Question for the Geeks

[technomage]

Allright, you geeks, I've got a customer's computer that has me puzzled.

It's an Acer Aspire 5517 laptop, originally with Win7. When it's powered on, it goes to the BIOS screen, offers the F2 (Setup) and F12 (Boot Menu) options ... there's about a 5 second window where these options will start to respond, but won't finish. After that 5 second window, the Acer logo stays on the screen, and it will not respond to any keypresses (except for the power key).

I've tried the following:
* Boot from a known good thumbdrive with a Linux ISO.
* Boot from a KAV rescue CD.
* Swap the hard drive and boot with a known good hard drive.
* Boot to [F2] BIOS Setup (Stops with "Please wait...", and freezes).
* Boot to [F12] Boot Menu (Stops at "Please Wait" again).
* (Desperation move) Remove the HD entirely, attempt to boot.

The customer states that he was running with either no AV, or with an expired AV, and that it "may have" a virus (he surfs the ... less family friendly portions of the Internet, so that's no difficult guess).

I don't have a Linux box available to put the HD in to examine it, and I'm a bit nervious about risking my Windows box--I don't want his viruses--though I can boot to a Linux Live CD and examine the drive from there if it comes to that.

Suggestions?

[Darth Executor]

It sounds like it doesn't even get to the hard drive in the first place. I'm guessing the motherboard is shot. You could try to reset the bios by removing the bios battery for a few minutes and see if that works (this should fix it if it's a virus). If not, he'll probably have to buy a new computer.

[technomage]

It sounds like it doesn't even get to the hard drive in the first place. I'm guessing the motherboard is shot. You could try to reset the bios by removing the bios battery for a few minutes and see if that works (this should fix it if it's a virus). If not, he'll probably have to buy a new computer.

I was afraid of that. This particular model is a pain in the neck to disassemble, but I've got the service manual and my tools. Unfortunately, if resetting the bios doesn't work, he's got a very slick looking paperweight.

Thanks, Darth!

[Sparko]

I was afraid of that. This particular model is a pain in the neck to disassemble, but I've got the service manual and my tools. Unfortunately, if resetting the bios doesn't work, he's got a very slick looking paperweight.

Thanks, Darth!

try replacing the memory first. If it has two sticks in it, remove one and then swap them around to see if that does anything.

But Darth might be right.

[technomage]

It sounds like it doesn't even get to the hard drive in the first place. I'm guessing the motherboard is shot. You could try to reset the bios by removing the bios battery for a few minutes and see if that works (this should fix it if it's a virus). If not, he'll probably have to buy a new computer.

Took the CMOS battery out, let it sit for ten minutes, replaced the battery ... aaaaand a great big fat nothing. Bad mobo.

Too bad ... it's an Acer, which isn't the best computer in the world, but this one isn't too bad. Or, rather, it wasn't too bad.

[Darth Executor]

try replacing the memory first. If it has two sticks in it, remove one and then swap them around to see if that does anything.

But Darth might be right.

Bios doesn't use the ram sticks so he should at least be able to access that, but it won't hurt to try this anyway.

[Sparko]

Bios doesn't use the ram sticks so he should at least be able to access that, but it won't hurt to try this anyway.

I was thinking that the computer was failing some hardware check and it could be memory and was crashing even before he could get into BIOS

[Cow Poke]

There's a very inexpensive USB kit that allows you to attach a cable to the HD, then plug it into a running computer's USB port. I've done that a bunch of times with computers that are "stuck" in boot mode. Even if the MoBo is bad, you'd be able to virus/scan the HD, then recover whatever data is on it, as long as the HD will spin up.

[technomage]

There's a very inexpensive USB kit that allows you to attach a cable to the HD, then plug it into a running computer's USB port. I've done that a bunch of times with computers that are "stuck" in boot mode. Even if the MoBo is bad, you'd be able to virus/scan the HD, then recover whatever data is on it, as long as the HD will spin up.

I've got something similar I can use, but like I said, I'm a little worried about attaching their HD to my system unless I'm running Linux. He's probably not going to want to pay for file recovery--I think surfing unsavory websites was all he used this computer for.

However, next time he gets a computer, I hope he listens to me when I tell him to make sure he has an anti-virus program.

[Cow Poke]

I've got something similar I can use, but like I said, I'm a little worried about attaching their HD to my system unless I'm running Linux. He's probably not going to want to pay for file recovery--I think surfing unsavory websites was all he used this computer for.

However, next time he gets a computer, I hope he listens to me when I tell him to make sure he has an anti-virus program.

And, once again....

Scripture Verse:

Hesitations 2:15 Blessed is the pessimist, for he hath made backups. 16 Woe unto him who surfeth sites shewing bareness of skin, for he shall inherit unto himself the recompense of spirits of darkness, and shall surf no more.

[technomage]

And, once again....

Scripture Verse:

Hesitations 2:15 Blessed is the pessimist, for he hath made backups. 16 Woe unto him who surfeth sites shewing bareness of skin, for he shall inherit unto himself the recompense of spirits of darkness, and shall surf no more.

And all the little geeks said "Amen!"

[Sparko]

I've got something similar I can use, but like I said, I'm a little worried about attaching their HD to my system unless I'm running Linux. He's probably not going to want to pay for file recovery--I think surfing unsavory websites was all he used this computer for.

However, next time he gets a computer, I hope he listens to me when I tell him to make sure he has an anti-virus program.

My old boss was like that. He would constantly bring me his computer telling me there was something wrong with it. So I would scan it and remove all the malware and tracking cookies and so on, which seemed to always be from "unsavory" sites. I would tell him, "You need to not go to those sites, that is what is infecting your computer" and he would keep denying it, saying some virus must have put the stuff there. I told him I can see that it was him that was going there by the history and the cache and cookies and all the stuff I just wiped. But he would play dumb and then a little while later he would bring it back to me. Eventually he convinced himself that his notebook computer was defective and bought a new one, and gave me the old one, which I wiped and gave to a friend who never has had a problem with it. And then he started bringing me his New Notebook, all with the same problems. Now that I work elsewhere he calls me up and wants to bring it over my house for me to "look at" - which I do, cuz eventually I will get another notebook out of him.