won't get past first post

Morzie said:

The power light on the power button turn on and off 3 three times

This would indicate that the system is attempting a BIOS Recovery.

If so, your BIOS is corrupted and needs to be re-flashed (without a BIOS to do so). If all else fails they may need to replace the BIOS chip at the factory (RMA).

For do it yourself fixes you need to be aware that attempting these may void your warranty. It the PC is under warranty then I suggest you send it in.

It would be of great benefit to you if you knew what you had for a BIOS. Legacy BIOS, a Hybrid, of a EFI/UEFI. The method you choose to do depends on which type of BIOS you have.

If you had a Phoenix BIOS the that would probably have been a legacy or hybrid. For that you could try this:
Aspire Gemstone: Acer Phoenix BIOS Emergency Recovery

If you had an InSYDE BIOS and a GPT format hard disk then the recovery file would be on the hard disk.

The procedure is the same regardless of BIOS brand, but the file and flash program are different. You get the flash program and most recent file on a USB stick and initiate it with the key combination.

This method works for the Acer Aspire One.
Acer Aspire One BIOS Recovery -- QRP & CW - Latest Gadget News
I have heard that it will work with other Acer models, but which ones? That is a crap shoot.

In all cases the procedure is:

• Turn off the laptop
• Insert the USB stick with flash program and most recent BIOS file - file renamed to work with the particular flash program
• Press and hold the Fn+Esc keys, then press and release Power
• Keep holding Fn+Esc for a few seconds > release
• The power button flashes as the BIOS is flashed
• The system reboots when done

I do not know what will happen if you attempt this with the wrong flash program for your BIOS or on a system that does not allow outside flashing. Nothing? Flames?


So I will say again, if it is under warranty, send it in.

Morzie said:

Technical jargon doesn't help, simple do this then do that would help, though all help is appreciated, and my question to that, is if all else fails what do I do?

I can understand your position.
If your problem turns out to be what I think it is it is not an easy fix. The fix I described is complex and would be a challenging project for those that were quite comfortable inside a computer. I would provide a step by step if it were that simple, but as I mentioned above, your problem is complicated by unknown variables. But if you are not comfortable performing these kinds of procedures then I advise that you don't.

I often on this forum suggest to posters that they not try and fix something themselves, but to seek out professional assistance. This is because some repairs can be additionally damaging if done wrong. So if the owner is not comfortable doing the procedure then they shouldn't be doing it.

First, I would try any other suggestions that members here may have that may help. There are a lot of creative, experienced folks here that may have experienced something similar and may know something new.

Second I would contact Acer Tech Support and describe the problem and see what they have to say. You could also mention "this guy on the internet says...."

Third, if you have a computer repair shop in your area I would take it there. Dealing with these things is so much easier when you have hands on access. I'll bet they could get you up in running in short order.

Just a thought, check that the CMOS battery (the coin shaped one) is not in upside down.
Be sure to unplug the power socket, remove the laptop battery, hold the power button down for 3 minutes to drain the power, before opening the laptop.

Best thing to do is take it to a shop or back to Acer.

Let us know how it works out.