Netbook freezes randomly

My 751h just arrived and I've been setting it up. Among my tasks was to update the bios, but many testimonials indicate that doing the update seems to lead to problems, just as not updating the bios seems related to many problems. I've been using PCs since the early 1980s and have never before encountered this kind of bios confusion. Why is Acer creating new versions of bios while admitting they're almost likely to cause harm?

 

Can't you clone the drive before you send it off?

 

regrading the frequency i can see 800 mhz ram are more compatible then 667 mhz our netbook is able to underclock 800 mhz frequency ram better then 667 dont have the proof .but will try to find modules with 800 and 2gb and update it here . thanks for confirming that 667 dosent work

By the way wat OS are u using and wat bios version is loaded on your netbook.i never had a freeze when using webcam in skype or yahoo . have used it for hrs.no during scroll . i suspecting ur on old bios .my freezes are random while using or on idle when plugged in and the scenario of file transfer i described earlier always triggers a freeze in my netbook when on battery . earlier after waking from sleep it use to freeze or just stay at welcome screen . now after 2 application compatibility updates released frm windows for my win 7 seems to have fixed that.


i m loaded with windows 7
and following driver versions:
bios :- 3210
intel chipset :- 9.1.1.1013 (dowdloaded frm acer site)
gma 500 drivers :- 8.14.10.2011 frm windows update (never load the one frm acer site its beta and not digital signed)
synaptics :- 14.0.3.0
atheros :- 8.0.0.238
bluetooth :- 6.2.1.500
card reader :- 6.1.7600.30105(realtek site)
lan :- 7.6.820.2009 (either frm windows update or realtek site both are same versions)

has any 1 installed corsair value select 2 gb 800 mhz and had a freeze????????

 

Since my 751 came with the 160GB Seagate, I tried switching to a Western Digital 320GB. The new drive just produces a sssssh when working, but once in a while I hear a very loud CLICK! coming from it. It's quite rare and absolutely not pleasant, but I feel that when it happens, one freeze has been avoided. I think two conditions may generate this click: a big overcurrent (not sure) or a sudden drop of current, which triggers the head emergency parking. The Acer support is stubborn: I contacted them twice and they told me "update your bios", which I had already done, and then "restore your OS to default", since I was on 7. I tried their XP OEM, 7 and Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, all behave quite the same. I don't know if I trust them enough to tell them I want a repair. I love this netbook, but I'm beginning to think I want my money back. I've got 3 Acer computers, but behaving like this, Acer is proving to be a bad company. For sure I won't buy anything anymore from them or from their associated (like Packard Bell), and I suscribe the list of Acer's detractors. Nice products, but they don't work and nobody knows why.

A question: did anyone have a freeze while installing an OS? It never happened to me.

 

Someone tried Linux OS? ×_×

 

I've had three netbooks on which I installed Ubuntu Hardy Heron (ie, version 8.04). I'm typing this on my HP Mini 1000 which I ordered as Linux only, then didn't like the desktop, so wiped the hd and installed Heron. I've used MS computers since the early 1980s. My foray into Linux began with the Asus 701, then the Asus 901 (my first experience with wiping the hd and installing Heron), then I advanced to my HP Mini (slightly larger screen, better keyboard).

I purchased a 751h - which arrived yesterday - for several reasons: screen resolution, screen size, and the possibility of having a dual boot computer with Windows and Ubuntu - and Acer does seem to make nice keyboards. My plan has been to use XP for photoprocessing, Ubuntu for my emails and medical research (ie, job).

After working with my 751h's XP - getting rid of bloatware, shifting back to Norton (which works for me), enduring a series of Windows security patches - I awakened to a feeling of Why keep hassling with MS? Why? For me, the Linux Gimp photo processing is not as slick as Photoshop (I have CS4 on two XPs). I also awakened to another question: Would a Gimp discussion board have solutions for the two techniques I find burdensome or unusable in Gimp? If so, I'd just go with trying Ubuntu on the 751h. Meanwhile, I'll keep using my HP Mini with only Ubuntu - for email, web surfing, medical research, and will slowly try to turn my 751h into a dual boot - with XP for photo processing capability (tho' not with CS4) and with Ubuntu as my 751h's most-used OS.

Were Gimp closer to my photo processing needs, I'd have no reason to continue using Microsoft operating systems. Overall, and having been into computers off and on since 1968, I far prefer Ubuntu Linux to the machinations (OS changes) of Microsoft.

 

You may want to return your Acer 751 if you want to run Linux. The GMA 500 chipset is not really supported under linux (it's not an Intel chipset, but rather a poorly supported chipset that Intel licensed due to it's low power requirements). The drivers are not even beta and you can only get bare-minimum hardware acceleration under Linux. Even moving windows around causes slow screen redraws and forget about 3D acceleration of any kind. Seriously, I would return it or Ebay it if Linux is going to be your main operating system. For $100 more you can get an Acer 1410, which would have a more standard graphics chipset, plus the same keyboard and screen.

Just my 2 cents!

 

Thnx for the suggestion. The more I learn about the 751h, the more I'm inclined to accept your counsel as prudent.

 

I no longer have the 751h and, in its place, have purchased:

Acer Computer 1410 Aspire 11.6" Notebook PC
Intel Core 2 Solo Processor ULV SU3500 1.4GHz /
2GB RAM / 250GB HD / Intel GMA 4500MHD / Webcam /
802.11N Wireless / 6-Cell Battery / Windows VHP

I'll be adding 2 gig of ram.

