Problem Description:
Acer 3000
Model 3003
AMD 2.0 MHZ
40 Gig Western Digital HD
Windows xp sp3
Laptop is 3 years old. I bought it new, gave it to a friend when I bought a new Satellite. I’ve worked on this computer on and off for a month with no success in getting it working. I was told the laptop randomly shuts down. When I initially worked on the laptop it would boot up go XP but would in fact arbitrarily shut down. However, it functions like part of the operating system was corrupted—takes forever to boot up, same opening files, networking non-functioning. I couldn’t even get into the windows system or admin tools.
My first thought is heat. Cleaned out the fan, heat sink, ect. The owner is a smoker so there was a tremendous amount of smoking related debris internally. After all the cleaning I booted up. Still barely working XP and randomly shutting down. I go into XP on safe mode to see if there is anything I can do such as uninstall unneeded applications. Won’t uninstall or even let me into my computer/admin even in safe mode. The unit still randomly shuts down. I expected the OS to still be problem but not the shutdown.
My next assumption is not heat by itself but XP corruption. I get a bootable copy of XP Corp Professional. Boot up, perform complete HD format and begin XP install. It gets about ½ into install and shuts down. Try to install XP several times and each time laptop shuts down. Eventually, HD won’t even boot for XP install. Bios still recognizes HD, manufacturer etc. Now I assume the problem or problems are associated with the HD read/write.
I get out Hiren’s Boot disk and associated HD utilities. I can’t get much going because the laptop HD still won’t function. I now see a correlation to the unit shutting down when the HD is accessed!
Just in case, I take out the RAM, place it in another laptop, it works fine. So it shouldn’t be RAM.
I go to Best Buy get a 160 Gig IDE Western Digital to replace the 40 Gig OEM Western Digital.
The new HD is recognized by the bios
Boot up to install OS, the screen flashes up for 1 second showing the XP install screen with the unformatted HD. Then laptop shuts down. Same process several times and outcome each time!
It is now beyond my technical skills to figure out.
I’ve run out of ideas. I’m thinking maybe the HD controllers???
I’d just tell my friend, and former boss, to just buy another laptop but he has liver cancer and on Social Security Disability. In the past 6 months the poor guy has lost his job and found out a month after he lost his job he has pancreatic and liver cancer, lost his home and 2 cars because he couldn’t pay for them. He’s gone from a beautiful 2 story home to a worn out rental mobile home.
This guy is in sad shape. I lost my job not too long after this guy so I don’t have the money or I would just buy another for him. I used parts I had and begged for and made him a desktop. Unfortunately, he doesn’t walk too good and can't move very well now and can’t sit long so that idesktop is no longer an option.
I truly hate to let the guy down now. When I had a problem at work he always took care of me
