The Acer Guy

You want comments? We got comments:

1. Michael Walsh wrote, on December 20th, 2009:

   

   Nice review Morris… Sounds like it’s nearly time for you to upgrade your battleship…

2. Morris Lee wrote, on December 20th, 2009:

   

   @Michael,

   sigh…. there is no point of upgrading at this moment, I rather downgrade to 5534 if I had a desktop for games from time to time. Since the 5920 is the only thing allows me to game, I can’t sell it to get one of those, otherwise, I would.

   With the possibility of becoming a game reviewer, the 5920 might come in handy for them!

   Anyways, there are couple of missing info, I will try and get it on Monday where I will have 2 more exams with couple of hours between to check out this beauty again!

3. Morris Lee wrote, on December 20th, 2009:

   

   As for my aspire one, I will never sell it XD, it is my baby! forever and ever! unless someone will pay for it for ONE MILLION dollars, that will help me with my tuition and possibly a replacement of Ferrari One, since it should have almost the same horse power as this laptop, at a smaller size and same resolution!

4. stamatis wrote, on December 21st, 2009:

   

   Can you play games on theAcer Aspire 5534 ?

   is it a good laptop.please someone tell me because im thinking of buying one

5. Morris Lee wrote, on December 21st, 2009:

   

   @stamatis,

   yes, HD3200 can run some newer games on low settings

6. Michael wrote, on December 26th, 2009:

   

   I just got the 5534 laptop today for Christmas, and love it! It charges faster than my sisters Toshiba Satilitte, the keybored has the side number pad, unlike most laptops, it runs very fast, is very light weigh and slim, very impresed so far!

7. Michael Walsh wrote, on December 26th, 2009:

   

   @Michael – wanna review it? I’ll happily publish…

8. Exal wrote, on December 28th, 2009:

   

   I have this laptop model, and I have problems making the drivers and restore DVD’s through the acer tool, do you have this problem also?

9. Morris Lee wrote, on December 29th, 2009:

   

   @Exal,

   I don’t have the laptop myself, I would assume you need to use eRecovery to make the recovery disks

10. Javier wrote, on December 30th, 2009:

    

    I just got the 5534 for xmas. I love it but when I play Sims 3, sometimes, it says that the video card is not able to play the game but sometimes it works just fine. Also when sometimes when I use Internet Explorer the screen flashes when the cursor moves or when a button is pressed. I do not have this issue with Firefox. Any idea what may be causing this?

11. Chris Flynn wrote, on December 30th, 2009:

    

    I also got the Acer Aspire 5534 for Christmas. I love this laptop computer because it’s very lightweight compare to the Acer Aspire 5735-4744. The Acer Aspire 5735-4744 is very heavy to carry around. What is nice about Acer Aspire 5534 is that it’s very lightweight and portable. So overall I am very happy with Acer Aspire 5534.

12. Morris Lee wrote, on January 1st, 2010:

    

    @Javier,

    found you a fix

    download this updated driver

    http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/VGA/VGA_ATI_8.635_W7×64W7×86_A.zip?acerid=633940168285981242&Step1=Notebook&Step2=Aspire&Step3=Aspire%205534&OS=701&LC=en&BC=Acer&SC=EMEA_27

    install it, it should work fine after!

13. Weinter wrote, on January 4th, 2010:

    

    Not so great.
    TF-20 is a rather weak CPU although the 3200HD is a rather decent GPU.
    However those who got it can consider upgrading to a RM/ZM Processor since the chipset is based on AMD M780G logically speaking it should support Griffin CPU.
    Anyway you can try getting the CPU off ebay and do DIY upgrade.
    Preferably choose a RM-70 because it has the lowest TDP hence the least hot.
    Because TF-20 is a low power CPU the thermal module might not be able to handle hot cpus.

14. Eric 507 wrote, on January 11th, 2010:

    

    i have a problem with notebook Aspire 5534
    I can not recover the operating system Windows 7 Acer Aspire 5534.

    I need help to restore my operating system Windows 7.

    This computer I bought in Panama, and within the box will not leave any record of restoration.
    Use the method to start my recovery disk via ALT + F10. Perform the complete operation but does not lift after you restart the operating system. It is to start a black screen with blinking cursor and does not follow its normal operation.

