VERY TRICKY Failure Fixed Disk Error on Aspire 5100

Okay, I know my way around a laptop, and have already taken this laptop down to the bare motherboard about three times now. This issue is driving me bonkers, but doing Google searches for:
"aspire 5100" "failure fixed disk"
I find that others have experienced this, and am seeing a lot of bad advice being given out to them. I still don't know how to fix it, but I know a lot of ways of how not to fix it!

Symptoms:
Upon a cold start, my Aspire 5100 will do one of three things:
1. Boot normally, no problem
2. No boot - neither HD or optical drive are seen by BIOS
3. No boot - HD is seen (optical drive is not seen), but the HD name is corrupted (usually with a liberal amount of apostrophes) and the "Error 0200: Failure Fixed Disk"

First observation is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the HD (I get these same symptoms with 2 different HD's which test perfectly).

As best as I can remember, it *always* boots normally after a restart. Furthermore, it *seems* like the longer it sits in the off condition, the more likely it is to exhibit symptom 3 or 2. With symptom 2 or 3, I can do ctrl-alt-delete and try again. For symptom 3, the result of trying again could be anything. For symptom 2, the result of trying again will *never* be symptom 3. In other words, through successive attempts at booting, it will progress from symptom 3 to symptom 2 to symptom 1...never in the other direction. It *seems* that progression has nothing to do with the *number* of reboot attempts, but rather with *how long* I've been trying to reboot. With this in mind, now when I get symptom 3 or symptom 2, I usually just let it sit there displaying the disk error (symptom 2) or unsuccessful PXE boot attempts (symptom 3)...I let it sit for about 5 minutes, and *then* when I do ctrl-alt-delete it will invariably boot successfully!

Now, what this craziness suggests is that there is something that needs to "warm up" for the computer to boot. At first I thought maybe the rechargeable CMOS battery was going low in between boots, but I tested with a voltmeter and it's good. Now I'm thinking maybe some kind of capacitor is not charging as fast as it should...or some kind of thermal expansion is going on.

Anyone have a clue?

 

Power, for things to be seen they need power.
maybe the power board has a connection problem.

Just thinking out loud.
all the best
Phil

 

I have an Aspire 5100 with the same problem, and the same frustration. This was my son's laptop, and he repeatedly tested the HD, memory and bios, and tried another new HD before giving up on it.

I read in another forum where someone diagnosed their 5100 0200 error problem as the HD moving around and solved it by putting a wedge to mount it tighter to the plug. This is consistant with people reporting that one fix to getting a 5100 to work is to bang on the case.

The 5100 was in a state of total 0200 error/no boot when I checked the seating of the HD. It seemed to be tight against the plug, so I moved it out about 1/6th of an inch, and sure enough it booted normally. That was this morning. When I got home from work it was back to the 0200 error, so I moved it back to about 3/16", which was too far for a connection, then back to about 1/32" where it booted normally again.

It seems that the HD plug is the problem, maybe the connection of the pins to the wiring inside the plug. I'm not that savy, but runner 3735, you might know how to check that.

My plan is to find a place where the HD will work consistantly and fix it in place with some kind of spacer/adhesive.

 

Hi, i also have the same problem, i think ur right about the hd plug having a problem if i push down on the hard drive from above near the keyboard it starts working again untill i move it then just cuts off, it has been working fine 4 the last two years but not sure why it has just started happening, If you find a way to fix this please let me know.

 

Try moving your HD out about 1/16". It should stay there, as the pins have enough tension to keep the foam pad from pushing it back. My 5100 is still working with the HD out about 1/32".

It will take some time to be sure that the HD plug is the actual problem, but in runner3735's post he mentions that the HD name on the error screen is corrupted, usually with several apostrophes. It seems to me that someone knowledgeable with the circuitry should be able to decifer the corrupted name and script on the error page and identify cause, weather a broken path at a pin, HD controller, ect.

In any case, with so many people reporting the same problem with the Aspire 5100 it has to be a common cause, and odd that nobody has nailed it down.

 

a private message alerted me to the fact that there were new responses to this thread - now I'm subscribed, and will be keeping an eye on it. been working on other projects, so no progress with my 5100.

