Acer Aspire 7720 User manual

Asprire Poyang 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 Poyang 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 Capable
TGenuine Windows®VistaTM Home Basic / Home Premium / Ultimate / Business Edition
TGenuine Windows®XP Home / Professional Edition (Service Pack 2)
TGenuine Windows®XP Media Center / Tablet Edition
TGenuine Windows®2000 (Service Pack 4)
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®Merom mobile technology, featuring:
tIntel®CoreTM2 Duo processor T7300/T7500/T7700 (4MB, L2 cache 2.0/2.2/2.4, 800 MHz FSB) or higher
tIntel®CoreTM2 Duo processor T5450/T7100 (2MB, L2 cache 1.66/1.8, 667/800 MHz FSB) or higher
tIntel®965PM/965GM Express chipset
TIntegrated Intel®PRO/Wireless 4965ABGN network connection (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g/
n) Wi-Fi CERTIFIEDTM solution, supporting Acer SignalUpTM wireless technology
TCore logic: Intel®965PM/965GM+ICH8M (north bridge+ south bridge)
TUp to 2GB of DDR2 533/677 MHz memory, upgradeable to 4GB using two soDIMM modules
(dual-channel support)
Display and graphics
T17” WXGA+ high-brightness Acer CrystalBriteTM TFT LCD, 1680 x 1050 pixel resolution, 6 lamps
T16 ms typical of/off and 8 ms average gray-to-gray response time
TSimultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer VistaTM supported
TSupporting NVIDIA®PureVideoTM technology (WMV HD, High-Definition MPEG-2 Hardware
Acceleration, integrated HDTV encoder) dual-link DVI, Microsoft®DirectX®9.0, Shader Model 3.0,
OpenEXR High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, NVIDIA®PowerMizerTM 6.0 and PCI Express®
TDual independent display
T16.2 million colors
TMPEG-2/DVD hardware-assisted capability
TS-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) support
TAcer ArcadeTM featuring Acer CinemaVisionTM and Acer ClearVision technologies
Audio
TIntel®High Definition audio support
TTwo built-in Acer 3DSonic stereo speakers (1W)
System Specifications
Chapter 1

2Chapter 1
TDolby®Digital Live and DTS Neo: PC support
TSound Blaster ProTM and MS Sound compatible
TBuilt-in microphone
Storage subsystem
TTwo 80/100/120/160/200 GB Serial ATA hard disk drives, supporting software RAID 0/1
TOptical drive options: DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive (slot-load)
T5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick®(MS),
Memory Stick PROTM (MS PRO), xD-Picture CardTM (xD)
Input devices
T88/89-key Acer FineTouchTM keyboard with 5-degree curve
TTouchpad with 4-way scroll button
TFour easy-launch buttons
TTwo front-access switches: WLAN LED and Bluetooth®LED-switches
Communication
TAcer Video Conference, featuring Voice and Video over Internet Protocol (VVoIP) support via Acer
OrbiCamTM and optional Acer Bluetooth®VoIP phone
TAcer OrbiCamTM 0.3 megapixel CMOS camera, featuring:
t30 degree ergonomic rotation
tAcer VisageOnTM technology
tAcer PrimaLiteTM technology
TModem: 56K ITU V.92 modem with PTT approval; wake-on ring ready
TLAN: gigabit Ethernet; wake-on-LAN ready
TWPAN: Bluetooth®2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
TWLAN: Intel®PRO/Wireless 4965ABGN network connection (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g/n)
Wi-Fi®CERTIFIEDTM solution, supporting Acer SignalUpTM wireless technology
I/O Ports
TPCI Express Card slot (54mm type)
T5-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
TFour USB 2.0 ports
TIEEE 1394 port
TMicrosoft MCE infrared (MIR) port
TExternal display (VGA) port
TDVI-D port (for selected models)
TS-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) port
TRF-in port (for selected models)
TAV-in port
THeadphones 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

Chapter 1 3
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

Chapter 1 5
Board Layout
Top View
1 JP1 LCD Connector 9 JP36 Mainboard to LED Board
Connector
2 JP3 Speaker (Left) Connector 10 U12
3 JP34 Speaker (Right) Connector 11 JP9 PCI Express Card Socket
4 JP4 Internal MIC Connector 12 LED1 Power/Suspend LED
5 U5 South Bridge (ICH8M) 13 LED2 Battery Charge/Discharge LED
6 JP6 Internal Track-Pad Connector 14 JP13 Mainboard to Audio Board
Connector
7 JP5 Internal Keyboard Connector 15 JP11 Mainboard to USB Board
Connector
8 JP2 Mainboard to Button Board
Connector
16 JP12 Bluetooth Module Connector
11
2 3 4234
5
7
89
6
5
7
89
10
10
1414
1212 1313
1515
1616
1111
10
14
12 13
15
16
11
6

