Aspire M5-481TG turns on for a few seconds then cuts off and turn on, but now it won't work?

As mentioned in the title, I have an acer aspire that will turn on for a few seconds, then cut off again. I have had this problem for a while, but before I was able to get it to turn on after several tries, but this time it just won't work. I am unsure of the exact model of my computer, I know it's a windows 8 that had the majority of its parts replaced in 2015, and was factory reset back in January before I obtained it. I have left it overnight to charge in an area where it can get air, I've left it overnight to drain the battery, I've reset the battery, I've tried plugging the cord into different sockets, I've tried tightening the screws, basically everything I could find online. It's fully charged at the moment. It'll show the acer logo (rarely I can get it to show a loading circle before it cuts off) the keyboard will light up, and it'll cut off after a few seconds. It'll do the same thing if I open BIOS, or if I try and boot it in safe mode. The battery of my computer is built in, so it's not something I'm able to remove. Does anyone know what to do about this?

[Edited the thread to issue detail]

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JackE

Screws on the bottom cover or HDD or RAM door must be removed. It's likely a RAM module that's causing the issue. Since there are hundreds of Aspire model, it's hard to guess what model you have to be more specific. Maybe a phone photo might help if the labels are missing from the top or bottom covers.

missyprissy

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1156642#Comment_1156642

@JackE Sorry for the late response, heres a photo of the information on the back of the laptop.

Unit info.jpg

[Edited the thread to hide sensitive information]

JackE

>>>I know it's a windows 8 that had the majority of its parts replaced in 2015, and was factory reset back in January before I obtained it.>>>

OK, this apparently was one of the first Win8 M2-581TG models. It has 4GB RAM that seems to be unreplaceable & permanently soldered to the mainboard. It also has a replaceable RAM socket that seems to be piggybacked on top of the soldered RAM and that can use up to 2GB RAM module for a total of 6GB RAM maximum. Do you recall if the machine had 4GB or 6GB?

missyprissy

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1156642#Comment_1156642

@JackE Sorry for the late response, I can provide photos of the laptop soon, but for now, my best guess would be an Acer Aspire M5-481TG.

billsey

Jack is just backward there, but the end result is the same. There is 2GB soldered to the MB and you cn add either a 2GB or 4GB module to get 4GB or 6GB in total. The system came originally with W7 and you were able to upgrade to W8 when it was released. They shipped with either 2nd or 3rd gen CPUs and had an NVIDIA 640M GPU. I don't think your issue is necessarily memory, typically when the memory fails you get a long constant beep during POST. If you are getting to the spinning balls then it's past POST and into an OS load. The symptoms don't sound good though, perhaps it's time to look at something a bit newer?

JackE

>>>my best guess would be an Acer Aspire M5-481TG.>>>

OK. Looks like this model had a 2GB replaceable RAM module. + 4GB non-replaceable RAM. If the former has failed the machine is probably salvageable. However, if the non-replaceable RAM has failed or any other device soldered to the mainboard, then it's likely not repairable. It's a royal pain to get inside this particular model to test these parts. But if you want to try, here's the procedure.

First remove the DVD drive tray screw (blue) on the bottom and pull the the drive out.
Then remove 15 other screws (red-white) screws.
Then open the screen lid and pry the bottom cover off as shown below held by plastic latches inside. Start prying near the hinges along top.
Then move down the sides. Use a credit card wedge to help unhook the plastic latches. You'll probably break a few latches but nothing that color coordinated duct tape can't handle.
Carefully lift the top cover up to reveal the mainboard and a mess of ribbon cables connecting the mainboad to the top cover.
These have to be disconnected so the top and bottom can be separated for mainboard and RAM access.
Then remove the 2GB RAM module. Then essentially work backwards to reasssemble the machine with only 4GB RAM to see if it will stay on.