Acer Aspire 5003 WLMi turns off unexpectidtly

Hi everyone, I seem to be having a serious problem with my laptop.

I have an Acer Aspire 5003 WLMi that I bought in Feb 2006, so it's just a little over a year old. Recently when I started using my laptop, I noticed how the fan would start spinning really fast when I run multiple things.

Like for example, I'm listening to music in iTunes, browsing the internet with 2-3 tabs open, and using Azureus to download something. After maybe about 15 minutes, the fan starts to spin really loud, and a few second later, the laptop just shuts off.

The battery is fine and charged, there are no warnings, it just unexpectidly shuts off.

Basically if I'm not doing anything CPU intensive, the computer runs fine, but as soon as I get to the serious stuff, it acts like it cant handle it, and shuts off.

Like when I try to convert a video, and have nothing else running, it starts to convert fine for maybe the first 10 minutes, and then bamm, it just shuts off.

Does anybody know how to fix this problem, and has anybody ever experienced this?

All your help is greatly appreciated, thanks

 

What you have explained here to me sounds like a classic overheating problem.
Video converting by itself is a very CPU intensive process and if the vents are blocked then the CPU temp will quickly rise and then once it reaches the critical "shut off temp" the system will just go off on its own to protect itself without asking you anything.

Now have you ever cleaned out the fan vents and blades. If your notebook allows you to access the fan underneath the CPU take the cover off and then remove any dust build up in there using a can of compressed air along with some moist Q-tips to clean the fan blades. If you check the 5102 thread you will notice alot of users complaining of slow downs and when they checked their vents were full of dust and other debris. Also don't use your notebook on a bed or other soft surface, the vent on the bottom of the notebook will get blocked like that...

So to sum it up what you have explained sounds like the classic notebook overheating symptoms.

Hope this helps you...

 

I actually tried to take the bottom cover off, but couldn't cause it was too confusing and too many screws.

Anyways, my vent is actually on the right side of my laptop, and it is very clean. Also, when I took off the covers on the bottom of the laptop that expose the cpu, the fan was actually clean, and the vent was also clean, but I dusted everything off just to make sure.

Is there any other reason my laptop could be overheating?

 

I use to own an Acer Apsire 5003WMLi and I know what you mean. I believe its a design fault on Acer's part because the unit gets pretty hot and noisy very quickly. Just doing a few tasks on the laptop and the fan would kick in very loud already. I had to turn the processor speed down to 800Mhz to get a decent working environment which was pretty pointless in my part. All in all, the Turion 64 and the Acer chasis doesn't work very well for this case.

First make sure you work where nothing is blocking the vents. Also check for dust, some compressed air or a light powered vacuum could do the trick for a cooler laptop.

 

so guys, it's been a while since I replied to this thread but here's an update:

as of right now, the problem has escalated. After using the laptop for about 20 mins, the fan starts spinning really loudly, and then a minute or two later, the laptop just shuts off.

But here's the thing though, my cousin was messing around with my laptop about a year ago, bac when it was working perfectly fine. He tried to undervolt it to get more battery life out of it. I forgot which program he used, but it was one of those popular ones. Anyways, he told me that it was too complicated and that he gave up.

So now I'm thinking that maybe he messed up some of the settings in there and thats why my laptop is overheating. Can anybody guide me step by step on how to resotre all those settings to the factory defaults?

 

I had this laptop. Hated it. I believe your friend used RMClock, it's well-known to users here on NBR. The only reason I can think of that RMClock would be causing problems would be that your cousin might have overvolted instead of undervolting.

You should check to see if you have RMClock installed or perhaps CrystalCPUID.

 

yes, you hit the jackpot, he used RMClock

Do you by any chance kno how to restore everything back to factory defaults in RMClock? or maybe undervolt something to prevent the overheating?

 

Solution 1: Delete RMClock
1) Close RMClock
2) Create a new REG file with the contents:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

// WARNING: this script wipes out all user-defined registry settings for the
// RightMark CPU Clock Utility.
//
// Please use it only in extreme cases!
// (e.g., if you set too unrealistic values so that you can no longer launch
// RMClock without locking up your system)
//
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\RightMark\RMClock]

3) Save as Delete.reg
4) Run it
5) Delete RMClock
6) Restart Computer

Solution 2: Undervolt
To do this you will need to find stable VID for both FID's. Its rather risky so I don't recommend it. On my ML-30 I found that at 800MHz I can run on 0.875V and on 1.6GHZ I can run on 1.050V. I don't know how much different the Aspire 500 2 and 500 3 differ in processor speed but in either case, don't use my settings.

Solution 3: System Recovery
Use the Recovery CDs/Partition to wipe the hard drive clean. Who knows maybe its a good time for a fresh start.

Better cooling
I noticed that the Aspire 5000 fan isn't that loud so I think it may be a good idea to let the fan run continuously.
1) Open Acer eManager
2) Open Acer eSetting
3) Go into Boot Options
4) Check the box next to Fan always enabled
5) Click apply
6) Close eSettings
7) Close eManager
Now your fan runs continuously. This might wear it down more though.

 

ok, so I the first thing I just did is solution #1, but I forgot to mention, since I made this thread a while ago, I have reformatted my hard drive and resotred it with the Recovery CD's that came with the laptop.

But one thing I gotta ask you, I remember reading up on RMClock, and it said something like the changes you make to undervolt your laptop are permenant and can't be deleted even if you reformat, as the changes are made directly to the cpu, so is this true? is this why my laptop still has overheating problems even though I used the recovery cds?

I also just went into eManager, and enabled the fan to be always on.

Also, I am getting ready to sell off this laptop in a couple of days, so I'm in the process of backing up my data, and will be formatting it and installing a fresh copy of winxp sp2.

The only problem is, last time I tried to format it, since it takes about 40+ minutes to do a full format, the laptop would always shut off half way since it was a cpu intensive task.

So thats why I'm trying to fix this problem now before I start formatting.

Oh, and one more thing, I also posted this problem on the eggxpert forums, and they are saying that my thermal paste might be old and dried up, so do you think that this could be causing the problem?

 

The changes in RMClock are not permanent. There is even a setting that allows you to restore the default voltages when you close the program. Changes are made when you open the program and when it is running.

If the bottom of the laptop is overheating then I suggest you turn on an electric fan to maximum and blow the cool air directly to the bottom of the laptop. I reduced my temperatures to 35C that way, just had to hold the laptop to the fan to cool it down.

I got my Aspire 5002WLMi in January 2006, and I got the same problems you stated after 6 months. Selling it maybe pointless soon.

 

I remember that when I just got the laptop, I noticed during my first week of use, that under the laptop, where the winxp sticker is, it would always get hot, and not warm, but HOT.

But would you suggest changing the thermal paste though?

 

Its rather pointless because the Northbridge uses passive cooling rather than active. So its just a heatsink with some thermal paste. So basically that cover at the bottom of the laptop serves as a giant heatspreader...a rather spectacular failure of one.

You could try changing the thermal paste but I don't know if it would bring any benefits.

 

cooling pad !
just a thought

 

But since its going to be sold its not really good to pay ~$50 for temporary use. Blowing cool air from an electric fan worked for me though.

 

Ok, this is getting ****ing ridiclous. I'm sooo pissed off right now

I let this piece of crap laptop cool off for like 3 hours, and had a fan blowing cold air at it.

Just a few minutes ago, I turned it on to do a complete format, and once it got to 1%, it ****in shut off again, AND I STILL HAD THE FAN BLOWING STRAIGHT AT IT, RIGHT INTO THE VENT.

I'm getting VERY fed up with this, as I have to have it ready by monday, and I haven't even formatted it yet, let alone installed win xp and all the other programs.

Could it be a bad cpu driver or bios or something?

 

Remove the panel on the bottom of the laptop, right next to where the exhaust vent is. Once removed you will see the cooling fan. If there is dust, clean it. Reattach the panel and turn on your laptop.

 

ok, I just did what you said, opened the panel, there was no dust or anything there, but I cleaned everything and sprayed it with a can of compressed air. I then blew a fan straight at it, and let it cool off for about 15 mins.

I touched the heatsink and cpu with my finger, and it was cool, I then proceeded to turn on the laptop again, and start the format process. As soon as the format started, before it even reached 1%, the laptop shut off again, and I touched the heatsink, and that thing was SERIOUSLY HOT

I mean, it was like a minute from the point when I turned on the laptop to the point when it started to format. So how could it get THAT hot so fast?

I believe this is more than just an overheating issue, it either has to be overvolted, or one of the drivers or bios is messed up.

I wish I'd know how to figure out this problem and fix it, or atleast if Acer could offer to fix it under "good will", cause as of right now, this laptop is useless to me and I just feel like throwing it out....

 

It definitely is your Northbridge that is heating up, it could be that the thermal paste (if any) between the northbridge and the heatsink is no longer effective. or that the heat isn't being spread from the heatsink to the panel by the use of the thermal paste on the heatsink and the thermal pad located on the panel.

It could also be that the heatsink is clogged with dust. Check for that as well as the following:

Check to see if:
1) There is thermal paste on the northbridge
2) Check to see if there is a thermal pad on the panel. It is white, covered with the dark grey adhesive.
3) Check to see if there is thermal paste on that adhesive.

and Acer will not fix it under "good will" you have no warranty then you are out of luck. Once the warranty expires then they don't care. You will have to pay them for a repair, which from my experience with this laptop series would be stupid and pointless. It would be much better to get a newer laptop.

