Laptop won't charge

**sam191** · October 23rd, 2009

Hey everyone, don't know if this is the right place to post so sorry in advance.

I have a Gateway M520 from a while back, and it just won't charge. When I plug in the power cord, it is loose and wiggles around. I have to hold it in a certain position for the "charge" light to light on, but as soon as I let go, the light goes off.

Is this a problem with the cord or the DC jack? And would it require replacing the DC or should I resolder it?

Appreciate any help.

**Dark_Stang** · October 23rd, 2009

Gateway laptops can go either way. Sometimes you can get away with resoldering, sometimes the motherboard is too damaged and needs to be replaced. I'd try a different AC adapter first. Sometimes the DC plug goes bad. But if it's loose, it's probably the DC jack in the laptop. Resoldering would be much cheaper than buying a new laptop/mobo if you're up to it. Or, if it's still under a warranty/service plan by any chance, get it serviced under that.

**sam191** · October 23rd, 2009

Yeah I think it's the DC Jack too. Well I took the whole thing apart, but remembered that I don't have a soldering iron

. I will borrow one from a buddy and try it out, the laptop is still disassembled and I have no idea how I'm going to put it back together... But no worries, this laptop was given to me by a family member. They basically said, if you can fix it, it's yours.

Thanks for your help though!

**sakundiak** · October 23rd, 2009

I have had this same issue on two hp laptops. Pull them apart and resoldered them and they work fine now. The first one i did i broke the dc jack and actually had to solder two wire onto the board and i went up to radio shack and bought a plug thingy so now it has a 2" line coming out of it before the disconnect plug but it still works fine. Also if you search online you should be able to find a complete disassembly guide for you unit so you can figure out how to put it back together.

**kixome** · October 23rd, 2009

typically it is a worn out ground prong that touches the outside of the power jack, the place I last interned charged $100 to bend the prongs back.

**Dark_Stang** · October 24th, 2009

You guys are lucky on the HP laptops. Most of the DV HP laptops require mobo replacements. I've seen so many cracked boards because people and pets trip over their power cables...