How can I fix my Acer predator Helios 300 loading symbol pops up and gets freeze

Badgett

I have the Acer Predator Helios 300. Intel i7 11th gen. I AM NOT able to boot into windows at all. I turn it on, the logo pops up, and soon as the loading symbol pops up it freezes. I try this 3 more times, is says “Preparing for automatic repair” and still freezes. I got it over a year ago and I only had for like 2 months and it started doing this. I cannot use my warrant as it’s been a year. Please help. This computer was like $1500 on top of the $400 I put into it. I have even tried using different m.2 ssd’s

Please note BIOS works just fine. I have tried booting off a USB with a clean drive of windows and 3 different m.2 ssd

Some more info on it. It’s a PT315-53

Bios works just fine. It’s the only time the computer doesn’t freeze. I have even tried boot manger, ect. I have been reading support pages and trying for over a year. So now it’s time I make a post. Please help. And can I send it somewhere to get it fixed?

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/677476/how-can-i-fix-my-acer-predator-helios-300

What I suggest is for you to turn this laptop off by pressing the power key until the laptop turns off, then do a Hard Reset of your laptop, by taking the main and bios batteries out and the ram and clean the ram slot(s), after all that short the + and - bios battery pins with fine point tweezers or a paper clip at the motherboard and leave everything disconnected for 15min and reconnect and reboot your laptop. As that should reboot your laptop perfectly into the OS system.

Once you are in the OS and if you are not operating this laptop on Win-11 version 22H2 OS build 22621.963 then do so and do a "Clean Install" of this latest OS that works perfectly on this laptop and this laptop is designed for Win-11. Download the Win-11 .ISO installation files from here and install Win-11 within your OS with the .ISO file.

Before doing a clean install of Win-11 and completely formatting the boot drive, make sure that you have downloaded the IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Driver Version: 18.6.1.1016.2 driver onto a separate USB as you will need this driver to continue the Win-11 install after you have formatted the boot drive. After the finish of the installation of Win-11 make sure that all windows Updates are up to date and install the latest NVidia last driver and also install the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant and make sure that all the drivers are up to date, as all this will make your laptop perform to its peak and best performance without having any of the issues that you are having of a faulty boot and driver errors which cause the problems that you are having, also make sure that you are running the last bios update version 1..14 "1. Change bios capsule update priority to fix seamless recovery fail" dated: 2022/11/10. Good luck and hope this helps you out.

AnhEZ28

@Badgett try to test the RAM by disconnecting a single stick and then turn on. If that doesn't work, install that stick back in and disconnect the other one.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/677476/how-can-i-fix-my-acer-predator-helios-300

What I suggest is for you to turn this laptop off by pressing the power key until the laptop turns off, then do a Hard Reset of your laptop, by taking the main and bios batteries out and the ram and clean the ram slot(s), after all that short the + and - bios battery pins with fine point tweezers or a paper clip at the motherboard and leave everything disconnected for 15min and reconnect and reboot your laptop. As that should reboot your laptop perfectly into the OS system.

Once you are in the OS and if you are not operating this laptop on Win-11 version 22H2 OS build 22621.963 then do so and do a "Clean Install" of this latest OS that works perfectly on this laptop and this laptop is designed for Win-11. Download the Win-11 .ISO installation files from here and install Win-11 within your OS with the .ISO file.

Before doing a clean install of Win-11 and completely formatting the boot drive, make sure that you have downloaded the IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Driver Version: 18.6.1.1016.2 driver onto a separate USB as you will need this driver to continue the Win-11 install after you have formatted the boot drive. After the finish of the installation of Win-11 make sure that all windows Updates are up to date and install the latest NVidia last driver and also install the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant and make sure that all the drivers are up to date, as all this will make your laptop perform to its peak and best performance without having any of the issues that you are having of a faulty boot and driver errors which cause the problems that you are having, also make sure that you are running the last bios update version 1..14 "1. Change bios capsule update priority to fix seamless recovery fail" dated: 2022/11/10. Good luck and hope this helps you out.

Badgett

Thank you so much. I couldn’t find this anywhere. I took out my m.2, the batter, the bios battery and shorted the - and + on the bios connecter. I don’t have a spare computer so if this works, I’ll install it after the computer boots up. I’m going to see how it works. And for the bios update, how do I do that? I have been trying to update my bios ever since I got the computer.