I doubt that the actual characters of the corrupted hd name is important. What is important, is that there is some kind of electronic noise that causes the HD's response to become garbled when it is polled by the bios. And I speculate that this communication failure is interpreted as a hard disk error, at which point the bios doesn't even bother polling the optical drive (which is on the secondary IDE channel). I bet everyone with this problem has the IDE hard drive option and not the SATA.

If you guys wanted to do some experiments (I'm sure I'll get to them eventually) there are a few I can think of.
1. try removing the hard drive altogether. Of course it then won't boot, but just watch the bios messages - is it detecting the optical drive without problem and with correct optical drive name? Now power off, jiggle around, power on again, move it around, try again in 2 hrs, and so on...in other words, see if the problem *ever* shows up with the hard drive removed. What we're looking for here is an instance where the optical drive's name is corrupted, or the optical drive is not detected.
2. try putting the hard drive back in, but without using the caddy. Maybe use something non-conductive and squishy to wedge it in so it doesn't move around.
3. try removing the optical drive and just leaving it out for a few days. Do you still get the same behavior? I think I tried this, but I forget.
4. try playing with the shielding that is at the bottom of the hard drive bay. You could try adding a layer of aluminum foil to make it more complete and/or try adding a layer of wax paper between the hard drive / caddy, to make sure that there is no electrical conductivity between the hard drive and that shielding.

Oh, and when doing the experiments, the idea is to first get the 5100 into the "normal" state, where the bios completes successfully, and *then* see if the problem ever returns in the test configuration. I hope that makes sense. As I mention in my first post, I think the best way to get it into the "normal" state is to let it sit there with power on for at least 5-10 minutes.

 

My 5100 has been working normally with the HD about 1/32" away from the plug. I have been powering it on and off several times a day without a hitch. It was in a state of total fixed disc error/no boot a week ago when I set the HD in its current position. If there are no more problems over the next couple of weeks, I would say that it's fixed.

One thing I didn't do, is try cleaning the HD pins with alcohol. At one point in trying to solve this I attempted to connect the HD to a PC with an adapter cable, and got an error message saying the cable was bad, i.e. bad connection, and the PC would not recognize the HD. It was a new cable. Perhaps these 5100's were assembled with some kind of contamination on the HD pins/plug that interferes with the connection.

 

What is your BIOS version? I'm looking into v3.10, and there are several boot fixes in previous versions..

 

Current BIOS version is V3.10A.

 

Hello all:
I'm returning this notebook to a client of mine with the following report and suggestion. You may not agree with my troubleshooting technique but I'm posting to report another similar incident with the same notebook.

Client had notebook into local computer repair shop but they were unable to determine the

exact cause of problem. Notebook only boots to black message screen displaying IO error.

Able to enter BIOS setup and restore defaults. Needs full diagnostic to determine the

cause.

Does not boot. IO error trying to initialize the HDD. Launched into Ubuntu CD to examine

Windows Boot.ini file = entact. Examined several directories and determined ability to

retrieve client data would be successful. Propose type of rescue media and replace HDD if

necessary. Client has restoration media to reinstall XP MCE. Removed Ubuntu media and

rebooted --> Windows initialized, I started normally and got the desktop without issue.

With Windows running I was able to run virus and spyware scans = none found however I

noticed an lsass process running in the task manager and non-smooth icon edges which

usually indicate the SmitFraud infection. I began running the removal process and let it

run overnight. I set up a chkdsk /f to run at reboot.

June 19 :: 6:30AM :: Bringing OS out of hibernation Encountered Blue Screen with Stop

Code 0x000000F4. Hard reset booted only to IO error > not initializing HDD. Rebooting to

DFT CD, passed quick HDD test, Advanced read/write test = passed.

Reboot to Memtest32 CD, passed memory test for both 1 GB sticks of PC4200 notebook RAM.

Motherboard system check passed.

Info:
Acer Aspire 5100-3583
originally had an 80GB PATA HDD replaced with >>
160GB Seagate Momentus 5400.3 Ultra ATA

Black BIOS screen at startup ::
ERROR
0200: Failure Fixed Disk 0

Suspect IDE Controller failure on motherboard or connector from HDD. I tried wedging the

hard drive tight against the connector and also various distances pulled from the

connector 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 3/16 inch pulls -> no effect.
Dismantled case and keyboard to get to motherboard and remove optical drive to isolate

issue further but this was also irrelevant.

