Aspire F 15 F5-571T-569T Cannot remove one-piece bottom cover to physically access HDD

FrankJ
FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
edited August 2023 in 2019 Archives
System failed after a typical W10 minor upgrade, all Windows 10 troubleshooting procedures failed. Booting directly using BIOS to bring up USB recovery drive started normally but stops at 30% with no message generated. Is there no way to remove the bottom of the laptop so I can at least troubleshoot/reformat the HDD? I have removed all of the screws and cannot budge it.

Best Answer

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓
    20 screws must be removed from the bottom cover. The first is one DVD bracket screw---the bigger green circle shown below. Then pull the DVD bracket and tray out. Then remove the other 19 screws. Then carefully pry up the base cover starting from the left corner of the system using your crowbar and work your way around till it pops off.  You'll probably break a few plastic snaps molded into the covers and maybe even crack the covers. But nothing that color-coordinated duct tape or JBWeld can't handle. Jack E/NJ



    Jack E/NJ

«1

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    edited December 2019
    Before trying to pop off the bottom cover, have you tried an ALT+F10 cold boot factory reset or refresh yet from the hidden ACER recovery partition on the HDD? Jack E/NJ




    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    It reported "No Bootable Device" when I turned on the computer to try that. MiniTool Wizard Pro on a bootable USD SD card could not find the drive. (It can find any drive that is not totally dead.) Earlier in the day the computer would at least bring up the Windows troubleshooting screen but it would just produce an error message when I tried that fix.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    Does the BIOS Information tab show the drive? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    It does show the HDD. The recover process from a USB drive gets all the way through until it actually starts recovering but the "Problem with PC" pops up only about two seconds later. Apparently HDD electronics working right but not the read/write hardware.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    >>>It reported "No Bootable Device" when I turned on the computer to try that. >>>

    Don't use the USB drive. Try the ALT+F10 cold boot reset method again. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • Deejay_tech
    Deejay_tech Member Posts: 356 Seasoned Practitioner WiFi Icon
    try setting the sata mode to ahci in the uefi (bios)
    My personal Acer m/c's
    1) Gaming: Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-51
    Config:Core i5 8300H, 16GB, 250GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 1050ti GPU

    2) Daily Use: Acer Aspire A315-53  59GR
    Config: Core i5 8250u, 8GB, 256 SSD, 1TB HDD, IPS FHD 

    3) Linux Learning: Acer Aspire A315-53 P4MY
    Config: Pentium Gold 4417U, 8 GB, 256 SSD, 500GB HDD.
  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    The bios did not offer the ahci option. Alt +F10 recovery method now goes right to requesting a CD or legacy HDD; when this first started it at least tried to use the internal recovery partition but it would fail after a few minutes. I believe this model was especially designed to be tamper-proof for security (no obvious battery, memory, or HDD access, very simple bios options), which is why my request of the community was how to get the back off. But, I bought it from the Microsoft Store where it was listed just like any other laptop. Also, the quote I got from Acer to just replace the HDD was $349. That's exactly what I paid for it four years ago so either they expected to sent me a full replacement or else doing an HDD replacement in that model takes a huge amount of labor.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    >>>Alt +F10 recovery method now goes right to requesting a CD or legacy HDD;>>>

    (1) Can you access the BIOS menu from a cold boot using the F2 key?
    (2) If yes, Is the HDD recognized in the BIOS Information tab?
    (3) Is UEFI bootstrap enabled in the BIOS Boot tab?
    (4) Is the HDD list in the BIOS Boot tab? 

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • Press ctrl+s in main tab for appear this function sata mode in bios 
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  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    JackE  F2 does access BIOS, HDD is recognized in BIOS information tab, UEFI bootstrap is enabled in BIOS boot tab, the HDD is listed in the BIOS boot tab. That is what led me to decide earlier that the electronic part of the HDD is working but the mechanical part is not.

    egydiocoelho  Pressing ctrl+s in main tab does not bring up the ahci option in this computer. Probably because the designers figured no one would want to or be able to add a device that would require it

    I should add that this laptop has been in constant use for 4 years on an office desk and has always worked flawlessly. Also that D2D Recovery is enabled in the Main BIOS tab.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    >>>Alt +F10 recovery method now goes right to requesting a CD or legacy HDD>>>MiniTool Wizard Pro on a bootable USD SD card

    The legacy message is suspicious.  And what do you mean by bootable USD SD card? SD cards aren't usually bootable? Do you perhaps mean a bootable USB  stick/pendrive? Did you boot this stick from UEFI bootstrapper or have to change to legacy BIOS in order to boot from it? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    JackE  Please excuse my incoherent terms; I am also being pushed to solve some other non-computer problems and get in too big a hurry. One of which  was explaining to my wife about the loose terminology different people use to describe SD cards and USB sticks over the years.
    Here is the full exact text that appeared when I tried the Alt+F10 recovery method:
    "Default boot device missing or boot failed. Insert recovery media and hit any key. Then select Boot Manager to chose a new boot device or to boot recovery media."
    I hit a key and saw this screen:
    "Boot Manager
    Boot option menu
    Legacy CD ROM
         1. Unknown Device:Unknown Device
    Legacy Hard Drive
         2. Unknown Device:Unknown Device"

    I installed the recovery CD I had made 4 years ago and selected option 1. The same Boot Manager message came up and I did not hear the CD spin up.
    I then installed the recovery USB stick I had made last summer when I installed Windows 10 1903 and selected option 2. The same message appeared.

