateway MA3 Laptop, Overheating?

[cantholdmd]

Hello guys -

I am helping a friend whose laptop was not booting. When I pushed the power the blue circle around the power button appeared along with the hard drive symbol and another symbol then turned off within a few seconds. Her battery no longer would charge so its not in the laptop so I began to think that the power adapter was bad and shorting out.

I opened the laptop, disconnected the hard drive, removed the RAM and unplugged the display but still the same. I then removed the fan and CPU and tried the power and it worked. I reseated the CPU and tried and again and it worked. Connected and reseated everything else and its not working again. As I have it next to me booting up, it seems to be hotter than normal, is this what caused the problem? What tools can I run to figure out what caused the problem so she doesnt have an issue with it again?

Thanks very much

[Spitz]

Re: Gateway MA3 Laptop, Overheating?

Hello guys -

I am helping a friend whose laptop was not booting. When I pushed the power the blue circle around the power button appeared along with the hard drive symbol and another symbol then turned off within a few seconds. Her battery no longer would charge so its not in the laptop so I began to think that the power adapter was bad and shorting out.?
Thanks very much

This particular model has a problem with the artwork around the power jack. The plated thru hole on the positive pin disintegrates and looses connection on the top, or bottom or both. You have to add a small wire on both sides of the board. Here is a link describing the problem with an ma7 which has the same problem.

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...&highlight=ma7

[cantholdmd]

Re: Gateway MA3 Laptop, Overheating?

This particular model has a problem with the artwork around the power jack. The plated thru hole on the positive pin disintegrates and looses connection on the top, or bottom or both. You have to add a small wire on both sides of the board. Here is a link describing the problem with an ma7 which has the same problem.

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...&highlight=ma7

Thanks Spitz. Since I was able to reseat the processor and it now turns on fine, do you believe this advice still applies? After messing it with it for a couple hours, I notice the fan stays on non stop and I get shut downs if the laptop has poor airflow from overheating. No malware or viruses were detected, hardware is checking out fine, updated all Windows components and updated drivers along with flashing BIOS. If I hold the laptop up in the air and use it, the laptop stays on for hours. If I turn it on and sit it on the couch, the laptop shuts down from overheating at around 90C core temp.

[Spitz]

Re: Gateway MA3 Laptop, Overheating?

Thanks Spitz. Since I was able to reseat the processor and it now turns on fine, do you believe this advice still applies? After messing it with it for a couple hours, I notice the fan stays on non stop and I get shut downs if the laptop has poor airflow from overheating. No malware or viruses were detected, hardware is checking out fine, updated all Windows components and updated drivers along with flashing BIOS. If I hold the laptop up in the air and use it, the laptop stays on for hours. If I turn it on and sit it on the couch, the laptop shuts down from overheating at around 90C core temp.

It needs to be on a flat surface so the air flow around the fan is clear. All notebooks overheat if you cover the bottom since they draw air in from the bottom and exhaust it on the sides. You also need to check that the exahaust on the side is not full of lint and carpet fiber. As far as the jack problem, it is just a matter of time and it will start acting up.