Aspire 1410 / 1810T Fn + Brightness key, my attempt to get Acer to recognize the problem

I know that the Fn + Brightness key issue on XP has been mentioned in other 1410/1810T threads, but I thought it might be nice to start a thread specific to the problem. After it's fixed we can add it with the other stickies.

I recently installed XP on a coworkers 1810T and because i'm interested in the machine myself i wanted to investigate the brightness issue and see if Acer is working on a fix, or even recognizes the problem.

My correspondence with Acer has been extremely frustrating and disappointing. I was considering using the 1810T laptops to replace our office's aging Lenovos but Acer's lack of support has made me majorly turned me off to that idea.

Here's my discussion with Acer, reverse chronological order (start at the bottom):

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XP "Launch Manager" drivers do not function fully
Discussion Thread

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Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/29/2009 06:33 AM
You continue to tell me to visit the Thai support site and I continue to tell you that it doesn't work. Please stop repeating the same thing and read what I am writing.

The thai email address does NOT work. It does NOT work. Send an email there and test it yourself. The email will be returned with the following message:

[email protected]
(Was addressed to [email protected])
Delivery failed
554 Mail for [email protected] rejected for policy reasons.


No recipients were successfully delivered to.



Final-Recipient: rfc822; [email protected]
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0 (Permanent failure - no additional status information available)
Remote-MTA: dns; 123.123.123.7
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 554 Mail for [email protected] rejected for policy reasons.
SMTP-Remote-Recipient: [email protected]

____________________________________________________
Response (Gopakumar_GWSI677) 09/29/2009 05:52 AM
Dear Dave Curtis,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced.

Since your system purchased from Thailand, I am unable to pull up your details.

You may please contact the Thailand technical support. For that please visit the link given below.

http://www.acer.co.th/acer/home.do?...tx1g.c2att92=917&ctx1.att21k=1&CRC=3302485282

The below mentioned link contains the ITW locations for Acer:

<< http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/itw_location.htm >>

For more information please visit our website www.acer.com

Have a nice day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/28/2009 11:43 PM
You're not reading what I've already stated. I cannot contact the Thai support center.

-The thai support link sent does *not* offer a ticket support system like the US site and thus I can't have correspondence with them like this because they lack the functionality to do so.
-The email links provided on the Thai site do not work. I've already demonstrated this by showing you the bounced email that returns to me.
-The staff who answered the phone could not understand english enough to understand the problem.

____________________________________________________
Response (Rajesh P) 09/28/2009 03:33 PM
Dear Xxxx Xxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. This is Rajesh. I apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced.

Since your system purchased from Thailand, I am unable to pull up your details.

You may please contact the Thailand technical support. For that please visit the link given below.

http://www.acer.co.th/acer/home.do?...tx1g.c2att92=917&ctx1.att21k=1&CRC=3302485282


For more information please visit our website www.acer.com

Have a nice day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/28/2009 11:58 AM
I respectfully understand that you can only support the included operating system, but I was told by the Acer sales agent that the laptop supports Windows XP and your support sites, regardless of region, support this claim. Changing an operating system to XP and attempting to use Vista drivers could certainly cause driver conflicts, but that is not what I have done. I have used the Acer provided XP drivers. All of the Acer support sites offer windows XP drivers for this machine, feel free to browse the sites and verify this. I am using drivers that your site specifically states are for windows xp and are specifically for this laptop. As the previously included links have shown, I am not the only person experiencing this problem with being unable to adjust the brightness.

I don't know why the serial numbers are not located in your database, when the employee returns from her business trip I will take a photo of the bottom of her laptop so you can ensure I have provided you with the correct numbers.

In the meantime, perhaps an employee of Acer can try a quick installation of Windows XP on the machine to verify that user's complaints about the brightness keys not functioning is indeed a problem that needs to be resolved and verify that Acer's XP drivers are not working properly.

Again, I appreciate that this site is only intended to support U.S. and Canadian Acer purchases but as I have indicated the Thai support sites are not capable of providing ANY support so my only option is to look for support from other Acer support sites, I hope you understand why I must do this.

Thank you for your assistance, i hope we can work to find a solution to this problem.
____________________________________________________
Response (Rinesh Rathnakumar) 09/28/2009 08:45 AM
Dear Xxxx Xxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

Having reviewed your email, I understand that you changed the operating system to Windows XP and the Fn + Brightness keys do not work.

Dave, please be informed that we only offer support for computers purchased from U.S and Canada.

Regarding the issue, I understand that you have changed the operating system to Windows XP. Please be informed that Acer does not support changing an Operating System.
Changing the Operating System may cause driver conflicts. You have the option of upgrading or changing your Operating System at your own discretion. However, it is preferred
that you keep to the original configuration of your system so that all the programs and applications in your computer will recognize all the hardware installed in it.

