Acer Aspire 4720G User manual

Aspire 4720G/4720Z/4720/4320 Series
Service Guide
PRINTED IN TAIWAN
Service guide files and updates are available
on the ACER/CSD web; for more information,
please refer to http://csd.acer.com.tw

II
Revision History
Please refer to the table below for the updates made on Aspire 4720G/4720Z/4720/4320 service guide.
Date Chapter Updates

III
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 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.
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 and Pentium II/III are trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

IV
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
SCREEN MESSAGES Denotes actual messages that appear
on screen.
NOTE Gives bits and pieces of additional
information related to the current
topic.
WARNING Alerts you to any 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.

V
Preface
Before using this information and the product it supports, please read the following general information.
1. 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.
2. 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.

VI

Chapter 1 1
Features
Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many features:
Operating system
TGenuine Windows®VistaTM Home Premium
TGenuine Windows®VistaTM Home Basic
TGenuine Windows®VistaTM Starter
NOTE: Windows®VistaTM Capable PCs come with Windows®XP installed, and can be upgraded to
Windows®VistaTM. For more information on Windows®VistaTM and how to upgrade, go to:
Microsoft.com/windowsvista.
Platform and memory
TIntel®Centrino®Duo mobile processor technology, featuring:
tIntel®Core™ 2 Due mobile processor T7300/T7500/T7700 (4 MB L2 cache, 2/2.2/2.4 GHz, 800
MHz FSB),
tIntel®Core™ 2 Due mobile processor T7100 (2 MB L2 cache, 1.8 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
tIntel®Core™ 2 Due mobile processor T5250/T5450 (2 MB L2 cache, 1.5/1.66 GHz, 667 MHz
FSB)
tIntel®965PM/965GM Express chipset
TIntel®PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED®solution, supporting Acer SignalUpTM wireless technology or Intel®PRO/Wireless
3945BG network connection (dual-band 802.11b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED®solution, supporting Acer
SignalUpTM wireless technology
TCore logic: Intel®965PM/965GM + ICH8M (north bridge + south bridge).
TUp to 2GB of DDR2 677 MHz memory, upgradeable to 4GB using two soDIMM modules (dual-
channel support)
Display and graphics
T14.1” WXGA TFT LCD, up to and including 1280 x 800 pixel resolution
T200-nit brightness, 16 ms response time
TSimultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer VistaTM support
TDual independent display
T16.7 million colors
TMobile Intel®GM965 Express chipset with integrated 3D graphics, featuring Intel®Graphic Media
Accelerator (GMA) X3100 with up to 358 MB of Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0 (8MB
of dedicated GDDR2 VRAM, up to 350 MB of shared system memory), supporting Microsoft
DirectX®9 and DirectX®10 (for selected models) or
TNVIDIA GeForce®8400M SE with up to 1024 MB of TurboCache™ (128/256 MB of dedicated
GDDR2 VRAM, 896/ 768 MB of share system memory), supporting NVIDIA®PureVideo™
technology (WMV HD, High Definition MPEG-2 hardware acceleration), Microsoft®DirectX®9,
DirectX®10, OpenEXR High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, and PCI Express®(for selected
models)
System Specifications
Chapter 1

2Chapter 1
TMPEG-2/DVD hardware-assisted capability (acceleration/full decode) (for selected models)
TWMV9 (VC-1) and H.264 (AVC) support (acceleration/full decode) (for selected models)
TS-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) support
TAcer ArcadeTM featuring Acer CinemaVisionTM and Acer ClearVision™ technologies
Audio
TDolby®certified surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakers
TDolby®Home Theater audio enhancement featuring Dolby®Digital, Dolby®Digital Live, Dolby®
PRO LOGIC II, Dolby®Digital Stereo Creator, Dolby®Headphone and Dolby®Virtual Speaker
technologies
TIntel®High Definition audio support
TS/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers
TMS Sound compatible
TBuilt-in microphone
Storage subsystem
TOne 80/120/160/240/250 GB or larger Serial ATA hard disk drives
TOptical drive options: DVD/CDRW Combo and DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive support
T5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick®(MS),
Memory Stick PROTM (MS PRO), and xD-Picture CardTM (xD)
Input devices
T88-/89-/93-key keyboard, with inverted "T" cursor layout; 2.5 mm (minimum) key travel
TSeamless touchpad pointing device with 4-way scroll button
T12 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows®keys, hotkey controls, embedded numeric
keypad, international language support, independent US and Euro dollar sign keys
TEmpowering Key
TEasy-launch buttons: WLAN, Internet, email, Bluetooth, Acer Arcade™
Communication
TAcer Video Conference, featuring:
tIntegrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam, supporting Acer
tPrimaLite™ technology
tOptional Acer Xpress VoIP phone
TWLAN: Intel®PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED®solution, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology (for selected models) or
Intel®PRO/Wireless 3945BG network connection (dual-mode 802.11b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED®
solution, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology (for selected models)
TWPAN: Bluetooth®2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
TLAN: Gigabit Ethernet supporting ASF (Alert Standard Format) 2.0; Wake-on-LAN ready
TModem: 56K V.92 modem with PTT approval; Wake-on-Ring ready
I/O Ports
TExpress Card slot
T5-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
TFour USB 2.0 ports
TIEEE 1394 port

