Acer Extensa 500 Service Guide

							Chapter 481
No beep, power-on 
indicator turns on and LCD 
is blank.Power source (battery pack and power adapter). 
See “Power System Check” on page 75. 
Reconnect the LCD connector
DC-DC/charger board
CPU board. 
Hard disk drive
LCD inverter ID
LCD FPC cable
Inverter
LCD
System board
No beep, power-on 
indicator turns on and LCD 
is blank.  But you can see 
POST on an external CRT. Reconnect the LCD connectors.
LCD inverter ID
LCD FPC cable 
LCD inverter
LCD
System board
No beep, power-on 
indicator turns on and a 
blinking cursor shown on 
LCD during POST.Ensure every connector is connected tightly and 
correctly.
System board
No beep during POST but 
system runs correctly.Speaker
System board
LCD-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
LCD backlight doesnt work
LCD is too dark
LCD brightness cannot be 
adjusted
LCD contrast cannot be 
adjustedEnter BIOS Utility to execute “Load Setup Default 
Settings”, then reboot system.
Reconnect the LCD connectors.
Keyboard (if contrast and brightness function key 
doesnt work).
LCD inverter ID
LCD FPC cable
LCD inverter
LCD
System board
No-Beep Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence 
						

							82
Troubleshooting 
Unreadable LCD screen 
Missing pels in characters
Abnormal screen 
Wrong color displayedReconnect the LCD connector
LCD inverter ID
LCD FPC Cable
LCD inverter
LCD
System board
LCD has extra horizontal or 
vertical lines displayed.LCD inverter ID
LCD inverter
LCD FPC Cable
LCD
System board
Indicator-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
Indicator incorrectly remains 
off or on, but system runs 
correctlyReconnect the LED board
LED board
System board
Power-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
Power shuts down during 
operationPower source (battery pack and power adapter). 
See “Power System Check” on page 75. 
Battery pack
Power adapter
DC-DC/charger board
Audio-I/O & battery connection board
System board
The system doesn’t power-
on.Power source (battery pack and power adapter). 
See “Power System Check” on page 75. 
Battery pack
Power adapter
DC/DC & Charge boar
Audio-I/O & battery connection board
System board
LCD-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence 
						

							Chapter 483
The system doesn’t power-
off.Power source (battery pack and power adapter). 
See “Power System Check” on page 75. 
Hold and press the power switch for more than 4 
seconds.  
Charger board
System board
Battery can’t be charged See “Check the Battery Pack” on page 76. 
Battery pack
DC-DC/charger board
System board
PCMCIA-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
System cannot detect the 
PC Card (PCMCIA) PCMCIA slot assembly
System board
PCMCIA slot pin is 
damaged.PCMCIA slot assembly
Memory-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
Memory count (size) 
appears different from 
actual size.Enter BIOS Setup Utility to execute “Load Default 
Settings, then reboot system.
DIMM
System board
Speaker-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
In DOS or Windows, 
multimedia programs, no 
sound comes from the 
computer. Press Fn-F8, Speaker ON/OFF control.
Audio driver
Speaker
System board
Internal speakers make 
noise or emit no sound.Press Fn-F8, Speaker ON/OFF control.
Speaker
System board
Power-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence 
						

							84
Troubleshooting 
Power Management-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
The system will not enter 
hibernationKeyboard (if control is from the keyboard)
Hard disk drive
System board
The system doesnt enter 
hibernation mode and four 
short beeps every minute.See “Hibernation Mode” on page 31.
Ensure the “Heuristic Power Management Mode” 
in the Power Management of BIOS Setup Utility is 
not set to [OFF].
Press Fn+F4 and see if the computer enters 
hibernation mode.
Touchpad
Keyboard
Hard disk connection board
Hard disk drive
System board
The system doesn’t enter 
standby mode after closing 
the LCDSee “System Standby Mode” on page 30.
LCD cover switch
System board
The system doesnt resume 
from hibernation mode.See “Hibernation Mode” on page 31.
Hard disk connection board
Hard disk drive
System board
The system doesnt resume 
from standby mode after 
opening the LCD.See “System Standby Mode” on page 23.
LCD cover switch
System board
Battery fuel gauge in 
Windows doesn’t go higher 
than 90%. Remove battery pack and let it cool for 2 hours.
Refresh battery (continue use battery until power 
off, then charge battery).
Battery pack
Charger board
System board
System hangs intermittently. See “Set Thermal Sensor Threshold” on page 43. 
Reconnect hard disk/CD-ROM drives. 
Hard disk connection board
System board 
						

