ACER ASPIRE ONE ZA3 Wont Turn On

One of the first things I'd try to do is boot from something other than a hard drive. Many Linux distros have a version of their operating system that can be burned onto a CD and then you can boot from there. (I'm guessing the Acer doesn't have a floppy, but, if it does, you can try booting an old Dos system.)

I'd test the bootable CD on some other computer to make sure you burned it correctly, and then, if the Acer won't boot, I'd strongly suspect a hardware problem.

If the boot is successful, I'd suspect a hard drive or operating system / software failure. Because somebody has already checked the hard drive, I'd then consider reinstalling the operating system.

I'm a little surprised that your "guys" haven't tried something like this--or maybe they have and haven't really mentioned it to you?

Ubuntu is a great option here. What they have set up for a demo is that they can boot your system from the flash drive and if you like how the system runs (you will), then you can install Ubuntu to the HDD. Of course, in this situation, you are simply seeing it the system will boot up. Getting it all done this way takes a short time, compared with all the other options. Also, the dust answer, is good. You won't believe what type of crud can get into a computer and also something jammed under a key on the keyboard can wreck havoc with your life.

hi John,

have you tried turning on the machine with the power plugged in and the battery charging? you did say the battery is new and the charger works fine, but you didn't say the battery is full and that it's plugged to a live power source.

your problem sounds like a low or empty battery or a virus.

is your NEW battery an original, or a clone?

the IT guys should not have just tested the HDD but they should've tried to correct the problem.

HTH

-- langyaw

Yes I am attempting start up with a fully charged original battery as well as plugged in and I agree with what you are suspecting. When I listen to the HDD it sounds just like a larger electric motor trying to start and then shutting down due to overload. Kind of like a refrigerator compressor in overload. This would imply either a power supply problem or a faulty HDD. If my guys were able to download the HDD with it removed wouldn't this further confirm a power supply problem. How is the HDD powered? Not directly from the battery I'd assume but from some DC to DC converter and maybe at 5VDC right? So this might be the place to look right? Or, as my friends say, it isn't worth it.

I'm not a hardware tech, John, but I had an experience with a Toshiba laptop which exhibited this behavior you described. it would just whirr and be quiet. I was told the hard disk had died. :( it was enough reason for me never to recommend a Toshiba to anyone, except for their industrial-grade Tecra.

if your laptop is still under warranty, take it back to the store. otherwise, there's a discussion here, which might give you some ideas.

good luck!

-- langyaw

Thanks for the link. I went in and found others with the same problem then downloaded a BIOS update to a FAT memory stick, modified the titles per instructions, took it to the ailing ACER and tried to get it to start up and flash it but unable to get the memory card to download. The memory card activates its LED which makes me believe the power supply must be ok but thats it. One thing concerns me, the new title is ZG5IA32.FD but mine is a ZA3 not a XG5 so I even tried relabelling with ZA3 but nothing. Then I got directed to a tech service requiring 38 dollars. I believe in paying for services received but hesitate if I'm not sure.

Any more ideas?

I have discovered a simple solution that works for both desktop and laptops, regardless of manufacturer. Replace the power supply. I have seen this work on 4 separate occasions with 3 completely different brands of machines.

OK. Sounds reasonable. I downloaded instructions on taking the unit apart but the power supply wasn't mentioned. I guess once I have all the components removed all that will remain will be a mother board and the power supply, right?

Thanks

John

the power supply is the part with the cord, there are some regulators on the MOBO, nothing you can change out beyond the

Yes, I call that part the DC charger. What I meant was an internal board which creates a variety of different voltages for the different components of the lap top. I was suspecting the portion which feeds power to the HDD. This suspicion is based on the sound I hear with my ear pressed to the case. There's a short whirring sound which seems to be an attempt to start spinning the HDD. It starts to increase in RPM's for about a second then stops. This attempt to start repeats after a few more seconds and goes on for as long as the on button is lighted. Again, we know the HDD is OK because my guys ran it on the bench to down load my info so this points back to the portion of the DC sources inside the lap top but not the external charger which is working normally. (Or is it? Maybe I could open the charger, connect my FLUKE 189 in parrallel with the output and see if I capture slumps in the voltage during start up attempt. This seemed unlikely with a fresh battery however so I didn't try it)

If I can't change MOBO regulators maybe I need a whole MOBO. Can this be got?

Re: Again, we know the HDD is OK because my guys ran it on the bench to down load my info so this points back to the portion of the DC sources inside the lap top but not the external charger which is working normally. (Or is it?

Very appropriate question, I think. When the bearings are starting to go bad on a hard drive, it can take increased current to start the drive. The power supply your guys on the bench might have been "big and strong", but the power supply in your laptop might not be.

This reminds me of a fix sometimes used for a seemingly failed hard drive--sometimes you can put a hard drive in a refrigerator or freezer for a period of time and then be able to run the drive (for a short period, with suitable precautions--when I did it, I wrapped the drive in a plastic bag (with openings only for the cable, but wrapped tightly around the cable) to minimize condensation when removed from the cold).

IIUC, the bearings shrink enough due to the cold to let the drive start and run. The amount of time varies based on the condition of the bearings.

I did this once, quite a long time ago, and managed to recover the files I needed from a presumably dead drive.

Of course, at this point, you don't seem to need to do that, but I would back up your hard drive if you haven't already. (I don't recall if you mentioned that.)

Re: Maybe I could open the charger, connect my FLUKE 189 in parrallel with the output and see if I capture slumps in the voltage during start up attempt. This seemed unlikely with a fresh battery however so I didn't try it)

That would seem to give a useful hint.

