Acer Aspire 5910 Service Guide

							
Chapter 113
Navigating Through the Setup Utility
Use the keys listed in the legend bar on the bottom of the Setup screen to work your way through the various 
menu and submenu screens of the Set up Utility. The table below lists these legend keys and their respective 
functions. 
Additional help information is available on the General Help
 window. Just press  F1 on any screen.  
KeyFunction
 and    To move between selections on the menu bar.
 and  To move the cursor to the field you want.The
 currently selected field will be highlighted. 
The right side of each menu screen displays a field help panel—Item Specific Help
 panel. 
This panel displays the help text for the current ly selected field. It updates as you move 
the cursor to each field. 
You can also use these keys to navi gate through the multipage General Help
 window. 
F5 or (-)
F6, (+), or 
Space To select a value for the currently selected field (only if it is user-configurable). Press 
F5 
or (-) to select the  next lower value; F6, (+), or Space to select the next higher value. 
A parameter that is enclosed in square brackets [ ] is user-configurable. Parameters are 
not user-configurable for one of the following reasons: 
TThe field value is auto-configured or auto-detected.·
TThe field value is informational only.
TThe field is password-protected.
Enter To select a field value.
Esc or Alt-X If you press this key:
TOn one of the menu  screens, the Exit menu displays.
TOn a General Help window, closes the window. 
F1 or Alt-H To bring up the General Help
 window. This window lists other Setup navigation keys that 
are not displayed on the legend bar. 
F9 Press to load default system values. 
F10  Press to save changes and close the Setup Utility.
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14Chapter 1
Setup Utility Menus
The Phoenix BIOS Setup Utility has five m enus for configuring the various  system functions. These include:
• Information
•Main
• Security
• Boot
• Exit
Information 
The Information menu screen displays a summary of your com puter hardware information. These information 
are necessary for troubleshooting and may be required when asking for technical support. 
FieldDescription
CPU Type Displays the processor name, sequence number, and clock speed.
CPU Speed Displays the CPU speed.
IDEO Model Name Displays the hard disk drive model.
IDEO Serial Number Displays the hard disk drive serial number.
ATAPI Model Name Displays the optical disc drive model.
System BIOS Version Displays th e current system BIOS version.
VGA BIOS Version Displays the  current VGA firmware version.
KBC Version Displays the current keyboard controller version.
Serial Number Displays the system serial number.
Asset Tag Number Displays the system asset tag number
Product Name Displays the official model name of the product. 
Manufacturer Name Displays the ma nufacturer of the computer.
UUID Displays the universally unique identifie r of your computer. This will only be 
visible when an internal LAN device is presenting.
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Chapter 115
Main
The Main menu screen allows you to configure the basic system settings and view the memory allocations.
FieldDescriptionVa l ue
System Time Set the system time. HH:MM:SS 
(hour:minute:second)
System Date Set the system date. MM/DD/YYYY  (month/day/year)
System Memory Displays the size  of system memory detected during boot-up. Memory size is 
fixed at 640 MB.
Extended Memory Displays the size of exten ded memory detected during boot-up. Extended 
memory size is equal to to tal memory size less 1 MB.
Video Memory Displays the size of video memory detected during  boot-up.  128 MB
256 MB
Quiet Boot When enabled, the Acer logo screen appears  during boot-up Disabled
Enabled
Network Boot When enabled, remote host with appropriate boot  image can boot this computer.  (Only works with an 
Ethernet device.) Disabled
Enabled
F12 Boot Menu When enabled, the “P ress F12 to enter Multi-Boot 
Menu” message is displayed during POST.  Disabled
Enabled
D2D Recovery When enabled, pressing Alt-F10 during POST will  activate the Acer disc-to-disc recovery function. 
The function allows the user to create a hidden 
partition on the hard drive to  store a copy of the OS 
and restore the system to its default factory 
settings. Disabled
Enabled
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16Chapter 1
Security
The Security menu screen displays system passwords options to help safeguard and protect your computer 
from unauthorized use.
FieldDescriptionVa l ue
Supervisor Password Is Indicates  whether a supervisor password is in use (Set) or not (Clear).
User Password Is Indicates whether a user  password is in use (Set) or not (Clear).
HDD Password Is Indicates whether an HDD password  is in use (HDD Password Set) or not 
(Clear).
Set Supervisor 
Password When set, this password will allow the user to access and change all settings 
in the Setup Utility. Press 
Enter to configure.
Set User Password  When set, this password will restri ct a user’s access to the Setup menus. Only 
the following menus will be accessible:
TSystem Time
TSystem Date
TBoot menu options
TAll Exit menu options excluding Load Setup Defaults
A supervisor password must first be  set before creating a user password. 
Set HDD Password When set, this password will restrict a user’s access to the internal hard disk  drive. It will be required during boot-up or when resuming from S4 mode 
(hibernation). 
Note: If this password is the same as the power-on password, it will not be 
required anymore at boot-up. 
Password on Boot Referred to as power-on password. When set, the  user or supervisor password will be required to boot 
up the system or when resuming from S4 mode. A 
supervisor password must first be set before 
creating this password. Disabled
Enabled
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Chapter 117
Setting a system password
 Note the following before you define a system password:
• The maximum length of password contains eight  alphanumeric characters—A - Z, 0 - 9, and ‘;’ 
(for a French keyboard).  
• System passwords are case-insensitive.
• Password re-try is limited to three times. If user  failed to enter the correct password, the system will 
hang up.
To set a system password:
1. Press   or   to highlight a set password field, then press  Enter.  
The password box appears.
2. Type a password then press  Enter.
IMPORTANT:  Be very careful when typing your passwor d because the characters do not appear on the  
screen. Only shaded blocks representing each typed character are visible.