Chapter 1 3
TConsumer infrared (CIR) port
TExternal display (VGA) port
TS-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) port
THeadphones/speaker/line-out port with S/PDIF support
TMicrophone-in jack
TLine-in jack
TEthernet (RJ-45) port
TModem (RJ-11) port
TDC-in jack for AC adapter
Environment
TTemperature:
tOperating: 5ºC to 35ºC
tNon-operating: -20ºC to 65ºC
THumidity (non-condensing):
tOperating: 20%~80%
tNon-operating: 20%~80%

4Chapter 1
System Block Diagram
NESTOS SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM
Azalia
PCI Bus interface
PATA ODD
FSB
MDC
Y3
32.768K
Speaker
PATA
Y5
14.318MHZ
Y4
32.768KHZ
PCI-e X1
X4 DMI
interface
USB Port x 2
SATA0
KBC PC8769L
LPC
SPDIF
Merom CPU
Line in
USB 2.0
Clock Generator
SLG8SP512T
Thermal Sensor
ICH8M
Realtek
Audio Codec
ALC268
BIOS
MIC In
Crestline
New Card
GIGA LAN
BroadCom
USB4
Bluetooth
SATA HDD
Transformer RJ45
Internal
MIC
USB3,5
Intel NB
Intel SB
667/800 Mhz
CPU
CIR
K/B
Touch Pad
Winbond
AMP
479 Pin uFCPGA
965GM/965PM
1299 Pin FBGA
NB82801HBM
676 Pin BGA
MiniCard
533/667 Mhz
Dual Channel DDR2
DDRII
SODIMM0
SODIMM1
PCIE2 PCIE1
BCM5787M
68 Pin QFN
PCIE3
U26
U21
14.1" WXGA
LVDS
TFT LCD Panel
TV-OUT
VGA
TV-OUT
PCI-Express X16 Lan
CRT
MXM
Type II
U5
U22
CN19 - H5.2
CN18 - H9.2
CN20 STD H9.9
U6
U17
RTC
CN23
Card reader
Ricoh
R5C832/R5C833
1394 +Cardreader
Controller
IEEE 1394
128 Pin TQFP
MMC SD
MS MS DUO
CN8CN14 U24
POWER IC
Y1
25MHz
CN21,23
CN6
USB Port x 2
CN12 USB0,1
CCD
USB2
U28
CN26
CN27
U2
U20 CN16
FAN
CN15
CN4
CN13
CN28,29,30
G1411
U19
CN1
CN7
Audio
conn
CN9
AMP
U18
G1412
CN5
CN31 CN3
U14
RJ11
CN17

Chapter 1 5
Board Layout
Top View
1 CN1 LVDS Connector 8 U17 Audio Codec (ALC 268)
2 CN2 Switch Board Connector 9 CN9 Audio Board Connector
3 U2 BCM5787 10 CN7 Microphone Connector
4 U6 South Bridge (ICH8M) 11 CN5 Speaker Connector
5 U8 PCI Card Reader Controller
(RICOH R5C833)
12 CN6 Bluetooth Connector
6 CN8 Express Card Socket 13 CN3 Keyboard Connector
7 U13 Winbond Keyboard Controller
(WPC9769LDG)
14 CN4 Touchpad Connector
1
1
2
3
4
2
3
4
5
7
89
6
5
7
89
10
10
14
14
12
12
13
13
11
11
10
14
12
13
11
6