I am able to successfully use the optical drive booting a portable OS like Ubuntu and

connect the HDD via USB adapter. The IDE controller is working for optical drive only.

The USB Hub controller is fully functional and able to access various devices. Unfortunately, with USB dongles hanging off the notebook has become less portable and takes a while to boot from the optical drive. This is the most cost effective solution I've found so far to be able to access the files on the Windows XP MCE HDD but the client must now become accustomed to Ubuntu or another preffered portable OS.
This is affordable compared to a motherboard replacement or paying for motherboard repair; both of which could fail again.
Live, Learn, Gamble and Lose. I'd keep this as a lab pc and buy a new laptop.

 

This thread is not about general failure fixed disk error, but rather intermittent failure fixed disk error with a tested good hard drive.

1. I see no evidence that you tested the hard drive after getting the failure fixed disk error. This *cannot* be done over USB because you can't check SMART parameters over USB (and neither can your mobo). You need to put that drive in another computer and check that SMART is not tripped. While in the other computer, you also need to run the manufacturer diagnostic (i.e, for seagate, run seatools DOS, for Samsung, run HDUTIL, etc..). I don't know if the 5100 would give fixed disk failure in the case of tripped SMART, but it might, and that is why you need to check it. After you've done that, then we'll know you have a good HD.

2. If you have a good HD, and still getting failure fixed disk, do what I do....leave the computer on at the failure fixed disk screen for about 15 minutes, then do ctrl-alt-delete to reboot...that has always worked for me, and if it doesn't for you, then that would be good info for this thread.

3. If you're looking for other novel ideas, you could always try a 2.5 IDE to CF adapter and a 4GB CF card...like a solid state hard drive, and may not have the problems of a regular hard drive. Probably better than using live CD's, and certainly quieter.

 

Some info I left out of my report:

I was able to boot to "Normal" Windows intermittently and everything worked fine for hours at a time without any "warmup" time.
When that happened I banked on it still working and used both a Drive Fitness Test and EuroSoft PC-Check to test the HDD and Memory with the HDD installed. They passed with flying colors. The BIOS setup does not offer much for diag utilities, only options for boot priority really. DFT would have given me an option to reset the SMART if that were the case.

With the HDD removed entirely I could get the optical IDE working consistently. With the HDD installed neither worked. The HDD is completeley accessible from other computers via USB adapter. I even installed it on another laptop and other than graphic driver issues I was able to get to VGA Safe Mode and load the OS on a Toshiba notebook.

Another "novel" solution would be to have a portable OS on a flash drive and just boot USB (to avoid that "noisy" CD) In any case it's only temporary before replacing the notebook entirely. Do you see another alternative to motherboard replacement/repair? Spending a couple hundred on a solid-state HDD is not an option. I'm working with what he's got and letting him borrow my adapter to access his HDD via USB until the replacement arrives. At that time I will perform a data transfer for him.

note:
I attempted twice to leave the computer on at the failed screen for at least 20 minutes and Ctrl+Alt+Del was non-functional for a reboot - had to use the power button.

 

I'm still inclined toward a HD plug/pins connection problem theory on these Aspire 5100's. Did you try cleaning the HD pins? Not kowing any other way, if it acts up again my next step will be to pour alcohol on the plug while pulling the HD in and out.

I also considered the portable Linux OS on a flash drive solution before the quirky thing started working. Better than tossing it in the trash.

 

I have the same problem. I bought a 3-year factory warranty. I will send it back again with a print out of this thread. Maybe they will learn something.

 

LOL

maybe they will....

 

Same problem here. I had a temporery solution on putting a wedge on top of de HD. It worked fine for a few months. Eventually it went wrong with a corrupt Windows system.

I solved the problem by dissasamble the notebook till i could get acces to the solder points of the hd plug. I then melted all points with a solder bolt.
It is working now for almost a halve year without any problem.

 

i had thought about suggesting that type of fix.... glad it worked for you...

 

Thanks kwatta, I've done some soldering but I guess I don't really know the terminology. What do you mean when you say "melted all points with a solder bolt". And, if all you do is melt each of the solder points and then let them resolidify, I'm not sure what would really be changing.

