w700p power and volume buttons no longer function as expected

StoneRyno

I have power settings configured to hibernate when power button is pressed. However the last few days pressing it is doing nothing while awake. It still works to wake when it has gone to sleep or hibernate after the specified durations have lapsed. Also the volume buttons no longer turn volume up or down. Pressing volume down button will for about 1 second dim the screen by a huge amount. Pressing volume up appears to do nothing. Rebooting doesn't appear to corrent these two problems. And to date (about a year) that I have owned it this has never happened. Previously on rare occation the power button would bring up a menu with lock system option and a few other things in a list but rebooting would always clear that up for whatever reason it would happen. I have tried several reboots and this new problem isn't going away. Can ya'll help me fix it? Thanks

Ryanrr

StoneRyno,

 

I would recommend performing a factory restore to make sure there is not software changes that are making the buttons function as you have described. If that does not resolve the problem, then it may be a hardware issue and require service. I would recommend contacting technical support in your region if the factory restore does not resolve the issue.

whiskey

Check if your centre Start button is stuck.

 

This a known hardware problem with this model and is aggravated after covering the screen with the keyboard folio case.

Ryanrr

Acer is unaware of any known hardware problems with the W700 and as I suggested earlier, if the power button is stuck and you are unable to power the system on it would require service. The "Windows button" on the front of the system does not power the system off and does not sound related to the issue described.

billsey

There's a known issue where if the Windows button is held down the volume and power buttons do some weird things (actually planned for things, just unexpected if you don't realize the button is pressed). A stuck Windows button is a pretty rare condition, but if it is stuck you'll experience pretty much this symptom. I recomend you try and clean around the button (without dunking it in water, of course!) to hopefully free it up.

StoneRyno

A stuck windows button could explain this inconsistent experience. The buttons function but unexplicitly change their behavior. Most of the time it, as unexplictly as the behavior altered, it goes back to normal. As was the case while I waited for a reply to my post. And has been normal since. Is there a way to reproduce this stuck windows button scenario to indeed confirm that this is the cause?

whiskey

Holding the Windows button down in combination with

 

+ Volume up =  enter/exit Narrator

+ Volume down = Print Screen

+ Power = Ctrl-Alt-Delete and the new Metro style full screen menu to Lock/Switch User/Log Out/Task Manager

 

From when I first got the system I often get the same behaviour after opening up the system from the folio case and face a stuck Windows key.  It's resolved by pressing the windows key to loosen it.

 

From that, a common manufacturing error of a loose Wi-Fi antenna lead hook up, and screen ghosting with maximum brightness, I'll assume Acer had a known bad production run and that was why a number of these systems were so drastically knocked down in price.  C$299 for an i3 and ~C$500 for the i5, including the folio case  After 3 months that supply run appears to have dried up and the W700 models are again above C$800.

StoneRyno

Ah yep with your description of those hotkey combos it definately is a stuck windows key that it the cause of my occational wonky power and volume buttons. I wonder if a loose wifi lead would explain my periodic wifi connection loss issues that require a reboot to resolve or if that is a different issue (note that other wifi devices in my house have not lost their connections at that same time). I also experience the screen ghosting issue. It seems to occur when the screen is on for a long time with a static image. For example while reading an ebook. And then transision to a task with a darker background. The button icons a such from the other app look burned in on the screen. Though they aren't really and the effect goes away after a few minutes or so.