							Chapter 485
Peripheral-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
System configuration does 
not match the installed 
devices. Enter BIOS Setup Utility to execute “Load Default 
Settings”, then reboot system.
Reconnect hard disk/CD-ROM/diskette drives.
External display does not 
work correctly.Press Fn+F5, LCD/CRT/Both display switching
See “Running PQA Diagnostics Program.” on 
page 45. 
System board
USB does not work 
correctlySee “System Diagnostic Diskette” on page 44
System board
Print problems. Ensure the “Parallel Port” in the “Onboard 
Devices Configuration” of BIOS Setup Utility is set 
to Enabled.
Onboard Devices Configuration
Run printer self-test.
Printer driver
Printer cable
Printer
System Board
Serial or parallel port device 
problems.Ensure the “Serial Port” in the Devices 
Configuration” of BIOS Setup Utility is set to 
Enabled.
Device driver
Device cable
Device
System board
Keyboard/Touchpad-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
Keyboard (one or more 
keys) does not work.Reconnect the keyboard cable.
Keyboard
System board
Touchpad does not work. Reconnect touchpad cable.
Touchpad board
System board 
						

							86
Troubleshooting 
Note: If you cannot find a symptom or an error in this list and the 
problem remains, see “Undetermined Problems”.
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 system board 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
The diagnostic problems does not identify which adapter or device failed, 
which installed devices are incorrect, whether a short circuit is suspected, or 
whether the system is inoperative.  
Follow these procedures to isolate the failing FRU (do not isolate non-
defective FRU).
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 75):
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:
qNon-Acer devices
qDevices attached to the port replicator Modem-Related Symptoms
Symptom / ErrorAction in Sequence
Internal modem does not 
work correctly.See “System Diagnostic Diskette” on page 44.
Modem phone jack
Modem board
System board 
						

							Chapter 487
qPrinter, mouse, and other external devices
qBattery pack
qHard disk drive
qDIMM 
qCD-ROM
qDiskette drive
qPC Cards
4.  Power-on the computer.
5.  Determine if the problem has changed.
6.  If the problem does not recur, reconnect the removed devices one at a 
time until you find the failing FRU.
7.  If the problem remains, replace the following FRU one at a time. Do not 
replace a non-defective FRU:
qSystem board
qLCD assembly
qCPU card 
						

							88
Troubleshooting  
						

							Chapter 589
To p  Vi e w
CN11 Power Switch CN16 CD-ROM Connector
CN9 LCD Connector CN15 FDD Connector
CN14 CPU Connectors CN13 PCMCIA Socket
CN17 Fan Connector (reserved) CN12 Golden Finger for Debug 
Board
CN18 HDD Connector CN7 LCD Cover Switch Connector
CN20 Keyboard Connector CN8 Internal Microphone 
Connector
CN19 Touchpad Connector CN10 LED Board Connector
SW1 See Next Page JK1 AC Adapter Connector 
SW2 See Next Page CN3 PS/2 Port
CN2 Serial Port CN1 Parallel Port
CN6 Port Replicator CN4 Video Port
CN5 USB Port BT1 RTC Battery 
Connectors and Jumpers
Chapter 5 
						

							90
Connectors and Jumpers 
BottoM View
SW1 Settings
SW1Setting
Switch 1, Switch 2 Default at OFF setting, un-configurable.
SW2 Settings
SW2Setting
Switch 1 ON: OEM BIOS
OFF: Acer BIOS
Switch 2 ON: Bypass password
OFF: Check password
Switch 3, Switch 4 OFF, OFF: US keyboard
OFF, ON: European keyboard
ON, OFF: Japanese keyboard
SM1 Modem Socket
CN23, CN24 Charger Connector
CN21 DIMM Socket 2
CN22 DIMM Socket 1