Gateway laptop completely dead, mobo gets power

[binba]

I got a Gateway MX8711 laptop, it was supposed to be just missing an HDD, but the unit is completely dead. I've never got to see any indicator light, any whiff of a fan.

Since the alternative was throwing it away, I took the whole thing apart. All I know is that the PSU tests successfully at 19V, no obvious indications of burns or bad solders near the POS, and there is continuity on the board. The highlighted transistor S1040 gets 19V too*. The battery charge terminals give 0.85V.

Where do I go from here?

* See i39.tinypic.com/29dz2ir.jpg , I can't post links yet.

 

[raybay]

Sorry to report this to you, but the Gateway Ml, M7, and MX series of laptops from about 2007 through 2010 or later, have a very high (my term) failure rate... the motherboard goes.... Some technicians believe that the motherboard fails because the CPU cooling fan plugs up with lint, and the board or processor overheats... We have seen perhaps 36 or 37 of them... dead and not repairable... since 2007... except by the replacement of the system board... The average cost of the system board is $127 plus shipping...
Others believe the failure is because of the manufacturer who was in control at the time they were built... The problems appears to be the same whether it was built by Gateway or the other two companies who have been in line for the building process. Gateway was bought out by other companies in Korea about 2003 or 2004... a pretty reliable machine until then
I would contact Gateway or a technician who specializes in Gateway to see what their cost of repair is these days... but we are not sure we would want the repaired one either...
A look on eBay will affirm that there are lots of Gateway parts, but almost never any working Gateway motherboards...
You might want to take it to a certified tech who works on Gateway laptops for his or her evaluation...
But your time will be better spent shopping for a better unit.
The hard drive is still good, as is the memory and most other components, in our experience, but it is the motherboard that is the one part that is unrepairable.
We will be interested to see if there are other replies that have more hopeful news.

 

[binba]

Thanks for the response, now I understand why it was a giveaway/throwaway gift

I already have too many outdated computers laying around... as said this was more of a science project, so I have zero concern for the fate of the machine, doubt it's worth even $15 to repair. The best I can do probably is sell it for parts for $50.