I have pondered this situation for a bit and really am kinda stumped! Usually, things work or they don't. I would suggest that you check for a hardware diagnostic program in your computer, such as Dr Watson. I have included a link to the gateway support page for your notebook.

http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Gateway/7305GZ/4430nv.shtml

If you know the manufacturer of your hard drive, you can go to the manufacturer site and look for download link and find the hard drive diagnostic program that most manufacturers offer to check their hard drive functioning.

You can also chat with a gateway technician and they may have some idea about this issue if they have had this complaint before.

I am sorry I could not be more specific.

Brian