Laptop not powering on

[blacktop89]

So here's the deal....I've got a laptop I'm working on. The laptop will not power on. The person noticed that their battery life wouldn't last more than 15 or 20 minutes at a time, so they ordered a replacement battery. When they put the replacement battery in, the laptop would not turn on. They charged the battery for a few hours, and the laptop still would not come on. I've tried turning the laptop on with just the battery and by just using the power cord. Neither works.

When the power cord is plugged in, the battery light on the laptop lights up and you can hear a high pitched noise coming from the laptop. The noise isn't very loud though. So, anybody got any ideas about this? It is a Gateway laptop and is about 3 1/2 years old. The laptop is not under warranty, so if it's toast, I was just going to recommend getting a new one.

 

[ksb007]

Is it the right battery for the laptop. Maybe the wrong battery got ordered.

 

[blacktop89]

yes, the new one was ordered from Gateway.

edit: even when using the old battery, which used to hold a charge for at least 15 or 20 minutes, the laptop still will not power on.

 

[rdcmmnst]

sounds like something is fried. not all of it but it could be the screen. You know that could be it. Do you hear the hard drive is that what you think the noise is?

 

[blacktop89]

No, it's not the hard drive spinning. The noise happens when you plug the power cord into the laptop w/ the battery in. If you take the battery out and plug the power cord into the laptop, there is no noise. When I press the power button, I get no response whatsoever.

I've never heard of this happening, but could the motherboard have been fried when the new battery was installed?