    Please send instructions to restore my operating system Windows 7 Starter. The following information corresponds to the model: and serial number.

    Acer Aspire 5534-1470 Notebook MODEL NAL10
    LXPJU08016943350B51601
    Ver BIOS v1.15

    If anyone has the recovery disks or ISOS thank and tell me where to download the procedure for using and return my notebook.

    Best Regards
    Eric Soto
    hard247904@yahoo.es

15. wizardfingers wrote, on February 10th, 2010:

    

    Hey dude my webcam doesn’t work every IM client I install software I install from acer’s site I have Windows 7 Home Pre. x64 they have the driver the software installs but when I start the software it says

    Camera not found….etc

16. Morris Lee wrote, on February 10th, 2010:

    

    @wizardfingers,

    Can you go into device manager and check if the webcam shows up? did your laptop come with Windows 7? did you reinstall the Windows at all?

17. Mickey wrote, on February 14th, 2010:

    

    Hi I wonder if anyone can help me I have just purchase an Acer 5534 but sometimes it does not seem to read the video card, and it tells me I don’t have one other times it is ok what ca I do here?

18. Morris Lee wrote, on February 14th, 2010:

    

    @Mickey,

    I am sorry, I am not really sure what you are trying to say, from what I can interpret, your video card is not functioning, are you getting any visual on the screen?

    Morris Lee

19. Saurav wrote, on February 15th, 2010:

    

    Hi,
    i just recently bought Acer 5534-5410 notebook. It is nice and works well but some time i get problems like that of mickey’s.
    The problem is that it do not detect the graphics card, due to which no video is displayed nor picture can be viewed. When i check in DirectX Diagnostic tool it says Error like “Problem getting extra display info”
    it also says that “Direct3D acceleration: Not Available”. Can you provide any solution, please?

20. Irwin Leonardo wrote, on February 21st, 2010:

    

    hi sir, can you show some pics on how to replace the processor for this laptops?? with pics?? im having a hard time opening this laptop.. thanks. can u put some pics too?? im book marking your blog so i can monitor thanks, a lot of people are having this kind of problem, if you can help me yuove helped a lot of people too, thanks

21. Morris Lee wrote, on February 21st, 2010:

    

    @Irwin Leonardo,

    Sorry, like I mentioned above, this is not mine, I do not own this baby to mod with, HEHE.

    HOWEVER! He is considering of getting a more powerful CPU, if he does the upgrade(or if he gets me to do it.) I will definitely write one up, seems to be that everyone is looking for an upgrade guide.

    Morris Lee

22. Irwin Leonardo wrote, on February 21st, 2010:

    

    well my laptop is 5534, similar to that one, i got it at futureshop, i cant disassemble it theres like a crunchy sound wich leads to breaking, so i wont force it, but if sum1 can help me i’d be willing to help others to, simple pics would help no need for instructions is that possible?? thanks i hope im not too demanding, hehehehe!

23. Morris Lee wrote, on February 22nd, 2010:

    

    @Irwin Leonardo,

    I love to help, if I have the funding, I’d get myself one’o those! soo light easy to carry! and do the upgrade images for you guys.

    But you see, I ain’t got that option, can’t find service manuals either, so I don’t see any other way to help you ATM.

    Morris Lee

24. Irwin Leonardo wrote, on February 22nd, 2010:

    

    thanks btw

25. Morris Lee wrote, on February 22nd, 2010:

    

    @Irwin Leonardo,

    You are most welcome!

    Morris Lee

26. Michael wrote, on February 22nd, 2010:

    

    My wife bought me the Acer Aspire 5534 for Christmas. I also had the flashing screen problem. Installed Firefox since then I been using Internet Explorer with out a problem. Anyway, my question is, Should I be able to play some basic video games with this computer? I’ve tried Lord of the Rings, Serious Sam, and even tried installing Scrabble a basic game along with some others, none of them worked. Any input or suggestions. Thanks

27. Morris Lee wrote, on February 22nd, 2010:

    

    @Michael,

    they should all work fine, 5534 comes with ATi HD3650, it should be able to run quite a few games since it is got full DX10 capability I believe.

    My friend was able to run games like Counter strike source, it uses Half Life 2 engine. make sure you have the most updated direct x runtime installed, you can get them free from Microsoft website.

    As for the screen problem, you should get the fix on the top I have linked, the problem should be fixed.

    Morris Lee

28. Michael wrote, on February 22nd, 2010:

    

    Thanks Morris, I did download that fix problem as well, i’ll give in a try later. I’m going to head on over to the Microsoft website right now and update my direct x.
    Thanks again

29. Ricardo wrote, on February 24th, 2010:

    

    Morris, I’ve just bought the Aspire 3354 and tried stupidly to run a fake upgrade on my “starter windows 7″. After that I keep getting a e acer recovery procedure which doesn’t finalize correctly even though it says so..by the end it says something in a foreign language I click ok and after restarting I get again the same nagging screen, is there something I can do?

30. Morris Lee wrote, on February 24th, 2010:

    

    @Ricardo,

    Honestly, I do not have any experience with the acer upgrade package, as I was never eligible of receiving one.

    However! don’t keep your hopes down, keep track of the postings here, you never know if some expert might come across and provide a solution!

    Morris Lee

31. Ricardo wrote, on February 25th, 2010:

    

    I’ll keep you posted on this, as I’ve contacted acer and the procedure seems to be getting a recovery cd directly from them…It should take a while if you think I live in South America! The Laptop should come with the cd.

32. Irwin Leonardo wrote, on March 17th, 2010:

    

    hi im back, is there any update about the disassembly of the 5534? cheers

33. Morris Lee wrote, on March 18th, 2010:

    

    @Irwin Leonardo,

    Sorry, not yet!

    Morris Lee

34. robert wrote, on March 19th, 2010:

    

    how do i get my Acer aspire 5534 to hook to my tv i have a vga cable but it puts 3 images on the tv and if i try to change any of the settings on my laptop the tv goes black

35. Morris Lee wrote, on March 19th, 2010:

    

    @robert,

    can you be a little more specific about the 3 images? try pressing WinKey+P, if that does not work, try Fn+F5.

    Morris Lee

36. Irwin Leonardo wrote, on April 25th, 2010:

    

    can you guys help me install a windows xp os on this one? once its loading the windows im suddenly getting the blue screen, thanks

37. Fonz wrote, on May 7th, 2010:

    

    How long does the battery on this guy last when doing processor/graphics intensive stuff like HD Hulu playback and Gaming?

    Also, how well does something like the Starcraft II Beta or WoW run during large battles(FPS-wise)?

    Sorry I know this is really specific stuff but I’m very close to purchasing this laptop but I was just wondering if I could make a more informed decision before I do

38. Morris Lee wrote, on May 8th, 2010:

    

    @Irwin Leonardo,

    Try changing AHCI to IDE in the BIOS settings, see if that helps

    @Fonz,

    not sure about Hulu, not available in Canada, I would estimate 1.5-2 hours on that max, for gaming, probably only max at 1.5 hours.

    I doubt that it will run starcraft 2 beta without choking, it is a single core 1.6Ghz AMD, don’t expect too much for CPU intensive games. WOW might just be ok.

39. Darren wrote, on May 9th, 2010:

    

    Hello, do you happen to know why my usb ports dont recognize my Canon camera and my SD card slot doesn’t work, I’d appreciate any ideas.

40. Morris Lee wrote, on May 10th, 2010:

    

    @Darren,

    Does hooking up the camera on another computer work?

41. clyde wrote, on May 16th, 2010:

    

    the screen went black and i cannot get it to come back on tried reseting it it lights up but nothing on screen please help me thank you clyde

42. Morris Lee wrote, on May 16th, 2010:

    

    @clyde,

    Can you see if the harddrive light blinks at all when you boot it up? does external display work?

    Those are the only things I can suggest, if you have a hardware problem, most likely that you need to replace the entire motherboard.

    Consult with acer first before operating internally in the laptop, check if it is still under warranty.

    Morris Lee

43. Diane wrote, on May 18th, 2010:

    

    Hi Morris,

    I’m contemplating buying an Acer 5534-5410 but for some reason there are hardly any reviews out there. Your friend must have had that model for over a year know. Have you had any feedback? Does it run smoothly, any quirks or problems to report?

