Acer ASPIRE M3910(G) User manual

Acer
Aspire M3910(G)
Service Guide
PRINTED IN TAIWAN

ii
Revision History
Please refer to the table below for the updates made on this service guide.
Date Chapter Updates

iii
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by Acer Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.

iv
Disclaimer
The information in this guide is subject to change without notice.
Acer Incorporated makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the
contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular
purpose. Any Acer Incorporated software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the
programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not Acer Incorporated, its distributor, or its
dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential
damages resulting from any defect in the software.
Acer is a registered trademark of Acer Corporation.
Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Pentium Dual-Core, Celeron Dual-Core, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Celeron, and combinations thereof, are
trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

v
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
SCREEN
MESSAGES Denotes actual messages that appear on screen.
NOTE Gives additional information related to the current topic.
WARNING Alerts you to any physical risk or system damage that might result from doing
or not doing specific actions.
CAUTION Gives precautionary measures to avoid possible hardware or software
problems.
IMPORTANT Reminds you to do specific actions relevant to the accomplishment of
procedures.

vi
Service Guide Coverage
This Service Guide provides you with all technical information relating to the BASIC CONFIGURATION
decided for Acer's "global" product offering. To better fit local market requirements and enhance product
competitiveness, your regional office MAY have decided to extend the functionality of a machine (e.g. add-on
card, modem, or extra memory capability). These LOCALIZED FEATURES will NOT be covered in this generic
service guide. In such cases, please contact your regional offices or the responsible personnel/channel to
provide you with further technical details.
FRU Information
Please note WHEN ORDERING FRU PARTS, that you should check the most up-to-date information available
on your regional web or channel. If, for whatever reason, a part number change is made, it will not be noted in
the printed Service Guide. For ACER-AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS, your Acer office may have a
DIFFERENT part number code to those given in the FRU list of this printed Service Guide. You MUST use the
list provided by your regional Acer office to order FRU parts for repair and service of customer machines.

vii
System Tour 1
Features 1
Block Diagram 4
System Components 5
Front Panel 5
Rear Panel 6
Hardware Specifications and Configurations 7
Power Management Function(ACPI support function) 10
System Utilities 11
CMOS Setup Utility 11
Entering CMOS setup 12
Navigating Through the Setup Utility 12
Setup Utility Menus 13
System Disassembly 26
Disassembly Requirements 26
Pre-disassembly Procedure 27
Removing the Side Panel 28
Removing the Heat Sink Fan Assembly 29
Removing the Processor 30
Removing the VGA Card 31
Removing the TV Card 32
Removing the Mode Card 32
Removing the Hard Disk Drive 33
Removing the Front Bezel 35
Removing the Optical Drive 36
Removing the Rear USB Board 37
Removing the Cables 38
Removing the System FAN 39
Removing the Power Supply 40
Removing the Memory Modules 41
Removing the removable HDD bay 42
Removing the Mainboard 43
System Troubleshooting 45
Hardware Diagnostic Procedure 45
System Check Procedures 46
Power System Check 46
System External Inspection 46
System Internal Inspection 46
Beep Codes 47
Checkpoints 48
BIOS Recovery 51
Jumper and Connector Information 52
M/B Placement 52
Setting Jumper 54
Table of Contents

viii
FRU (Field Replaceable Unit) List 60
Aspire M3910(G) Exploded Diagram(AM350-ASSY) 61
Aspire M3910(G) Exploded Diagram(AM351-ASSY) 62
Aspire M3910(G) FRU List 63

Chapter 1 1
Features
Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many feature:
NOTE: The features listed in this section is for your reference only. The exact configuration of the system
depends on the model purchased.
Operating System
•Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bits
•Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bits
•Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bits
•Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic 32-bits
•Linpus X-window mode
•FreeDos
Processor
•Socket Type: Intel Socket T LGA 1156 pin
•Socket Quantity: 1
•Processor Type:
•Intel Lynnfield / Clarkdale
•FMB
•95W + 65W FMB
Chipset
•PCH: Intel H57
•Design Criteria:
•Must meet Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale platform design guides
•Super I/O: ITE8720
•Should support Intel ASFC
•Should support Intel PECI
PCB
•uATX / 244*244mm / 4 Layers
Memory subsystem
•Socket Type: DDR III connector
•Socket Quantity: 4
•Channel A: slot 0, 1; Channel B: slot 2, 3
•Different colors for slot 0/2 and slot 1/3
•Dual channel support
•Capacity support:
•Support DDR3 1.5V 1066/1333 (1GB / 2GB / 4GB)
System Tour
Chapter 1

