VN7-591G Fans Not Working

Hi there!

I own the machine as specificed in the subject. I am having trouble with cooling sadly. I will explain what I have tried and discovered.

Initial problem: Slow PC.

I investigated the issue and figured the CPU seemed to be stuck at 0.78GHz and never going above that. I figured speedstepping or turbo-boost was not working properly. I figured it might be a power issue at first since that is the first point of call with automated underclocking. All of that checked out, max performance on everything, no issues there even plugged in.

I tried updating the BIOs to version 1.15 which worked!... for a short period of time. The biggest giveaway was this I noticed the laptop seems a whole lot more noisy that originally.

Now a couple of days later. The old CPU problem propped up again. I did the usual checks.
I have ran CoreTemp against it. Idle it seemed to sit at about 70 degrees celcius. Natually I was flipping my **bleep** at this point since now I noticed that even if the core temperature hits 80 under a prime95 test the fans don't even start at all.

So I put it to you and anyone who can help me. What is wrong with this thing? As I am typing this it is idling at 60 now but still no fans running at all.

Is this a hardware issue or BIOs issue?

Accepted answers

cloudeh

Alright this seems to be a more solid work around. I have tested the external monitor issue as 'wastedi' has kindly pointed me in the direction towards. This does seem to be the problem. Kudos to him for posting the work-around.

Here are my test results below regarding the laptop's behaviour:

Test Conditions:

Laptop plugged in charging at all times with 3 USB devices and an Audio cable attached.

Test 1: Startup laptop with monitor connected via HDMI cable.

This causes the fan failure and CPU speedstepping failure.
CPU does not clock above lowest speedstep value (0.78Ghz).
Fans are completely unresponsive regardless of temperature.
We will call this the 'failed state'.

Test 2: Shutdown laptop from 'failed state' with a HDMI cable connected.

This causes the laptop to improperly shut down.
Stuck in a semi-powered on state until the power is cut via holding the power button down. Removing power cable does not effect it.

Test 3: Shutdown laptop from 'failed state' without a HDMI cable connected.

Laptop shuts down successfully

Test 4: Startup laptop without monitor connected via HDMI cable.

This causes the fans and CPU to function properly again.
Laptop functions normally.
We will call this the 'successful state'.

Test 5: Connect HDMI cable while laptop is booted in 'successful state'.

Laptop functions normally as expected.

Test 6: Shutdown laptop from 'successful state' with monitor connected via HDMI cable.

Stuck in semi-power state, power cut by holding power button is the only way to turn it off completely.

Results

It does not appear to be the action of startup with a monitor attached which causes the failed state but rather a startup after a failed shutdown and getting stuck in the semi-powered state.

Here are the steps I have tried twice to create the failed state and have succeeded:

From the fully shut down state connect a monitor via a HDMI cable.
Turn on the laptop. This should boot normally and should function normally.
With the HDMI cable still connected, shut the laptop down again. It should enter the semi-powered-on state where you have to hold the power button to fully turn the laptop off.
Turn the laptop back on again. You should now be in the failed state with fan and CPU speedstepping failure.

WORK AROUND: To get out of the failed state, disconnect the HDMI cable and shut down the laptop. The laptop should shut down normally. Restart after it has fully powered off without the HDMI cable plugged in.

_______

I suspect the lack of people with this issue complaining on the forums here is down to the fact that most will probably not use a dedicated external display.

I hope this will help any users with this issue as well as speed Acer along to produce a patch to fix this as this is a serious bug.

Regards,

Cloudeh.

All comments

Cory-Acer

Is it possible that the fans have either failed or locked up? 70c with no fans isn't the terrible, but obviously you want to get that down to 40-50c with fans during idle time to be safe.

cloudeh

That is possible.

As an update to this issue: The 'fan stopping' issue happened last night again. Core temperatures were around 60. I noticed the laptop was slow and checked again to see that the CPU was stuck at 0.78Ghz and not dynamically clocking up while under load. In this state a prime95 stress test cannot push the CPU beyond 27% usage and no matter how hot the laptop gets the fans do not spin up. (It got to nearly 80 degrees)

I don't see how the fans can lock up. Admittedly I have installed new SSD in the M.2 slot to replace the 60Gb original capacity so it is not like the laptop has been physically modified to the point where it would effect the fans.

To make sure of this I started the laptop up with the top panel off and the fans worked. But that can't be because of an obstruction as the laptop doesn't move at all when it decides not to work, furthermore as I am typing this morning The CPU and fans have decided to miraculously work again, of course again, no phyical modification to obstruct the fans.

It seems to be at random when the CPU speed stepping starts and stops. It isn't like the CPU is working fine and the fans just are not working. The CPU straight up DOESN'T speedstep alongside the fans not working either. I mean, even if for some bazaar reason it was stuck in some kind of power saving mode despite me checking all the settings, the fans SHOULD still work at the higher temperatures.