 

imagine someone who has an out of warranty laptop... who has never taken a laptop apart before... now picture that person with an $8 radioshack soldering iron,,, just think about the that little scene could end like...

as far as what's changing... it's re-establishing the electrical contact in atleast 1, maybe more than 1 dead solder-joints...

and while this is no real challange for someone with experience,, i doubt more than 15% of registered users have done this type of thing with any regularity.....

 

I find this odd I have,nt seen one them with this error I have seen lot of them go tottaly died but none with this erorr curios are they same range of build time or year?

I got about 3 died aspire 5100 in tub at work just junk but none of them hard this issue Some have had failed hard disk but i know problay sold quite few them never seen this issue you talk about I like picture

I mean hard disk failing yes but I have agree with other post run the manfacture daig on the driver in diffent machine usb does not pass smart info on

I seen 5100 that where croid to hell i seen them with died mainboard

some seem fail quicker then out some them i seen that take care are last longer
take volt meter and check all pin from ide connector to mainboard bad solder jioin

 

It was returned from the fastory with a new HDD. I did a system restore from DVD backup. HDD failure message started again after a few days. Reinstalled video driver. Still happens. I agree it is maybe connectors with motherboard defect. I will call factory service Monday. Glad I kept the box.

 

Acer installed a new (used?) HDD. Label said made in 2006.

Restored system with last full backup from DVD. In a few days many 002 hard disk failure messages. Locks ups and severe slow down Chkdsk lockups.

Did a ALT/F10 system restore to factory settings. Ran great. Reinstalled basic software, Firefox with some plug-ins, open office, ITunes. Ran great for 2 daYS. Closed monitor opened it hours later with message 002 Hard disk failure. Going back to Acer #3.

Must be the solder points. Does NY have a computer lemon law?

Went to AT&T store, 3-week wait for IPhone.

 

could be loads of different thing causing the fault.
so your error logs are showing how/when this is happening ?

if your still under warranty, ask for new HDD

or the HDD controllers are shagged

 

print out your error logs from the system managment console search windows help for more info

send acer all the LOGs and info you can find about this issue along with the reports of some users fixing the problem by re-soldering the HDD CONNECTOR on the mother-board....

maybe then they will see the problem is not the HDD but the HDD CONTROLLER which is not communicating with the HDD properly

 

Hi.

I'm also having the same problem.......and others with this marvelous machine!
Unfortuntely, I bought a new hd.....well, at least it's an upgrade!
Hope someone find and post an easy solution for the hd error.....soon!

 

I registered here Just to post this reply. I also am trying to fix a 5100 with the exact same symptoms described in the original post.

I can get this unit to boot everytime by waiting for the error to come up then holding the power button for 4 seconds and as soon as it shuts off instantly press the power button again.

Because of this there is no way this is a connection problem this is an IDE controller issue. I have sent a letter to acer asking for a fix for this problem and I will post back with their response.

 

wow, why is everyone just now experiencing this problem? i wonder if changing to an older BIOS might help... because it what you have posted is correct then it has to be a firmware problem or conflict. now to figure out why it happens!!

 

Usually this problem is the result of a bad southbridge bga chip. If you have a rework station and know how to reball BGA's you can fix this problem. Otherwise, it is usually $20 for the chip and $150 labor. Most people can find a cheaper working MOBO on ebay.

 

I agree with this.

First, it's not the problme of HDD connector in my acer 5102.

I resolder the connector for a couple of times, and error 0200 continues.

Second, when the laptop can boot normally, it boots well without a hard disk.

When it can not boot normally with error 0200 on screen, it can not boot even without a harddisk.

 

sorry to bump this thread..

I also have a 5101 with the exact issues described in the first post.

I found a video on youtube which was interesting, although it was 3xxx series, I believe they are pretty much the same in build. The laptop had the same issues also.

i cant post urls, so put youtube domain in front of /watch?v=47PdJ5FWsQQ

Wonder if anyone has fixed this issue here?

 

i can't see it just being a dry solder problem....it sounds more like bad controller chip.
would like to know if the BIOS is still reporting HDD make/code at the time of a failure please.
Cheers
Phil

 

It's all there

 

I've not soldered before, but im going to have a go, see if i can fix this problem. Want to give this laptop to someone seems a shame to just leave it sitting in a box festering

note to self: after 5 faulty acers i should stop buying the dámn things!