    The use of the term "Legacy" makes no sense to me in the way I heard it all the time when I worked at Intel during the 1990's. That was when both Intel and Microsoft were struggling with the burden of how to make Windows work with as many older machines as possible as the operating systems were being improved. Since SATA CD ROM's and HDD's were already main stream by 2015, "Legacy" in 2015 would have to mean PATA drives which were long dead by then.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    What is the SATA mode listed in the BIOS Info tab? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    There is no mention of SATA mode or even the word SATA in any of the BIOS screens
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    >>>I then installed the recovery USB stick I had made last summer when I installed Windows 10 1903>>>

    OK. UEFI bootstap should SATA mode by default on the model. Can you access the X : \ command prompt from the Win10 installation stick?  We need to try to run DiskPart from the stick. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    I inserted the Windows installation USB stick I have used several times to install windows 10 in new computers; powered up the computer, and pressed the Alt+F10 keys. It started the install process normally but when it brought up the screen to select the target it showed the internal internal HDD correctly as to size but space was unallocated and free. I selected it and pressed Next. After about 10 minutes with no visible activity a message opened that said "We couldn't install Windows in the location you chose. Please check your media drive." The error message "0x80300002" which is the failed install indicator. I never saw any point in which I might be able to access the command prompt. 

    That is what happened when I first started troubleshooting. That was a clue to me that the HDD had stopped working; that was when I first discovered the bigger problem that the back of the computer didn't have any way to change the battery, HDD, CD drive, or memory. Then I wasn't able to get the back open to reach them. That was when I sent my first message to the Community. I have had no response from anyone in the Community about this problem, which suggests that there were were only a very small number of these computers produced and they likely mostly went to buyers who requested tamper-proof units.

    I have already ordered an very-similar-featured new ASUS computer that will be much faster and cost the same money, will be normally upgradeable by me, and only lacks the touch screen which turned out not to be very useful anyway. If anyone wants my ACER computer to try to break into let me know. I have too many other problems to work on to attempt it myself or try to find a local repair shop that has ever seen one of these and knows the secret. JackE, your time was not wasted; I did learn a few things that will almost certainly help me in the future. 
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    Sorry we seem to have a misunderstanding about the ALT+F10 recovery process. It does NOT in any way depend on the use the 1903 Win10 installation.  stick. In fact, the recovery will fail with any kind of installation USB inserted. Is this what you have been doing? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    I have been following the Microsoft instructions for creating and using a recovery USB drive (it does not call for Alt+F10 as starting with F2 but the results have been the same). This process includes the option of downloading Windows installation media to a USB drive to use to recover if you don't have a recovery drive. I just looked in the ACER manual and saw that there is a process app included with the computer to do this. I tried it but it led to the same stop that using the Alt+F10 did.It may be that the BIOS will not do a recovery unless it is created through this app as a way of preventing tampering with the computer such as if it is stolen. I have done several recoveries using the Microsoft method with ordinary desktops and always had success except in one case where the HDD did prove to be defective. My new computer should be here in a day or two.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,879 Trailblazer
    I suggest that you try the ALT+F10 cold boot method again following this exact procedure.

    (1) Shut machine completely off. Then turn it back on again and immediately start tapping the F2 key to re-enter the BIOS menu. Set and save a supervisor password in the security tab. Then save settings and exit the BIOS menu. Shut the machine off again.

    (2) Then turn it back on and immediately start tapping the F2 key to reenter the BIOS menu with the password. Make sure the F12 and D2D options are enabled in the main tab. Turn off secure boot. Save setting and exit the BIOS menu. Shut machine off again.

    (3) Turn machine back on and immediately press and hold the ALT key while tapping the F10. Don't wait for the ACER logo to appear. Follow directions to try to reset the machine again to a factory fresh state

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • FrankJ
    FrankJ Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    2. Turned off secure boot (succeeded, used "Erase all secure boot settings" in Security tab).
    3.  Final result: this screen in Boot Manager tab
    Boot Option Menu
    Legacy CD ROM
        1.Unknown Device: Unknown Device
    Legacy Hard Drive
        2. Unknown Device: Unknown Device

    I've mentioned this screen before but here is where all hope ends.