Acer Aspire 9500 User manual

Aspire 9500
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 9500 service guide.
D ate Chapter Updates

III
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 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.

VII
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 System Specifications 1
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
MainBoard Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
System Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Outlook View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Launch Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Hardware Specifications and Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Jumper Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Chapter 2 System Utilities 40
BIOS Setup Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
System Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Boot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Chapter 3 Machine Disassembly and Replacement 55
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Aspire 9500 Disassembly Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Disassemble the Battery and HDD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Disassemble the TV Tuner and Wireless. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Disassemble the CPU Heatsink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Disassemble the RAM and ODD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Disassemble the Power Board, Bluetooth and Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Disassemble the Cables, Antenna and LCD Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Disassemble Case, Touchpad and CD-Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Disassemble the Mainboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Disassemble the VGA and Modem board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Disassemble the CPU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Disassemble the LCD Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Chapter 4 Troubleshooting 65
System Check Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
PhoenixBIOS POST Tasks and Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Repair Flowchar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chapter 5 FRU (Field Replaceable Unit) List 102
Exploded Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Aspire 9500 Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Chapter 1 1
Features
This computer was designed with the user in mind. Here are just a few of its many features:
Performance
TCPU : Intel®Dothan®with FCPGA Package
TIntel®Pentium®M Processor 725a
T2MB L2 cache
T1.60GHz speed
Tsupport 400MHz FSB
TIntel®Pentium®M Processor 730/740/750/760/770
T2MB L2 cache
T1.60/1.73/1.86/2.13 GHz speed
Tsupport 533MHz FSB or higher
TIntel®Celeron®M Processor 370
T1M L2 cache
T1.5 GHz speed
Tsupport 400 MHz FSB or higher
T915 GM (for UMA) / 915 PM ( for discrete VGA ) + ICH6M with PCI-Express technology
TIntel®PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection (dual-model 802.11 b/g or 802.11 a/b/g)
TSupport Wi-Fi CERTIFIEDTM solution
Memory
TDDR II SDRAM memory interface design
T0MB DDR II RAM on board
TTwo DDR II SODIMM slots (dual channel)
T256MB or 512MB of DDR II 533 memory
TMaximum memory up to 2GB with two 1GB SODIMM slots
Display
T17” Wide WSXGA color TFT LCD with 1680 x 1050 pixel resolution, 16.7 million colours
T17” Wide WXGA color TFT LCD with 1440 x 900 pixel resolution, high-brightness (Dual Lamp)
T17” Wide WXGA color TFT LCD with 1440 x 900 pixel resolution, Single Lamp
T16 :10 aspect ratio
TSupport simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista
TTV-tuner, Analog w/H/W Mpeg or Digital+Analog w/H/W Mpeg or Digital +Analog w/S/W Mpeg
(MFG optional)
µ
System Specifications
Chapter 1

2
Graphics
TATI MOBILITYTM RADEONTM X700(M26P) with 128/256 MB of external DDR video RAM
supporting Microsoft®DirectX®9.0
TATI POWERPLAYTM 5.0 support
TDualViewTM support
TPCI ExpressTM X16 graphic card support
TIntel®915GM integrated 3D graphics featuring Intel®Graphics Media Accelerator 900 and up to
128MB of VRAM, supporting Microsoft®DirectX ®9.0
TDual independent display support
TExternal resolution/refresh rate
T2040x1536: 75/60 Hz
T1600x1200: 120/100/85/75/60/ Hz
T1280x1024: 160/120/100/85/75/60 Hz
T1024x768: 200/160/120/100/85/75/60 Hz
T800x600: 200/160/120/100/85/75/60 Hz
TMPEG-2 DVD hardware -assisted capability
TS-video /TV-out (NTSC/PAL) support
TDVI-D (tue digital video interface) support
TAspire CinemaVisionTM2 video technology (Aspire Arcade)
TAspire ClearVisionTM2 video optimisation technology (Aspire Arcade)
TVGA chip : ATI M26P with 128/256MB VRAM
Audio
THigh Definition Audio (Azalia) support
TRealtek ALC260D
TBuilt-in two 1.5W speakers
T2.1 channel speakers with 2W built-in subwoofer
TS/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers
TMS-Sound Compatible
TBuilt-in microphone
TDolby digital live is required for Windows XP
TS/W VoIP support
Discrete VGA UMA VGA
Media Console YES NO
DVI Interface YES NO

