Hey everyone! I've got some serious business. I'm building a micro, but that isn't the issue. The issue is my gateway serial number 0025541832 model number mfatxstlelp500c is a problem child and I think its something inside the computer. We have had to take it to our local computer shop 4 times and I was wondering if anybody else with a gateway with a similar model number or similar gateway has experienced these problems where they have to take their computer to the shop it gets so bad. Is there something wrong with my components so I can explain to my parents it isn't my fault!?! Is it the motherboard? The BIOS chip, the RAM, the processor or the power supply even?!??? So I have decided to build my own micro computer so that my parents cannot blame me for messing up the computer. Please guys just help me out on this, and thanks so much.

Hello Nathan, can you give us the full specifications of your system, and a detailed description of the problems you're having so that we can help?

Regards

Martin

The problems are that one day it wouldn't even start up, we had to start it up in safe mode and they had to replace windows xp each time we took it to the shop and they replaced the hard drive 2 or 3 times the video card. The specifications on this system are pentium 4 1.5ghz processor, 384 mb sd ram, radeon 7000 series video card, motherboard i have no clue cause its a gateway psu i have no clue, a 40gb hard drive. Hope this helps.

i remember that one of the problems was a virus

Are you running SP2 on your XP? Home or professional?

Can you remember installing any updates around the time you first started to experience problems?

Do you know the name of the virus, and was it there the first time your computer system failed?

How long have you had the computer for?

Do you know how to do a repair install?

My initial thoughts are to get you to format your hard drive, install XP if you have the disc, and then watch when your updates are installed. If you had a boot sector virus, you'll need to format it to be safe.

However, if you don't want to format your drive you can run a repair install and during this process you can access your drive through the recovery console and attempt to fix your boot sector. This of course depends on wether it is\was a boot sector virus.

Just a few ideas for now, I'm only speculating until I can get as much information as possible.

Did you mean that you've had the graphics card replaced as well?

Regards

Martin

Can you just check the model number again, I can't seem to find any reference on their site.

Thanks

Im running sp2 home i had installed updates, i dont know the name of the virus, we got the computer from a pawn shop a year ago but gateway says the ship date on this serial number was 2001.the graphics card was replaced yes.

A lot of you guys are looking but none of you are responding, come on guys, put forth some effort here. Help me out!

Okay, I'm here. I don't really understand what the problem is. Please elaborate some information about your problem.

Is your computer booting at what stage? It boots up to windows. Desktop or laptop?

Be specific. What is your problem now in your system?

Sorry Nathan, must of missed your last post. Check with Gateway on wether there are any issues with either the board or the system.

To have your graphics card replaced as well as the hard drive could mean either an electrical fault or a shop that doesn't know what it's doing.

Graphics cards can blow by having the wrong voltages applied to them, and if the wrong card is put into the motherboard, it can blow both.

Regards

Martin