Netbook freezes randomly

I wish I could be of more help, but I have spoken my mind to Acer's email support in the hopes that they may listen to reason for everyone else's sake. I Have a 30-day return on this Netbook and am on my to take advantage of it. I see a Lenovo Ideapad I have my eye on now...
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Acer replied to my initial cries for action with this, albeit pretty quickly and on a weekend. I sent back a pretty angry reply, all of which is below. I initially explained in extreme detail that I and the rest of us here are having just about identical issues (I'm sure the root cause sure is) and need this looked into. I am not sending a one-day-old computer for MoBo repair or alike. Everyone with an A0751h should be entitled to a comparable Acer unit of different model. Even after my very detailed email to them explaining the situation and all that I and everyone else had done they had the nerve to reply with this - how aggravating.
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(Acer's 1st Response)
Dear <Removed>,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

As per our record your system is in warranty but not registered.

Having reviewed your e-mail I understand that you are facing an issue with system freeze.

<Removed>, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience experienced.

We would suggest you to please go through the following link to trouble shoot the issue : http://support.gateway.com/s/Checklists ... 0122.shtml

If the issue persists inform us and we will do the needful.

You may please visit this site to complete the registration process : https://secure3.tx.acer.com/FindSystem/ ... r%20System

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.acer.com

Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support
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Maybe my angered reply was a little out of hand, but I disagree.
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(My 2nd response)
Listen, I understand you're trying to help and for that, Thanks.

I have been up all night (literally, I have bags under my eyes) troubleshooting, trying various things, researching, reloading the OS, the drivers, disabling system components one-by-one, the usual troubleshooting. I am a PC Tech by trade and do this all day long(How many times do you hear that a day, ha! lol). The link you sent me was insulting to me as it is something you or I might suggest to a customer who has very little technical skill. As I explained in my email, I have done my homework here and honestly am no longer interested in ""fixing"" the issue (It can't be fixed, nor is it even acknowledged by Acer as a FLAW in, I would estimate at least 1/3rd of A0751h-XXXX's - perhaps that's a big reason why the A0751h line was drastically cut down?

The only "Solution" I "would have" accepted is a comparable Acer Netbook of a differing model. Please take "some" time and read some of the posts in the thread I linked to you - or pass it along to R&D or a Supervisor who can look into it further. I'm sure nothing is going to be done as Acer more than likely doesn't expect anyone to persue them for a >300 computer. I can assure you, you will take a much larger hit via my word-of-mouth.

The reason I am using such strong language is simple, even though I have owned and worked with some very nice Acer units in the past, just go to Google, type in "A0751h freeze" and see what I'm talking about. I can understand if it was just me - but it isn't. It's not even a handful of people, it's a whole bundle of people and a whole lot of these units which are failing. Acer still refuses to pony up and admit some sort of fault instead putting the customer at an extreme inconvenience and even raping them with shipping costs for a unit that was doomed from the start. It's VERY sad to see, as I used to regard Acer a bit higher up than I do now.

Something is seriously wrong with A0751H line, and that's it. It's not up for discussion in my mind. I have packed up the Acer and plan to purchase a Lenovo Ideapad, I am just grateful I use a computer enough hours in a day and am knowledgeable enough to know this isn't going to be resolved anytime soon, not to mention the 30-day return I am taking advantage of at the place of purchase(THANK GOD).

I truly hope Acer will help out existing customers who are (unlike me) STUCK with these pieces of junk. Go ahead, run Google Earth on an A0751h model, bet you can't get more than 5 minutes out of it.

Can you tell I'm pissed? How about the people who have had those units for over a month and must pay 1/4th the units cost in shipping for you to throw different (probably lower-power consumption) parts at it in an attempt to "mitigate" the problem.

Again, you can't help me or anyone else with an A0751h series it appears. I will not register the product, you guys can have it back! In perfect non-working condition as you sold it to me. I should be compensated for all of my time that was spent hovering over this pile of trash thinking I could fix it. Time is money, right? Pay up then. I charge $65/hr so at 10 hours you owe me $650.

I'm off to return this heap, I certainly hope you can at least do me the courtesy of forwarding my thoughts to some higher-ups. I would love to hear from them or you if need be.

Thanks for wasting mine and everyone else's time (not you specificlly, but Acer, Corp.)
<removed>
<removed>

 

Alright, so I returned it. Ordering the IdeaPad S10 from Lenovo, don't need a speed demon at all.

I just had to post this here because it sort of blew mind a little bit (not) while I was in the return line. A lady struck up a conversation with me when she saw I was returning the same laptop she had bought three of for her kids. She hated them, they do the SAME thing. She said they were very slow (What do you expect, it's for portability) and that they freeze all the (damn) time. I told her about my findings here but she passed the store's 30-day return but hopefully she'll make Acer repair them. I would die if I bought THREE of them and all did that.