    I’ve read all the comments above, but, I’d like to hear more from people who’ve been using the machine for a while; it’s easy to get excited when it’s fresh out of the box.

    Thanks for any feedback,
    D.

44. Morris Lee wrote, on May 18th, 2010:

    

    @Diane,

    He had it since December of 2009, so, half year.

    When I use it, I feel that it runs perfectly fine, other then the fact that most of the games can choke even if it is got the HD3200 since the single core AMD 1.6GHz is pulling it’s legs.

    So, any office works and web browsing is perfectly fine, it is like a big netbook, with more RAM and a better graphics card.

    If you want to game, this is not the right machine.

    Cheers!
    Morris Lee

45. Diane wrote, on May 18th, 2010:

    

    Thanks Morris,

    That’s quite helpful. No, no gaming at all, just standard Office apps, Photoshop, watching stuff online… Glad to hear it; it’ll either be that or another Acer, the Aspire 5810TG-354932MN, which also has a single processor, but 4GB RAM.

    Anyway, thanks a lot for the feedback,
    Diane

46. Morris Lee wrote, on May 18th, 2010:

    

    @Diane,

    You may wish to consider the 5810TG, timeline offers much better battery life, another thing, photoshop filters may be a little slow, I believe CS3 and above uses GPU acceleration for the interface, so you will get a better experiences with the 5534 for photoshop, but the battery is about 3 hours only.

47. Diane wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    Thanks for the tip, Morris. I thought so. The battery’s not a big issue. I just need a machine that can happily stay on for hours without overheating – my HP Compaq proved pretty poor in that respect, and I’ve heard similar complaints from other Compaq users. I’m not sure whether for my purposes 4GB RAM as opposed to 3GB will make much of a difference. I hope Acer lives up to my expectations; my previous Acer never packed up, it just grew too old.
    

48. Morris Lee wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    @Diane,

    The 5534 does get pretty hot if you do something intensive, the 5810T(timeline series) have a better cooling technology that keeps the laptop really cool at almost all times.

    Morris Lee

49. Diane wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    That’s an excellent tip, Morris, thanks!

50. Morris Lee wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    @Diane,

    No problem!

51. Jane wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    Someone PLEASE help me. I have an Acer Aspire 5290, and the charging cable recently melted and exposed some wires which sparked and nearly set me on fire. I got a new charge cable and AC adaptor thing, and it was working fine for about 36 hours, but now my laptop isn’t charging properly, but the sign just flashes intermittently. I REALLY need my laptop to work because I have three exams in the next five days which I need to revise for. Does anyone know what’s going on?

52. Jane wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    oops, I meant 5920…

53. Morris Lee wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    @Jane,

    Is the replacement exactly the same type as the original one? if not, that could be the problem, make sure it is rated at 19v @ 4.74Amps made by Delta Electronics Model: ADP-90SB BB

    What happens when you turn the laptop off and let it charge? does the light flashes still?

    Morris Lee

54. Jane wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    Morris,

    It is the same type as the original unless I’m extremely mistaken, but it’s 3.42A, not 4.74A… Have I been using the wrong charger for two years?
    It still flashes if I turn it off and let it charge.

55. Morris Lee wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    @Jane,

    That seems to be an issue for me when I use the 5920 with 3.42amps powersupply (means it is a 65watt one), it all works fine – MOST of the time. I have got the same problem of the light flickering when I am doing something intensive like gaming. As I just got my new CPU, gaming shows that problem more often, as it uses even more power, so the 65 watt is not designed for the 5920G.

    It is recommended that if you can find the model I specified above to guaranty sufficient power source. It could’ve been eating the life away of the capacitors in the laptop, and now it has reached slightly unstable age, therefore it is showing some thirst in power, or could’ve been the short that did something to the components inside the laptop too. regardless, I would recommend the 90 watt powersupply.

    Morris Lee

56. Jane wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    Morris,
    Thanks for the help, you’re a star!

57. Morris Lee wrote, on May 19th, 2010:

    

    @Jane,

    Good luck on your exams Jane!

