I dropped my lap top

Hello Angelicawhit;

Can you tell if the hard disk drive is spinning?
What make and model do you own?

Can you use the F2 key to get in to and look at the BIOS settings at bootup?

One thing you can do for some testing - make a bootable CD/USB thumb drive in case it's just the HDD that's been damaged.

You can make yourself a bootable LiveCD (a CD/USB drive with a complete operating system) like this option: Ubuntu Desktop
You'll want to Try It and not Install Ubuntu when it comes time to book the CD.

the spinning circle was there for a little time, then it went away. I have a Gateway P5WS6.

not the same thing as your hard disk drive working.
Can you feel any vibrations where the hard disk drive is installed when you turn it on?

That could be a sign that something is damaged or a connection is loose. You can physically check the RAM, hard drive, and CD/DVD drive yourself. Without a CD or DVD disk you can boot from, you can't do much else.

You can either try to get a bootable disc or take it to a repair shop.