Acer with non boot issue.

[GTP]

I have an Acer E5-573 Series Laptop model N15Q1 Windows 10 Home 1709, 8GB ram, that is dead after being switched off.
When on it runs perfectly but once shutdown its effectively dead.
When this first happened I suspected motherboard failure.
As this is one of those "sealed" units I have no inclination or desire to pull them apart, so I sent the unit to my outsource and he agreed that it was motherboard. The mobo was replaced with a S/H one which tested fine. The unit worked correctly for about 2 weeks.
Client complained that it was "dead" again so I sent it back to my outsource for his evaluation.
After some head scratching he decided to just swap the mobo for another.
The unit worked perfectly for another 2 weeks then had the same problem.
Whether plugged in or not; there are no indicator lights at all, although I've noticed that the battery is being charged even though the unit appears to be dead.
Between my outsource and I we have tried:

Updated BIOS's on both mobo's as a matter of course.
Checked all circuitry in power switch for voltage flows etc, all working.
Checked all connectors on mobo to make sure they are seated correctly.
Checked HDD with Crystal Disk Info and GSmartControl both show no errors.
Replaced ram modules for spare S/H ones but then tried new out of the package ones just in case.
Tested power brick for correct output - passed.
Replace battery with brand new one , same result.
Tried several other power bricks, nothing.
Remove battery and plug unit into mains via PSU, nothing.

Poke a pin in the hole on the bottom marked "Reset" for 20 seconds and the unit fires up and runs perfectly.
Power it down and it's dead until you poke it again with a pin!

I'm stumped.

TIA

Edit: The laptop has now been running for 2 days without any issues. Functioning perfectly.
But it has NOT been switched off. I will power it down later today to see if it will boot.
BTW, after a "restart" it boots up normally.
Do a full shutdown and its dead.

 

[GTP]

So you have tried after all mobo replacement etc in your own environment yes?Capacitors all ok on board no leaks or bulges. Seems like a power surge to me.

Sitting right beside my outsource guy we both checked for swollen/leaking/bulging caps etc..

Tried several PSU's from the same model as well as a couple of Universal's still no boot.

 

[frase]

AC plug from wall to socket? May be an issue - not whole charger. Though you have tested that. Damn stumped

 

[Porthos]

CMOS battery?

 

[GTP]

CMOS battery?

Tried several CMOS batteries just to be sure we had a good one. They tend to sit around for a while.
Even tried one from another comp.

 

[NJW]

Did this behaviour start soon after upgrading to 1709? I'm not convinced that it's a motherboard problem, especially after two replacements with the same symptoms.

Is Fast Startup on or off? Is the hard drive healthy? Is the hibernation file present and healthy?

I'd image and N&P, if practical.

 

[glennd]

I have an Acer E5-573 Series Laptop model N15Q1 Windows 10 Home 1709, 8GB ram, that is dead after being switched off.
When on it runs perfectly but once shutdown its effectively dead.
When this first happened I suspected motherboard failure.
As this is one of those "sealed" units I have no inclination or desire to pull them apart, so I sent the unit to my outsource and he agreed that it was motherboard. The mobo was replaced with a S/H one which tested fine. The unit worked correctly for about 2 weeks.
Client complained that it was "dead" again so I sent it back to my outsource for his evaluation.
After some head scratching he decided to just swap the mobo for another.
The unit worked perfectly for another 2 weeks then had the same problem.
Whether plugged in or not; there are no indicator lights at all, although I've noticed that the battery is being charged even though the unit appears to be dead.
Between my outsource and I we have tried:

Updated BIOS's on both mobo's as a matter of course.
Checked all circuitry in power switch for voltage flows etc, all working.
Checked all connectors on mobo to make sure they are seated correctly.
Checked HDD with Crystal Disk Info and GSmartControl both show no errors.
Replaced ram modules for spare S/H ones but then tried new out of the package ones just in case.
Tested power brick for correct output - passed.
Replace battery with brand new one , same result.
Tried several other power bricks, nothing.
Remove battery and plug unit into mains via PSU, nothing.

Poke a pin in the hole on the bottom marked "Reset" for 20 seconds and the unit fires up and runs perfectly.
Power it down and it's dead until you poke it again with a pin!

I'm stumped.

TIA

Edit: The laptop has now been running for 2 days without any issues. Functioning perfectly.
But it has NOT been switched off. I will power it down later today to see if it will boot.
BTW, after a "restart" it boots up normally.
Do a full shutdown and its dead.

