Startup Problem With 420GR

Something happened to a 3 year-old Gateway 420GR. Most of the time
when I press the power button it doesn't power on. Sometimes
it powers on but it doesn't POST. The processor fan seems
to speed up and slow down over and over while the lights on
the keyboard go on and off at the same time.

I've tried it with no cards, drives, or other connectors
plugged into the motherboard other than the Power Switch
connector, but it still does the same thing. I don't think
it's a power supply problem because all of the volt levels
check out OK on a power supply tester unit and it can power
up other motherboards without any problems.

I guess that probably means the motherboard has a problem.
How hard is it to buy a replacement one?

[Elliot B]

Originally Posted by David Owens

Something happened to a 3 year-old Gateway 420GR. Most of the time
when I press the power button it doesn't power on. Sometimes
it powers on but it doesn't POST. The processor fan seems
to speed up and slow down over and over while the lights on
the keyboard go on and off at the same time.

I've tried it with no cards, drives, or other connectors
plugged into the motherboard other than the Power Switch
connector, but it still does the same thing. I don't think
it's a power supply problem because all of the volt levels
check out OK on a power supply tester unit and it can power
up other motherboards without any problems.

I guess that probably means the motherboard has a problem.
How hard is it to buy a replacement one?

Hi David,

I have a similar problem with a year+ old Gateway GM5088. It worked perfectly until a few months after the warranty ran out, then it became almost impossible to start. Once on, and usually after about a dozen tries spaced over a few hours, it runs like it should.

Unlike your situation, my computer doesn't bounce up and down. It's either running properly, or in life support. Power gets to the speakers, but the system doesn't recognize the mouse, the keyboard, or the monitor.

Gateway has been no help. I suspect one of the fans, the one that spins in hyperspeed for about 5 seconds at startup when it works, but never runs that fast when the system fails to start, is related to the problem. Whether it is the fan itself, a relay, some sensing ciruit, or the motherboard, I don't know. I've sent an email to the fan manufacturer, but since Gateway is their customer and I'm not, I don't expect too much from them. If I get a useful response, I'll note it here.

Please let me know if you found out anything more. Thanks.

/elliot b.

I would consider replacing both power supply and fan. My guess is that there
is a power supply problem. But clean all the dust and dirt from the fan.

The "hyperspeed" of the fan is normal for a computer at startup. Intel-branded
and many other motherboards control the speed of a fan at startup, crank it up,
read the RPMs and move on. Unless the computer is disastrously close to
overheating, the fan will never reach that speed again.

You do not need to replace the fan with the exact brand. Replace it according
to dimensions, rated amperage, and connector. It probably has a standard 3-pin
power connector... Ben Myers

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:57:34 -0600, Elliot B <Elliot.B.33u1ta@no.email.invalid>
wrote:

>
>David Owens;367276 Wrote:
>> Something happened to a 3 year-old Gateway 420GR. Most of the time
>> when I press the power button it doesn't power on. Sometimes
>> it powers on but it doesn't POST. The processor fan seems
>> to speed up and slow down over and over while the lights on
>> the keyboard go on and off at the same time.
>>
>> I've tried it with no cards, drives, or other connectors
>> plugged into the motherboard other than the Power Switch
>> connector, but it still does the same thing. I don't think
>> it's a power supply problem because all of the volt levels
>> check out OK on a power supply tester unit and it can power
>> up other motherboards without any problems.
>>
>> I guess that probably means the motherboard has a problem.
>> How hard is it to buy a replacement one?
>
>Hi David,
>
>I have a similar problem with a year+ old Gateway GM5088. It worked
>perfectly until a few months after the warranty ran out, then it became
>almost impossible to start. Once on, and usually after about a dozen
>tries spaced over a few hours, it runs like it should.
>
>Unlike your situation, my computer doesn't bounce up and down. It's
>either running properly, or in life support. Power gets to the speakers,
>but the system doesn't recognize the mouse, the keyboard, or the
>monitor.
>
>Gateway has been no help. I suspect one of the fans, the one that spins
>in hyperspeed for about 5 seconds at startup when it works, but never
>runs that fast when the system fails to start, is related to the
>problem. Whether it is the fan itself, a relay, some sensing ciruit, or
>the motherboard, I don't know. I've sent an email to the fan
>manufacturer, but since Gateway is their customer and I'm not, I don't
>expect too much from them. If I get a useful response, I'll note it
>here.
>
>Please let me know if you found out anything more. Thanks.
>
>/elliot b.
>