Acer 5315 laptop shuts down 2-4 seconds after boot

Question

I have an Acer Aspire 5315-2077 laptop that shuts down 2-4 seconds after booting up. The power light comes on, and the HD and DVD lights illuminate briefly, then it shuts down. During the longer times it stays on (4 seconds) the screen briefly comes on with the "ACER" logo.

I've eliminated heat as an issue based on the short time before it shuts down, so I'm investigating power issues. It shuts down regardless of whether the power supply is plugged in or not, though I've found that it won't boot at all if the battery is removed from the chassis.

I've removed the HD and memory, and tried booting without them... same symptoms. After re-seating them, same symptoms.

I'm suspecting a bad main board, but given that this was a free laptop, I'm not going to invest any money into fixing it. Any last minute ideas to try before I scrap it?

Answer 1

Since it will only attempt to start when the battery is installed it sounds like your AC/DC power-pack is burnt out and not providing (enough) DC power to the notebook.

Based on that idea, it's also not providing enough power to recharge the battery, and because of that, and using the computer, the battery is (mostly) discharged, but there's enough charge for it to run for a couple seconds when you try.

Get a volt- and/or multi-meter and measure the DC output of your power-pack to ensure it's putting out the correct voltage required for the notebook (expected voltage/amperage ratings should be visible on the power-pack and/or the bottom of the notebook and/or the user's guide). if it's not, it's time for a new AC/DC power-pack.

Answer 2

It probably is the motherboard, and you are right, if it is that, not worth fixing. The only other things it could be would be the power supply or battery. It may be hard to borrow a compatible power supply, but if you can, I would. I would also try it without the battery installed.