Laptop was working fine when it was shut down and put away. Next time out I got the Acer splash screen (press f2 for start up) and laptop froze and had a constant beep tone. Pressing f2 did nothing. If I turned off the power and held down ctl-alt -del while powering up laptop would boot into windows xp, but keyboard would not work and I got phantom flickering drop down menus flashing on the desktop. I attached a usb keyboard which worked but kept getting those flashing drop down menus. I was able to boot into setup if I turned everything off and held down ctl-alt-del and f2 on the usb keyboard, there was a constant beep-beep but I was able to make changes and boot to the system recovery disc,I formatted and did a fresh install of windows xp. that changed nothing. all the problems were still there. I took out one memory stick at a time and that also made no difference. I scaned the hard drive for errors and found none. Could this be a corrupted BIOS? and what are my options if it is? There is an updated BIOS flash file at ACER support but there were all kinds of warnings with it but what do I have to lose, the laptop is not useable already. Any thoughts or Ideas or comments would be most welcome, thanks in advance.... nipper002
Hmm, was it a constant beep like tone like going and coming like a Siren or was it just there without interruptions.
If you heard a siren then there was a thermal event, check to see if your Laptop is overheating, Maybe the Fan is Jammed.
if its a constant beep then maybe there is a stuck key on your keyboard.
Hey now Finito, thanks for the reply, The beep when stuck at rhe Acer splash screen is steady and constant no interuptions, but when you enter setup it is a a steady beep-beep-beep and so on. I will check for a stuck key and post again, the fan is running quietly, and heat does not seem to be an issue. I should add that this laptop is three years old but has very few hours and has been handled very gently. It worked fine when put away and then did not work when I got it out about a month later. Thanks again,,,,,Nipper002
Well, as far as I can tell no keys are sticking on the keyboard, and once I boot into Windows XP none of the keys respond. While booting from the Acer splash screen the ctl-alt-del keys work but not the f2 key to enter setup, once in XP no keys respond at all, hence the need for a USB keyboard, and that is the only way I can get into setup, with the USB keyboard. BTW I have restored all BIOS settings to default which is where the settings were when machine was new.Thanks again....nipper002
Sorry for the late response.
It could be the keyboard problem, there may be dust underneath the Keyboard which is stimulating contact.
If possible can you remove the keyboard or disconnect it?
Then try to boot.
Thanks again, the local Acer dealer who I talked to this afternoon has said some thing similar, so you may be on to something, the laptop is spotlessly clean but it may be a short in the keyboard, maybe at the menu key, hence the phantom flickering drop down menu on the desktop, I will take the keyboard off or at least unplug it this weekend and try booting, and post again when I have done that, I appreciate your input, thank you so much,,,,,nipper002
Ok keep me posted.
Sorry I took so long to get this done, with the keyboard unplugged there is no change in the boot-up problem, the only thing that does let me get into Windows is that external usb keyboard, now I am thinking mother board, the keyboard controller ?
Any ideas or comments welcome, I can buy a new or recertified motherboard for around $125 USD, thanks again, Nipper002
Unfortunately I cannot advise you on that without looking at the machine myself.
Would you like to venture further in trying to solve this problem?
if so would you be willing to strip the machine to bare motherboard with processor only?
I have Accer laptop but i not face such kind of problems.
I have Accer laptop but i not face such kind of problems.
If you have nothing to add that will help the OP, it would be better to not post at all.
I have already taken the machine apart and have the motherboard out with the processor only still installed, is there something I can test at this stage?
I was planning to get a new mother board, thanks again,,,,,Nipper002
Try and boot it bare with only the motherboard and Processor in.
You want to hear couple of beeps.
If you don't hear the beeps, then you can say either the Power supply, the Processor, or the Motherboard is bad.
if you do hear beeps then insert the ram now you want to hear 1 single beep.
Please let me know how it went.
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