Time for dumb suggestions:
have you been able to run the motherboard outside of the case? It's not something stupid like a bit of dust in a switch or something? have you given it the compressed air treatment? (or just banged it on the bench really hard?) Maybe this little reset switch thingy is getting stuck? Although it's unlikely, it's not entirely out of the question that you've got two dud motherboards. A thing I learnt to do a long time ago is power up the board and then gently tap around with the plastic handle end of a screwdriver, on the board, on the components, sometimes this shows up a faulty component or bad solder (sodder) joints?

 

[GTP]

Did this behaviour start soon after upgrading to 1709? I'm not convinced that it's a motherboard problem, especially after two replacements with the same symptoms.

Is Fast Startup on or off? Is the hard drive healthy? Is the hibernation file present and healthy?

I'd image and N&P, if practical.

No been on 1709 for a while before the problem. Fast Startup off, but tried it "on" as well. Same thing happens after shutdown.
HDD reports no issues with GSmartcontrol or Crystal Disk Info. Hibernation file present, but how do you check if its healthy?

 

[GTP]

Time for dumb suggestions:
have you been able to run the motherboard outside of the case? It's not something stupid like a bit of dust in a switch or something? have you given it the compressed air treatment? (or just banged it on the bench really hard?) Maybe this little reset switch thingy is getting stuck? Although it's unlikely, it's not entirely out of the question that you've got two dud motherboards. A thing I learnt to do a long time ago is power up the board and then gently tap around with the plastic handle end of a screwdriver, on the board, on the components, sometimes this shows up a faulty component or bad solder (sodder) joints?

No didn't boot it from the outside the case but might have to just to check.
It was "tested" kind of with the mobo in the case but not assembled - just loose parts attached if that makes sense? No tapping.

 

[GTP]

I'd image and N&P, if practical.

I'm not sure an N & P would do anything in this case. When its powered down its effectively dead. No lights at all even if the PSU is plugged in. No power light, no battery light. Nothing.
But the strange thing is that in this state the battery is being charged. I know this through testing it by leaving it run on the battery till it complains about being plugged into a power source. I shut it down and plug in the PSU. Leave it for 20~30 miutes then push the little reset button. It boots up to the desktop where the battery indicator reports the battery at 42% or something and 29 minutes to full charge or whatever. You can see the battery indicator moving across as its charging.

Maybe I should take a trip to Jerusalem, go to the mountain top where I should offer a burnt offering or sacrifice a goat or something?

 

[Porthos]

I'd image and N&P, if practical.

Install to a spare drive just to be sure.

 

[GTP]

Install to a spare drive just to be sure.

This got me thinking....
So, imaged the drive to another 1TB spinner and put that in the unit. It wouldn't boot. It was the same. Dead.
After the reset thing it booted and runs perfectly. Shut it down and its dead!
Pity we can't have guns in Australia or this thing would be summarily executed by firing squad!
All I can do now is replace the unit with a new one.
This is one of my best clients and I would hate (read - cannot afford to lose her!) to upset her any further.
If it costs me a new laptop so be it!

 

[Porthos]

So, imaged the drive to another 1TB spinner and put that in the unit. It wouldn't boot. It was the same. Dead.

I meant CLEAN install to a different drive.

 

[GTP]

I meant CLEAN install to a different drive.

Ah! Ok doing it now. Will report soon.

 

[GTP]

I meant CLEAN install to a different drive.

No good. Exactly the same.

 

[Porthos]

All I can do now is replace the unit with a new one.
This is one of my best clients and I would hate (read - cannot afford to lose her!) to upset her any further.
If it costs me a new laptop so be it!

Did you sell her this? It seems to be unfixable, Why would YOU have to buy her a laptop even if she is too important too loose?
Dont get a crappy consumer acer this time.

 

[GTP]

She has an extended family that are all clients of mine. Some have SoHo/SMB businesses as well. Her own family have 4 Laptops, 2 Desktops and various Tablets that I service. She spends about $3000~$5000 per year on repairs/upgrades/new equipment.
just this Christmas she spent over $4000 on VR Headsets, Video cards, laptops, 3D Printer and Office software.
Friends and family combined is around $20~$25,000 per year. So if buying another laptop keeps her happy i'll do it.

 

[GTP]

Dont get a crappy consumer acer this time

From all the quotes I supplied this is the one she chose. It was for home use so should have been serviceable for a few years whether "crappy consumer Acer" or not. I sell many laptops of all brands (except Dell) and both grades and have very few problems with any of them.

 

[Porthos]

From all the quotes I supplied this is the one she chose.

That sucks, I will only "quote/endorse" brands and models I trust and have seen the longevity and relibility of.

 

[labtech]

Have you tried installing a Linux distro on hard drive and see if the issue persists?