Aspire 9500
Storage
T60/80/100 GB ATA/100 hard disk drive
T9.5mm height, 2.5” HDD
TPCI Bus Master Enhanced IDE
TSupport Ultra DMA100, S.M.A.R.T
T4200/5400RPM
TPATA/SATA co-layout (one HDD only)
TPATA mode only (HDD: Master, ODD: Slave)
TMix mode (HDD: SATA-0, ODD: PATA Master)
T5-in1 card reader, supporting MultiMedia Card (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick®(MS),
Memory Stick PROTM (MS-Pro), and xD-Picture CardTM
ODD
TSlot-in type
T12.7mm DVD-Combo, DVD Dual, and DVD Super Multi
Mode Performance
DVD-Dual Double Layer Drive
Read 24X CD-ROM
24X CD-R
24X CD-RW
8X DVD-ROM
8X DVD-R
8X DVD+RW
8X DVD+R
6X LD DVD+R
8X DVD-RW
Write 24X CD-R
24X CD-RW
8X DVD+R
8X DVD-R
4X DVD+RW
2.4X DL DVD+R
4X DVD-RW
DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Read 24X CD-ROM
24X CD-R
24X CD-RW
8X DVD-ROM
8X DVD-R
4X DVD-RW
8X DVD+R
4X DVD+RW
Write 24X CD-R
24X CD-RW

4
PCMCIA
TPC Card & Carbus card supported with one type II
Tno ZV(Zoomed Video) support
Express Card
TOne PCI-Express card (Left side)
Communication
T56Kbps V.90/V.92 HD Audio modem card (MDC)
TGigabit Ethernet LAN on board
TWLAN 802.11b/g and 802.11 a/b/g with mini-PCI interface
TBulit-in 2 Antennas
TBluetooth v2.0 module (Broadcom) wiht mini-USB interface
I/O Ports
TColor-coded connectors
T5 USB 2.0 ports
T1 Ethernet (RJ-45) port
T1 Modeom (RJ-11) port
T1 External VGA port
T1 Infrared (FIR)
T1 CIR
T1 90W DC-in jack for AC adaptor
T1 Microphone-in
T1 Line-in Jack
T1 S/PDIF / Headphone/ Speaker-out/ Line-out jack
T1 S-video port (TV-out)
T1 DVI-D output port (UMA and Discrete VGA)
T1 1394(4 pin) port
T5-in-1 Card Reader (MS, MS Pro, SD, MMC, xD)
T1 AV-in (7 pin) port (MFG option)
T1 RF input for digital TV and analog TV (MFG option)
TSmall (PCMCIA size) remote control
TKensington Lock
TParallel port
Battery
T8 cells of Li-ionbattery pack (4300mAH)(share with TM4050)
TSmart Battery Compliant
TACPI 2.2 CPU power management standard supporting Standby and Hibernation power-saving
modes

Aspire 9500
System Status Indicators
LED Status
Orange E-mail button
Cap Lock
Num Lock
Media Activity (HDD/ODD)
Green, Orange System Power
Green, Orange Battery Charging
Orange Wireless on/off
Blue Bluetooth on/off

6
Mainboard Placement
Top View
Rear View

Aspire 9500
ITEM DESCRIPTION ITEM DESCRIPTION
JP1 To Power/B Connector JP33 CPU Socket
JP2 Bluetooth Connector JP35 IEEE1394 Connector
JP4 LCD Connector JP36 MINIPCI Connector (WLAN)
JP5 Internal MIC Connector JP37 FAN Connector
JP6 Headphone/SPDIF Jack JP38 USB Connector
JP7 Line-In Jack JP40 MINIPCI Connector (TV-
Tuner)
JP8 MIC-In Jack JP41 DDRII SO-DIMM Socket
JP9 Internal K/B Connector JP42 Internal Subwoofer
Connector
JP12 T/P Board Connector JP43 Internal Speaker Connector
JP13 To LED/B Connector JP44 MDC Connector
JP14 RF-In Connector JP45 DDRII SO-DIMM Socket
JP15 Parallel Port Connector JP46 5 IN 1 Socket
JP16 DVI Connector JP48 ODD Connector
JP17 CRT Connector JP51 PCMCIA Socket
JP18 USB Connector JP52 HDD Connector (P-ATA)
JP19 TV-Out Connector PJP1 DC-IN Jack
JP20 AV-In Connector PJP2 Battery Connector
JP21 RJ11/RJ45 Connector SW1 Lid Switch
JP22 RF to TV-Tuner Connector U3 LAN Chip
JP24 USB Connector U4 South Bridge Chipset
JP25 USB Connector U40 North Bridge Chipset
JP28 Express Card Socket T1 LAN Transformer
JP29 VGA/B Connector IR1 FIR Module
JP30 USB Connector J1 Clear CMOS Jumper