If you wish to install Windows XP, you may need to search online for the driver(s) of the device(s) you are looking for. However, please be advised that we cannot guarantee
that these drivers will work on your computer. In addition, we are not liable for any damage or compatibility issue that they may cause. Please be advised that any changes
or upgrades to the original configuration of the system are done so at the sole risk of you the end user.

Although we will still support the hardware of the system, we will not be able to support the new Operating System. We can still support the functionality of the system
with the new Operating System. If the support reaches the point of suspected hardware replacement/repair vs. Software support for the hardware, you must
reinstall the original Operating System and drivers before the part can be replaced/repaired.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.acer.com/

Thank you for contacting Acer. Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/28/2009 07:54 AM
I would like to escalate this ticket to a manager as I feel like I am being ignored. Please read my message carefully.

-The thai support link sent does *not* offer a ticket support system like the US site and thus I can't have correspondence with them like this because they lack the functionality to do so.
-The email links provided on the Thai site do not work. I've already demonstrated this by showing you the bounced email that returns to me.
-The staff who answered the phone could not understand english enough to understand the problem.

I just want to find a solution to the problem, not argue which Acer center should help me.

Search the internet and you'll see that everyone who uses XP on this machine has the same problem:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=419216
http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&so...qjfgBSsbGfiHFAF4g&sig2=iYgnW5q4jKEHPodOR5SXjA
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5258824#post5258824
____________________________________________________
Response (Riyas) 09/28/2009 07:25 AM
Dear Xxxx Xxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting Acer America.

Please be informed that this forum provide assistance only for USA and Canada customers.

As per the mail i understand that you have purchased the computer form Thailand.

To resolve this issue i would recommend you to contact Thailand technical support.

For that you may please go through this link : http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/country/Thailand.htm

I hope that you find this response informative.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.acer.com/

Thank you for contacting Acer,

Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/28/2009 05:16 AM
Also, the email address provided on the thai support site does not work, all mail bounces back to me:

[email protected]
(Was addressed to [email protected])
Delivery failed
554 Mail for [email protected] rejected for policy reasons.


No recipients were successfully delivered to.
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/28/2009 05:14 AM
Clarification: When I requested a Thai link, i mean to a support ticket system such as this, not a list of phone numbers.
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/28/2009 05:07 AM
You're missing the point. The issue affects this model regardless of which part of the world the unit was purchased. If you wish to redirect me to thai support, then by all means give me a link. Then I can try to complete this support request in broken english with the Thai support staff rather than actually addressing the problem.

Do you honestly believed that the issue with your product and drivers will be addressed in a more timely manner if we choose this route?

Here's the numbers of the back of the PC, btw.
LXSA30X027931034492500
SNID: 93101338525
____________________________________________________
Response (Hashim_GWSI667) 09/26/2009 08:44 AM
Dear Xxxx Xxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

In our data base only contain information of the product which sold in US and Canada and also we provide support only US and Canada customers.

In order to get support please contact Thailand Acer customer support.

You could get Thailand Acer customer support details from the following link :- http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/country/Thailand.htm

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.acer.com

Thank you for contacting Acer,

Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/26/2009 07:59 AM
I will try to get the serial number from the customer, but please understand that having or not having the serial number is irrelevant to the problem.

The model is the Acer Aspire 1810T, purchased in thailand, same as the Aspire 1410 in the US. Same as the model reviewed here: http://acer1810treview.blogspot.com/

The driver/app lacking the brightness control for XP is the file "LaunchManager_Dritek_2.0.00_XPx86_A.zip".
____________________________________________________
Response (Hashim_GWSI667) 09/23/2009 07:01 AM
Dear Xxxx Xxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

I understand that you are facing an issue related to Brightness.

The Serial Number failed to match any existing system information in our database, we would recommend you to verify the correct Serial Number which is 22 or 13 character alphanumeric or 11 digit SNID number.

You could locate the serial number:

- On the bottom of a notebook

- On the original computer box, i.e. the label on the front of your computer case that contains information that identifies your computer model and serial number.

- In your Acer laptop there is an option to find out the serial number without looking to the label.

- Press Fn+F2, then the Acer eSetting window will appear.

- There will be an option for system information. Please click on that.

- We can find out a mother board icon there.

- Select that mother board icon. There you can find the system serial number.

With this information we would be in a better position to help you out.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.acer.com

Thank you for contacting Acer,

Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support

____________________________________________________
Customer (Xxxx Xxxxxx) 09/23/2009 04:49 AM
The Fn + Brightness keys do not work at all on the XP versions of the launch manager drivers currently offered. As a result, there is NO ability to control screen brightness for users who wish to revert from Vista to XP.

All other Fn keys appear to be working.