I highly suspect this might be a fault in the BIOs as it seems to be at random when it decides it doesn't want to work anymore: baring in mind the laptop is plugged into a charger with no changes to the power settings when it suddenly decides it doesn't want to speedstep anymore, while the laptop is actually in use.

UPDATE 18/02/16 18:41 :

I am experiencing the issue again out of the blue. I had a suspicion that it might only occur after it slept, but I have tried shutting it down completely and starting it back up again, still nothing. But I did observe an interesting bit of behaviour.
Speed stepping works for about 30 seconds after boot. So I ran a prime95 test and the CPU reached temperatures arount 95 degrees. At this point it underclocked and went back to 0.78Ghz.
I suspect this is a thermal throttling mechanism, which is fine.
But the worst part was that both fans didn't start at all during this full process.

I don't understand it, can it be fan failure? Both of them at the same time? I don't understand how it works fine one minute then a bit later with seemingly no change at all to decides to stop.

stu6707

Maybe you could try this out to see if the fan is working properly or not.

Note that to return to Acer's default fan control you need to disable it, the auto option has different settings than the Acer's default one.

https://github.com/hirschmann/nbfc/releases

Phil-3

Hello everyone,

While our members are generally eager to provide useful information, be advised that Acer does not validate third party external links for downloads and is not responsible for them.

We also cannot attest to the safety of third party websites.

Acquiring files through such links is at the user’s own risk.

Thanks!

cloudeh

Alright time for an update.

So I thought I fixed it, but I didn't. I tried the fan controller software linked earlier which is pretty awesome and seems to do a much better job that Acer's default fan control profile, (Acer I would recommend you get someone to look into patching this devices fan profile as it seems to be inferior to the user created one)

As for the weird fan not working issue I thought I fixed it, I figured it was some kind of thermal throtteling issue but when i woke up this morning and turned my laptop on it had the old 'fans not working and CPU not going above 0.78Ghz' issue. When it runs normally it seems to handle GPU+CPU stress tests just fine, albeit very hot.

Now here is where it gets interesting, and this will be valuable I assume to Acer since this NEEDS to be patched.

When I shut my laptop down last night it did not shut down properly. The laptop itself seems to power down but does not actually turn off after windows closes. It remains a black screen with the keyboard lit, blue light turned on. Naturally I used the emergency power shut off but holding the power button for a few seconds.
I didn't think nothing of it at the time, so this morning when I woke up, the fan issue and CPU issue was there. I ran a prime95 test on it this morning to make sure.
Here is an image of it in action:
http://postimg.org/image/o9ijkipan/full/
As you can see the CPU is stuck at the lowest speedstep under load. Furthermore the fans do not work. Even with the Custom fan controlling profile, they are unresponsive. I tried setting a manual fan speed too, it doesn't matter what the target fan speed is, the do not start.

BUT I figured out how to work around it, i think.

Shutting down the laptop and making sure it does a full shutdown fixes the issue, that potentialy means rebooting and shutting down until it does a full shut down.

The strange 'powered remains on after windows is shut down' issue seems to coincide with this fan and CPU issue.

My exact steps to resolve this:
- Turn the laptop from balanced power mode to High performance. (I don't believe this step actually helps)

- shut down the laptop.

- If the shutdown cycle gets stuck, turn it off with the emergency power cut feature.

- turn it back on again.

- Repeat until it shuts down fully and normally. A full normal shutdown with power off at the end should coincide with the issue being resolved.

- Fans and CPU speedstepping should work after this.

Like I said, this seems to be a work-around rather than an actual fix.

Acer you need to investigate this, as this seems to be some strange, iritating and very limiting bug here. I would also like to know if anyone else has been suffering from this.

I am not marking this as a solution because while it seems to work around the issue it does not actually fix it.

Cory-Acer

I'm interested in hearing if others suffer similiar issues, but the VN7-591G has been in the market for a while so we'd probably have heard more about this if it was affecting more users.

I still think there may be some value in a software recovery of Windows to rule out any software issue. The image you provided not only shows nothing going on with the CPU, but the memory isn't being worked either. It's a bit confusing to me.

A quicker solution would be to have your local Acer support team service the unit. I'm not sure what I can help address until we have others discussing the same issue.

Cory

wastedi

If you have external monitor connected, try to boot without it. I had that exact same problem and that worked for me.

http://community.acer.com/t5/V-and-VN-Series/Aspire-V-15-throttles-CPU-instead-of-cooling/m-p/384815#M5418

cloudeh

Alright this seems to be a more solid work around. I have tested the external monitor issue as 'wastedi' has kindly pointed me in the direction towards. This does seem to be the problem. Kudos to him for posting the work-around.

Here are my test results below regarding the laptop's behaviour:

Test Conditions:

Laptop plugged in charging at all times with 3 USB devices and an Audio cable attached.