2Chapter 1
•1GB to 16GB Max memory support
•Design Criteria:
•Must meet Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale Chipset platform design guide
Hard disk
•Support up to two SATA ports
•3.5", 25.4mm
•Capacity and models are listed on AVLC
Optical disk
•Support two SATA 5.25" standard ODD
•Support DVD-ROM, DVD-SuperMulti, BD-combo, BD-rewrite
•Maximum ODD depth to 185mm with bezel
•Models are listed on AVLC
Graphics card
•No mechanical retriction to support for double slot, full length graphics cards in the single PSIe X16 slot
On-Board Graphic solution
•Intel HD Graphics (Clarkdale series CPU)
•DVMT 5.0 technology support
•Enhanced 3D and Clear Video technology support
•1 D-sub VGA port on rear
•1 HDMI port on rear
•Dual View function support
Serial ATA controller
•Slot Type: SATA connector
•Six SATA ports:
•4 for HDD
•2 for ODD
•Storage Type support:
1.HDD : Support RAID 0/1/5/10
2.CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM/DVD-RW/DVD+RW/DVD Dual/DVD SuperMultiPlus/Blu-Ray ODD
3.AHCI mode supported for internal SATA port
Audio
•Chip : Realtek ALC662VC-0
•Connectors support:
•Rear 3 jack follow HD audio definition
•1 front panel audio header (2*5)
LAN
•MAC Controller: H57
•PHY: REALTEK RTL8111E Giga LAN(ASF suport)

Chapter 1 3
USB ports
•Ports Quantity: 12
•6 back panel ports
•On-board: 2 2*5 headers
•4 ports for front daughter board
•Connector Pin: standard Intel FPIO pin definition
•Data transfer rate support: USB 2.0/1.1
Extension slot
•Support one PCIe x 16 slot
•Support two PCIe x 1 slots
•Support one PCI slot
Total I/O ports
•1 PS/2 Keyboard port,
•1 PS/2 Mouse port
•1 D-Sub VGA port
•1 HDMI port
•1 RJ45 LAN port
•6 USB ports
•3 ports Audio jack
•One HD headphone output in front bezel
•One MIC-IN in front bezel
•4 * USB H5X2 Header (support 8 ports)
•1 * Front Audio Pannel H5X2 header
•1 * Front Panel IO H7X2 Header for Acer pin define
•1 * H1X4 CPU with SAMRT FAN controller
•1 * H1X3 System with SAMRT FAN controller
•1 * H1X4 SPDIFOUT Header for Acer pin define
•1 * H3X1 Clear CMOS Header (with jumper)
•1 * onboard Buzzer
•2 * H1X2 GPIO header
System BIOS
•16MBits / 2M Bytes
•AMI Kernel with Acer skin
Power supply
•FR 300W/nPFC 300W/PFC 250W/nPFC 250W

4Chapter 1
Block Diagram

Chapter 1 5
System Components
This section is a virtual tour of the system’s interior and exterior components.
Front Panel
No. Component
1 USB 2.0 ports
2Acerlogo
3 Optical drive button
4 Optical drive button (Removable HDD bay for AM351 bezel)
5 16 in 1 Card Reader
6 Power button
7 Headphone/Speaker-out/line-out jack
8 Microphone-in jack
4
71
3
5
8
6
2

6Chapter 1
Rear Panel
No. Component
1 Power connector
2 PS2 keyboard port
3 HDMI port
4VGAport
5 USB 2.0 ports
6Mic-in
7 Line-out
8 Expansion slot (graphics card and TV tuner card and Mode card)
9 Line-in
10 USB 2.0 ports
11 LAN connector
12 System FAN
13 PS2 mouse port
14 Fan aperture
4
7
1
11
12
3
14
13
510
8
69
2