 

ok, so I took a few pictures to show you what going on:





As you can see, there's no dust or dirt anywhere, and last night the part that got heated up in less than a minute was the gold looking thing.

And from my understanding, the cpu is located under that silver triangle type of thing, right? if so, how can I get to that third screw holding the silver thing in place, cause I wanna put some new thermal paste in there.

Also, would it be possible to take out the hard drive from the laptop and connect it to my desktop and then format, and put it back in to just install windows xp? if so, how would I go about doing this?

 

To get to that third screw I believe you would have to remove the bottom case. Remove the screws along the edges of the bottom of the notebook. That will separate the upper and lower case.

Your best bet would be to find the service manual. This is the closest I could get: http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/16545/Acer_Aspire%203000-3500-5000.html
It's incomplete but should be enough, I don't have the full service manual anymore cause I deleted it.

The Hard Drive is located right next to the memory modules. Remove the screws and pry the cover off. Then there will be a screw inside locking the Hard Drive in place. Unscrew it and find some way of removing the drive.

You can take the hard drive out of the laptop and connect it via 2.5" external enclosure and format it but you have to install Windows when it is connected to the laptop.

 

I'm about to run to Circuit City and get this external enclosure: http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/howT...368&oid=150788&userClick=&showMoreStores=true

After that, I'll format the drive on my pc, connect it back to the laptop, and hopefully be able to install windows on the laptop without it shutting off.

Do you have any tips on how to keep the northbridge and cpu cool while installing windows?

 

Well I assume there is no dust clogging the inside of the heatsink. So your best bet would probably be to get a cooling pad but those are like $40. But there's no guarantee that will work.

 

ok, finally I got some results, here's what I did.

I got that external hard drive enclosure, which is VERY cheap and crappy btw. I put the laptop hard drive in there, and connected it to my desktop, and formatted it.

I then put it back into the laptop, and started the installation, as it was at the blue screen copying all the files, the laptop shut off again, maybe like 2 minutes into the process.

I got really pissed off so I took the bottom panel off where the vent is, turned on my really big fan, and turned it up to max, and put the laptop vertically right against the fan. I aimed it right onto the cpu.

I started the install process again, and held the laptop like this for about an hour while it was installing windows, and during this process, the I touched the cpu and northbridge a few times, and both of them were very hot, probably about a couple of degrees from shuting down again, so I barely made it.

I finally finished installing windows xp, and hopefully I wont need the fan anymore as I wont be doing anything cpu intensive, except for installing a few programs, and updates.

But on another note, while I was at Circuit City, I asked the firedog staff how much it would cost to replace the thermal paste, and they said $40

Do you think its worth it? And do you think that this will most likely fix the problem?

How does a tech go about diagnosing something like this to pin point to the exact problem?

 

You have to aim the fan at it when the panel is on. It acts like a giant heatspreader.

I really don't think that applying thermal paste such as Arctic Silver on the heatsink will change anything. Perhaps removing the heatsink and putting Arctic Silver between the Northbridge and the heatsink and then putting it back together might fix this.

You should also apply it for the CPU as well.

 

Hey man, So I finally got a tube of artic silver 5, and took the laptop apart and got the northbridge out.

I'm not exactly sure where I'm supposed to apply the thermal paste, so I took a few pics:





Could you please rephrase what you said in your previous post about applying the paste between the heatsink and the northbridge, cause I didn't quite understand that.

 

No need for double-posting.
You didn't take the northbridge out, luckily It's CPU heatpipe.
Apply the paste on the CPU and then fasten the heatpipe again.
(This way I double-answered your double-post )

Anyways- northbridge is under this big radiator in the middle of the notebook-there the bottom part always gets very hot. He meant that you can take off the radiator and put the thermal compound there too.

 

My aspire 5102WLMi recently ran into the same problem. It would turn off very unexpectedly after 1/2 an hour or so of use. I noticed that the vent area gets very hot also. I opened up the bottom cover to look at the fan but could only find a little bit of dust on the fan. I decided to open up the fan cover (that metallic/aluminum looking thing over the fan in the Aspire 5102WLMi, but it's black looking in the photo posted above... the screws were very small, I had to use an eyeglass repair screwdriver to be able to get those screws off). I'm not sure why I did it but thank god I did it. Because that saved me a couple hundred $$$. After taking out that cover, I noticed there was a thick layer of dust that was slightly less than a 1/4 of an inch blocking the airflow from the fan to what appears to be the heatsink and out of the case. After removing that layer of dust, I've been able to leave my laptop running for the past 12 hours w/o any issue. Plus, it's running very cool now

I know thread was posted a while ago, but I just wanted to share my solution for other owners who may potentially run into this same problem as myself. Goodluck.

