Member Avatar for Dr_Gonzo

Hi, I have here an Acer Aspire 3000 (Windows XP SP3) which freezes on the login screen, the cursor keeps flashing but all input sources (keyboard/mouse/touchpad) become disabled. Weird enough, the battery seems to be the culprit.

When the battery is detached from the machine (thus only the mains), it works fine, and does not freeze. Trying to boot it with the battery power alone seems not to work, also it doesn't seem to recharge.

Explanation:

http://www.fixya.com/support/t141435-acer_aspire_3000_keyboard_failing

They also conclude it's the battery that's causing it. Yet there are no follow-up reactions whether or not this problem can be fixed by replacing the battery.

I don't know if buying a new battery will fix this problem, or that the laptop would break the new battery as well.

Any thoughts on this? Or things I could test to make sure the battery is really dead?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Althof Rayhan Ghiffari

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Several contributors (notably , and ) describe the same freeze-at-login pattern on an Aspire 3000. ’s point that motherboard/connector faults can mimic a battery problem is important: the symptom set can come from either a failing battery or from the charging/connector circuitry under the battery. The diagnostic goal is to gather objective evidence (voltages, logs, hardware-test results) before buying parts or attempting board-level repairs.

A compact, practical troubleshooting checklist:

  • Power down, remove AC and main battery, briefly press-and-hold the power button to discharge residual power; take ESD precautions.
  • Visually inspect battery and bay for swelling, corrosion, bent pins or debris; avoid metal tools that could short contacts.
  • Clean the battery and bay contacts with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free swab; allow to dry fully.
  • Measure battery DC voltage with a multimeter and compare to the nominal voltage printed on the battery label; a voltage far below the label or wildly unstable readings indicate bad cells.
  • Run basic hardware tests from bootable media: Memtest86 for RAM and a SMART HDD check for the drive. Record Event Viewer entries or system logs for ACPI/power errors if Safe Mode or a rescue environment will boot.
  • A controlled comparison—known-good battery in the suspect laptop or the suspect battery in a known-good unit—gives the strongest separation between battery vs. motherboard faults.

If the battery measures normally and cleaning doesn’t help, the fault likely lies in the laptop’s charging/management circuitry (fuses, MOSFETs, dry solder joints). At that stage, a reputable repair shop or bench technician is appropriate; BIOS updates can help rare ACPI issues but should only be applied with reliable AC power. When replacing the pack, choose OEM or well‑reviewed vendors with returns/warranty, test the new pack immediately, and recycle the old battery safely.

Recommended Answers

All 9 Replies

Member Avatar for HelpingHands-IT

for the cost of about £3.50 its worth the effort of getting a replacement battery. The laptop is highly unlikely the reason why the battery is dead. how old is the laptop?

Member Avatar for Dr_Gonzo

About 2 years old. Out of warranty. Replacement battery costs between 70 GBP and 163 Euro. Some other guy said it could be a broken motherboard, but my experience with broken motherboards is that it's pretty lethal for a laptop.

But indeed my best bet is trying to replace the battery. It's description was AS3005WLMI. I just hope I don't get bad imitations, if the originals already die after 2 years, I don't want to know what kind of hazards an imitation brings along.

Member Avatar for Suspishio

At this distance it looks like some sort of short or dry solder on whatever lies behind the battery. Often that joint is on the motherboard but, as you say, laptops are not easiest to fix inside.

On the other hand, a PC Doctor should be able to look see and hopefully fix within the 1 hour fee.

Member Avatar for HelpingHands-IT

I wiil check some prices for you as the Missus' Acer has killed its psu. BUT if you dont need to use it on the battery then dont - nice and easy CHEAP workaround!

Member Avatar for Dr_Gonzo

Thanks for all the help, guys (and gals).

I reread the thread at the fixya forum, where I now saw some replies that said that replacing the battery _did_ fix the problem.

Ofcourse this is still a minority, but at least it's better than none.

The simplest solution here would be to find a second (working) Acer laptop which uses the same battery as the 'broken' one.

Then switch their batteries and check which laptop freezes, if the originally 'broken' one does it again, it's the solder or something related. If the second one starts doing it, it would strengthen the idea that the battery is truly the culprit.

Member Avatar for housekeepah

Hi! I am experiencing the similar problems with my friends laptop. It will boot, and I can see the desktop background with all the icons. Mouse and keyboard does not work, coumputer will not turn off (tried press and hold power button for half an eternity without any luck). Computer seems to be running though, screen saver comes on after some time. Other than that, the computer is totally nonresponsive.

After reading this thread, I removed the battery and the ac, then booted without battery, works fine!? I'am going to run some hardware tests (if you have know any good lightweight hardware testing tool, let me know) but for now, it seems fine. Seems like this battery failure happens quite frequently on Acer aspire 3000?

Member Avatar for housekeepah

Hi! I am experiencing the similar problems with my friends laptop. It will boot, and I can see the desktop background with all the icons. Mouse and keyboard does not work, coumputer will not turn off (tried press and hold power button for half an eternity without any luck). Computer seems to be running though, screen saver comes on after some time. Other than that, the computer is totally nonresponsive.

After reading this thread, I removed the battery and the ac, then booted without battery, works fine!? I'am going to run some hardware tests (if you have know any good lightweight hardware testing tool, let me know) but for now, it seems fine. Seems like this battery failure happens quite frequently on Acer aspire 3000?

Member Avatar for KAHLID FRIG

I SOLVE THIS ISSUE 100% WORKING
THE MAIN PROBLEM IS ON THE CONTACT BETWEEN THE BATTERY WIRES AND LAPTOP
IF YOU MOVE THE BATTERY IT WILL WORK SO SURE THE PROBLEM WITH THE LINK BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND THE LAPTOP
SOLUTION : TO MOVE THE IRON OUT OF THE LAPTOP TO THE RIGHT TILT THEM TO RIGHT SIDE A LITTLE BECAUSE THE BATTERY WIRES IS TO THE RIGHT SIDE (WATCH THEM) NOT IN THE MIDDLE AND AFTER THAT PUT A STICK ON THE BATTERY TIGHTED IN ITS PLACE SO IT WILL NOT MOVE ITS NOT FREEZING NOW THANKS

Member Avatar for Althof Rayhan Ghiffari

battery?
not NECtokin?
I think is a nectokin problem.

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