Acer Aspire 5542 Black Screen

[at1105]

I'm working on a stubborn Acer Aspire 5542...

Problem:
When powered on the screen doesn't come on and there are no activity lights of any sort other than the power button light and battery charging light. I can hear the fan turn on but the HDD activity light doesn't come on and the none of the other lights such as the caps lock or num lock light come on when pressed. It's like everything except the power button and battery charging light is dark and unresponsive.

Steps I've Taken:
I have connected it to an external monitor and switched it to external source via the function key and it does nothing. I have tested the RAM and HDD in another computer and all is well. I checked the power adapter with a multimeter and everything is good there. I have removed the battery and power cord and held for the power button down for 60 seconds and then plugged the power cord back in and turned it on but that didn't fix it either.

Any ideas?

 

[tek9]

Try a different AC adapter, with and without the battery.
Try the battery itself, without the AC adapter.
Try letting it charge up for a bit before powering on.

 

[SynapseTech]

I had the exact same problem with a gateway Gateway NX860S. I took the battery out and left it in the closet for about it year. Next time I tested it, powered right up!

What I'm getting at is sometimes removing the battery and AC then pressing the power button for 60 seconds may not be enough to decharge all the capacitors on the board. By all means is a good start, but after you do it let the PC sit for several hours to ensure all residual power is gone.

If you really want to get crazy, pull the MB battery as well.

 

[at1105]

I opened it up and checked everything. Still nothing. Its gotta be a dead board. Thanks for the input guys!