6Chapter 1
Bottom View
1 CN10 VGA Connector 13 U26 Clock Generator
2 CN11 S-Video Connector 14 CN26 Optical Disk Drive Connector
3 CN13 Ethernet Controller (BCM5787) 15 CN18 DIMM Socket
4 U20 LAN Transform 16 CN19 DIMM Socket
5 CN16 RJ45/RJ11 Jack 17 U22 North Bridge (965PM/GM)
6 CN17 Modem Cable Connector 18 CN20 MXM Connector (for selected
models only)
7 CN21 USB Connector 19 U21 CPU Socket
8 CN22 USB Connector 20 CN14 Mini Card Socket
9 CN28 5-in-1 Card Reader 21 CN12 Power Board Connector
10 CN31 Modem Card Connector 22 PJ1 Battery Connector
11 CN27 SATA HDD Connector 23 CN15 Fan Connector
12 U28 Consumer Infrared Receiver
1
1
1
2
3
4
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
6
5
7
8
9
10
10
14
14
12
12
13
13
15
15
16
16
11
11
10
14
12
13
15 16
11
6
17
17
18
18
19
19
17
18
19
21
21
21
23
23
23
22
22
22
20
20
20

Chapter 1 7
Your Acer Notebook tour
After knowing your computer features, let us show you around your new Aspire computer.
Front View
#Icon Item Description
1 Built-in camera 0.3 megapixel web camera for video
communication.
2 Status indicators Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that light up
to show the status of the computer’s
functions and components.
3 Speaker Left and right speakers deliver stereo audio
output.

8Chapter 1
Closed Front View
4 Wireless communication
button/indicator
Enables/disables the wireless function.
Indicates the status of wireless LAN
communication.
5 Keyboard For entering data into your computer.
6 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which
functions like a computer mouse.
7 4-way scroll button To scroll up, down, left, and right.
8 Click buttons (left and
right)
The left and right buttons function like the
left and right mouse buttons.
9 Microphone Internal microphone for sound recording.
10 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD),
displays computer output.
11 WWW/E-mail/User-
programmable buttons
Buttons to launch your internet browser, e-
mail reader, or a specified application.
12 Power button Turns the computer on and off.
13 Empowering button Launches the Empowering Technology
toolbar.
14 Bluetooth®
communication button/
indicator
Enables/disables the Bluetooth®function.
Indicates the status of Bluetooth
communication.
15 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your hands
when you use the computer.
#Icon Item Description
1 Power indicator Indicates the computer’s power status.
2 Battery indicator Indicates the computer’s battery status.
3 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g,
infrared printer and IR-aware computer).
4 Line-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio
CD player, stereo walkman).
5 Microphone-in jack Accepts input from external microphones.
"Easy-launch buttons" on page 18
# Icon Item Description
# Item Description

Chapter 1 9
Left View
6 Headphones/speaker/
line-out jack with S/PDIF
support
Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g.,
speakers, headphones).
7 Volume control Increases and decreases the volume.
#Icon Item Description
1 External display (VGA)
port
Connects to a display device (e.g., external
monitor, LCD projector).
2 S-video/TV-out (NTSC/
PAL) port
Connects to a television or display device
with S-video input.
3 4-pin IEEE 1394 port Connects to IEEE 1394 devices.
4 Ethernet (RJ-45) Connects to an Ethernet 10/100/1000-
based network (for selected models).
5 Modem (RJ-11) port Connects to a phone line.
6 2 USB 2.0 ports Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB
mouse, USB camera).
7 Express Card slot Accepts one Express Card, 54mm or
34mm types.
8 5-in-1 card reader Accepts Secure Digital (SD),
MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick
(MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-
Picture Card (xD).
"Easy-launch buttons" on page 18
# Icon Item Description
# Item Description
# Icon Item Description
Note:

10 Chapter 1
Right View
Rear view
#Icon Item Description
1 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or DVDs
(slot-load or tray-load depending on
model).
2 Optical disk access
indicator
Lights up when the optical drive is active.
3 Optical drive eject
button
Ejects the optical disk from the drive.
4 Emergency eject hole Ejects the optical drive tray when the
computer is turned off.
5 2 USB 2.0 ports Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB
mouse, USB camera).
6 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter.
7 Kensington lock slot Connects to a Kensington-compatible
computer security lock.
#Icon Item Description
1 Ventilation slot Enable the computer to stay cool, even
after prolonged use.

