Acer Aspire 4332 Service Guide

							Acer Aspire 4732Z/4332 Service Guide 63
Troubleshooting Procedure
Perform the following procedure to determine the cause of a computer problem.
1.Obtain the failure symptoms in as much detail as possible.
2.Verify the symptoms by attempting to recreate the failure by running the diagnostic tests or repeating the 
same operation.
3.Disconnect all power source from the computer when performing an assembly or disassembly procedure.
4.Perform the following visual inspection before you continue. 
• Power cords are properly connected and secured.
• There are no obvious shorts or opens.
• There are no burned or heated components.
• All components appear normal.
System Check Procedures
NOTE: The diagnostic tests are intended to test only Acer products. Non-Acer products, prototype cards, or 
modified options can give false errors and invalid system responses.
External CD/DVD-ROM Drive Check
Perform the following procedures to isolate the possible problem a controller, drive, or CD-ROM. 
1.Boot from the diagnostic disc and start the diagnostic programs.
2.Check if the CD-ROM Test result is pass.
3.Follow the on-screen instructions.
If an error occurs, reconnect the drive to the connector on the mainboard. If the error persists, do the following:
1.Reconnect the CD/DVD-ROM drive.
2.Replace the CD/DVD-ROM drive.
3.Replace the mainboard.
Keyboard or Auxiliary Input Device Check
Remove the external keyboard if the internal keyboard is to be tested.
If the internal keyboard does not work or an unexpected error occurs, make sure that the flexible cable 
extending from the internal keyboard is correctly connected to the mainboard. If the keyboard cable 
connection is correct, run the Keyboard Test. 
If the tests detect a keyboard problem, do the following procedures in sequence to correct the problems. Do 
not replace a non-defective FRU:
1.Reconnect the keyboard cable.
2.Replace the keyboard.
3.Replace the mainboard.
The following auxiliary input devices are supported by this computer:
qNumeric keypad
qExternal keyboard
If any of these devices do not function, reconnect the cable and repeat above procedures.  
						

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Memory Check
NOTE: Make sure that the DIMM is properly installed into the connector. A loose connection can cause an 
error.
Do the following:
1.Boot from the diagnostic diskette and start the diagnostic program.
2.Go to the diagnostic memory in the test items.
3.Press F2 in the test items.
4.Follow onscreen instructions.
Power System Check
Do the following:
1.Remove the battery pack.
2.Connect the power adapter and check the power supply.
3.Disconnect the power adapter and install the battery pack; then check that power supply.
Check the Power Adapter
Unplug the power adapter cable from the system and measure the output voltage at the plug of the power 
adapter cable. 
1.If the voltage is not correct, replace the power adapter.
2.If the voltage is within range, do the following:
a.Replace the mainboard.
b.If the problem is not resolved, see “Undetermined Problems” section on page 65.
c.If the voltage is not correct, go to the next step.
NOTE: An audible noise from the power adapter does not always indicate a defect.
3.If the power-on indicator does not light up, check if the adapter’s power cord is properly connected to the 
system.
4.If the operational charge does not work, see “Check the Battery Pack” on page 64. 
Check the Battery Pack
Do the following:
Using the Power Management program to identify whether a problem occurs while the battery pack during 
recharge or discharge:
1.Open Power Management in the Control Panel.
2.In the Power Meter tab, confirm if the parameters for Current Power Source and Total Battery Power 
Remaining are correct.
3.Repeat the steps 1 and 2 for both battery pack and adapter.
Using hardware to identify whether you should replace the battery pack or not:
1.Power off the system. 
2.Remove the battery pack and measure the voltage between terminals one (+) and seven (-). There are 
seven terminals here. 
3.If the voltage is still less than 7.5 Vdc after recharging, replace the battery pack. 
If the battery status indicator does not light up, remove the battery pack. If the charge indicator still does not 
light up, replace the AC/DC charger board.   
						

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Touchpad Check
If the touchpad doesn’t work, do the following  procedures in sequence to correct the problem. Do not replace 
a non-defective FRU:
1.After rebooting, run the Tracking Pad PS2 Mode Driver. For example Syn touch driver.
2.Run the utility with the PS/2 mouse function and check if the mouse is working.
3.If the PS/2 mouse does not work, then click if the main board to switch board FPC is connected properly.
4.If the mainboard to switch board FPC is connected correctly, then check if the FFC on the touchpad board 
is connected properly.
5.If the FFC on the touchpad board is connected correctly, check if LS851 JP1 Pin6 = 5V are pules. If yes, 
then replace switch board. If not, then go to the next step.
6.Replace the touchpad board.
7.If the touchpad still does not work, then replace the FPC on trackpad board.
After you use the touchpad, the pointer drifts on the screen for a short time. This self-acting pointer movement 
will occur when a slight, steady pressure is applied to the touchpad pointer. This symptom is not a hardware 
problem. No actions are necessary to be taken if the pointer movement stops in a short period of time.
Intermittent Problems
Intermittent system hang problems can be caused by a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with a 
hardware defect, such as: cosmic radiation, electrostatic discharge, or software errors. FRU replacement 
should be considered only when a recurring problem exists.
When analyzing an intermittent problem, do the following:
1.Run the advanced diagnostic test for the mainboard in loop mode at least 10 times.
2.If no error is detected, do not replace any FRU.
3.If any error is detected, replace the FRU. Rerun the test to verify that there are no more errors. 
Undetermined Problems
NOTE: Verify that all attached devices are supported by the computer.
NOTE: Verify that the power supply being used at the time of the failure is operating correctly. (See “Power 
System Check” on page 64)
Follow procedures below to isolate the failing FRU. Do not isolate non-defective FRU.
1.Power off the computer.
2.Visually check them for damage. If any problems are found, replace the FRU.
3.Remove or disconnect all of the following devices:
• Non-Acer devices
• Printer, mouse, and other external devices
•Battery pack
• Hard disk drive
•DIMM 
• CD/DVD-ROM drive 
4.Power on the computer.
5.Determine if the problem has been resolved.
6.If the problem does not recur, reconnect the removed devices one at a time until you find the failed FRU.
7.If the problem persists, replace the mainboard, and then LCD assembly (one at a time). Do not replace a 
non-defective FRU. 
						

