Aspire 5251 black screen problem ...

kengrome

I have an Acer Aspire 5251 purchased at Walmart 2-3 years ago.  The other day it failed to boot up after having done nothing unusual to it.  

I've been all over the web looking for a fix.  Some claim I should flash the BIOS to fix it -- which I tried -- but so far that technique has failed every time.  Instead of seeing the power button flashing as explained in several tutorials (after first downloading and installing the correct files onto a FAT32-formatted thumb drive and inserting it into the sick computer while is is turned off) nothing happens when I hold the Fn and esc keys while pressing the power button.

Maybe this is a 'good thing' because maybe the BIOS is not the problem?  Does the "BIOS flash" technique fail when something else is wrong?  If so, what else might be wrong that's causing this problem?

I upgraded the RAM more than a year ago by adding a new module, but I haven't touched it since and it has been working fine.  However, when this problem occurred I removed, replaced, and swapped each RAM module in turn to make sure it was not a RAM problem.  I even tried an old RAM module from another laptop I had around here (in both slots) yet so far nothing has fixed the problem.

What else do I try?  Or have I failed to try something I should have?

I would hate to give up on this computer if it is not a 'brick' already, and I certainly hope it is not, but I need to do something about this one way or the other.  Any help and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Ryanrr

When you boot the computer are you able to enter the BIOS? Do you see the HDD listed on the Information screen or under the Boot tab?

 

If the HDD is still detected and listed, you could try using recovery media to restore the operating system. Be aware this will format your HDD and you will lose all your data. Normally when a system fails to boot it can be a bad HDD. I can tell you that updating your BIOS will not sold the problem as it is either hardware or software related (operating system corrupt).

 

The good news is if the HDD is bad, then you can get a replacement hard driver and use recovery media to get your system up and running again.

kengrome

No, I cannot enter the BIOS.

 

There is no HDD information screen or boot tab because the screen is always black.  The power light comes on and  can hear the hdd, dvd and fan start but the screen stays black.

 

I wonder if this is the "acer black screen of death" problem that occurs frequently on Acer netbooks and laptops?

 

Ryanrr

If the issue is related to the display, connecting an external monitor may allow you to access the computer. If that fails, it may suggest that the display is fine and the issue could be another piece of hardware, potentially the motherboard.

 

The term ‘black screen of death’ is a general computer term that crosses over from the term ‘blue screen of death (hyperlink to http://www.ehfcomputerservices.com/htmlpix/pixbsod.html)’ dealing with Windows  and it is an issue related to any type of hardware, not specifically Acer. This doesn’t discount your issue, but I don’t think we should sensationalize a broad term so specifically.

kengrome

It's not a screen issue.  If it were, the computer would actually boot up, and I would hear the hard drive being read like it normally is (when the computer is not broken) during the boot sequence.  I would also see the same lights blinking and/or turn on that normally blink and/or turn on during the boot sequence.

 

Not only that, but if the computer could successfully enter the BIOS I would have expected my attempt to update the BIOS to have been successful, which it iwas not.

 

Any other thoughts as to how to diagnose / fix it?

Ryanrr

If your HDD, fan, and power light comes on, that would indicate that your system is getting power. At this point, it may be the CPU, memory, motherboard or a combination of these and would require replacement. I would recommend contacting Acer's technical support in your region for service.