If your Acer computer will not boot, the first thing you need to determine is whether the problem is hardware of software related. This is sometimes obvious and something not so clear. If the PC simply will not power on, then there is some type of hardware issue. If your Acer computer tries to load but fails, this could be either a hardware or software problem. The tips below will help you discern between the two and provide suggestions on how you can get your Acer back up and running as quickly as possible.
Acer Computer Has No Power
If the computer is completely dead, you may have a problem with the power supply, the motherboard, the case switch or even the power strip plugged into the wall. There could also be issues with an exterior component or a device plugged into the motherboard. The quickest way to narrow power problems down is to plug the PC directly into a known working outlet, disconnect all USB or other external devices, like scanners, printers and drives. Inside the case, remove any PCI cards and unplug all IDE or SATA cables and power cables to hard drives, optical and floppy drives.
If the PC doesn’t beep or power up at this point, it’s safe to say there is likely a problem with the power supply, case switch or motherboard. While it’s true a bad CPU will sometimes also have these symptoms, it will also sometimes trigger a beep code. Dead silence and no power will usually be one of the former.
You can buy power supply testers at your local repair or electronics shop for relatively cheap. Motherboard will sometimes show physical signs of trauma, such as buldging capacitors. The case switch can be jumped to trigger the system to boot. But when there is no power, the power supply itself is usually the culprit.
Acer Loads But Freezes Before Windows
If your Acer computer acts like it wants to boot, you may have a software driver problem or some other configuration issue. Try rebooting and tapping the F8 key. If you get to a boot options screen, try Last Known Good Configuration. If that doesn’t help, try getting into Safe Mode. From there you can fix driver issues or uninstall any new programs or updates that may have caused the system not to load.
The key to surviving one of these problems is to create a System Restore disk and have it handy in case you even need to reinstall Windows on your Acer computer.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have had this problem several times, to the point where I put the computer away angry and unsatisfied with Acer as a company in whole, visa and the whole nine yards.
After awhile I had the time again to see what was up with the Acer, I pulled the laptop out of moth balls and it fired up right away after that time sitting.
So I figured that something is not being released in memory.
The next time this happened, was when I left my computer on and the battery put the drives to sleep.
I could no longer boot to vista AGAIN, after the first flash of anger, I unplugged the Acer, took the battery out, took the ram out. Left it sit for the time it took me to put it all back together. And Bamm! it fired right up.
There is a memory release issue somewhere, Acer bios? vista?
I don’t know, but that has fixed it every time for me….
Hope this help someone.
The next time it does this, try holding the power button down for twenty seconds. This releases voltage stored in the capacitors. This is probably why it works after you unplug it for an extended period of time.