weird errors and final crash

Hi there

I have a acer aspire 5100 running a dual OS: GNU/Linux and windows. In the recent past i have been getting some really weird errors on bios boot which appeared at random intervals: usually something about pci conflicts or that my harddisk was damaged(both errrors appeared at different times, but quite often). I did scans on the hard disk and found no errors whatsoever. Now today my wife was watching a DVD in windows when the system froze. I did a reboot of the system(by holding in the power button) and when my grub boot menu appeared(a bootloader) i could not use my keyboard to select windows.

Linux booted up(it is set as default in the boot menu) and suddenly i could use the keyboard, only the touchpad was very jittery, so i pluggeed in my usb mouse to make things go a little smoother. No go, usb mouse didnt work. so my wife wants to chat in msn on windows, i reboot(first setting the default OS to windows under grub settings, yes, knowing i probably wont beable to choose linux from the boot menu because the keyboard wasn't working the last time on boot.) Before getting to the boot menu i tried enetring the bios F2, nothing, keyboard doesnt work on boot. The system boots on windows, and to my gross realization, the keyboard and touchpad dont work at all. DAMN!.. okay i have a gentoo rescue cd. So i propped that into the cd drive.. it boots, and after i have to choose if i want to boot from harddrive or from cd(the gentoo menu asked me this, which i cannot answer because my keyboard won't work) suddenly the keyboard comes to life. FREAKY!.. So i think bios update.

Now im here but im stuck. I cannot choose from the dos(needed to flash the bios) menus to boot from the cd instead of the harddrive. worse still is the question even if i am able to set a parameter somewhere so that it automaticallyboots dos, will i have access to my keyboard.

HAs anyone here ever had the same experience, anybody have any ideas on how i could solve this problem?

thank you in advance
Wernher

 

I have a 3002 and am having mouse and keyboard problems too. Sounds very similar in fact. It happened out of the blue, I booted the computer and both were unresponsive. Putting a cd in the drive (any CD) caused them to begin to function.

I did a format and tried to reinstall windows but they're both unresponsive so I can't even complete the install process. Using a usb mouse solves the mouse issue. I don't have a usb keyboard but I would assume that would work. However, I don't have a laptop so I can carry around a mouse and keyboard as well, I need the laptops input devices to work! Any ideas, or similar problems out there?

I should note, I was able to install a seperate copy of windows (couldn't actually use this though, because I'm using it on a different computer). I got it installed, started the updates and had the input problems. Booting into safe mode fixes the problem. So I'd guess it's a software/driver issue. The recovery CDs that I'm now trying to use won't even let me make it through a windows install.

I was about to try a bios reflash thinking it might solve the problem since it appears to be messed up very deeply within the computer (windows install not working and all)

 

let me know if it works.
strange thing is the keyboard and touchpad work in a GNU/Linux live CD boot as well, allthough the touchpads response is still jittery. Still cannot use my keyboard to enter bios or choose linux from the boot menu. im doubting if a usb keyboard will work, as a usb mouse didn't work in windows or the live CD(it did before this problem happened).

if only acer made bios flash tools for a minimal linux boot, infact they could even ship a minimal boot for free with the flash tools. oh well guess theyre brain washed.

greets Wernher

 

Okay, i've read about Dell's exploding laptops(buy your enemies one as a christmas gift), that i can still rationalise, but this freaks my pip.

Having no response from my keyboard and touchpad or any periphal connected to the laptop on bios boot, in the boot menus and in windows i decided to reboot my laptop with a Gentoo live CD so that i could edit my grub menu and set opensuse as the default selection for boot. Went smoothly, again except for the touchpad which was again responding in jitters. The system rebooted and entered suse. Keyboard was again responsive here but the touchpad jittered. After a couple of minutes the system froze. So i did a hardreboot. While the bios was booting i realised i still had a smartcard and a usb mouse connected, so i unplugged them and still had time to test the f2 button to enter bios, nothing happened. The boot menu came up and i moved the selection keys. HEY!! It works! So i select windows from the boot menu and windows boots. WTF! touchpad and keyboard both respond now in windows and in linux with no jitter from the touchpad. This is very weird. im going update my bios immediately. The chance of having to go through this again will drive me insane.

Also i had my battery disconnected all this time. But this had no affect when rebooting. The battery is now still removed though.

greets Wernher

 

I have also just noticed that the bios time has jumped 2 hours forward.. exactly!!??

 

Okay the bios update did not work. I recieved the bios boot error again.. one of the two. It reads as follows:

System BIOS : V2.83
B:06, Device : 04, Function : 00
ERROR
Resource conflict - PCI in slot 3.

I know about rescource conflicts, but considering this id happening on bios boot and i have no periphals attached and in the bios i cannot set any resources, im at a waste at what i must do. Anybody have any ideas?

greetings
WErnher

 

try pulling the battery out of the unit; i've seen a lot of aspire 1640, 3000 and 5000 units where the battery is causing the machine to almost lock up and prevents the keyboard and touchpad from responding properly

 

sorry for the multi-post; try removing the wireless card from the unit and see if that clears things up; it usually turns out that the wireless card causes the conflict however the mainboard can sometimes be the culprit

 

Ya i've tried both. The problem has no pattern that i can see and i am therefore unable to make any conclusions as to wether the wireless or the battery are the problem. i am not able to remove my wireless card or battery for an extended length of time. I need the wirless and battery at school. i removed the wireless and the battery when my keyboard and touchpad where not responding, that however resolved nothing. Since the laptop mysteriously fixed itself and the keyboard and touchpad became responsive again i have had this problem only once. Im still hoping to recieve the error about my harddrive again on bios boot so that i can do a search on that in google. If you have anymore ideas i'll be willing to try them

 

well once again its happened, no response from keyboard touchpad or periphaps. and once after this i recieved the error :

Resource conflict - PCI network controller in slot 3
BUS : 06
DEVICE : 01
FUNCON : 00

this is one bloody mo-fo buggy laptop.

DO NOT BUY THE ACER ASPIRE 5100!!

anybody?

 

it needs a new mainboard; send it in for repair

 

Ya im thinking the same.

whats weird though and is in conflict with the idea that the mainboard is bust is that when the laptop boots into linux the keyboard becomes responsive and before that is unresponsive in the bios and in windows.

anybody have any idea how that is possible

 

My computer has done pretty much the SAME thing, and so have atleast two others i know of.

"Wondering if any one can help. Keyboard and mouse have just died. Tried plugging in USB mouse but still nothing.

Thanks"

and
"i have the same problem, after pluging a mp3 player in usb, the computer freeezed and now keyboard, usb and touchpad not work
did you solve the problem?
thanks if you can reply me
"

Mine did pretty much exactly what the last one here did. I plugged in my new nokia music express phone, transfered a couple files, walked away and when i came back, horizontal lines coursed the screen. restarted with battery removed and LCD works but nothing from the keyboard, touchpad, usb, ethernet, NOTHING.
SOOO what do I do? Its under warranty if i decide to pay shipping... but the ******* over the phone INSISTED that i had spilled something on it (perhaps a cloud formed over the computer while i was away, and it rained? and then the sun came out at 10:15 at night, dried the water and went back down in a period of 5 minutes? I'm sure that's it! R_TARD!). He claims they're gonna do some "testing" and they have "thier ways" of detecting spills. Well i have my ways of detecting he's an a$$hole, but now he has me worried they're gonna say there was a leak no matter the case...
Anyone up for a Class action suit? this sounds about like a defect.

On a serious note though, if you find out ANYTHING helpful please post it up! Until then, enjoy your fine new paperweights!