launcherx

Hello all. I am currently the owner of an Acer Aspire 4520. Lately, I have noticed that it is not coming on as it should. When I press the power button, it turns on for a few seconds, and then turns off. This has occurred with the battery + adapter, battery alone, and adapter alone. I even borrowed an adapter from a friend of mine who has the same model as me, and the same thing has occurred. I don't know how to solve this problem or rather if there is even a solution that won't cost me a new motherboard (or laptop). I don't know if it is a power issue (which I highly doubt), or some bit of hardware got damaged. I'm not new to computer related incidents, but when it comes to laptops, yes (in this regard, anyway).
I can tell you from my observations, that when the laptop comes on, it turns off after the optical disc drive reacts. There are times too when the power light comes on and off instantly, and I would have to press 3 times before the power comes on, which of course means nothing, since the laptop comes off after a few seconds anyway. Nothing comes to screen.
Prior to this problem, I noticed a boot error. I was presented with a blinking cursor instead of windows startup screen, so I repaired windows. That went well, but after a while, I noticed that the laptop came off abruptly, and then, of course, came the situation that I am in now.
If anyone has come across such a problem, can they please offer me a solution to it? I am in dyer need of assistance.

Thank you.

RicD

RicD

If the computer turns on say 2-3mins and then just shuts down. You should check to see if the fan is working. Seems to me that there's an issue with over heating. the shutdown is protection to not blow the mobo and or cpu.If the fan turns You must check the paste between the cpu & the heatsink if there's no paste you are over heating.
and the computer simply shuts down The paste is cheap but You Must disasemble the whole laptop to access the cpu. let me know how this works for you.....

launcherx

Alright. I'll give this a shot. Thanks.

sTereo13

Did your problem solved?

RicD

Well I guess you did'nt go with my suggestion or it did'nt work I had a similar problem with a aspire 4315 Acer gave no support. So after reinstalling vista and all the video drivers, still the same problem. Now what i did do was remove the cmos batt for bout 10mins applied more thermal paste to CPU
and checked all connections to the monitor. I was so excited i forgot to reconnect the touch pad. but everything worked out no more WSOD's
no more shutting down in 2-3mins or at all. So let me kow how this works for you, it did for me a number times.I do contract work for Halifax & fieldsoultions and I am certfied pc repair Technician. Good Luck!...

launcherx

Um.. I have been so tied up with University work that I didn't take time out to loose down my laptop to fix it. I think I have the paste, and I can remove the CMOS battery. I hope I have the necessary screwdrivers to do this.. ^_^ Forgive my delay. I do want to try this.

launcherx

I am trying to figure out how to go ahead with the disassembly. I am reading the schematics, but the thing is that I want to remove the bottom part of the latop, without affecting the top area of it, being the keyboard, etc. Can I actually remove the bottom alone without affecting anything, or will the top be affected? The motherboard parts like the chip, HD, and other parts are in reach.

RicD

Hello
Like yourself I've been real busy... to answer your question my experience
tells me the whole thing will have to be disasembled. But if you can get to the cmos batt, and see and remove the heat sink to check for the thermal paste
and see that it is enough there to transfer the heat from the CPU by all means do so and leave the keyboard intack. but I'm sure there is a screw or two under the keyboard that has to be removed to give easy access. Good luck take your time and remember where the screws came from...

and of course let me know how it's going!

Madcatz

before tearing apart your laptop, you said that it only powers on for a few seconds, so to be sure, does it stay on for only a few seconds before shutting down or a does it stay on for a few minutes? if being a few minutes then do you get any video on the display?

If its only a few seconds, then it can't be an overheating issue. Its a power problem, something could be shorting out and causing it to turn off, or the power button could be stuck. You could try and take out the hard drive and dvd drive, also try reseating the memory. then with the hard drive and dvd drive out of the unit, then try powering it on.

launcherx

I haven't returned to the forum in a while, and checked today to find this response. Well, before anything, I took the laptop to a technical group here and had them look at it. Turns out that the main circuit board is damaged, according to the technician there. They tried to deshock it, and they got that part done. The laptop turns on now, but the display doesn't respond anymore. The laptop can stay on for a long time, but the display doesn't come up, so I guess that's one problem solved, and another created. I will try with the removal of the hard drive and optical drive. The fact that the main circuit board is damaged, says a lot. I still feel dubious about it. Power problem, definitely. =)