Badgett

Update: I did everything and put it back together and it doesn’t even boot up now. I hit the power button, the keyboard lights up, the fans start spinning, and shuts back off…. 😭

Badgett

Update to the update: it boots up the same way it did before. Screen comes back on but still freezes on boot like it does in the pictures above.

Badgett

Do you mean disconnect every little thing? Or just ram, battery, and bios battery

AnhEZ28

@Badgett try to press F9 in the BIOS to reset the BIOS setting.

Badgett

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1172420#Comment_1172420

Still nothing. But I have noticed after I reset the bios by unplugging everything for 15 minutes, it turns on and restarts 3 times with a black screen. Then turns on normally, tries to boot, and right before it freezes I see a blue screen flash, then it restarts or freezes again.

AnhEZ28

@Badgett do you have the picture of the Blue Screen of Death? Or at least the stop code which is next to a QR code?

Badgett

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1172436#Comment_1172436

No blue screen of death. Just what is shown above in my pictures. But ever since I did what Steven told me to do, I do notice a blue screen flash like it’s trying to boot into windows for a fraction of a second then it restarts.

AnhEZ28

@Badgett try to test the RAM by disconnecting a single stick and then turn on. If that doesn't work, install that stick back in and disconnect the other one.

Badgett

Oh my god. It doesn’t freeze anymore. Now I get the blue screen of death. We are getting somewhere!!!!!

First picture is with the the #2 ram in the #2 slot with the #1 ram out and #1 ram slot empty. Second is vice versa. #1 ram in slot 1 and #2 out. I can also now access the menu with ALT + F10

What should I do now?

Badgett

It’s say inaccessible boot device. I have my m.2 in in the #2 drive since the #1 slot has a broken screw thingy. So it won’t stay in. Do you think I should get a usb with windows and try to set it up?

Badgett

I think it’s fixed! I’ll give more updates

AnhEZ28

@Badgett good to hear that it is making progress.

Badgett

I have tried 2 different m.2 drives in both m.2 drive slots. Still nothing. Am I doing something wrong

Badgett

Or could it be the USB I am using? Not fortmatted correctly? Man this stuff is hard.

Badgett

update: it works. thanks to @StevenGen files, and @AnhEZ28 telling me about the ram. You guys brought this beast back to life after 1 year and a half. <3

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1172537#Comment_1172537

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1172537#Comment_1172537

Badgett with the Predator PT315-53 and a bios update (make 100% sure that this is the exact model number of your laptop) which and by the EZ Mode bios screen that you have shown above, it must be the PT315-53, and your laptop is on bios version 1.02, this bios is this laptops initial and 1st released bios from Acer , so its old and needs updating, as there are 7 bios version updates to improve this laptops performance and problematic issues also. So, update your PT315-53 to the latest bios version 1.14 dated 2022/11/10 titled “1. Change bios capsule update priority to fix seamless recovery fail” as this will make your laptop function allot better and will stop allot of the errors that you are having.

To do a proper bios update, first run your laptop (now that its working perfectly) for a week and make sure that it doesn’t crash or get any blue screen, freezes or BSODs due to software crashes, as and if you do a bios update and this happens mid-way, you will corrupt the bios chip and brick your laptop and you will need a technician to reprogram/reflash the bios chip for your laptop to work again, so be very careful and cautious.

To do a successful bios flash update you need to do the following:

• Make sure that the laptop is plugged into a reliable power source
• Turn off all anti-virus, malware and all running background software
• Make sure the laptop is never susceptible to any BSODs and/or an OS crashes

After you made sure of all the above and all is 100%, download the Predator PT315-53 bios version 1.14 then go into the “Downloads” section of your OS and open folder titled “BIOS_Acer_1.14_A_A” open the folder and click on BIOS_1.14_Formal executable file as that will start the bios flash process and you will get a screen like below, then follow the steps in this software until it flashes to the new bios version and reboots your laptop, as then the bios flash is done and your laptop will have the version 1.14 bios. If you follow all the guides above you shouldn't have any problems, good luck and hope this helps you out.

This is the Insyde flash software screen that you will get with Current 1.02 and New 1.14 that it will update it to