Are questions about computer troubles allowed here?

Clean the dust out of the fan and the cpu heat sink.

Hi Ed,

Well, this is Science Electronics Repair - so a computer covers all the bases, I'd say this was on-topic.

When the computer shuts down, does the screen go blank and the fan(s) stop spinning? Does the Caps Lock key not display the LED to say it has been or can be toggled on/off? If the caps lock still toggles then it may be a screen backlight issue, especially if the fan(s) still spin. Try playing some music when the computer is working and check if the music stops when the screen goes blank. If music still plays then pretty safe bet the screen has issues.

Otherwise, as suggested, dust may be the problem, or the switching power supply's electrolytic capacitors may have reached their end-of-life and either need new caps or a new switching supply. May not be so easy to fix the power supply on a laptop...

John :-#)#

Is it a controlled shut down, or does the power suddenly go?

As others have mentioned, it's likely airflow related.

You might want to install a 'core temp' program that tells you what temperatures the multi-cores are seeing in real time, as a diagnostic aid.

Make sure you're not blocking the air intake vents in the mounting base.

Don't blow into the fan exhaust, as this may cause junk to break off and jam in the fan blades.Strong suction may work.

The fan itself has a sleeve bearing, which may need either lubrication or replacement. Almost complete disassembly is required to do either.

Don't be intimidated by the thought of opening the thing up. Full service manuals are available for most Aspires, with full instructions and illustrations.

Use care and patience, bagging modules in antistatic as they come out and keeping screws properly identified (location and length).

RL

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I will check them out and report back what I find out.

I forgot to mention 2 things I use the notebook at home on A.C. only

For a long time the Battery LED blinks when I have it turned on.

And Yes there is a Battery installed.

Thanks All. Ed

Remove the battery, see if that helps. The battery is toast. Ed

You might try some discharge/recharge cycles, to see if the battery is functional.

Replacements are available.

RL

Anything in the event logs?

This is a response to the post seen at:

I had a laptop that was overheating, not Acer, and it was cheap enough to buy a replacement fan (and heat sink iirc), but I damaged 3 screws inside trying to remove them. I cut around the plastic sheet to get past one but couldn't do the others and ended up scrapping the laptop, which at least was old anyhow.

Be Sure to lean into those screws on the first try, with a quality screwdriver, held colinear with the screw, so you don't ruin the heads.

Real simple check: is there a fan on the video card, and is the fan running?

It's an Acer laptop.

RL

And the original poster has not commented/replied since...

John :-#(#

Didn't think of that. THANKS! Ed

Yesterday I ran Event Viewer and all I saw listed was some items dated yesterday. I haven't looked at Event Viewer in ages, thanks for the suggestion. I will read the Help page(s) to see if I can see what happened ages ago when the thing shut down on its own , if old logs were kept. Ed

Yesterday I ran Event Viewer and all I saw listed was some items dated yesterday. I haven't looked at Event Viewer in ages, thanks for the suggestion. I will read the Help page(s) to see if I can see what happened ages ago when the thing shut down on its own , if old logs were kept. Ed

This may or may not be the case in your situation, but sometimes shut downs, are related to thermal events - meaning the system became too hot and shut itself down as a protection mechanism. Some manufacturers build this into their systems. Sometimes you can see this in the event logs. Always good to be sure that all the inlet and outlet places are clean so airflow is as good as it can be. Also check for weak or dead fans as they definitely can lead to thermal events.

This is a response to the post seen at:

Appreciate the help. Ed