Acer Aspire 5242 Service Guide

							Chapter 233
Security
The Security screen contains parameters that help safeguard and protect your computer from unauthorized 
use.
NOTE: Please refer to “Remove HDD/BIOS Password” section if you need to know how to remove HDD/BIOS 
Password.
Phoenix   SecureCore(tm)   Setup   Utility
Main
F1
EscHelp
ExitSelect    Item
Select    Menu
Change   Values
Select         Sub-Menu -/+
EnterF9
F10Setup   Defaults
S a v e   a n d   E x i t
Information Security Boot Exit
Item   Specific   Help
Supervisor   Password
c o n t r o l s   a c c e s s   o f   t h e
whole   setup   utility.
I t   c a n   b e   u s e d   t o   b o o t
u p   w h e n   P a s s w o r d   o n
boot   is   enabled. Supervisor   Password s:
User   Password s:
:
S e t   U s e r   P a s s w o r d
Set Password
P a s s w o r d   o n   B o o t :i
i
H D D   P a s s w o r d   i s
HDD Set   Supervisor   PasswordClear
Clear
Clear
[Enter]
[Enter]
[Disabled] []Enter 
						

							34Chapter 2
The table below describes the parameters in this screen. Settings in boldface are the default and suggested 
parameter settings.
NOTE: When you are prompted to enter a password, you have three tries before the system halts. Don’t forget 
your password. If you forget your password, you may have to return your notebook computer to your 
dealer to reset it.
Setting a Password
Follow these steps as you set the user or the supervisor password:
1.Use the up/down keys to highlight the Set Supervisor Password parameter and press the Enter key. The 
Set Supervisor Password box appears:
2.Type a password in the “Enter New Password” field. The password length can not exceeds 8 
alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, not case sensitive). Retype the password in the “Confirm New 
Password” field.
IMPORTANT:Be very careful when typing your password because the characters do not appear on the screen.
3.Press Enter.
               After setting the password, the computer sets the User Password parameter to “Set”.
4.If desired, you can opt to enable the Password on boot parameter.
5.When you are done, press the F10 key to save the changes and exit the BIOS Setup Utility.
ParameterDescriptionOption
Supervisor Password Is Shows the setting of the Supervisor password
Clear or Set
User Password Is Shows the setting of the user password.
Clear or Set
HDD Password Is Shows the setting of the hard disk password.
Clear or Set
Set Supervisor Password Press Enter to set the supervisor password. 
When set, this password protects the BIOS 
Setup Utility from unauthorized access. The 
user can not either enter the Setup menu nor 
change the value of parameters.
Set User Password Press Enter to set the user password. When 
user password is set, this password protects 
the BIOS Setup Utility from unauthorized 
access. The user can enter Setup menu only 
and does not have right to change the value of 
parameters.
Set HDD Password Enter HDD Password.
Password on Boot Defines whether a password is required or not 
while the events defined in this group 
happened. The following sub-options are all 
requires the Supervisor password for changes 
and should be grayed out if the user password 
was used to enter setup.
Disabled or Enabled 
						

							Chapter 235
Removing a Password
Follow these steps:
1.Use the up/down keys to highlight the Set Supervisor Password parameter and press the Enter key. The 
Set Password box appears:
2.Type the current password in the Enter Current Password field and press Enter.
3.Press Enter twice without typing anything in the Enter New Password and Confirm New Password fields. 
The computer then sets the Supervisor Password parameter to “Clear”.
4.When you have changed the settings, press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS Setup Utility.
Changing a Password
1.Use the up/down keys to highlight the Set Supervisor Password parameter and press the Enter key. The 
Set Password box appears:
2.Type the current password in the Enter Current Password field and press Enter.
3.Type a password in the Enter New Password field. Retype the password in the Confirm New Password 
field.
4.Press e. After setting the password, the computer sets the User Password parameter to “Set”.
5.If desired, you can enable the Password on boot parameter.
6.When you are done, press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS Setup Utility.
If the verification is OK, the screen will display as following. 
The password setting is complete after the user presses F10. 
						

							36Chapter 2
If the current password entered does not match the actual current password, the screen will show you the 
Setup Warning.
If the new password and confirm new password strings do not match, the screen will display the following 
message. 
						

							Chapter 237
Boot
This menu allows the user to decide the order of boot devices to load the operating system. Bootable devices 
includes the diskette drive in module bay, the onboard hard disk drive and the CD-ROM in module bay.
Phoenix   SecureCore(tm)   Setup   Utility
Main
Item   Specific   Help
U s e   <   >   o r   <   >   t o
select   a   device,   then
p r e s s   < F 6 >   t o   m o v e   i t
u p   t h e   l i s t ,   o r   < F 5 >
t o   m o v e   i t   d o w n   t h e
list.   Press      to
escape   the   menu. Boot   priority   order:
F1
EscHelp
ExitSelect    Item
Select    Menu
Change   Values
Select         Sub-Menu -/+
EnterF9
F10Setup   Defaults
S a v e   a n d   E x i t
Information Security Boot Exit
2:   CD/DVD:   XXXXXXXXXXX-XXXXX-(X
3:
4:
5:
6:Network   Boot:   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
USB   HDD:
USB   FDD:
U S B   K e y :
7 :   U S B   C D / D V D   R O M : 1:   IDE0:   XXXXXXXXXXX-(XX) 
						

