Gateway computer repair

[Griselda]

A family member recently gave me a really old, broken Gateway PC that I can have for my classroom if I get it working. I accepted, as the students don't really do anything on the computer that requires much processing power, and I can probably do the repairs myself.

He claims that the computer has a bad power supply. He says that he took it to a shop, and that's what they told him. He says is shuts itself off frequently, and that sometimes the power switch doesn't work when he wants to turn it back on. I believe he's replaced the CPU fan.

Before I throw any money to this thing, though, I want to make sure that I'm headed in the right direction. If this is the computer that I think it is, I know that he's also had issues with numerous viruses and spyware. I was thinking- sometimes a virus can cause symptoms like those he described, particularly if spyware is also using all of the available memory.

So, it seems to me that the first thing to try would simply be formatting the HD and reinstalling the OS. There's a chance that would take care of things, and I guess if it was a bad power supply, I would still see the shutdown problem even when I wasn't running windows, so I would know.

I don't know much about Gateways (my PCs have been self-built for years now). I have heard that they're hard to work on because you have to use Gateway parts as replacements. I took the cover off, and the plugs coming off the power supply looked pretty standard at first glance, although I didn't unplug anything to take a closer look. So, does anybody know if I will need to order a Gateway-brand power supply as a replacement, or if I'm OK getting one that has the same wattage and dimensions?

The other thing I'm wondering about is if it is going to turn out to be an issue with either the power switch or the hard drive. If it's the power switch, would I be able to replace just the (GatewayTM) switch without having to buy a new case? Also, could I tell that it was the switch before spending money on a power supply?

The hard drive would also not be too big of an issue, as I have 2 drives in my current PC. I'd probably put my backup drive into the Gateway (once again, can I do that, or do I need a Gateway HD?), then get myself a newer backup drive. But, that's also something that I'd rather not do *after* I bought another power supply.

So, in summation,

- Do I have to use Gateway brand replacement parts?
- How can I tell the difference between virus/spyware, power supply, power switch, and HD issues without spending money on the wrong parts?

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

[--Pete]

Hi,

- Do I have to use Gateway brand replacement parts?

Depends on the part and the series of the computer. We had a lot of Gateways at Boeing years ago. When they broke, for the most part, they could be repaired with standard parts.

- How can I tell the difference between virus/spyware, power supply, power switch, and HD issues without spending money on the wrong parts?

I'd check in the virus/spyware, power switch, HD, power supply order.

The malware solution that you proposed is best. Simply re-format the existing drive and re-load an OS. Then see if it is at all stable. Total cost, a little bit of your time.

Nothing fancy in power switches. Just determine the number of poles the switch has and get a similar one from Rat Shack. Hook up the wires and see what happens. If that fixes the problem, yank the old one and put in the new one. Might take a bit of work with a file or drill to get things to fit, and silicon sealant (in whatever color makes you happy) can fill any gaps. Switches are cheap, so this is an easy fix.

If the problem persists, check out the HD. Since you've already got a 'spare', you might even want to do this before checking the switch. Simply swap out the HD with your spare, format, install OS and see what happens. If this fixes the problem, you can decide whether you want to buy a new (small, cheap) drive for this system or a better one for your system. This is another freebie test and you only need to spend anything if it seems that this is the required fix.

It sounds as if you don't have a spare power supply. If that is the case, you'll need to buy one, and that is something that Gateway might be using that is not standard. Comparing the connectors between that machine and yours (size, shape, number of pins and colors of wires should do it) would probably let you know if you can use a standard PS or not. I do have a couple of surplussed supplies that do work but were too small for my use, 235 Watts. I'd be glad to mail you one if it's big enough to handle that machine. Just PM me with your mailing address and we'll get it in the mail.

--Pete

[[vL]Kp]

Although the symptoms don't really match a failing RAM stick, it might be worth running Memtest86 on the machine for a while anyway. That would let you leave it powered up and "active" using a known good (and very minimal!) OS that is actively stressing the system. It sounds like you don't entirely trust this system's history, so at nothing else, a memory test would let you validate that you got good RAM in the deal.

