Gateway NV53 not showing display when powered on

[dbrisby]

I have a gateway NV53 and for some reason the screen don't come on it worked perfectly before but now it don't. I've tried connecting it to the external monitor and nothing happens still any clue what it can be

 

[Izapu]

Found this same question under another thread and some guy called BRET928S2 said it was an old thread, posted his answer as the best answer, then closed it. There never was any solution posted, just a couple of people saying it was happening to them too.

So, having the same issue with my son's Gateway NV53. It turns on, but screen is black. Connecting an external screen does not work. I took out the harddrive to copy off some files he needed for school, put the harddrive back in, but left the bottom cover off of it, powered it on and the screen worked. Powered it down, put the bottom cover back on and the screen does not work again. Saw on another forum that you should take the battery out, disconnect power, and press power button for 60 seconds. So just for giggles and grins I pulled out the battery and tried to start it up. Screen works just fine. Trying to reboot and get it to fail again and so far not happening no matter if I take the battery out or not. Read in other forums that it could be the battery or a really thin ribbon cable that goes to the screen. Right now my money's on the battery. Think I will order him another one just because they are fairly cheap, and good to have a spare in your backpack just in case.

If I find out more I will pass it on.

 

[sheris14]

Hi, did you find anything yet? i am having the same problem just yesterday. i took it to a repair centre, guy took the back cover and said motherboard needs to be replaced.........?

 

[dabentley]

I have put a recovery disc in and it will boot. But once I shut it off the same thing happens.

 

[BillyBones21]

I've got exactly the same problem, and a quick Google search suggests that a LOT of people are in the same boat, too. My Gateway NV53 just did the same thing about 2 weeks ago. Power comes on, battery charges, fan kicks into life for about 20 seconds and the HD gets warm. But the display will not come on at all. I've tried removing & replacing RAM, removing HD, booting from a Linux disc (actually Knoppix) - the DVD light blinks, disc spins but still nada. I've also stripped much of the laptop down, including removing the monitor panel and keyboard, checking cables & connections but that's made no difference either. I've also tried hooking up an external monitor, but that doesn't help either.

The only other thing I've noticed is that the P and 'backup' touch buttons above the keyboard blink 6 times each when pressed. The Mute and 'Unmute' symbols come on and stay solid but turn off again after 3 seconds.

There HAS to be something wrong for so many people with NV53's to have this exact same problem. Even though I'm out of warranty, I think Gateway should be addressing what appears to be a manufacturing fault. The trouble is, it's nigh on impossible to contact them unless you pay.

 

[BillyBones21]

Nothing? Bueller? Bueller? So many NV53 owners with the same problem and so few resolutions.

Ok, let me ask this just to provoke some sort of response. Is there a way to flash the BIOS with a non-responsive laptop, just in case it's that? Nobody's done anything to it, I'm just clutching at straws here.

 

[orange1954]

I have same issue. Bought a new mother board, didn't fix the issue. Pulled memory, hard drive, wireless adapter,... still nothing. Did the no battery/hold the power button forever, trying power at different screen open angles, and any other potential fix I could find on the internet. Anybody figure this one out?

 

[dkishton1486]

Any update I am having the same issue

 

[Phil1900]

I have the same problem with my NV53: one day out of the blue, after pressing the start button, nothing shows up on screen, no BIOS boot, no beep, fan runs for a few seconds, short CD drive noise, power light on. Touch function keys light up when touched ("P", backup, sound up/down), CD caddy opens when switch is pressed. It did restart once after the first malfunction, but nothing after that. I did install a Bluetooth USB dongle a few days before problem occurred, but laptop was working for a few days after the BT install though, before it stopped working. HD is working OK when USB connected to another PC. Tried the power down solution (remove battery, etc..), removed CMOS battery, re-installed CPU. I even changed the power button assembly because I initially thought that it was the problem, or a wake/sleep issue. Anyway, nothing worked. Looks like the motherboard is dead because rarely CPU fail (as per what I can gather from the web).

 

[Phil1900]

Could it be a problem with the sleep/wake mechanism: laptop is somehow kept in sleep mode, although the lid is open? I was not able to figure out where is the switch to put the laptop to sleep when the lid is closed.

 

[sheldon1451]

I'm having the same issues. Tech said it's probably the motherboard. Any updates from anyone with this same issue will be appreciated before I spend the money for a new board! Thank you

 

[patrickkoto]

I have the same exact problem with my NV53. took off the screen cover and played with the little magnet on the bottom left of the scree, and boom, it lights up. Then shut down the laptop. Tried to turn it on again and tried to play with that little magnet but nothing happens. Power led is on, battery led is on, P and volume buttons work, fan spins, but screen is black. I hotwired the powerbutton from the motherboard, but still nothing, it just acts as if I used the normal power button. THis is very annoying.