							38Chapter 2
Exit
The Exit screen contains parameters that confirmed or discard the changes made to the parameters in the 
BIOS Setup Utility.
The table below describes the parameters in this screen.
ParameterDescription
Exit Saving Changes Exit System Setup and save your changes to CMOS.
Exit Discarding Changes Exit utility without saving setup data to CMOS.
Load Setup Default Load default values for all SETUP item.
Discard Changes Load previous values from CMOS for all SETUP items.
Save Changes Save Setup Data to CMOS.
Phoenix   SecureCore(tm)   Setup   Utility
Main
Item   Specific   Help
E x i t   S y s t e m   S e t u p   a n d
save   your   changes   to
CMOS.
F1
EscHelp
ExitSelect    Item
Select    Menu
Change   Values
Select         Sub-Menu -/+
EnterF9
F10Setup   Defaults
S a v e   a n d   E x i t
Information Security
BootExit
Exit   Discarding   Changes
Load   Setup   Defaults
Discard   Changes
Save   Changes Exit   Saving   Changes 
						

							Chapter 239
BIOS Flash Utility
The BIOS flash memory update is required for the following conditions:
•New versions of system programs
•New features or options
•Restore a BIOS when it becomes corrupted. 
Use the Flash utility to update the system BIOS flash ROM.
NOTE: If you do not have a crisis recovery disk at hand, then you should create a Crisis Disk (See “Creating 
the Crisis Disk in Windows” on page 117)before you use the Flash utility.
NOTE: Do not install memory-related drivers (XMS, EMS, DPMI) when you use the Flash.
NOTE: Please use the AC adaptor power supply when you run the Flash utility. If the battery pack does not 
contain enough power to finish BIOS flash, you may not boot the system because the BIOS is not 
completely loaded. 
Follow the steps below to run the Flash utility:
1.Rename the BIOS file as “XXXXXXX.FD”
2.Copy the “XXXXXXX.FD” file to a bootable USB device containing the Crisis Disk.
3.Turn off the system power.
4.Insert the USB device containing the renamed BIOS file and Crisis Disk to any USB port.
5.Make sure the AC adapter is connected to a power outlet and plugged in to the system.
6.Power on the system from an off state (i.e. cold boot) while holding down the Fn + ESC key.
7.After POST, release Fn + ESC key. The system should boot from the USB device and perform crisis 
recovery action. 
						

							40Chapter 2
Remove HDD Password
This section teaches you how to remove HDD password:
Remove HDD Password:
•If you key in the wrong HDD password thrice, “HDD password error code” will appear on the 
screen. See the image below.
•If you need to solve HDD password locked problem, you can run HDD_PW.EXE
1.Key in “hdd_pw 15494 0”
2.Select “2”
3.Choose one of the uppercase strings
•Reboot the system and key in “0KJFN42” or “UVEIQ96” as your HDD user password. 
						

							Chapter 341
This chapter contains step-by-step procedures on how to disassemble the notebook computer for 
maintenance and troubleshooting.
Disassembly Requirements
To disassemble the computer, you need the following tools:
•Wrist grounding strap and conductive mat for preventing electrostatic discharge
•Flat screwdriver
•Philips screwdriver
•Hex screwdriver
•Plastic flat screwdriver
•Plastic tweezers
NOTE: The screws for the different components vary in size. During the disassembly process, group the 
screws with the corresponding components to avoid mismatch when putting back the components.
Chapter 3
Machine Disassembly and Replacement 
						

							42Chapter 3
General Information
Pre-disassembly Instructions
Before proceeding with the disassembly procedure, make sure that you do the following:
1.Turn off the power to the system and all peripherals.
2.Unplug the AC adapter and all power and signal cables from the system. 
3.Place the system on a flat, stable surface. 
4.Remove the battery pack.
Disassembly Process
The disassembly process is divided into the following stages:
•External module disassembly
•Main unit disassembly
•LCD module disassembly
The flowcharts provided in the succeeding disassembly sections illustrate the entire disassembly sequence. 
Observe the order of the sequence to avoid damage to any of the hardware components. For example, if you 
want to remove the main board, you must first remove the keyboard, then disassemble the inside assembly 
frame in that order. 
Main Screw List
ItemScrewColorPart No.
A M2.5 x L8 Black 86.00E34.738
B M2.5 x L6 Black 86.00E12.536
C M2 x L3 Silver 86.9A522.3R0
D M3 x L4 Silver 86.9A554.4R0
E M2 x L4 Black 86.00E13.524
F M2 x L4 Silver 86.9A552.4R0
G M2.5 x L10 Silver 86.1A553.100