Blank screen, dead battery after 5 months storage.

soyned · 01-28-2008, 02:36 PM

I just took my Gateway out of storage after 5 months, during which the fully charged battery was separate in a paper bag. At first when I plugged the laptop in everything worked great but then I accidentally unplugged it and it turned off.

When I plugged it back in I realized the battery was not charging at all, the charging light was not lit. The battery heats up but does not retain charge at all, when the computer unplugs it shuts down instantly.

I used the computer for a couple hours, uploading photos via USB and using wireless internet, then after unplugging it again accidentally and re-booting the screen went black during the boot-up process. Now I can't turn my laptop on without the screen going dark in 10-60 seconds.

If I replace my battery, will this fix the screen issue as well?

Can I buy a battery at an Office Depot or something, or do I need to order it online?

Thanks for any help.

ian88 · 01-29-2008, 03:45 AM

I had a problem similar to this with my Gateway laptop, but I ended up getting a new one. Not to say that you have to get a new one, but it was just time for me to get one. I would try maybe getting a new charger cable, and if that doesn't work, then maybe look at a new battery. Batteries are expensive, but it might help. Depending on how old your laptop is, you might not be able to just go to a store, such as Office Depot or Best Buy and buy a new battery, you usually have to get those from Computer only stores, like CompUSA, or you might even have to get it from Gateway's website. Not sure about the screen issue, never had that one myself. You might try taking it somewhere like Best Buy and seeing what they can do, but I'm not sure what they will be able to tell you.

cybereclipse · 01-30-2008, 05:54 AM

try plugging in the laptop without the battery and see if the screen dimming issue still exists...

if so, something may be wrong with your laptop

01-28-2008, 02:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
soyned New Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1	Blank screen, dead battery after 5 months storage. I just took my Gateway out of storage after 5 months, during which the fully charged battery was separate in a paper bag. At first when I plugged the laptop in everything worked great but then I accidentally unplugged it and it turned off. When I plugged it back in I realized the battery was not charging at all, the charging light was not lit. The battery heats up but does not retain charge at all, when the computer unplugs it shuts down instantly. I used the computer for a couple hours, uploading photos via USB and using wireless internet, then after unplugging it again accidentally and re-booting the screen went black during the boot-up process. Now I can't turn my laptop on without the screen going dark in 10-60 seconds. If I replace my battery, will this fix the screen issue as well? Can I buy a battery at an Office Depot or something, or do I need to order it online? Thanks for any help.

01-29-2008, 03:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
ian88 Bronze Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Heights, MO Age: 21 Posts: 83	I had a problem similar to this with my Gateway laptop, but I ended up getting a new one. Not to say that you have to get a new one, but it was just time for me to get one. I would try maybe getting a new charger cable, and if that doesn't work, then maybe look at a new battery. Batteries are expensive, but it might help. Depending on how old your laptop is, you might not be able to just go to a store, such as Office Depot or Best Buy and buy a new battery, you usually have to get those from Computer only stores, like CompUSA, or you might even have to get it from Gateway's website. Not sure about the screen issue, never had that one myself. You might try taking it somewhere like Best Buy and seeing what they can do, but I'm not sure what they will be able to tell you. __________________ HP dv8000z 2GB DDR2 RAM nVidia GEFORCE 7600 Graphics Card 80 GB HD plus 500 GB external Windows XP Media Center Sound by Altec Lansing 17" widescreen

01-30-2008, 05:54 AM	#3 (permalink)
cybereclipse Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Glendale, CA Age: 19 Posts: 851	try plugging in the laptop without the battery and see if the screen dimming issue still exists... if so, something may be wrong with your laptop __________________ Custom Build & Toshiba M115-S3094 1TB WD HDD/80GB Hard Drive 4 GB DDR3 RAM/1024 MB SDRAM (DDR2) Intel C2D 2.55 gHz/Intel Centrino Duo Win7/OSX86/WinXP/Mac OSX86 FOLDING FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND: F@H Team 44358 To View The Rest Of My Profile Hit Alt+F4 P.S. Can I eat your brain? Visit My Site!!

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