    Best wishes,
    Morris Lee

58. Bill wrote, on May 21st, 2010:

    

    I bought my aspire 5534 and it came with windows 7 pro and I guess im one of the lucky ones I havnt had any of the problems that ive read about here its been operating very well the video is clean I hook it to a 22 inch philips LCD tv using the VGC cord no problems at all.
    Its seems to be well worth the price.

59. u6b36ef wrote, on May 24th, 2010:

    

    @ Jane,

    It’s easy to find out if you have the right charging adaptor. Turn over your laptop, and read the Acer label. You’ll see it’s probably in black plastic, and the main one that is not on the removable panel.

    An example of what you are looking for is:
    DC RATING: 19V, 4.74A.
    Compare this to the information for ‘OUTPUT’ on the power pack (or charger).

    If your laptop label and power pack details are the same then all is good, with regard to having the right charger.

    If your laptop label states 19V, 4.74A and your charger is 19V, 3.42A, it is not advisable. I would seek a 19V, 4.74A charger at the earliest opportunity.

    If you have a 19V, 3.42A laptop label with a 19V, 4.74A charger, then you are perfectly safe again.

    [Don't worry if the A (for Amps) is higher on the charger than the laptop. The laptop can only draw the power it needs. If you had a higher V (voltage) on your charger than laptop, that would be a worry. The charger would push excess current through the laptop, and make things hot]

    I imagine most 5920’s use the 4.74A charger. This is a 90 Watt supply. Simply multiply VxA=W. It is possible that Acer have made a 19V, 3.42A version of the 5920. If so it might be for the case where the graphics are built into the mainboard, and not added, and interchangable.
    I’m only speculating, though because I have not seen a 5920 with ’standard’ graphics. However the Acer 5715, 15.4″ screen laptop, use 3.42 chargers, and built in ’standard’ graphics.

    Where you have written, (quote):
    “I got a new charge cable and AC adaptor thing, and it was working fine for about 36 hours, but now my laptop isn’t charging properly, but the sign just flashes intermittently”.

    Which sign do you mean. I’m thinking you mean the taskbar icon in the bottom right of the screen, in windows desktop.
    If as Morris has suggested, the LED on the charger is flashing, then it’s not wise to consider using it. The laptop is attempting to draw more current than the charger is specified to produce. You see this effect if a laptop component has gone faulty and is partially ’shorting’ the power supply. (IE drawing excess power.)

    Assuming your laptop is rated 19V, 4.74A; then there are a variety of manufacturers who produce replacement models. Delta Electronics as Morris suggets, and his giving the exact part number makes a correct replacement flawless. Alternative makers are Lite-On, Hipro, Acer, I think Li Shin make one too.

    Searching on Ebay for a 4.74A charger for 5920 is tricky. Most of the chargers listed under 5920 are 3.42A. (OK if that’s what you need). Instead search for 19V 4.74A (Acer?) charger. Then the only other requirement you need to get right is the socket. The modern (or over the last few years) Acer socket is allways the same, and you can ID it by looking at your old one.

    Why your original charging cable heated and melted ‘may’ have been because it flexed regularly at a given point. The internal wires may have broken and shorted each other. Until we know what your laptop power rating is compared with your charger output rating, it’s impossible to suggest if something else is at fault. One last suggestion would be ‘google’ flashing power sign.

60. carrie wrote, on May 28th, 2010:

    

    Hi I was hoping you could help me. Last August I got an acer laptop (free on a mobile contract) yesterday the battery went flat on it although the battery charger is always plugged in. When I disconnect the charger the little yellow light on the box is illuminated constantly but as soon as I plug the adapter into the laptop the light yellow flashes and the laptop doesn’t charge. I have removed the battery and cleaned dust out and replaced but I have no idea if it’s a problem with the laptop battery or the adapter. Are you familiar with this?

    Any help would be appreciated.