Memtest86 is traditionally run off of a CD or floppy, so it could be done before or after reimaging the machine. If you have not yet reinstalled it, it could be informative to boot it up (preferably without network access) and look around for any obvious signs of infestation. It's worth reinstalling even if you don't see anything (some infestations hide very well), but it could be useful knowing whether the donor was confusing software problems with hardware ones.

[Griselda]

Thanks for the replies. I finally had a chance to look at it today. The first thing I noticed- the power supply fan doesn't turn. :angry: It's the strangest fan, too- the fan is underneath the power supply blowing into the case instead of out the back. The fan is screwed to the bottom of the power supply, but it looks like you'd have to open the power supply to remove it- so no swapping the fan for me.

So, it looks like I'll need a power supply. I don't currently have a spare, as the only one I've replaced was a dead one. Although our computers are self-built, they're all dinosaurs now I'm afraid, so we don't have a ton of spare parts. The power supply on the Gateway is 250W, but I wonder if 235W would work (thanks for the offer, Pete!). It has an AMD Athlon 1gHz processor, with a GeForce2 vid card and 2 HD's- doesn't seem like it would suck *too* much juice, especially if I wasn't even trying to run Diablo on it. The plugs appear to be the standard power supply plugs, going to a 20-pin slot on the MB.

The second HD means that even if one of those turns out bad, I at least won't have to spend money to replace one, as I don't need much storage, either.:)

I ran memtest86 for one pass (nervous about having it on too long with no PS fan- I had the case open and a big fan on it), and it didn't show any errors. I ran windows and it was bogged down but didn't restart or anything. It is the same computer that I remember finding tons of malware on about a year ago, and I don't know that they ever did anything about it. About the only thing that looks different this time is there is a new P2P program that launches itself on startup. :o So, reformatting is definitly called for! It also probably wouldn't hurt to separate the physical drives into different lettered drives to protect me if there is a HD problem down the road while I'm at it.

[--Pete]

Hi,

The power supply on the Gateway is 250W, but I wonder if 235W would work (thanks for the offer, Pete!).

I just checked out the spare supplies, and one of them is 250W. So send me your snail mail address in a PM (neither Sue nor I can find it) and we'll toss the supply in Monday's mail.

--Pete

[DeeBye]

The second HD means that even if one of those turns out bad, I at least won't have to spend money to replace one, as I don't need much storage, either.:)

If you don't need much storage and you are going to reinstall Windows anyways, you might as well yank out the extra hard drive. If the problem with the computer extends beyond the PSU, it will be easier to troubleshoot with fewer "things" installed.

[Griselda]

Update- I received Pete's power supply yesterday, and had quite the adventure getting it in! There are no screws (or screwholes) in this case, as everything is held in with plastic brackets. The new power supply was the correct size, but the cords came out in a different place, blocking one side of the plastic piece that was supposed to support the back of the power supply. I kind of brute forced it in, and it's holding, but I don't know that I trust it. I think that I will probably add an angle bracket or something to support it further, coming from the "foot" that the other side of the ps rests on.

After that, everything was easy. The drives were reformatted (it turns out that the second HD wasn't even formatted, it was just sitting there, so now I have 2 HDs and 2 partitions), windows was reinstalled, and so far everything looks peachy. The vid card fan is loud enough that I want to take a sledgehammer to it, but maybe after I get the case closed up it will be better. As a last resort, it looks like there is onboard video on the MB. :shuriken: There is also no case fan, which would be easy enough to add, but I don't know if I care. The case is huge, everything is really spread out, and the grill on the back where the case fan would go is pretty open. Since I won't be running Oblivion on it, I'm thinking it will be fine as long as there is plenty of air circulation to the back.

The fun part, I think, will be working with the network admin at my school to find out what she thinks about me installing *my* computer on *her* network. :lol: Besides just getting general network access, I have to convince her of two things:

- Not to take my nice computer away because "I already have one"
- To install the school's software on it so that the kids can do "accelerated reader" tests from there

The second one isn't as critical, as if I have word processing software (which I own and can install) and/or internet access, there will be things we can use it for.:)

Thanks for all the advice (and parts)!