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Acer Aspire 4732Z/4332 Service Guide 67
This chapter shows the block diagram and board layout of the Acer Aspire 4732Z/4332 computer.  Procedures 
for clearing the BIOS and HDD passwords, as well as  instructions for BIOS recovery are also provided. 
Block Diagram
The core subsystems of the Acer Aspire 4732Z/4332 are depicted in the following block diagram.
System Architecture
Chapter 5
  
						

							
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Mainboard Layout  
This section shows the major mainboard components
Top View
  
ItemCodeComponent
1LCD1LCD-CCD coaxial cable connector     
2POWERCN1Power board cable connector
3SPK1Speaker cable connector   
4TPAD1Touchpad board cable connector  
5KB1Keyboard cable connector   
6CARD15-in-1 card reader module
7RTC1RTC battery 
8U16Intel ICH9M chipset 
   
						

							
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Bottom View
  
ItemCodeComponent
1BAT1Battery pack connector 
2HDD1HDD module connector
3DC1DC-in jack
4CNt1VGA port
5FAN 1Heat sink fan cable connector  
6RJ1Ethernet port
7USB1 USB 2.0 ports8USB2
9MC1Microphone-in jack
10LOUT1Line-out jack
11NB1Mobile Intel GM45 or GL40 GMCH 
12DM2 DIMM slots 13DM1
14ODD1ODD module connector     
15U33Processor socket
16MINIC1WLAN module slot
   
						

							
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Clearing a BIOS Password
To clear a lost BIOS password (user or supervisor password) you need to short the G61hardware gap located 
near the HDD connector.    
H/W Gap Default SettingFunction
G61Open (normal)Short to clear the user and supervisor passwords.
To clear a BIOS password:
1. Turn off the computer and unplug all the peripherals connected to it.
2.Unplug the power cord from the computer.
3.Remove the battery pack according to the instructions described on page 28.
4.Remove the lower case cover according to the instructions described on page 29.
5.Remove the HDD module according to  the instructions described on page 31.
6.Locate the G61 gap. It is near the processor socket. 
7.Use an electrical conductivity tool to short t he two contacts on the hardware gap together. 
8.While resting the tool on the two contacts, plug one  end of the AC adapter into the DC-in jack and plug 
one end to an electrical outlet.
9. Press thebutton to turn on the system. 
10.After the BIOS POST, remove the tool from the hardware gap. 
11 .Reinstall the HDD module, battery pack, and the lower case cover. 
12.Turn on the computer and press  F2 during bootup to access the Setup Utility. 
13. Press  F9 to load the system defaults. 
14. Press  F10 to save the changes you made and close the Setup Utility.  
						

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Unlocking the HDD
To regain access to your computer if you lose the HDD password, you need to generate a master password 
and unlock your hard drive. 
To unlock the hard drive:
1.Open the computer in a DOS environment.
2.Type the following command: 
A\> unlock6 XXXXX  00
3.Press Enter to display the command options.
4.Select option 2 (upper case ASCII code), then press Enter.
5.Write down the generated master password. 
6.Reboot the computer. 
7.In the HDD password prompt, type the master password generated in step 4, then press Enter.
BIOS Recovery
An interruption during a BIOS flash procedure (e.g. a power outage) can corrupt the BIOS code, which will 
cause the system to go into an unbootable state. You need to access and execute the boot block program to 
reboot the computer and recover the regular BIOS code. 
Note the following when restoring the BIOS settings:
qMake sure the battery pack is installed to the system and that the computer is connected to a UPS unit 
during the BIOS recovery process. 
qThe BIOS crisis recovery disk should be prepared in a computer running the Windows XP or Windows 
Vista OS. 
Creating the BIOS Crisis Recovery Disk
1.Prepare a removable USB storage device with a capacity size greater than 10MB.  
Note that all data on the USB storage device will be cleared during the creation of the crisis disk.
2.Set up a computer running the Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system and plug in the USB 
storage device into an available USB port.
3.Decompress the Crisis Package Source.
4.Select WINCRIS.EXE and then select Run as administrator.   
5.Keep the default settings and then click on the Start button.
6.When the pop-up warning dialog box appears, click OK to create the crisis disk.
7.Click No if you do not want to create another crisis disk. 
8.Eject and reconnect the USB removable storage device from the computer, and make sure it contains the 
following three files:
•BIOS.wph
• MINIDOS.sys
• PHLASH16.exe  
						

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Performing a BIOS Recovery
1.Shut down the BIOS failed-computer. 
2.Connect the USB storage device containing the BIOS recovery crisis disk files to the failed computer.
3.Press and hold  +  keys (this is the BIOS recovery hotkey), then press the power button.
The system will now execute the BIOS recovery process. When the process is complete the computer will 
automatically reboot. 
4.Disconnect the USB storage device from the computer.
5.Perform a BIOS flash procedure to update the BIOS firmware.