In the context of other readings and evaluation of my intentions with this next computer, TrackSmart's comments helped me moved forwards.

 

I sent my netbook in for repairs due to this freezing issue. The original unit had a Seagate 250GB drive and it was replaced with a Western Digital 250GB drive. The netbook froze within 30minutes of use. I was not doing anything out of the ordinary.

Caveat emptor - Do not purchase one of these devices.

For those who think these are skewed and biased opinions fail to realize that good systems would have NO posts like this so there is a definite and measurable rate of failure (much greater than 1-2%).

 

A little off-topic, but I just came from an HP 2133 Mini-note which the users on the HP Mini forum claimed huge motherboard failure rates. They debated there whether the rates were as high as thought due to the vast amount of owners not being the type to join a forum for their netbook. The fact some go searching a forum means they are the ones with problems. Many users with no problems are happy and oblivious to any issues or forums talking about the issues.

Either way, all these netbooks are small flimsy disposable convenient devices.

I had no issues with my 2133. Had a couple of freezes on the 751 in the first week, swapped to a different ram and have had no freezes since...

 

Hello everyone!!
I write from overseas (Spain) and i only want to say that my acer aspire one 751 frozens frequently, specially when i´m using a word processor or the touchpad. They told me to install the last BIOS but doesn´t fix the problem. My OS is Windows Vista and i have 2 GB RAM.

 

And Acer continues to sell this netbug all over the world, as it has no problem. I pretend to be compesated by the prejudice, and with the money I will buy an netbook from another manufacturer. Maybe Asus.

 

I do not consider any device that costs $350US as "disposable".

Public forums indeed show you only a small fraction of the total user base, but if you have a measurable percentage of complaints about a single common issue (e.g., random freezing), it is a safe bet to say that there is a real problem. Feel free to discount our complaints as "fringe" or insignificant, but know that you are wrong in your conclusions. If this were not a significant problem, the lion's share of complaints would be "how to I connect to my wireless router?", or "what does that blinking icon mean?", or some other software/configuration issue. This is not a software issue.

 

I dont think this is an isolated problem.

I registered myself in this board just to say that my 751h is also freezing, aprox 3x a day.

At first I thought I had a faulty one, but it seems this is widespread. I think many more ppl are experiencing this, but either don't search the net or just keep quiet to see if a solution arises.

I`ve upgraded to the latest Acer drivers, with no success. No bios update though, as it seems that it really does nothing to solve the problem, not counting the risk of the thing freezing during the procedure.

Too bad, because I bought mine in Brazil, online, cheap but with no warranty.

I think ACER is just very quiet because they dont produce the hardware anyway. Maybe they don't even know how to discover the problem root. They clearly cannot fix freezing ones.

So, maybe this is a case for lawsuit or public action.

Just for the record, mine is AO751h-1545 1GB RAM WinXP MFG Date 0906.

 

A few people have mentioned that they have two 751h's. I remember reading in one case that a person swapped memory between the two to see if memory was the issue, and found it was not. Has anyone done the same task with the hard drive? If we had the information from that test, and the problem followed the hard drive, then we know it's either the hard drive itself, or the contents of the drive (drivers, etc). Otherwise, it could be any other difference between the two units.

I apologize in advance if this has already been tested. I've been trying to read every post, but after 30+ pages it gets hard.

 

I went through 3 751H's and all had freezing issues.

Sent mine for repair just last month and they replaced the Hard drive to Toshiba and I had seagate before.
It did't solve the problem because it still freezes.
I just sent my netbook for repair again and I'd have to find out what they are going to do next the 2nd time around.

 

My system was freezing multiple times per day usually during scrolling operations or just moving the mouse over the vertical scroll bar would sometimes do it. I swapped out the memory which was a 1 GB Hynix 667 MHz module with a 1GB 533 MHz from Add-On Computer to remove the need to underclock the memory. I have yet to have a freeze while USING the computer going on 2 weeks now and the computer is on 24/7.

BUT, I have had it freeze a couple of times in the last few days for some reason while the system was idle with the lid closed. It did not freeze at all for the first week. The system never goes to sleep and no screen savers, I just have the screen blank when the lid closes. So 3 times over the last 5 days when I open the lid in the morning I have a blank screen and no response.

So even though the memory swap to 533 Mhz did not seem to totally fix the freeze problem it has made the system very usable from where it was before. My system mfg date is 0906 for what that is worth running Win XP.

Has anyone had any experience using memory rated at 800 MHz?

 

I'll throw my observations out there as well. My 751h is never off; either I'm using it, or it's in standby. This has been the case for the entire ~2 months I've owned the unit. It has never frozen while in standby. Furthermore, the only times I can recall it freezing are when I was playing music using WMP12 over bluetooth, when working on a large Word document, and when scrolling through web pages. I haven't used the web cam at all.

Nothing has been replaced on the system. 2 GB memory, bluetooth, and a Western Digital hard drive.

 

I replaced my hdd with a 30GB SSD and installed Windows XP Pro and all latest Acer drivers. Opened skype and did a test video chat.

Frozen only one time. Next, I video chatted for 1:40 hours successfully. Then restarted the laptop and tested once again. No freeze in 50min. I think I found the remedy.

I am going to send the laptop with original HDD and ask the repair staff to replace the HDD. I hope they listen to me.