Solved Bios help

[carlos7859]

Hi guys, I'm sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place. I need some help!! I have a gateway m-2414u laptop, i reinstalled windows 7 and i restarted and now it's stuck in bios boot :/ it turns on and all the indicators come on but it doesn't boot :/ HELP!! I'm scared of putting a new bios flash because i can't find it on the official bios on their webpage cause it's all messy :/ can someone help me find it please? i just don't wanna kill my computer thanks

 

[TVeblen]

Let's see if we can understand what is going on a little better:

• You reinstalled Windows. How? Clean install? Repair install?
• When you typically install Windows the system must re-start twice. Did it do that successfully? If so, when did it first freeze on boot?
• Can you get into the BIOS settings? (Do not change anything - just, can you get in?) The start-up process on a PC is a two stage process. The BIOS "boots" and then the OS "starts". There is a BIG difference between a PC that will not "boot" and one that will not "start".

Don't flash your BIOS. Please. You could make things much worse.

Let's see what we can do with more info.

 

[Qdos]

There's a possibility the default boot device in the BIOS is set to your optical drive, not your hard drive, based upon a command entered during Windows Setup.

 

[carlos7859]

Ok guys. Clean install of windows 7 pro. Windows installed normally and I got to the desktop then it installed 105 updates and it asked to restart so i restarted and it turned on but it didn't do anything nor show the gateway logo and no bios menu nothing pitch black The lights turn on but don't turn off like always (wifi, caps lock, num lock) are always on. The fan runs and the hard drive spins. I have no clue whats wrong cause it was running normal before the restart. :/ help PS. I look up info on google and it could be a bad bios battery... but i don't know. (Laptop year 2008)

 

[TVeblen]

Huh - wait - what?
If I understand this correctly, you clean installed W7 and all was good. Correct?

Then you installed all 105 updates - at once - and when it restarted it froze? Is that right?

If the above is true, then you will need to go through all 105 updates to try and find the one, or combinations of updates, that is trashing your install.
or
Do another clean install, then install the updates in batches by date (all updates from the same week or month, starting with the oldest ones), and no more than 5 to 10 at a time.

Do not install any updates that show up unchecked along with other updates. That is why they are unchecked: they are supposed to be installed alone.

By doing the updates in small groups you can isolate an update that causes problems easier.

But installing them all at once is just looking for trouble.

Tip: IIRC, during the install process there is a place where you can select whether to have Windows automatically install updates. DECLINE!

 

[essenbe]

OK, let's try this. Unplug the power coard and remove the battery and hold the power button down for 30 seconds. Put the battery back in, plug the power cord back in and start it up. If the computer posts 9you get to the Gateway screen) go straight to bios. Load optimized defaults, set your boot order with the CD/DVD 1st and the hard drive 2nd. Save the changes and exit. If it does not boot, try to boot into the installation DVD, on the 2nd screen in the bottom left corner you will see, repair my computer. Click there. Try to find a restore point to before you installed the updates. Windows should have created one before installing them.

 

[essenbe]

TVelben types faster than me. And in addition to what he said, do not install SP1 until all other updates are installed and you check for updates and find none. Install SP1 by itself.

 

[TVeblen]

Good point! Nice catch essenbe!

 

[essenbe]

Thanks. But, am I understanding correctly that he can't post? If that is true, that is the first thing that needs attention. He can't reinstall or use a restore point or startup repair if no post.

 

[carlos7859]

I can't! The laptop just turns on but it doesn't do anything just dead no windows, no bios, no gateway logo, nothing at all i removed the battery and did the process and nothing... She turns on but dead :/ The battery light turns on when adapter is plugged in, the turning on button turns on blue like always, the wifi and other lights stay on but nothing.. I can turn the lights off with FN+F1 but nothing else

 

[carlos7859]

These are pictures of my laptop it would help to figure out what's wrong

 

[TVeblen]

Did you perform both procedures in essenbe's post #6?

 

[carlos7859]

I could only try the first one with the power because i can't do anything else on the pc only turn it on or off, it doesn't do anything else. I inserted the installation disc but nothing happened just pure black. I took out the rams to see if it beeps and no beeps.

 

[alphanumeric]

I would remove the battery just in case its dead/shorted out. Leave one stick of RAM in but take the hard drive out just in case it has failed and is locking the system up. Unplug everything and anything external except the power pack and see what happens. If no change put the battery back in and unplug the power pack, they do fail sometimes, and try again. I think this happening on the reboot after doing windows updates is just a coincidence. Removing the hard drive will tell you one way or the other anyway. Just bad luck in my opinion.

 

[carlos7859]

Ok, i have no clue with the laptop!!! i opened her did everything even checked with a tester xD and i turned on and off for 1 hour and got 2 times into bios but it was a rush enter so i couldn't f2 but i left her on all night and i entered and loaded default! this is crazy! but when i shut down she does it again!! i noticed i need to overheat her to get on just block the vent for a while and turn her off and on and she works :/ the images talk by themselves! Does anyone know why she is doing this??? Thanks!

 

[alphanumeric]

My guess, and it is only a guess, is there is a motherboard fault. Heat causes things to expand, so something is making a good connection when hot but a poor or no connection when cold. Maybe a poor solder joint on a component on the motherboard. If I'm right, you'd have to strip it down and go over it with a magnifying glass to find it. No easy feat even if you know what to look for. I'd try any and all recommendations any body else has to offer though before I'd commit to this diagnosis. It is just an educated guess on my part.

 

[TVeblen]

That is truly weird. Normally it is the other way around: it gets too hot and shuts down.

I like alpha's idea: take it apart and check it out. One WAG that occurred to me is that there is some large clump of dust, hair, or debris inside the laptop that is causing some kind of short circuit. You block the vent, it changes the air flow, and the clump moves.

 

[Qdos]

Sounds like a gremlin...

 

[carlos7859]

Ok i'll open her and take a good look to see whats wrong, but i've been using her for some hours now and she's normal sometimes if i restart she turns on normal or sometimes do it again but all i do is cover the vents and she turns on lol! I'll be posting results at night time when it's easier for me and if i see something wrong i'll post pic Thanks guys!

 

[alphanumeric]

Don't force it if it won't come apart. You may have to look for hidden screws under the rubber feet on the bottom. Keep track of where you remove the screws from. Sometimes some of them are of different lengths and bad things can happen if you mix them up and put a long screw where a short one is supposed to go. Sometimes they are even hidden under the stickers and labels. I highly recommend you search online for a service manual, it may save you some aggravation.