Thanks all

 

Thank you, Netbroke, for sending Acer that reply. Your experience is certainly not unusual. I have had a similar response from Acer's Customer Service. I don't think that they read customer messages very carefully (or at all). Their attitude seems to be "we don't care; we don't have to." That's a heck of a business model.

I'm afraid that my netbook is now 2 months old. I'm basically stuck with an expensive paperweight. It's very discouraging. Live and learn, I guess. I won't buy their products ever again and will encourage others to read this website before they consider buying an Acer or Gateway product. People should be aware of what they will be dealing with if a problem should arise.

Does anyone know how to start a Facebook page to warn others of this badly designed netbook and Acer's total lack of customer support about it? Someone earlier mentioned doing this. That sounded like a good idea, but I'm afraid that I don't have a clue on how to do this. Maybe if Acer gets enough bad publicity they will finally step up and do the right thing.

Acer, are you reading this? You truly have a serious problem with this netbook. It seems penny-wise and pound-foolish to ignore this issue.

 

Hello guys and happy holidays
below i will post up what i sent to acer Europe along with the email addresses ,I did not post the attachments to the mail of which i refered to
My first email to service was in Oct. I bought 3 of these little babies 1 for me and 2 as gifts to my kids
As some of you know i also sent my 751h back for repair and got it back in allmost a week found out what they did
reinstalled winXP and updated the BIOS .....well if i did not do it 20 times before i dont know?
anyway it still freezes.DURRR.
A few Q's
1) how does this model differ from the AS1410TZ
2) is it a suitable replacement ? does it freeze also ?
3)What happened to the "Denmark recall" post does anyone have anymore details ?
well all i can suggest is send those emails in and give them something to do when they get back from vacation
I dont think they can ignore all of us without making the NEWS

This info is available on the web (google)
[email protected] http://www.acer.de
http://csd.acer.com.tw/acer/community.n ... enDocument

 

Below is the letter i sent in the attachment and also with the netbook when it went for repair
It does not appear that anyone read it during the repair process as nothing significant was done
What we call in my "business paint and ship". at least it was not scratched up and came back well packed
I love this little netbook as it could have been a real winner if it could perform as advertised.
And if the reviews that I read before buying it would have said something different, I can’t believe none of the reviewers
Experienced this problem.
happy new year guys
this has stressed me out so much im gonna go and cheer myself up with a new Nokia Booklet
Acer has just lost me ......

 

FYI: someone has already started a Facebook page to comment on Acer. I'm not sure that a wall of obscenity is the best approach, but I certainly can understand the frustration. If you are interested, here is the Facebook link.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21452470001

 

Yeah, not too sure that Facebook is going to get the point across. The first image I saw was someone complaining of an Acer notebook with a cracked LCD. Now C'mon - that doesn't just happen on it's own.

The 751h problems? Now that we truly have nothing to do with, that's Acer's faulty design/workmanship and they refuse to accept any sort of responsibility. I really hope these models are recalled and replaced with better models - that's the only solution in my mind and isn't up for negotiation. Heck, Acer themselves are trying to do away with that series, what does that say about them?

I would think a Facebook or alike detailing the issues with the 751H model series could be of great use. Hopefully owners that haven't seen this site will maybe join up there?

Not to mention Acer support not even listening to the customer, even well informed ones that could take their service department for a loop.

Good luck though folks, I really feel your pain. On the bright side, I did order the Lenovo tonight and am waiting with bated breath for it to arrive. Can't go wrong with an IBM IMO, they're always known to be solid machines and I definitely checked the reviews and the model has been out long enough to spot issues like this one so I hope (Sure it will) all works out for the best.

 

This is the email I just sent to the two aforementioned Acer officers:

I just hope that the continued complains and pressure will make them see the size of the problem and hopefully lead to some kind of reaction such as a refund or replacement with a working model (such as a Timeline series laptop), even if we had to pay the price difference.

 

i loaded the new intel driver. still freezes. i went to control panel | system | device manager and disabled the graphics driver. the monitor looks all funky now but readable. so far it has not frozen when i scroll. hvaen't tested skype yet.

 

I also wanted to add what I was working with and what I did if it helps...

Acer Aspire One A0751h-1948 -Black
1.33Ghz Intel Atom
1Gb DDR2 RAM
160Gb Drive

It first froze when installing Office 2007 from a mounted ISO, it had been running under one hour and was connected to WiFi at the time - I also had a USB 2.0 8GB Flash Drive connected.

Right from there it froze randomly ever since. It was definitely worse whenever I had the 8GB USB drive plugged in. I could always replicate the freezing running Google Earth like mentioned in the forum. The first time I ran Google Earth, I typed in a location and as soon as the "Earth" started to spin, it froze. Sometimes I can check out a location or two in Google Earth but almost always within 5 minutes running the program it freezes. Using the Webcam was alright, I was video chatting via a web-based service for a half-hour and it never froze, but that's all I did with it. I also tried using another RAM module(had compatible ones in my work bag), still froze. I reinstalled the stock OS, Windows 7, updated all drivers from Aser/Intel - tried manual installs, BIOS updates, disabled items in device manager, power settings, praying, spitting, cursing, etc.