 

[fowerdna]

I have the same exact problem with my NV53. took off the screen cover and played with the little magnet on the bottom left of the scree, and boom, it lights up. Then shut down the laptop. Tried to turn it on again and tried to play with that little magnet but nothing happens. Power led is on, battery led is on, P and volume buttons work, fan spins, but screen is black. I hotwired the powerbutton from the motherboard, but still nothing, it just acts as if I used the normal power button. THis is very annoying.

Ive got the same problem. Once I fixed it by rebooting up to 15 times before it worked (holding down power button, forcing shutdown)
Another time i got it to work by fully opening screen as much as possible with extra pressure and holding it like that while i pressed power button (could be coincidence). Am i the only one thats had memory issues? Windows saying it needs more memory, this is a few weeks old, again it could be coincidence. P.S. my power button for a few years now kinda sticks for a few seconds after pressing.
I rarely close or adjust screen (couple times a year) I also almost never shutdown just sleep always.

 

[dnicholls]

I like many other's have had the same problem with my screen not working on a Gateway NV53. I left computer on for several hours and would not let it go into sleep mode by moving my finger on the mouse pad every 30 minutes. After doing this for about 8 hours my screen finally came on. I don't turn this computer off anymore as it does this every time I turn it off for more then 3 minutes. I think it's a defect of the onboard video chip (GPU).

 

[Sanjay Mahabir]

I have the same problem with my NV53: one day out of the blue, after pressing the start button, nothing shows up on screen, no BIOS boot, no beep, fan runs for a few seconds, short CD drive noise, power light on. Touch function keys light up when touched ("P", backup, sound up/down), CD caddy opens when switch is pressed. It did restart once after the first malfunction, but nothing after that. I did install a Bluetooth USB dongle a few days before problem occurred, but laptop was working for a few days after the BT install though, before it stopped working. HD is working OK when USB connected to another PC. Tried the power down solution (remove battery, etc..), removed CMOS battery, re-installed CPU. I even changed the power button assembly because I initially thought that it was the problem, or a wake/sleep issue. Anyway, nothing worked. Looks like the motherboard is dead because rarely CPU fail (as per what I can gather from the web).

 

[Sanjay Mahabir]

i am a pc tech. and studied the problem for years now and wat is happening is the motherbord from gateway or acer do ware down with heat .so in other words the soilders tends to let go from the graphics card and turn cold causing the computer to detect no display but put the power out there to detect if 1 is attached .
SOLUTION to power on ( not fix the problem permanent but powers on )

do carefull as i say

1 take out the battery
2 take out the power jack (charger)
3 wait 15 seconds as it takes 10 seconds to send pc back to machine state wait 15 seconds to be sure
4 get a piece of cotton cloth
5 press the power button and hold it for 30 seconds
6 then put the battery back in the laptop
7 connect the charger
now this is very important !

8 power on the computer then very quickly as soon as the power light comes on close the laptop lid ....( by doing this you manage to keep the system running do not open the lid as the process will have to start from the beginning)
9 wrap the laptop in the cotton cloth making sure to cover the vents of the fan not once but twice .(making sure the heat can stay in the computer )
10 wait till the computer get real hot like 30 munites or more the remove the cloth and just block the vent alone alowing the heat to transfer to the graphics card melting the soilders back onto the bord .
11 open the lid and hold the power botton till the laptop powers of and then power it on
12 hit start windows normally

if this help you plzz let me no... thanks

 

[fowerdna]

i am a pc tech. and studied the problem for years now and wat is happening is the motherbord from gateway or acer do ware down with heat .so in other words the soilders tends to let go from the graphics card and turn cold causing the computer to detect no display but put the power out there to detect if 1 is attached .
SOLUTION to power on ( not fix the problem permanent but powers on )

do carefull as i say

1 take out the battery
2 take out the power jack (charger)
3 wait 15 seconds as it takes 10 seconds to send pc back to machine state wait 15 seconds to be sure
4 get a piece of cotton cloth
5 press the power button and hold it for 30 seconds
6 then put the battery back in the laptop
7 connect the charger
now this is very important !

8 power on the computer then very quickly as soon as the power light comes on close the laptop lid ....( by doing this you manage to keep the system running do not open the lid as the process will have to start from the beginning)
9 wrap the laptop in the cotton cloth making sure to cover the vents of the fan not once but twice .(making sure the heat can stay in the computer )
10 wait till the computer get real hot like 30 munites or more the remove the cloth and just block the vent alone alowing the heat to transfer to the graphics card melting the soilders back onto the bord .
11 open the lid and hold the power botton till the laptop powers of and then power it on
12 hit start windows normally

if this help you plzz let me no... thanks

Thanks very much what you said worked. I wrapped it for 50 minutes just because that was the quickest i could get to it. And mine was done. At first it took a few restarts to work and over the weeks it got up to 15-20. This last one I couldn't get it to work after over 50 attempts.
A few questions: How long should I leave just the vents blocked after it starts up ? [i only did 10min. you didnt say]
Can I now use pc normally with shutdowns and sleep modes?
How long do these fixes typically last? and how many times can you fix it again?

thanks so much again and have a good day

 

[Knight7570]

Ok, this resolved the issue hope it resolves it for you.

