Serious problem with my Acer Aspire 9301AWSMi laptop

In Mai last year, i bought my Acer Aspire 9301AWSMi laptop, and it worked flwlwssly, until the end of June this year. Suddenly one morning it didn't start, or yes, it did, but i the only thing that happened was that the light that indicates that the machine is on, was turned on, the hdd was turned on, and the cd-drive made the usual noise. The screen was black all the time, and it seemed like the rest of the computer was dead. I responded quickly and sended it to acer, but they claimed it was a liquid damage, so the sended it back.
I know that it wasn't a liquid damage, but they found rests of liquid, and then they had their excuse.
Now i've decided to repair it myself, but i do not know what is wrong.
I really need my computer, since i'm a student.

 

FIrst, I'd plug the laptop into an external monitor just to make sure the screen isn't dead (it sounds like the lappy is doing something if it makes all the usual noises). My Acer has an S-Video out that I've successfully plugged into the TV before. Let us know how that goes. Are you comfortable disassembling the laptop yourself?

 

Yes, i have tried to plug it into an external monitor.
Yes, i am comfortable with disassembling it by myself

 

I'd start unscrewing the lappy and first remove one RAM module and then try to boot up again. Faulty RAM could be an issue. Did Acer give you anything else to go on besides "liquid damage?" That's kind of vague. If the laptop got wet (did your housemates spill their coffee?) anything inside could be damaged.

 

I tried to remove the ram blocks, but it didn't work either.
Acer did only inform me about a liquid damage, bit they didn't say were it was. They wanted to built in a new keyboard and new motherboard, but i rejected the offer, since it would cost me 3000 DKK (400 euro)

 

Sorry I can't be of more help to you, but you seem to have a major hardware issue. The laptop should still boot if the keyboard is the trouble (you could disassemble an disconnect it if you want) so I'm betting the motherboard is fried. If I were you, (Since school is coming up fast) I'd trot down to Best Buy and pick up the Aspire One for $400 or less (probably the cost of your parts) to tide me over until I repaired/replaced the broken stuff. If the HDD is not at fault (try booting up without it installed too) your data may be recoverable.

Edit: I just realized that you are outside the U.S. so you might have to order some of your stuff online. I'm spoiled rotten as in our small town there is a full service PC repair shop that does excellent work and can find me darn near anything I need.

 

I think you're right about that the motherboard is fried. I've already saved my data before the computer were sent to Acer, so that would not be a problem. I think i just have to get a new computer.

 

If you're up for a major rebuild, go ahead and do it. I personally would get a new laptop. My Travelmate is just a little over a year old and is runnung as perfectly as it possibly can, considering I've maxed it out (full HDD, undervolted, etc). It is amazing how far thchnology goes in just a year. Even though I'm planning a replacment, I will still keep this laptop simply for the pleasure and learning experience of playing Frankenstein with it. Best of luck with both your laptop and school.

 

Dont let them(Acer) mess with you. I am a technician myself. TV's though.

So I know my way around a TV. And have a sound electronic backround. I am proud and stand behind every repair I do. My attitude is "either do a thing properly or leave it alone".

Liquid damage is easy to pick up on a TV.

Even easier on a lappie......

Or for a chancer **** tech? that has not got a clue what he is doing.

Probably a lazy, useless ******* that is wasting everybody's time.

Nail Acer. They have to wake up and smell the roses.

And fire the useless *******s that are pulling this great product down.

Cheers,
Theo

 

TeeJay, it does sound like there is a lazy tech that didn't want to do his job. The OP stated that he was sure there was no liquid damage. It also sounds like they don't want to do a warranty repair, and since most liquid damage is classified as abuse, the warranty ends up void. Kedde, I'd contact Acer again and at least make them tell you what the heck is "damaged" (since we've established that this isn't repairable at the end user level). If they can't tell you what got damaged, I'd ask if they really even looked at it. Let us know how you make out.