Laptop Screen Flickers...? HELP PLEASE

[thkim]

Hi everyone, I need some suggestions and advice from people who have experience. You dont have to own the same laptop to help....

I have a new Gateway M505XL with a widescreen. It has the ATI 9600 graphics card. I havent changed factory settings.

Anyway, the screen flickers intermittently as if a connection was bad. It flickers on and off quite a bit sometimes to the point I have to restart the computer and other times it doesnt flicker at all (like right now).

This is not normal and I would send it into Gateway support (2-3 week turnaround time) but Im leaving the country for 1 year in 2 weeks. Gateway will only help me if I send the laptop in.

We already tried looking for viruses(none) and spyware(none) and checked basic configurations and even turned off most of the junk in start up.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ideas please help!! Im desperate... Once I leave (for third world country) I wont be able to fix this thing if it gets worse.

Do you think its hardware or software?

The only thing I havent tried is a clean install of Windows XP because I already have everything installed the way I want on this computer and besides the screen flicker Im pretty happy...

Thanks....

[BargainSeeker]

I am sorry to say it, but it sounds like a bad connection inside the laptop. It sounds like there may be a spec of dirt, a smudge of skin oil or a bit of oxidation in one of the connections. Can you take the laptop to a Gateway Country store repair center? If you explain your situation to the manager of the local Gateway Country store, he may let you use their repair facility even if you didn't get the laptop through them.

If that is not an option for you, I suggest you call Gateway Technical Support on a speaker phone, explain your situation, and have them guide you through the process of disassembling the laptop, cleaning the connections and reassembling it.

Your other option is to escalate the problem within Gateway. Speak to a manager. Explain your situation and insist that they replace your laptop.

[conspir8r]

Hey there thkim,

Sounds like you're having the same problem I had.

And I hate to be the one says it: My problem has still not been resolved! It's been about 3 weeks since I first called Gateway Tech-Support, and I have yet to receive my replacement machine! You can search this site for my posts (where I have described my problem, and lack of results from Gateway).

After looking at all other comparable laptops (from different vendors) it still seems that the M505XL offers the best bargain...so i'm just kind-of hanging tight, and waiting for the new replacement (hopefully I should receive it next week...hopefully!)

[conspir8r]

Gateway Support Update:

I have FINALLY received my replacement laptop! about 3 weeks from the date of my first complaint, finally got it. Now I just have to see how long this one lasts :rolleyes: ...

It took 14 phone calls, about 10 hours total on-phone hold time to get the results. Fortunately, they compensated me with a free extra battery...(that helps).

Ok...enough ranting...back to enjoying the biggest-bang-for-the-buck laptop on the market ;) :cool:

[thkim]

took it overseas for a year and lugged it in my laptop back pack and it never broke. i even dropped it once from waiste level....

its been a good lappy... even edit movies using premiere on it... with only 512 meg of ram which im upgrading tomorrow to 1 gig which is max...