 

Hi,
Try this: Press the plastic around the keyboard using one finger just below the 'windows logo' key (the key next to 'Fn'), apply generous amount of pressure. If your laptop boots correctly, you should have a faulty motherboard, if this is the case, it´s probably the ATi chip just below where you are pressing (big BGA chip) that has bad contacts to the motherboard.
Good luck. And please if that is the case help spread the word, I spent several hours surfing the net to find some info on this error and couldn't find anything consistent, I took the laptop apart, resoldered both ide connectors, even heated up this chip a little using hot air gun, no luck so far, but my guess is as simple as this, bga chip coming loose as usual these days...

 

I don't know if this helps or anything but I have the same problem and well I can get my laptop to boot by slightly hitting it around the touchpad area and pressing ctrl+alt+del until it starts to load windows... the thing is once the computer is on I can't move it at all because if I move it or lift it or sometimes even change the screen inclination the little light besides the power button lights up (the one that indicates hdd reading I think) and after a few secons I get a blue screen and I have to turn the computer off. Whenever this happens I hit the laptop around the touchpad area again and sometimes the light goes off and I get no blue screen.

 

You sir are an absolute champion in my books. I tried this and voila the HDD detects OK (as does the DVDRW which was also missing). I lack soldering skills so I removed the plastic cover and jammed a 3-4mm thick piece of rubber on top of the ATi chip and reassembled the unit. So Far So Good. I used a piece of rubber that was used on the battery terminal of my old car as it was laying around and figured if it didnt melt being near an engine then it would probably be OK in a laptop....the laptop was free anyway cos it was broken so nothing to lose really.

I owe you a beer.

 

aspiretrouble and Gas_Hed -

I think I owe you both a beer. My two-year-old (and way out-of-warranty) 5100 was always running hot, so I kept planning to open it up and give it a good cleaning. It's my wife's machine, so I picked up some RAM and planned to open it up, clean it up and boost the RAM. The day before I planned to do this, she got the first of many PXE errors. I tried aspiretrouble's solution and it worked - it got past the error loop but booted into a blank screen and stayed there. I recovered the XP install from the recovery partition, but now the machine runs hotter than ever, still gets the PXE errors, and bluescreens every time she moves it. It sounds to me like it's the loose BGA chip.

So, Gas_Hed, how difficult is it to open the cover as per your mod?

Thanks again to both of you for all of your help.

Just as an aside, I found a post on another board where the poster said he got Acer to replace his machine outright. I'll repost here when I get more details on that...

 

I owe both you guys a beer too.

I tried the rubber on the chip trick. Works puurrfect.

Thanks Guys

Harry
ACER ASPIRE 5102WMLI

 

I have had this very same issue with my Acer 5100. I bought a new hdd and had it looked at by a "tech". It started out where it would run fine and then I would set it down and it would go to blue screen. I have not tried the press it down on the plastic trick yet, but i will when I get home. I am wondering though how hard is it to get to this chip and put the rubber piece on it. If someone could please help me with this I would really appreciate it. I have been struggling with this issue for at least 9 months now. I contacted acer and they are no help whatsoever. Thanks guys.

 

aspiretrouble is right!
finally
My girlfriends Acer Aspire 5100 has been having the same 0200 fixed disk issue.
I held down under the logo and everything seems to be working fine now.
Now that I think back, the same day all this BS started happening her laptop for some reason stopped detecting her Video card. now it all makes sense.
thx for a real solution finally

 

Hello. I dont speak very well english. I have same problem. I stay many hours on the internet read for this error and try to repair this f.ucking laptop. Thank you for posting. I press the plastic around the keyboard using one finger just below the 'windows logo' key and windows boot normaly. I open the laptop for studiind the motherboard to identify big Ati motherboard chip. My observation is:
1) Pressing the big Ati chip solve problem
2) Pressing one of two chips from the up of the motherboard like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47PdJ5FWsQQ solve problem
I wonder ... all of three chips have bad contacts to the motherboard? I lack me too soldering skills so I want to put a rubber fitting (from the pipes water instalation, PVC tube) for each of all three chips. The big Ati chip is heating up very much and I think the rubber fitting will resist. Those who have resolved problem please post if it has occurred or not. Thank you very much.