Go to Contol Panel- Power Management - select hidden options- then create your own custom power management profile, set the plugged settings to never shutdown and the battery setting to shut off whenever computer is not in use or when the lid is closed etc...do not have any settings on sleep or hibernate. Then there is also one more thing that you can check before you set the power management and that is the sensor in the computer. Make sure it is in place and connecting. I had to push mine in place. Hope this helps!

 

[kostohryz08]

Sanjay Mahabir,
I had the same issue and your fix solved our issue at least temporarily. If it's the soldier joint that's the issue can I just have someone redo the soldier joint? If so can you identify where exactly the graphics card is because I can't seem to find anything on the internet that shows me the location of the graphics card.
Thanks
Dave

 

[3designstudios]

For all those looking for the Gateway MS2285 NV53 lid switch, It is a magnetic sensor attached to the mother board directly above the dc power input. the magnet in the display bezel only actuates the sensor. I'd like to know what brainchild at gateway came up with this one. This is the 2nd and the last gateway, Acer, whatever they call themselves now laptop I will buy from them. The 1st one had the GPU go bad, and now this one has the switch problem. I don't see how opening the lid as far as it will go solves anything, except to get the magnet as far away from the sensor as possible, removing it or reversing it from the fields influence. If anyone knows the correct way of bypassing and or shorting this switch please let me know.

I have posted a couple photos of the sensor at
http://www.3designstudios.com/lidswitch/lid-switch-1.jpg
http://www.3designstudios.com/lidswitch/lid-switch-2.jpg

 

[sanjaymahabir]

Sanjay Mahabir,
I had the same issue and your fix solved our issue at least temporarily. If it's the soldier joint that's the issue can I just have someone redo the soldier joint? If so can you identify where exactly the graphics card is because I can't seem to find anything on the internet that shows me the location of the graphics card.
Thanks
Dave

 

[sanjaymahabir]

i am a pc tech. and studied the problem for years now and wat is happening is the motherbord from gateway or acer do ware down with heat .so in other words the soilders tends to let go from the graphics card and turn cold causing the computer to detect no display but put the power out there to detect if 1 is attached .
SOLUTION to power on ( not fix the problem permanent but powers on )

do carefull as i say

1 take out the battery
2 take out the power jack (charger)
3 wait 15 seconds as it takes 10 seconds to send pc back to machine state wait 15 seconds to be sure
4 get a piece of cotton cloth
5 press the power button and hold it for 30 seconds
6 then put the battery back in the laptop
7 connect the charger
now this is very important !

8 power on the computer then very quickly as soon as the power light comes on close the laptop lid ....( by doing this you manage to keep the system running do not open the lid as the process will have to start from the beginning)
9 wrap the laptop in the cotton cloth making sure to cover the vents of the fan not once but twice .(making sure the heat can stay in the computer )
10 wait till the computer get real hot like 30 munites or more the remove the cloth and just block the vent alone alowing the heat to transfer to the graphics card melting the soilders back onto the bord .
11 open the lid and hold the power botton till the laptop powers of and then power it on
12 hit start windows normally

if this help you plzz let me no... thanks

Thanks very much what you said worked. I wrapped it for 50 minutes just because that was the quickest i could get to it. And mine was done. At first it took a few restarts to work and over the weeks it got up to 15-20. This last one I couldn't get it to work after over 50 attempts.
A few questions: How long should I leave just the vents blocked after it starts up ? [i only did 10min. you didnt say]
Can I now use pc normally with shutdowns and sleep modes?
How long do these fixes typically last? and how many times can you fix it again?

thanks so much again and have a good day

 

[sanjaymahabir]

soldiering the pins in the graphics card will melt the chip causing severe damage to the board i suggest running the PC with vents block for a day or 2 to melt the solders to stick back the pins . other than that you have to change the board i run this fix for 4 years now and work fine

 

[fowerdna]

You say 4 years do you mean fixed for good like you can turn it off and never do towel trick again? Or like me I've had to do trick about 4 times now cause it keeps going bad eventually?
thanks

soldiering the pins in the graphics card will melt the chip causing severe damage to the board i suggest running the PC with vents block for a day or 2 to melt the solders to stick back the pins . other than that you have to change the board i run this fix for 4 years now and work fine

 

[sanjaymahabir]

You say 4 years do you mean fixed for good like you can turn it off and never do towel trick again? Or like me I've had to do trick about 4 times now cause it keeps going bad eventually?
thanks

soldiering the pins in the graphics card will melt the chip causing severe damage to the board i suggest running the PC with vents block for a day or 2 to melt the solders to stick back the pins . other than that you have to change the board i run this fix for 4 years now and work fine