Chapter 1 11
Base view
Indicators
The computer has several easy-to-read status indicators.
The front panel indicators are visible even when the computer cover is closed up.
#Item Description
1 Battery bay Houses the computer’s battery pack.
2 Battery lock Locks the battery in position.
3 Battery release latch Releases the battery for removal.
4 Ventilation slots and
cooling fan
Enable the computer to stay cool, even after prolonged use.
Note: Do not cover or obstruct the opening of the fan.
5 Back panel Houses the computer’s hard disk and main memory.

12 Chapter 1
NOTE: 1. Charging: The light shows amber when the battery is charging. 2. Fully charged: The light shows
green when in AC mode.
Easy-Launch Buttons
To the right of the keyboard there are three easy-launch buttons: Web browser, mail, and arcade buttons. You
can also find an Empowering Key “ located above the keyboard.
Press “ “ to run the Acer Empowering Technology. The mail and Web browser buttons are pre-set to email
and Internet programs, but can be reset by users. To set the programmable buttons (Web browser button, mail
button, and Empowering key), run the Acer Launch Manager.
Icon Function Description
HDD Indicates when the hard disc or optical drive is active.
Num lock Lights when Num Lock is activated.
Cap lock Lights when Cap Lock is activated
Power Lights up when the computer is on.
Battery Lights up when the battery is being charged.
Bluetooth Indicates the status of Bluetooth communication.
Wireless LAN Indicates the status of wireless LAN communication.
Icon Function Description

Chapter 1 13
Touchpad Basics
The following teaches you how to use the touchpad:
TMove your finger across the touchpad (2) to move the cursor.
TPress the left (1) and right (4) buttons located beneath the touchpad to perform selection and
execution functions. These two buttons are similar to the left and right buttons on a mouse.
Tapping on the touchpad is the same as clicking the left button.
TUse the 4-way scroll (3) buton to mimic your cursor pressing on the right scroll bar of Windows
applications.
NOTE: When using the touchpad, keep it - and your fingers - dry and clean. The touchpad is sensitive to finger
movements; hence, the lighter the touch, the better the response. Tapping too hard will not increase the
touchpad’s responsiveness.
Launch key Default application
Acer Empowering Technology (user-programmable)
Web browser Internet browser (user-programmable)
Mail Email application (user-programmable)
Arcade Acer Arcade utility
Function Left Button (1) Main Touchpad (2) 4-Way Scroll
Button (3) Right Button (4)
Execute Click twice quickly Tap twice (at the
same speed as
double-clicking the
mouse button)
Select Click once Tap once
Drag Click and hold, then
use finger on the
touchpad to drag
the cursor.
Tap twice (at the
same speed as
double-clicking a
mouse button); rest
your finger on the
touchpad on the
second tap and
drag the cursor.
Access context
menu
Click once
Scroll Click and hold to
move up/down/left/
right.

14 Chapter 1
Using the Keyboard
The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded keypad, separate cursor keys, one Windows key and
twelve function keys.
Lock Keys and embedded numeric keypad
The keyboard has three lock keys which you can toggle on and off.
The embedded numeric keypad functions like a desktop numeric keypad. It is indicated by small characters
located on the upper right corner of the keycaps. To simplify the keyboard legend, cursor-control key symbols
are not printed on the keys.
Lock Key Description
Caps Lock When Caps Lock is on, all alphabetic characters typed
are in uppercase.
Num Lock
<Fn>+<F11>
When Num Lock is on, the embedded keypad is in
numeric mode. The keys function as a calculator
(complete with the arithmetic operators +, -, *, and /).
Use this mode when you need to do a lot of numeric
data entry. A better solution would be to connect an
external keypad.
Scroll Lock
<Fn>+<F12>
When Scroll Lock is on, the screen moves one line up
or down when you press the up or down arrow keys
respectively. Scroll Lock does not work with some
applications.
Desired Access Num Lock On Num Lock Off
Number keys on embedded
keypad
Type numbers in a normal
manner.
Cursor-control keys on
embedded keypad
Hold <Shift> while using
cursor-control keys.
Hold <Fn> while using
cursor-control keys.
Main keyboard keys Hold <Fn> while typing
letters on embedded
keypad.
Type the letters in a normal
manner.