____________________________________________________

 

did you ever find a solution for this problem? I've just bought a 1410 and stuck with the same prob T_T

 

Dude, I can understand your frustration, but I couldn't stop laughing... Your experience is similar to the one I had with Acer not too long ago

Try giving them a call again and immediately ask for level 2 support. They are the ones who actually know what they are doing!

Anyway, I remember having similar problem on my other Acer and I solved it by installing LaunchManager driver from other Acer model. Perhaps you should try that? See if LaunchManager driver from Acer Aspire 5570 will work for you.

It might also be of help to check out Acer Europe download sites as they sometimes have newer/better drivers.

Also, upgrade to newest version of BIOS if you haven't done so already.

 

It continued on for another 4 -5 emails with the same nonsense replies. In the end, i wasn't even seeking a solution to the problem but just asking them to recognize that:

• the Acer support in my region is 100% dead (still to this day!)
• the XP drivers don't fully work. My region or not, report it!

What a bunch of incompetent pricks. I was about to replace all the old thinkpads at our office with these but after this bull i'll never but another Acer again. F*ck this company.

 

Tried the 5570 launch managers and doesn't work.

Will try updating the BIOS but doubt that it will work =_=

 

Good news for you Vezado...

I just updated my BIOS to version 3120 and the brightness key works like a charm!!! hope this helps.

 

I find myself siding with Acer USA here. Your client decided to purchase the unit from Thailand, so you cannot expect Acer USA to provide any support for the system. I'm sure that the customer service reps are evaluated on the efficient use of their time, and I don't think that assisting the friend (co-worker?) of someone who purchased an Acer system from another country counts as a viable use of their time. It's company policy, and so you can't really call these people "incompetent pricks."

Are you able to adjust the screen brightness from the control panel? Perhaps that will be the only way possible in Windows XP? I couldn't find any info on Acer supporting Windows XP on the Acer 1410. Sure they list drivers on their website for XP Home and Pro, but they don't officially support the OS on this system. I would say it was more of a courtesy for them to provide the drivers for an 8 year old operating system.

I would recommend finding someone on the forums with a US purchased system with a valid serial number if you expect making any headway with Acer USA regarding the situation.

 

Yea, I can understand your frustration, but the thing is the people are following the instructions and can't do anything outside of them, especially when they lack common sense (that is usually the case).
Next time, I suggest you get an email of one of the Level 2 agents and talk directly to them. They are the ones who solve problems other than "my internet not work".
Also, if you seriously were planning to replace IBMs with Acer, then I'd suggest calling Business number and talk to people there.

On a side note, why don't you use Win7? I'm one hell of a conservative myself, but once I saw how much faster it is (once all the Aero, etc, turned off) then you think of XP as a bad dream Even so, it is not good enough to replace Ubuntu

 

lol their customer service really sucks!!!!!!
you should have talked to the manager!!!
or try this?
http://www.acer-group.com/public/Investor_Relations/contact_main.htm

 

They're incompetent for multiple reasons:
Thai support: Email has been down for more than THREE WEEKS. That's absolutely absurd.
US Support: Continue to refer me to thai support after being told thai support is not available. Or just giving me general links to the home page
US Support: Telling me that changing an OS causes "driver conflicts". That makes zero sense.
US Support: Fails to inform international support that thai support is down.
US Support: Tells me to take it to the local dealer, as if they're in the back room writing drivers.

I understand that US support can't directly support me, but i would argue that they do have some obligation to make sure someone within the organization can offer support and they aren't doing this. At this point there's no one at the company I can get support from on a machine that's just a few weeks old.

I'll try the control panel idea and new bios next time the customer is around. Getting a valid US serial is a good idea for support as well.
\

 

the new BIOS works.. I've had it installed for a day now ^_^

 

@nevide

Just to make it clear, you are using Vista as you wrote in the other thread, right?

 

no. I'm using XP. I think I wrote XP in the other thread also...

edit: stupid me... I wrote vista =_= Corrected the other thread... thanks der_mali

 

Hi,
I also have the same xp brightness control problem. I sent many emails to Acer America asking if they already aware of the xp brightness problem. The responses were frustrating that they did not answer this simple question.
Instead, Acer America said in the email I can use their fee based service to fix it. I then reply them why they want a fee from the customer when their xp sofware is buggy. Still waiting for them reply. What a comany.

It looks like this is a well known issue, anyone got a solution for it?

Thanks

 

Hi nevide,
I flashed the bios and the brightness control works. However, the computer would not shut down normally and frozen up in the end. I need to hold dwon the power button for force it down. Have you experience like that?
Regards

 

I never found one, the BIOS didn't solved the issue for me.

It's a shame how Acer handled this, the support just wasn't there. I ended up buying Asus models for the other employees instead.