Major internet connectivity problem with Aspire M laptop

I just purchased about 2 months ago an Aspire M5-583P with Windows 8. I have comcast blast at home and never had problems. When I log onto wifi with my laptop and open a browser (doesn't matter which, the same problem recurs with Explorer, Mozilla and Chrome - all installed on my laptop) and IF I have one web page open or try to click on links quickly or to multiple sites, the computer almost acts like it's being worked too hard and I will get a BLUE SCREEN WITH A BACKWARD SMILEY FACE saying "your computer has run into problems... collecting error.. must restart" and the computer will stop on blue screen and restart itself referring to "bad_pool_caller".

PLEASE HELP, WHY IS MY COMPUTER DOING THIS?

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Tommy-Acer

I'm going to suggest that you back up all user data on the system and restore the system to factory defaults.

This will eliminate any software issues.

Attempt to connect again and see if the behaviour continues. If it does, you may have a hardware issue that needs to be looked at by your local Acer service center.

sfgirl

Hi- Thank you for the reply. The error message it turns out is a BSOD - "blue screen of death" which I researched online - turns out it is a Windows 8 problem.

What I did was to download the latest BIOS from the Acer Support site but didn't remove anything from my computer, and then moved on to the drivers. There I got a little stuck. What I downloaded was the 1) latest LAN and 2) LAN wifi drivers (Intel brand). Again, didn't remove any existing drivers already on my computer.

This simple two-step process seems to have worked as I left my computer online for a couple hours and proceeded to use the internet. At this point, I would get the BSOD but I didn't. So far, so good. Not even sure what I did was correct or not.

sfgirl

I also went to the Intel site and downloaded some other driver last night.

BUT STILL GET THE BSOD - "bad_pool_caller". Nothing has worked so far. Kind of alleviated the problem, not as frequent freezing... but still get it.

Must be something more to it. I'd hate to restore to factory settings with all the docs/photos/software on it I've added.

ScottyC

BSOD, or Blue Screen Of Death is a generic Windows error that has been around well before the days of Windows 8. Fact of the matter is that BSOD very rarely tells you exactly what's wrong. Tommy is 100% right on this one, you should back up your files and start from scratch by doing a recovery. Then you would be able to do any necessary updates. And normally you shouldn't need drivers not provided on the Acer website for your device, even if the manufacturers of parts used by Acer release an update for their products the software they use can sometimes cause instabilities. Your system is designed and tested to be shipped out in fully working order.Return the system to it's factory original state and do your updates. If you still have issues there is something physically wrong with the unit and you'll need to have it serviced. It's not worth the headache of trying to download patches from all corners of the internet.

If you need help doing a recovery let me know, I'd be glad to help.

sfgirl

Thanks Scotty Smiley Happy Really appreciate all your input.

Okay, I will do the recovery.

Can I get a few helpful key tips on how - I'm not completely retarded and can get my way around but want to be sure? I have an Acer Aspire M5-583P-6428 notebook by the way.

When I do the updates after the recovery, which are the key important ones to download from the Acer site? There were many.

Is just the BIOS or download everything that's newer than my version? What else? Do I need to remove any old versions? I didn't do that, I just "downloaded" from the Acer site assuming it replaces whatever older version is on my computer. I probably downloaded extra udpates that aren't even already on my computer too - if that's even possible.

Thanks so much in advance! Smiley Happy

Linda

ScottyC

Hi sfgirl,

Sorry for the delay, I've been busy and haven't had the time to check on the forum. I would suggest you not bother doing a BIOS update. It's not hard to cause a lot of problems if something goes wrong and it's just not worth the headache.

Once you do the recovery your drivers will be restored to Acer's factory originals. You can always download any newer drivers from the Acer site for things like HDD controllers, Graphics drivers and wireless networking but beyond that if the machine is working properly I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. Then it would just be a matter of doing the Windows updates.

If I'm not mistaken you have Windows 8. If I'm right you should follow the steps listed here under reset. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc