Hi, I picked up a used laptop but it didn't come with a battery pack, so I'm wondering if I buy a charger for it, if it would turn on or would I need the battery inside there? It's a older model of the Gateway laptops.
Yes, they should turn on with just the charger.
Yes it should work without the battery unless there is a problem with the motherboard.
i shouldnt see why not just have the power cord conected to the laptop and turn it on but to be on the safe side wait 5 seconds before turning on to make sure the power charge has had time to kick in and make sue its the correct charger for that laptop
You should check the owners manual to be sure particularly for older models. That can generally be found on line on the Gateway website for the particular model you have. In general, for most laptops, it presents no problem. Many manufactures recommend if you are using the electrical outlet and charger, to take the battery out. I don't know for yours in particular because you did not specify the model. If your computers motherboard is OK. than it should work. In some cases, because the battery wires are made in China and the materials and workmanship are so poor, users coil the cable and the wires crack and eventually break. This can cause intermittent power interruption. If that happens enough, it can adversely affect the motherboard, to the point it shorts out in various ways. Before buying one, I would suggest having a local computer repair shop and asking them to use a power they have to see if the laptop works and powers on. That way you can avoid rolling the dice and taking a chance in sending good money on a bad computer. I hope that helps.