Aspire 9500
Block Diagram

10
Outlook View
A general introduction of ports allow you to connect peripheral devices, as you would with a desktop PC.
Front View
#Item Description
1 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD), displays computer
output.
2 Status indicators Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that light up to show the status
of the computer's functions and components.
3 Easy-launch buttons Buttons for launching frequently used programs.
4 Power button Turns the computer on and off.
5 Keyboard For entering data into your computer.
6 Microphones Internal microphones for stereo sound recording.
7 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which functions like a
computer mouse.
8 Click buttons (left,
center and right)
The left and right buttons function like the left and right mouse
buttons; the center button serves as a 4-way scroll button.
9 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your hands when you use the
computer.

Aspire 9500
Closed Front Panel
#Item Description
1 Speakers Left and right speakers deliver stereo audio output.
2Wireless
communication
button/indicator
Press to enable/disable the wireless function. Lights to
indicate the status of wireless LAN communication.
3 Bluetooth
communication
button/indicator
Press to enable/disable Bluetooth function. Lights to indicate
the status of Bluetooth communications.
4 CIR receiver Receives signals from a remote control.
5 Power indicator Indicates the computer's power status.
6 Battery indicator Indicates the computer's batttery status.
7 Arcade/media
buttons
For use with Acer Arcade and other media playing programs
(for selected models).
8 Media control Five-way multimedia button (for selected models).
9 Latch Locks and releases the lid.

12
Left View
#Icon Item Description
1 USB 2.0 port USB 2.0 ports
2 Express Card PCI Express card slot Accepts one PCI Express card.
3 Headphone/speaker/line-
out & S/PDIF jack
Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g., speakers,
headphones), S/PDIF compatible
4 N/A Line-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices
5 Microphone jack Accepts input from external microphones.
6 N/A Slot-load optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or DVDs.
7 N/A Slot-load optical drive
eject button
Ejects the optical disk from the drive.
8 N/A LED indicator Lights up when the optical drive is active.

Aspire 9500
Right View
#Item Description
1 PC Card slot eject
button
Ejects the PC Card from the slot.
2 PC card slot Accepts one Type II PC Card.
3 5-in-1 card reader Accepts Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard (MMC),
Secure Digital (SD), and xD-Picture Card.
4 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g. infrared printer, IR-aware
computer, etc...)
3 IEEE 1394 Port Connects IEEE 1394 devices.
4 Two USB Ports Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB camera).

14
Rear View
#Item Description
1 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even after prolonged use.
2 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter.
3 External display
(VGA) port
Connects to a display device (e.g., external monitor, LCD projector).
4 S-video out port Connects to a television or display device supporting S-video input.
5 Parallel port Connects to a printer.
6 DVI-D port Supports digital video connections. (for selected models)
7 RF jack For digital and analog TV input (for selected models).
8 Audio/video in port Supports both audio and video input.(for selected models).
9 Network jack Connects the computer to the 10/100/1000 Ethernet network.
10 Modem Jack Connects the built-in fax/data modem to a phone line.
11 USB 2.0 port Connects to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB camera).
12 Kensington lock slot Connects to a Kensington-compatible computer security lock.

Aspire 9500
Base View
#Item Description
1 Cooling fan Helps keep the computer cool.
2 Memory compartment Houses the computer's main memory.
3 Battery lock latch Locks the battery in place.
4 Battery release latch Releases the battery for removal.
5 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack.
6 Hard disk bay Houses the computer's hard disk (secured by a screw).
7 Sub woofer Emits low frequency sound output.
8 PCI Card bay Houses the computer’s Mini PCI Card.