6Chapter 1
Bottom View
1 PJP1 DC-in Power Jack 14 JP24 TV-out Connector
2 PJP2 Battery Connector 15 JP26 IEEE1394 Connector
3 JP14 CRT Connector 16 JP27 SATA HDD Connector
4 JP15 DVI-D Connector 17 U23 North Bridge (965PM/965GM)
5 JP25 ODD Connector 18 U28
6 JP20 Mini Card (WLAN) Socket 19 U29 Volume Control
7 JP19 Mini Card (TV-Tuner) Socket 20 JP28 DDRII Memory Socket
8 JP17 MDC Connector 21 JP29 DDRII Memory Socket
9 JP22 CPU Socket 22 JP31 Headphone/SPDIF Jack
10 JP16 Internal Fan Connector 23 JP32 Mic-in Jack
11 JP19 VGA Board Connector 24 U33 Audio Codec Controller
12 JP18 RJ45 (LAN) Connector 25 JP33 Line-in Jack
13 JP23 USB (Dual) Connectors
11
2
3
4
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
6
5
7
8
910
10
1414
1212
1313
1515
1616
1111
10
14
12
13
15
16
17
17
1818
1919
2020
2222
17
18
19
26
2626
20
22 23
2323
24
2424
25
2525
21
2121
11
6

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 Power button Turns the computer on and off.
3 Wireless communication
button/indicator
Enables/disables the wireless function.
Indicates the status of wireless LAN
communication.
4 Easy-launch buttons Buttons for launching frequently used
programs.
5Bluetooth®
communication button/
indicator
Enables/disables the Bluetooth®function.
Indicates the status of Bluetooth
communication.
6 Keyboard For entering data into your computer.
7 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which
functions like a computer mouse.
8 Scroll button Press up, down, left and right to scroll
around the screen.

8Chapter 1
Closed Front View
9 Status indicators Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that light up
to show the status of the computer’s
functions and components.
10 Click buttons (left and
right)
The left and right buttons function like the
left and right mouse buttons.
11 Microphone Internal microphone for sound recording.
12 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD),
displays computer output.
13 Empowering button Launches the Empowering Technology
toolbar.
14 Speaker Left and right speakers deliver stereo audio
output.
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 Line-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio
CD player, stereo walkman).
4 Microphone-in jack Accepts input from external microphones.
5 Headphones/speaker/
line-out jack with S/PDIF
support
Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g.,
speakers, headphones).
6 LCD display latch Secures the LCD display in place when
closed.
7 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g.
infrared printer and IR-aware computer).

Chapter 1 9
Left View
#Icon Item Description
1 Kensington lock slot Connects to a Kensington-compatible
computer security lock.
2 External display (VGA)
port
Connects to a display device (e.g., external
monitor, LCD projector).
3DVI DVI-D port Supports digital video connections.
4 Ethernet (RJ-45) Connects to an Ethernet 10/100/1000-
based network (for selected models).
5 2 USB 2.0 port Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB
mouse, USB camera).
6 S-video/TV-out (NTSC/
PAL) port
Connects to a television or display device
with S-video input.
7 4-pin IEEE 1394 port Connects to IEEE 1394 devices.
8 Volume control Increases and decreases the volume.
9 5-in-1 card reader Accepts Secure Digital (SD),
MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick
(MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-
Picture Card (xD).
10 PCI Express Card slot Accepts an Express Card/54 module.
Note: Express Cards are third generation
of PC cards, hot-swapable and maller than
previous PC Cards. Designed for both
desktop and mobile use, Express Cards
use either USB 2.0 or a single lane PCI
Express technology that provides 500
Mbytes/sec total throughput. Formerly
code named “NEWCARD,” Express Cards
are 5mm thick like Type II PC Cards, but do
not use the same 86x54mm footprint.
Express Cards come in 75x54mm and
75x34mm sizes. Express Card/54 slot
means this notebook accepts 75x54mm
Express Cards.

10 Chapter 1
Right View
Rear view
#Icon Item Description
1 2 USB 2.0 ports Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB
mouse, USB camera).
2 AV-in port Accepts input signals from audio/video
(AV) devices.
3 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or DVDs
(slot-load or tray-load depending on
model).
4 Optical disk access
indicator
Lights up when the optical drive is active.
5 Optical drive eject
button
Ejects the optical disk from the drive.
6 Emergency eject hole Ejects the optical drive tray when the
computer is turned off.
7 Modem (RJ-11) port Connects to a phone line.
8 RF-in port Accepts input signals from analog/digital
TV-tuner devices (for selected models).
#Icon Item Description
1 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter.
2 Ventilation slots 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 release latch Releases the battery for removal.
3 Battery lock Locks the battery in position.
4 Hard disk bay Houses the computer’s hard disk (secured with screws)
5 & 6 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.

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 top of the keyboard there are four easy-launch buttons: Web browser, mail, arcade buttons and an
Empowering Key “ .
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 Web browser and mail buttons, run the Launch
Manager.
Icon Function Description
Power Lights up when the computer is on.
Battery Lights up when the battery is being charged.
Wireless LAN Indicates the status of wireless LAN communication.
Bluetooth Indicates the status of Bluetooth communication.
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

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.
TThe center (3) button to mimics 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 Button Default application
Acer Empowering Technology (user-programmable)
Web browser Internet browser (user-programmable)
Mail Email application (user-programmable)
Arcade Windows Media Center
Function Left Button (1) Right Button (4) Main touchpad (2) Center button (3)
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.