Test 1: Startup laptop with monitor connected via HDMI cable.

This causes the fan failure and CPU speedstepping failure.
CPU does not clock above lowest speedstep value (0.78Ghz).
Fans are completely unresponsive regardless of temperature.
We will call this the 'failed state'.

Test 2: Shutdown laptop from 'failed state' with a HDMI cable connected.

This causes the laptop to improperly shut down.
Stuck in a semi-powered on state until the power is cut via holding the power button down. Removing power cable does not effect it.

Test 3: Shutdown laptop from 'failed state' without a HDMI cable connected.

Laptop shuts down successfully

Test 4: Startup laptop without monitor connected via HDMI cable.

This causes the fans and CPU to function properly again.
Laptop functions normally.
We will call this the 'successful state'.

Test 5: Connect HDMI cable while laptop is booted in 'successful state'.

Laptop functions normally as expected.

Test 6: Shutdown laptop from 'successful state' with monitor connected via HDMI cable.

Stuck in semi-power state, power cut by holding power button is the only way to turn it off completely.

Results

It does not appear to be the action of startup with a monitor attached which causes the failed state but rather a startup after a failed shutdown and getting stuck in the semi-powered state.

Here are the steps I have tried twice to create the failed state and have succeeded:

From the fully shut down state connect a monitor via a HDMI cable.
Turn on the laptop. This should boot normally and should function normally.
With the HDMI cable still connected, shut the laptop down again. It should enter the semi-powered-on state where you have to hold the power button to fully turn the laptop off.
Turn the laptop back on again. You should now be in the failed state with fan and CPU speedstepping failure.

WORK AROUND: To get out of the failed state, disconnect the HDMI cable and shut down the laptop. The laptop should shut down normally. Restart after it has fully powered off without the HDMI cable plugged in.

_______

I suspect the lack of people with this issue complaining on the forums here is down to the fact that most will probably not use a dedicated external display.

I hope this will help any users with this issue as well as speed Acer along to produce a patch to fix this as this is a serious bug.

Regards,

Cloudeh.

tomasnosek

Its a shame for Acer that they have not been able to patch this problem yet.

tomasnosek

cloudeh said:

Alright this seems to be a more solid work around. I have tested the external monitor issue as 'wastedi' has kindly pointed me in the direction towards. This does seem to be the problem. Kudos to him for posting the work-around.
Here are my test results below regarding the laptop's behaviour:
Test Conditions:
Laptop plugged in charging at all times with 3 USB devices and an Audio cable attached.
Test 1: Startup laptop with monitor connected via HDMI cable.
This causes the fan failure and CPU speedstepping failure.
CPU does not clock above lowest speedstep value (0.78Ghz).
Fans are completely unresponsive regardless of temperature.
We will call this the 'failed state'.
Test 2: Shutdown laptop from 'failed state' with a HDMI cable connected.
This causes the laptop to improperly shut down.
Stuck in a semi-powered on state until the power is cut via holding the power button down. Removing power cable does not effect it.
Test 3: Shutdown laptop from 'failed state' without a HDMI cable connected.
Laptop shuts down successfully
Test 4: Startup laptop without monitor connected via HDMI cable.
This causes the fans and CPU to function properly again.
Laptop functions normally.
We will call this the 'successful state'.
Test 5: Connect HDMI cable while laptop is booted in 'successful state'.
Laptop functions normally as expected.
Test 6: Shutdown laptop from 'successful state' with monitor connected via HDMI cable.
Stuck in semi-power state, power cut by holding power button is the only way to turn it off completely.

Results
It does not appear to be the action of startup with a monitor attached which causes the failed state but rather a startup after a failed shutdown and getting stuck in the semi-powered state.

Here are the steps I have tried twice to create the failed state and have succeeded:
From the fully shut down state connect a monitor via a HDMI cable.
Turn on the laptop. This should boot normally and should function normally.
With the HDMI cable still connected, shut the laptop down again. It should enter the semi-powered-on state where you have to hold the power button to fully turn the laptop off.
Turn the laptop back on again. You should now be in the failed state with fan and CPU speedstepping failure.

WORK AROUND: To get out of the failed state, disconnect the HDMI cable and shut down the laptop. The laptop should shut down normally. Restart after it has fully powered off without the HDMI cable plugged in.

_______

I suspect the lack of people with this issue complaining on the forums here is down to the fact that most will probably not use a dedicated external display.

I hope this will help any users with this issue as well as speed Acer along to produce a patch to fix this as this is a serious bug.

Regards,

Cloudeh.

You dont have to shutdown or restart. Its possible to go to sleepmode only. Then unplug hdmi, wake up machine and after you log in to the Windows, plug it again. Not before logging (welcome screen), coz it probably stuck at 0,79Ghz again.