3. Retype the password to verify  the first entry, then press Enter.
You will be prompted to save the new password.
4. Press  Enter.
The corresponding password status field displays  Set to indicate that a password has been enabled. 
5. Press  F10 to save the password and close the Setup Utility.
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18Chapter 1
To change a system password:
1.Press   or   to highlight an enabled password field, then press  Enter.  
The password box appears.
2. Type the original password, then press  Enter.
3. Type a new password, then press  Enter. 
4. Retype the new password to veri fy the first entry, then press Enter.
You will be prompted to save the new password.
5. Press  Enter.
6. Press  F10 to save the password and close the Setup Utility. 
To remove a system password: 
1. Press   or   to highlight a password parameter, then press  Enter.  
The password box appears.
2. Type the original password, then press  Enter. 
3. Press  Enter twice without entering anything in the new and confirm password fields. 
You will be prompted to confirm the password removal.
4. Press  Enter.
The corresponding password status field displays  Clear to indicate that the password has been disabled.
5. Press  F10 to save the changes you made and close the Setup Utility. 
To clear a lost password: 
If you have forgotten the user passwor d, the computer will continue to function normally but you will have 
limited access to the Setup Utility. 
If you have enabled the Password on Boot field and you  forget the supervisor password, you will not be able to 
boot up the computer. The same thing applies if you forg et an HDD password. You will need to clear the lost 
password by shorting the SW1 dip switch located near the DIMM slot (DM1).
Perform the following procedure to clear all th e system passwords (user, supervisor, and HDD).
1. Turn off the computer and unplug all the peripherals connected to it.
2. Unplug the power cord from the computer.
3. Remove the lower case cover according to the instructions described on page 28.
4. Remove the memory modules according  to the instructions described on page 29.
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Chapter 119
5.Peel off the black tape near the DIMM  slot to expose the SW1 dip switch.
6. Locate the SW1 dip switch (G55). 
7. Position the SWI dip switch to  ON to clear all system passwords. 
8. Reinstall the memory modules  and the lower case cover. 
9. Turn on the computer and press  F2 during bootup to access the Setup Utility. 
10. Press  F9 to load the system defaults. 
11 . Press  F10 to save the changes you made and close the Setup Utility. 
Boot
The Boot menu screen allows users to set the drive sequenc e in which Setup attempts to boot the operating 
system. By default, Setup searches for boot de vices in the order shown in the screen below.
To set the boot drive sequence:
1. Press   or   to select a bootable device. 
2. Press  F6 to move the device up the list, or  F5 to move it down the list.
3. Press  F10 to save the changes you made and close the Setup Utility. 
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20Chapter 1
Exit
The Exit menu displays the several options on how to quit from the Setup Utility. Select any of the exit options
then press  Enter.
OptionDescription
Exit Saving Changes Saves changes made and closes the Setup Utility. 
Keyboard shortcut: F10·
Exit Discarding Changes Discards changes  made and closes the Setup Utility.
Load Setup Defaults   Loads the factory- default settings for all Setup fields. 
Keyboard shortcut: F9
Discard Changes Discards all changes made to  the Setup Utility and loads the previous 
configuration settings.
Save Changes Saves all changes made to the Setup Utility.
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Chapter 121
BIOS Flash Utility
The BIOS flash memory update is required under the following conditions:
TWhen there are new versions of system programs
TWhen new hardware options are installed
TWhen the BIOS has been corrupted and you need to restore it 
BIOS Flash Precautions
TIf you do not have a crisis recovery diskette at hand, create a  Crisis Recovery Diskette in Windows XP 
of Vista before you use the flash utility.
TDo not install memory-related drivers (XMS,  EMS, DPMI) when you use the flash utility.
TPlace the computer in AC mode during the BIOS fl ash procedure. If the battery pack does not contain 
enough power to finish the BIOS flash, you may not  able to boot the system because the BIOS is not 
completely loaded. 
To flash the BIOS:
1. Prepare a bootable diskette.
2. Copy the flash utilities to the bootable diskette.
3. Boot the system from the bootable diskette. 
The flash utility will automatically be executed.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to  finish the flashing of the BIOS.
BIOS Recovery
If a BIOS flash procedure fails to complete, pe rform a BIOS recovery procedure by using the  Crisis Recovery 
Diskette . During this procedure, the system  will force the BIOS to enter a special BIOS block, called boot 
block, to boot up the system  with minimum BIOS initialization. 
To perform BIOS recovery:
1.Make sure the power cord is connected to the computer.
1. Attached a USB floppy drive to the computer.
2. Insert the  Crisis Recovery Diskette  into the floppy drive.
3. Press and hold the  Fn+Esc  keys, then press the power button  . 
This initialize the BIOS recovery pr ocess. The boot block BIOS will star t to restore the failed BIOS code. 
Short beeps should be heard during this process. On ce the process is completed, a long beep should be 
heard.
4. Turn off the computer once the process is complete.
5. Turn on the computer again and flash the BI OS. Refer to the previous instructions. 
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22Chapter 1
Launch Manager 
Launch Manager allows users to configure three of the easy-launch keys—Acer Empowering, Web browser, 
and Mail.  
To configure an easy-launch key:
1.Select  Start | All Programs  | Launch Manager .
2. Select which key to configure, then click the  Add button opposite it. 
3. You can set the key to open a particular file or pr ogram, or display a Web site address. Select the 
corresponding radio button, then ty pe or browse for your selection.
4. If you’ve entered a Web site address, key in a descriptive label for the new easy-launch key function.
5. Click  OK.
6. Click  OK to save the new settings. 
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