 

Thanks alot for the suggestion, I just tried it and when I took the cover off the fan, there was almost no dust in there, and the laptop still overheats....

I guess I'm never buying an Acer product again...

 

Hi Gamezilla.

I own they same Acer 5003 laptop and I was with the same problems, in my case my fan vent was full of dirt so I cleaned and solve the problem, but after a few months the problem came back, and I check the vent and is clean, so now I don't know what to do.

Could you please tell me, could you finally solve the problem? and how?

Thanks,

 

is your fan still working properly??

it's possible that the fan is beginning to show it's age....

 

I've been fighting an uphill battle for two years against the heat output of a couple of Acer Aspire 5002 laptops, and I thought I'd share my observations. I've been cleaning the fans increasingly often, but these laptops are still getting hotter and louder with age. One of them sounds like a jet engine and crashed twice last night, apparently from GPU overheating.

This website gave me perfectly accurate and complete disassembly instructions and pictures: http://specis.me.uk/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=105
The only surprise was that the black catch on the keyboard connector comes completely free. Don't loose this tiny part! This video did not match the 5002 model as well, but it gives a good overall sense of what's involved: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPdw-pkS88k

I normally don't disassemble the fan itself. Taking off the CPU/fan panel and blowing it out with compressed air works just as well as a full disassembly. But today I pulled off the CPU heatpipe and discovered that the factory did not use thermal paste on the CPU. It was just bare metal on metal contact. I added Arctic Silver 5, but I don't expect much improvement from this because the real culprit is the northbridge.

The northbridge heatsink is in the middle of the laptop next to the WiFi card, and it gets minimal airflow from the fan. (The Wifi card stays cool no matter how much you use it.) The northbridge had a ~0.5mm non-melting thermal pad under the heat sink. This thickness seems to be needed for two reasons: 1) The chip's metallic surface is slightly recessed, maybe 0.1mm, in a housing, and 2) the heat sink is held down by shoulder screws that have too long a shoulder to press the sink directly against the chip.

I tried replacing the thermal pad with Arctic Silver. I put a couple of #8 spring washers on the shoulder screws to force a solid contact, but it still took a lot of paste to fill the recessed area of the chip. The result was that the heat sink got hotter than ever before, but the GPU overheated even more easily. It shuts down whenever I pick it up from the table, so the laptop weight must be helping to compress the heat sink against the chip.

I'm thinking of getting a copper shim to fit in the round recess of the chip and reduce the volume of paste needed, but I'm worried that will reduce contact with the outer rim around the recess. Is it necessary to get good heat contact everywheres on the chip, or should I be OK with just the round recessed portion? Has anyone figured out an easy way to build a better heat sink for these laptops, or to connect it to the fan radiator?

 

I just like add if the cool system in this notebook work right the air come out the vent shound be slight warm not super

I agree remove black cover over cpu fan check end of where vents out

also wound,nt hurt put artic sliver on cpu

I also seen northhbrighe heat sink sliver one come lose and lose contact with chipset and cause alot heat but remove that you ether have to make small hole in plastic of case or take apart whole bunch of laptop

 

Update on my earlier post: the reason my laptop was shutting down after I refurbished the heat sinks was because of a short, not GPU overheating. By removing the thermal pad from the GPU and putting washers under the heads of the shoulder screws, that lowered the GPU heat sink. One of the flanges was then just a hair above a couple of components, and would cause a short when I moved the laptop. Some electrical tape fixed that, and a few thermal cycles later my laptop was running cooler and quieter than ever before. So thermal paste seems entirely sufficient to fill that circular recess in the GPU.

 

Hi all, im hoping somebody can help me, i have been looking over other responces here and it has kind of answered my questions but still not too sure what the hell is going on with this laptop,other than its a piece of ***t that is driving me nuts.

there is an over heating issue and im guessing i have to replace the thermal paste for a start and maybe even the fan,

this is not my main concern, my main concern is that the laptop will crash and shut down on start up when i have the battery inserted but when i take the battery out and run it off the mains only it starts up, does not overheat unless i do something seriously cpu intensive, whould anybody have a better idea than me, is this a fault with the battery or would that be the connection with the battery, is there anyway to check this other than bringing it to a shop and getting them to do all the work at a huge cost.

any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

<deleted first part; misunderstanding on my part>

If you want to work on the heat, start by giving the fan a thorough cleaning. (Easy stuff first)

 

Yes, a friend gave me his Acer to fix too, and it has the same problem. I knew Acers had shoddy built quality, but this bad? My Pentium M Toshiba M200 tablet PC with 1.8 gigz never EVER EVER heats up unless I'm decoding or doing something heavy, even then, it never shuts off and it never gets too hot.