Acer Aspire 8940 Service Guide

Chapter 111
TouchPad Basics
The following items show you how to use the TouchPad:
• Move your finger across the touchpad (1) to move the cursor.
• Press the left (2) and right (4) buttons located beneath the touchpad to perform selection and 
execution functions. These two buttons are similar to the left and right buttons on a mouse. 
Tapping on the touchpad is the same as clicking the left button.
• Use Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint reader (3) supporting Acer FingerNav 4-way control function 
(only...

12Chapter 1
Using the Keyboard
Your notebook features a full-size keyboard that functions the same as a desktop computer keyboard. Many of 
the keys have been assigned alternate functions, including shortcut keys for Windows, function keys for 
specific system operations, and the Num Lock keys for the numeric keypad.
Key Types
The keyboard has several different types of keys. Some keys perform specific actions when pressed alone 
and other actions when pressed in combination with another key.
IconKey...

Chapter 113
Windows Keys
The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions.
KeyDescription
Windows key Pressed alone, this key has the same effect as clicking on the Windows Start button; 
it launches the Start menu. It can also be used with other keys to provide a variety of 
functions:
: Open or close the Start menu
 + : Display the desktop
 + : Open Windows Explore
 + : Search for a file or folder
 + : Cycle through Sidebar gadgets
 + : Lock your computer (if you are connected to a...

14Chapter 1
System Hotkeys
The computer employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of the computer’s controls like screen 
brightness, Bluetooth and WiFi.
To activate hot keys, press and hold the  key before pressing the other key in the hotkey combination.
HotkeyIconFunctionRemarks
Fn + F2 System property Starts System Property for displaying system 
information.
Fn + F4 Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep mode.
 +   Display toggle Switches display output between the display 
screen, external...

Chapter 115
Using the System Utilities
Acer GridVista (dual-display compatible)
NOTE: This feature is only available on certain models.
To enable the dual monitor feature of the notebook, first ensure that the second monitor is connected, then 
select Start, Control Panel, Display and click on Settings. Select the secondary monitor (2) icon in the 
display box and then click the check box Extend my windows desktop onto this monitor. Finally, click 
Apply to confirm the new settings and click OK to...

16Chapter 1
Hardware Specifications and Configurations
Processor
Processor Specifications
CPU Fan True Value Table
• Throttling 50%: On=105°C, Off=85°C
• OS Shutdown: 110°C
• H/W Shutdown: 110°C
Northbridge
ItemSpecification
CPU Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Type 1.6GHz ~ 1.73GHz CPU
Core Logic • Mobile Intel® PM55 Express Chipset
• REALTEK ALC889X for High Definition Audio Codec
CPU Package 37.5 x 37.5 mm rPGA package (rPGA988A)
Power Vcca 1.5V, Vccp 1.05V
On-die Cache 8MB or 256KMB L2 cache
Front Side Bus...

Chapter 117
VGA Subsystem
Standard Supported VGA Resolution
ItemSpecification
Chipset NVIDIA N10EGE 40nm 29mm*29mm GB1-128 package
Vendor NVIDIA
Package BGA-969pin
Features • GPU Product Name: Nvidia N10E-GE
• ASIC: BGA-969pin
• VGA BUS Slot: MXM slot
• MXM Type: MXM 3.0
• Vorce: 1.50V
• Engine Clock: 535MHz
• Memory Clock: 790MHz
• Memory Type: gDDR3
• Memory Amount: 1024M(64MBx16bit)
• Memory Interface: 128bit
•LVDS: Y
•TMDS: Y
•TV: N
•DP: Y
•CRT: Y
ResolutionColor DepthRefresh Rate
640 x  480 8, 16 60...

18Chapter 1
BIOS
System Memory 1280 x  960 32,64 60 70 72 75 85 100 120 140 144 150
1280 x 1024 32,64 60 70 72 75 85 100 120 140 144 150
1360 x  768 32,64 60 70 72 75 85 100 120 140 144 150
1400 x 1050 32,64 60 70 72 75 85
1600 x 1024  32,64 60 70 72 75 85
1600 x 1200 32,64 60 70 72 75 85 100
1920 x 1200  32,64 60 70 72 75 85
1920 x 1440 32,64 60 70 72 75 85
2048 x 1536 32,64 60 70 72 75 85
ItemSpecification
BIOS vendor Insyde H20
BIOS Version V0.07
BIOS ROM type Flash ROM W25x16
Package 8-pin SOIC...

Chapter 119
Memory Combinations 
NOTE: Above table lists some system memory configurations. You may combine DIMMs with various 
capacities to form other combinations. On above table, the configuration of slot 1 and slot 2 could be 
reversed.
VGA controller
LAN Interface
Slot 1Slot 2Total Memory
0MB 512MB 512MB
0MB 1024MB 1024MB
0MB 2048MB 2048MB
512MB 512MB 1024MB
512MB 1024MB 1536MB
512MB 2048MB 2560MB
1024MB 0MB 1024MB
1024MB 512MB 1536MB
1024MB 1024MB 2048MB
1024MB 2048MB 3072MB
2048MB 0MB 2048MB...

20Chapter 1
Wireless Module 802.11b/g
Bluetooth
Modem Features • Integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T transceiver
• Automatic MDI crossover function
• PCIe v1.1 compliant
• 10/100/1000BASE-T full-duplex/half-duplex MAC
• Receive side scaling (RSS) for multicore processors
• Complies with IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, and 802.1p
• IPv4 and IPv6 large send offload and checksum offload (LSO/TCO)
• Wake on LAN (WOL) support meeting the ACPI requirements
• Statistics for SNMP MIB II, Ethernet-like MIB, and Ethernet...