The problem with that solution is the fact that this is a laptop/netbook computer, not a desktop machine. The power supply is built into/part of the motherboard. Probably not going to be worth the trouble to fix if it is a hardware failure on the main-board. If you (or the people helping you) do end up getting inside the machine, check out all the electrolytic capacitors. Even though the problem has been known for several years, there's still computer manufacturers using bad caps. I just got a newer Acer desktop system going again by replacing a hand-full of bad caps (the caps in question will usually bulge or leak, making a bit easier to see which ones are bad). I ordered enough replacements to replace all the caps that had the same value/voltage rating, even the ones that didn't show a physical sign of duress. If one went bad, they were all suspect in my book. Good luck.

Tom D.

Follow-up edit: I posted this after reading a response about midway down the list of posts. I should have read the whole thread before posting, since there was more information given that was applicable.

did you blow the dust out of the cpu heat sink?

a bad cooling fan will give you similar problems

if the heatsink is not properly connected to the chip, from the service people doing a partial disassembly, it can fault out from a heat failure

if the hdd was bad it would start & get stuck on a BIOs screen, most laptops will boot from usb

you can buy a cheap adapter board & plug the HDD into another computer to recover data

you might pop out the keyboard & have a look around

check & make sure the ram is fully seated

since it's a couple of years old & not real expensive in the 1st place, having professional fix it will quickly run up a tab higher than the original price, you don't have much to lose giving it a shot yourself

Thanks for the suggestions. As I disassemble I'll check your ideas.

John

When I looked inside everything looks very clean and everything is plugged in fully and correctly per pictures I have from this guy http://www.insidemylaptop.com/take-apart-acer-aspire-one-netbook/

I blew a little air on the HS fins. All looks OK physically.

Can I get a MOBO for this unit?

John

Re: Can I get a MOBO for this unit?

I suspect (but don't know) that you can, but I'm not sure that will be an enconomical solution for a variety of reasons:

• you don't know yet that a new motherboard will solve the problem
• a new or used (but known working) replacement at this point in time may be an economical solution, especially depending on the cost of a new motherboard
• some of the laptops I've taken partially apart I stopped because I was afraid of ever getting them back together ;-) (Some are worse than others.)
  

you're probably better off buying a new computer

http://microdream.co.uk/acer-aspire-one-za3-motherboard-da0za3mb6e0.html

this is just the 1st result that had one for sale

HDD's can go bad quickly, you might try starting with out the HDD, which should get you to bios

another option is resetting the CMOS

sounds like you've done an inspection of the MOBO & not found anything obvious

if you've recovered the data you have very little to lose

have fun

I checked the MOBO's out and its pricey so I'd like to try your second suggestion.

Do you mean open the back, remove the HDD, and then try starting the unit?

I didn't know this could be done. I figured the unit would "know" the HDD was missing.

As soon as you answer I'll try this.

I read one story where the guy just turns on the unit WITHOUT the power supply and leaves it all night til completely dead. Then the next day he said when he powered up the unit had recovered.

John

If your Acer does not have a optical drive (CD or DVD), then you are probably going to be limited to using a bootable USB stick. There are sites that have "boot images" available for various Linux OS's, if you want to try to boot the computer without the drive, you will need to set your BIOS to boot to USB (if available), and then you will need to create a bootable USB stick. The process does take some time, but if you find the right website, it should have some pretty good instructions on how to do it. I would suggest finding a Linux boot image that is known to work well with your Acer ONE.

Tom D.

it will tell you the HDD is missing or bad, if you get the same reaction you may be able to rule out the hdd

you will probably be able to get to the bio/boot screens

you may have to hit f8 or whatever it is on an acer to get there

I used this HP notebook for about a month with an operating system on a USB stick & my backup files on a 250g seagate usb exhdd

it was slow, but did work without a hdd installed

LATEST NEWS; I left the unit in its state of attempting to start all night long as suggested and in the morning it was with a dead battery. I plugged in the charger and pressed ON and was astonished!! It started and ran normally. I am sending this message from it right now.

Can anybody explain this?????

Now I'm afraid to do a shut down?????

What has happened here??

Instead of being happy I'm suspicious (and a little happy)

I'm trying to remember--I've had similar experiences in the past. I suspect that the laptop had not fully shut off, to a condition ready for a cold boot.

I used to have a laptop that every once in a while it got totally hung. I couldn't do anything, not even shut it off. Leaving it overnight not plugged into a charger let the battery voltage drop far enough that it did shut off. Then I could connect the power and start from a cold boot condition.

Once I understood what was happening, I learned to pull the battery out of the laptop to get it to shutdown. (I typically had to leave it out for a short period of time, like 10 to 60 seconds or so.) Then, I could put the battery back in, and restart the computer.

Hmm, I wish I could remember which laptop that was. (And, I wish I had remembered to suggest this as a possibility. ;-)

Oh yeah that's another troubleshooting/reset trick

sorry That is one of the 1st things I try for a frozen computer

unplug the cord & remove the battery

you should check your power settings, off may only be hibernate

you probably ought to do all the usual house keeping stuff like defrag, possibly even a restore

but as always after backing up your data...

windows machines seem to need a good cleaning every year or so

What I did wasn't unplug the unit and remove the battery. This was different. I left the unit on without AC power. in a state of trying to start up for a very long time until the battery finally reached completely dead BUT still installed in the unit. This is quite different from just unplugging the battery, waiting a minute and plugging it back in. I already tried that to no avail. This worked?????

However I do not know what special difference made this work. I want to know so I can pass it on to others.

John

Update thread

Thanks!