61. Morris Lee wrote, on May 28th, 2010:

    

    @carrie,

    All I can think of is either the charger is bad or the motherboard is bad, you should seek for repair from whichever place you got it from. if not, you might need to send it in to acer for repair, it should be 1 year free(aside from shipping)

62. brad silver wrote, on May 31st, 2010:

    

    i have an acer 5534 and when i powered up it seems like its working fine but the screen is staying black. can someone help me???

    brad

63. Chris wrote, on May 31st, 2010:

    

    I have the Acer Aspire 5534 with the integrated webcam, and have spent over 5 hours trying to find something to update or get my webcam to be recognized, the closest I ever got was when I went to the acer website and downloaded the drivers and restarted and it said “Video Web Camera” in my start menu, then I clicked it and it said “web camera not found”; I’ve tried many things, and all of the driver updaters reguire a me to register, and money (which I do not have.) I absolutely cannot figure out why my webcam isn’t working, or how to get it to work. Please help! You seem like a nice guy who knows what to do. (Also my computer was a graduation gift; so it was purchased before thanksgiving of 2009, but wasn’t opened until this month. Much appreciated.

64. Chris wrote, on May 31st, 2010:

    

    ….Maybe I don’t have a webcam?

65. Morris Lee wrote, on May 31st, 2010:

    

    @brad silver,

    You should contact Acer or where you have bought the laptop from as soon as possible, I don’t think I can help you on that from my end.

    @Chris,

    5534 should come with webcam, maybe yours’ wire got loose, so the camera is not detected. it happened to many acers actually, thankfully, not mine. if you have only bought it for a short amount of time, you should get it exchanged or repaired from where you purchased it.

    Morris Lee

66. kaydia wrote, on June 14th, 2010:

    

    how do i activate the webcam?

67. Morris Lee wrote, on June 14th, 2010:

    

    @kaydia,

    you would need an application to view the webcam such as “Acer Crystal Eye Webcam” app that is already installed in your laptop when you purchased it or you can view it in various messengers such as MSN messenger.

    Morris Lee

68. Falling wrote, on July 7th, 2010:

    

    re: gaming

    I have this laptop and it usually runs Starcraft II 1v1, but 2v2 or 3v3 suffers from enormous lag.

    Is it mostly the CPU that is the weak link or would extra RAM help? And if it’s the CPU are there processor that it can be upgraded to? (For instance Wienter’s suggestion for the RM-70?)

69. Morris Lee wrote, on July 7th, 2010:

    

    @Falling,

    If you have lowered all your settings, there is not much you can do with this laptop, it is very limited to heat dissipation, if you upgrade your CPU, it is going to get too hot.

    Remember, this is a very entry leveled laptop, Starcraft 2 is completely new 2010 game, it is also in beta at the moment. so you can either sit it out and see if your laptop can run the final optimized version better or play it on a more powerful computer.

    To note, even my core 2 duo, HD3650, I can’t max out all the graphics settings, 5534 only has HD3200 and significantly weaker than what I have.

    Who is Wienter?

70. Falling wrote, on July 15th, 2010:

    

    Ok thanks, I might be considering going desktop for price reasons.

    Wienter posted in the comment section of this article on Jan 4th, which is what I was referring to:

    “Not so great.
    TF-20 is a rather weak CPU although the 3200HD is a rather decent GPU.
    However those who got it can consider upgrading to a RM/ZM Processor since the chipset is based on AMD M780G logically speaking it should support Griffin CPU.
    Anyway you can try getting the CPU off ebay and do DIY upgrade.
    Preferably choose a RM-70 because it has the lowest TDP hence the least hot.
    Because TF-20 is a low power CPU the thermal module might not be able to handle hot cpus.”

71. Ronny wrote, on July 20th, 2010:

    

    My Acer Crystal Eye, stop working, it said “camera not found”, and there is no Acer Crystal Eye webcam in Device Manager (like it used to be), but change with “USB Video Device”
    I cannot use it with any messenger service. I have googling for it and still no real solution for the problem.. Hope you can help with this.. thx in advance

72. Morris Lee wrote, on July 20th, 2010:

    

    @Ronny,

    Are you sure if the Camera driver is installed properly? if so, contact acer if it is still under warranty to get it fixed, it seems to be a internal wiring got lose.

    Morris Lee

73. Ronny wrote, on July 20th, 2010:

    

    Thx for the feedback, unfortunetly the warranty already overdue, some website adviced me to disconnect n re-connect the camera cable, but i dont know how to open the lid… Btw, the camera driver installed properly, im gonna try to reformat everything n back to factory setting, hope it will get fix.. cross my fingers..

Leave a Reply