GateWaySA1 Troubleshooting

"I pressed the power button and nothing happened"

First, check to make sure that that the computer is plugged in and that the battery is charging. A small LED (Light emitting diode) located right below the trackpad should indicate when the computer is charging and when the computer in on. If the computer still does not turn on follow steps below. If no light appears when cord is plugged in, then the battery may need to be replaced or the cord might be faulty. For help in installing the battery please click here.

First, check screen brightness by holding down the "Fn" key (located below the "Shift" key, and then press the up arrow to increase brightness. The computer could also have overheated and will not display the screen. Just make sure that nothing is blocking the vent and move your computer to a cooler area. It could be a bad video card, in which case the best choice of action would be to just replace it. If none of that works, the screen may just need to be replaced. For help replacing screen, please follow this guide.

Make sure Laptop is not powered down, in sleep mode, or hibernate mode. Make sure that the laptop is not connected to an exterior display (i.e. a television). If that is not the case, press the “Fn” key + “F4” key to toggle display. If all else fails, the screen may be damaged and you would follow the screen replacement guide.

First, make sure that there is a disc in the laptop to begin with. You, or someone else may have taken the disc out and forgotten.

Second, check to see the disc is placed in the tray correctly by making sure disc label is facing up. Check to see if the disc is damaged, as a damaged disc may have trouble being read. Then check to see if disc is flawed by trying a different disc. If these don't work the laptop may have temporary memory problems, fixable by restarting the computer. For help installing disk drive, click here.

Check to see the disc is placed in the tray correctly by making sure disc label is facing up. Also, make sure that the DVD programs have been installed. You may need to download the proper plug-ins in order to view your DVD.

Make sure that there are no scratches on the disc, and that the disc is clean.

Exit out of the application using the disc. Many systems will not eject a DVD if the DVD is opened on the screen. Exit, and try to eject once more.

Press the eject button, if this does not work give your computer some time to sit and work out its queue of commands and try again.

If this fails, restart your computer and try again.

You can manually eject the disc by inserting an open paper clip into the manual eject hole,a small hole on the disc drive.

You can delete unnecessary files from hard drive using disk cleanup or empty recycle bin. You can also back up your memory into another memory source(external hard drive) and delete files from laptop memory. If more memory is needed you can use this to help you install a new hard drive.

Use memory diagnostics tool to help determine if memory is failing. To check memory info begin by clicking Start, then go to the control panel. Click on System and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools. Finally, double-click memory diagnostics tool and follow on screen instructions. If more RAM is needed this guide will help you install more.

“No wireless connection”

Start by checking if wireless capabilities are turned on by pressing the “Fn” key and the “F2” key. When wireless network is turned on, it scans for approximately 30 seconds. Slow connections may be due to signal strength. To view Wireless status click Start, then go to Network. Then click Properties and go to View Status.

Make sure nothing is resting on keyboard. You can also press each key to loosen any that might be stuck. You can also edit the key repetition rate through the control panel options.

“Laptop overheats quickly”

Make sure that nothing is blocking or stuck in the cooling fan causing it to overheat. If cooling fan is overheating or needs replacing please follow this guide

Press Fn + F1 to toggle status indicators.

First make sure that any possible external mouses not being used are unplugged. If no external mouses are plugged in, clean the track-pad with a damp cloth and wipe it dry. (WARNING! Do NOT spray laptop directly; instead, lightly spray cloth and the wipe track-pad clean)

Please use this guide to help disassemble casing.

First, make sure that speakers are not covered or blocked; they are located at the top left and right corner of the laptop. (near bottom of screen) Next check that the volume is turned up by pressing the “Fn” key and the “page up” key (abbreviated “PgUp” and located to the right of the “Enter” key). If all else fails, the speakers may need to be replaced.