Chapter 1 7
Hardware Specifications and Configurations
Processor
BIOS
IOS Hotkey List
Main Board Major Chips
Item Specification
Processor Type CPUs which complaint with Intel FSB 800/1066/1333 MHz CPUs
Socket Type Intel Socket T LGA 1156 pin
Minimum operating speed 0 MHz (If Stop CPU Clock in Sleep State in BIOS Setup is set to Enabled.)
Item Specification
BIOS code programer AMI Kernel with Acer skin
BIOS version P01-A0
BIOS ROM type SPI ROM
BIOS ROM size 2Mb
Support protocol SMBIOS(DMI)2.4/DMI2.0
Device Boot Support Support BBS spec
1st priority: HDD
2nd priority: CD-ROM
3th priority: Removable Device
4th priority: LAN
Support to LS-120 drive YES
Support to BIOS boot block feature YES
Hotkey Function Description
Del Enter BIOS Setup Utility Press while the system is booting to enter BIOS Setup Utility.
Item Specification
Chipset PCH: Intel H57
Audio controller Realtek ALC662VC-0
LAN controller REALTEK RTL8111E Giga LAN(ASF suport)
HDD controller PCH: Intel H57

8Chapter 1
Memory Combinations
System Memory
Audio Interface
Slot Memory Total Memory
Slot 1 1GB,2GB,4G 1G ~4GB
Slot 2 1GB,2GB,4G 1G ~4GB
Slot 3 1GB,2GB,4G 1G ~4GB
Slot 4 1GB,2GB,4G 1G ~4GB
Maximum System Memory Supported 1G~16GB
Item Specification
Memory slot number 4 slot
Support Memory size per socket 1GB/2GB/4GB
Support memory type DDRIII
Support memory interface DDRIII 1066/1333
Support memory voltage 1.5V
Support memory module package 240-pin DDRIII
Support to parity check feature Yes
Support to error correction code (ECC) feature No
Memory module combinations You can install memory modules in any combination as long as
they match the above specifications.
Item Specification
Audio controller PCH: Intel H57
Audio controller type Realtek ALC662VC-0
Audio channel codec 5.1
Audio function control No
Mono or stereo Stereo
Compatibility The ALC662VC series support host audio controller from the Intel ICH series
chipset, and also from any other HDA compatible audio controller. With EAX/
Direct Sound 3D/I3DL2/A3D compatibility, and excellent software utilities like
environment sound emulation, multiple bands of software equalizer and
dynamic range control, optional Dolby, Digital Live, DTS CONNECT, and Dolby
Home Theater programs, provides an excellent home entertainment package
and game experience for PC users.
Music synthesizer No
Sampling rate 192KHz (max)
MPU-401 UART support No
Microphone/Headphone jack Supported

Chapter 1 9
SATA Interface
USB Port
Environmental Requirements
Power Management
•Devices wake up from S3 should be less than.
•Devices wake up from S5 should be less than 10 seconds.
Item Specification
SATA controller PCH: Intel H57
SATA controller resident bus PCI bus
Number of SATA channel SATA X 6
Support bootable CD-ROM YES
Item Specification
Universal HCI USB 2.0/1.1
USB Class Support legacy keyboard for legacy mode
USB Connectors Quantity 6 back real ports
4 top bezel ports
2 H5X2 Hedaer
Item Specification
Temperature
Operating +5°C ~ +35°C
Non-operating -20 ~ +60°C (Storage package)
Humidity
Operating 15% to 80% RH
Non-operating 10% to 90% RH
Vibration
Operating (unpacked) 5 ~ 500 Hz: 2.20g RMS random, 10 minutes per axis in all 3 axes.
5 ~500 Hz: 1.09g RMS random, 1 hour per axis in all 3 axes.
Devices S1 S3 S4 S5
PowerButtonVVVV
USB Keyboard/Mouse V V N/A N/A
PME Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled
RCT Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled
WOR Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled

10 Chapter 1
Power Management Function(ACPI support function)
Device Standby Mode
•Independent power management timer for hard disk drive devices(0-15 minutes,time step=1minute).
•Hard Disk drive goes into Standby mode(for ATA standard interface).
•Disable V-sync to control the VESA DPMS monitor.
•Resume method:device activated (keyboard for DOS, keyboard &mouse for Windows.
•Resume recovery time 3-5sec
Global Standby Mode
•Global power management timer(2-120minutes,time step=10minute).
•Hard disk drive goes into Standby mode(for ATA standard interface).
•Disable H-sync and V-sync signals to control the VESA DPMS monitor.
•Resume method: Resume to original state by pushing external switch Button,modem ring in,keyboard
an mouse for APM mode.
•Resume recovery time :7-10sec
Suspend Mode
•Independent power management timer(2-120minutes,time step=10minute)or pushing extern switch
button.
•CPU goes into SMM
•CPU asserts STPCLK# and goes into the Stop Grant State.
•LED on panel turns amber colour.
•Hard disk drive goes into SLEEP mode (for ATA standard interface).
•Disable H-sync and V-sync signals to control the VESA DPMS monitor.
•Ultra I/O and VGA chip go into power saving mode.
•Resume method: Resume to original state by pushing external switch Button,modem ring in,keyboard
an mouse for APM mode
•Return to original state by pushing external switch button,modem ring in and USB keyboard for ACPI
mode.
ACPI
•ACPI specification 1.0b
•S0,S1,S2 and S5 sleep state support.
•On board device power management support.
•On board device configuration support.

Chapter 2 11
CMOS Setup Utility
CMOS setup is a hardware configuration program built into the system ROM, called the complementary metal-
oxide semiconductor (CMOS) Setup Utility. Since most systems are already properly configured and
optimized, there is no need to run this utility. You will need to run this utility under the following conditions.
•When changing the system configuration settings
•When redefining the communication ports to prevent any conflicts
•When modifying the power management configuration
•When changing the password or making other changes to the security setup
•When a configuration error is detected by the system and you are prompted ("Run Setup"
message) to make changes to the CMOS setup
NOTE: If you repeatedly receive Run Setup messages, the battery may be bad. In this case, the system
cannot retain configuration values in CMOS. Ask a qualified technician for assistance.
CMOS setup loads the configuration values in a battery-backed nonvolatile memory called CMOS RAM. This
memory area is not part of the system RAM which allows configuration data to be retained when power is
turned off.
Before you run the CMOS Setup Utility, make sure that you have saved all open files. The system reboots
immediately after you close the Setup.
NOTE: CMOS Setup Utility will be simply referred to as “BIOS”, "Setup", or "Setup utility" in this guide.
The screenshots used in this guide display default system values. These values may not be the same
those found in your system.
System Utilities
Chapter 2

12 Chapter 2
Entering CMOS setup
1. Turn on the server and the monitor.
If the server is already turned on, close all open applications, then restart the server.
2. During POST, press Delete.
If you fail to press Delete before POST is completed, you will need to restart the server.
The Setup Main menu will be displayed showing the Setup’s menu bar. Use the left and right arrow keys
to move between selections on the menu bar.
Navigating Through the Setup Utility
Use the following keys to move around the Setup utility.
•Left and Right arrow keys – Move between selections on the menu bar.
•Up and Down arrow keys – Move the cursor to the field you want.
•PgUp and PgDn keys – Move the cursor to the previous and next page of a multiple page menu.
•Home – Move the cursor to the first page of a multiple page menu.
•End – Move the cursor to the last page of a multiple page menu.
•+and -keys – Select a value for the currently selected field (only if it is user-configurable). Press
these keys repeatedly to display each possible entry, or the Enter key to choose from a pop-up
menu.
NOTE: Grayed-out fields are not user-configurable.
•Enter key – Display a submenu screen.
NOTE: Availability of submenu screen is indicated by a (>).
•Esc – If you press this key:
•On one of the primary menu screens, the Exit menu displays.
•On a submenu screen, the previous screen displays.
•When you are making selections from a pop-up menu, closes the pop-up without making a
selection.
•F1 – Display the General Help panel.
•F6 – Press to load optimized default system values.
•F7 – Press to load fail-safe default system values.
•F10 – Save changes made the Setup and close the utility.