TravelMate LED's flashing repeatedly and not booting up.

GertDasPferd
GertDasPferd Member Posts: 3 New User
edited November 2023 in 2020 Archives
Hello everyone,

I have a problem with my TravelMate P459-MG. When I try to boot up my keyboard LEDs aswell as the power LED flash every 5 seconds or so without stopping and it wont boot up.
This happened already a few days ago but I could fix it by pressing the reset button on the bottom of the device. At that time I also checked that my software is up to date (BIOS for example)

I already searched for an answer for my problem. My problem may be different from similiar ones as for me, the LEDs dont stop blinking after 5 times. So far nothing helped:
-pressing the reset button
-resetting the embedded controller (is the same as above? I couldnt quite figure it out)
-taking out the battery
-using a differenct AC charger
-letting the laptop rest for a while
-with unconnected battery and AC: press the power button for up to 50 seconds

I did these steps in different combinations but my laptop will just not boot up anymore. I have made a Video so that my problem is easier to understand:


I hope I missed out on a solution and that you can help as in the times of home office I really need my laptop. If I don't find any solution soon I will either send it to Acer service or go to a repair station. But before that I wanted to try to find a solution for myself so I don't have to give away my laptop for a week or more.

I am thankful for any advice

Cheers


Answers

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Looks like you are doing a good job in trying the options. I'm not sure you've taken all the steps needed for a battery reset though, and the symptom sounds like the MB is trying to turn power on, but seeing a failure (like a bad battery) which causes it to try again, and again...
    A full battery reset on a machine that has that reset button is to disconnect power from a fully assembled system then press and hold the reset switch (usually with a bent paperclip) for 15-30 seconds. Release the button and wait 15-30 minutes. This allows more than enough time for any residual electricity to bleed off. Plug the power in and wait for the system to show a full charge, likely that will take some time since the battery is starting with the assumption it's down all the way, due to the reset. Once it is showing a full charge, turn the laptop on and see if it's working now. If it's working, check to see if the battery is calibrated well by running it on battery to see how long it will last. If it's a reasonable amount of time you can assume the battery is good. Id it shuts off too early then do the full charge/discharge cycle several times, running it on battery until it shuts off due to low power, then charging it while it's off to a full charge, then repeating. After a few of those cycles it should be all copacetic... :)
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • GertDasPferd
    GertDasPferd Member Posts: 3 New User
    Hey billsey, thanks for your reply!

    billsey said:
    A full battery reset on a machine that has that reset button is to disconnect power from a fully assembled system then press and hold the reset switch (usually with a bent paperclip) for 15-30 seconds.
    Just for clarification, when you say disconnect power from a fully assembled system, you mean have the battery still inside? Anyway I'm going to try it both ways and see if it yields any results.


  • GertDasPferd
    GertDasPferd Member Posts: 3 New User
    Small update from my side:

    The idea suggested by billsey unfortunately didn't yield any immediate results. I tried it with and without battery inserted and it did not have any effect. Today I was randomly able to boot up my laptop and am now going to check my battery health via software.

    Still I am pretty confident that the problem is not gone now and that the problem will occur again as it already did twice now.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Yeah, the battery needs to be installed to do a battery reset. :)
    Let us know when it reappears.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.