Laptop just died. Any ideas why?

Addiscomber

I was using my Acer Travelmate 290 earlier and it just died. I use it on mains power without the battery in it (I don't need the portability, I am disabled and Desktop PCs are not terribly comfortable for me to sit at for long). The power light still shows that power is connected, but when I try to boot it makes a whirring noise for a moment or two and then dies again. It is, of course, out of warranty, aren't they always? Does any one have any ideas as to what may be wrong, and anything that I could try?

Thanks.

espresso

May be cause by overheating. Have you checked the vents on the underside etc. where the air is drawn in by the fan for cooling?

spacker_2

As said let the thing cool down, if that has no affect it could be anything.

Addiscomber

Well leaving it for about 90 minutes allowed it to boot up, apparently normally, but it died again before I could type a reply to this thread :rolleyes:

I know where the air is blown out and that appears to be clear. I have no idea where the air gets sucked in though, and that is presumably where it gets dusty and clogged? There is a circular thingie underneath that could be a vent, but it seems to be covered by a disc underneath some spokes. I don't know if that opens up when it is in use. I was trying to have a look when it stopped again :mad:

Could it be that a fan has stopped working? And if so, is that something that DH or I could replace ourselves? I saw a site on another thread that seemed to sell Acer spares.

spacker_2

Have you tried to see if it will disk check, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265

Addiscomber

To be honest I can't see it working for long enough to do that.

I have been searching for ideas elsewhere and it seems likely that the heatsink is clogged with lint. I will have to wait until DH gets home and we can open it to clean it. I am still wondering where the air gets drawn in, but my son has just come in from college so I will search the Acer site for clues after lunch. I need to move around a bit anyway - this is why I cannot use a desktop for long as I get cramp in my bad leg..

Puttytat

Hi there,
The same thing happened to my Acer Travelmate last month. Have you tried putting the battery back in and running it off that as this worked with mine. This was because the CPU runs at a slower speed when powered by the battery and therefore doesn't overheat. I also found out that I could use it powered by the mains by opening the Acer Power Management program whilst still battery powered, plugging the mains lead back in and then quickly altering the CPU speed to slow or medium and clicking apply. Anything faster than medium CPU speed caused it to switch back off. I then also never actually switched the computer off completely but left it in standby mode as this remembers the Acer Power Management settings and meant that I didn't have to keep doing the above, but this means leaving it plugged in.
Sorry, but I suspect this may be the only solution as I looked into replacing the heatsink but was reliably informed that the CPU would also require replacing at a cost of several hundred pounds! Eek.
Just for the record, my fan was completely clogged with cat fur!!! I also ended buying a new computer.
Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps the OP.

Addiscomber

Well, if it is going to cost several hundred pounds it is going in the bin because I paid less than £500 for it in the first place. Putting the battery in is not likely to do much as I doubt it has any charge, but anything is worth a try, thanks.

I found the user guide and the circular thingie is the air intake, but I cannot understand how it gets in there unless the disc moves away from the spokes when it is on. I have always used it on a piece of plywood so that air can get underneath and the board never seems dusty. No pets here, so it had better not be cat fur. DH has just come home so I will feed him and then we will have a go at opening it - I don't see that I have anything to lose. Having to use this ancient desktop will drive me insane, it runs as though powered by a hamster in a wheel :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

startrekker

you havent knocked it and the air intake is now blocked, or perhaps the circular thingie is stuck. It doesnt take long for a lappie to get hot, also if you have it on a desk constantly and no air is circulating it wouldnt be surprising if it fell over through heat exhaustion!!!!!

Addiscomber

If that is the case it is a shame that there is no mention of them overheating in the user guide :mad: :mad: . I understood that keeping it on a board was good as it allowed more airflow.

We haven't been able to work out how to open it - probably being too gentle as afraid of snapping something. So will need to find a repair place now :rolleyes:

startrekker

This link HERE has the schematic for your laptop. It will download in rar format but you can get a free copy of winrar to view it. It is also in pdf so you can zoom right in and have a look