By "Freeze/Froze" I mean the computer just dead-locks, screen on showing the last completed task, keyboard - mouse unresponsive. Have to hold Power button for 10-secs to shut off and reboot. What if I had an hour's worth of a word doc. typed up? GONE! Heh. Immediately after reboot, it ran for an hour, maybe 2, maybe 3 before it froze again if I did nothing but surf the web. It's nuts and unacceptable for a "portable" computer. I had been thinking it may have had something to do with the CPU throttling, but locking the CPU @ 800MHZ or Auto makes no difference on my late Netbook.

Don't let Acer get away with these heaps!

 

Well, I don't think it's a heat problem. I finally got the freeze today while trying to install my WinTV USB stick. When Windows Media Center was doing the TV signal test the system would lock up about half way through. This happened 2 times in a row so I tried a little experiment. I placed my netbook on top fo an ice tray full of ice with a paper plate between them. The cpu temp settled down to about 48c during the entire process and the system still locked up at the half way mark. So, doesn't look like a heat problem.

 

I think that you are right; it is not a heat problem. I have seen random freezes when my computer is simply on, but not running any programs. I never feel any hotspots on the netbook -- either before of after a freeze either. My netbook tends to run fairly cool.

I think that the freeze problem might be due to a random short somewhere in my netbook. It can run sometimes for almost a day without problem until something changes. Then it locks up time after time.

Of course, one always worries that any short has the potential to cause a fire.

 

Hi!

i come here to talk about this suck problem, i from Brazil so, sorry, my english sux.

well, my father gave-me a "incredible" acer aspire one 751h, 2gb ram, 1.33ghz, and all that other thing.

when i look i was totaly happy, but work some hours and come the first freeze.

Well i think its was the netbook its to hot, so i put him in a base, and more 30 minuts, f***...happened again...

i try search something about the problem and it's look like i not the chose one!!! lol

yeah, acer f***ed up all of us. Now i trying find some MOD Upgrad Fan Cooler to this netbook.

I instaled the program AA1 Fan Cooler from Acer and put the cooler on maximun when took 50°c.

Another thing is, the cooler work "better" when plugged in AC Power and in batery, but none of this fixed the problem, the AO751H goes to 60°c and normally freezing at 55°c.

Now, what i should do whit my christmans present lol? my father bought two of theses "things" one for him and one for me. He talked about its one of the "best" netbooks compared with anothers.

I didn't tell him about the problem, he will see with your eyes, so i will just wait for he suffer the same problems. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

this it's a menssage for him to just do a search before buy netbooks without any information about.

 

The problem is not the high temperature.

I use this netbook for a long time ( for 5, 6, or more hours) without freeze... listening music, or watching videos...

It frozen imediatly when I start google heart in Direct X mode... In Open GL mode it works OK, but very slow.

 

so what it's is?

yesterday i'm in my office working, only 3 pages opened in google chrome and taling in MSN. JUST THIS.

about 2 hours,...."BANG"...system freezing...ok...turn on again...more 30 minuts..."bang"..freeze again!!

it's so frustating, now i need choice what program i will work?

yesterday i had 5..i say FIVE freezing. so i gave up...

 

It is a "heat problem". That's the one thing that's been demonstrated fairly conclusively in these 50-odd pages. Sticking your netbook in the freezer for a few minutes isn't much of a test.... :roll:

However, thermal issues are merely one part of several interrelated issues. The other two parts - apparent, not definitive - are differently-branded and manufactured components with different tolerances to thermal and voltage inconsistencies (mostly memory sticks), and problems with the Intel GMA video system which may not be related to thermal issues but can be seen by stressing the system. The different issues are why people are seeing different problems, and why some service fixes work, while others do not.

Acer stuck these netbooks together without a good thermal dispersion design, and then used subpar manufacturing controls. Again - it's not just "one problem" - it's a set of related problems that vary slightly from unit to unit.

 

WELL Gentelmen
maybe i have turned the corner
I have had a phone call directly from Acer wanting to know more about my problematic 751h
This is in responce to the email I sent to Hamberg HQ
So they want my netbook back in thier lovely arms to find a permanent fix
they seem to be takeing it seriously this time
she is packed up in her box and off tomorrow for repairs
stay tuned......

 

That is indeed good news pdam, but I'm not sure I'd say a corner has been turned just yet. I have a feeling nothing is going to be done for anyone else. I'm sure they'll try to do "something" for those who continue to persue it though. I sure hope everyone keeps on them. I'm extremely curious to know what they "found" if anything. I personally don't believe this is a heat related issue at all due to the experience with my 751h-1948. Even when it locked, it would restart and run ok for 30, 60, etc minutes until the next lock - system temps didn't vary much between that time. Although, I do believe certain components could be negatively influenced by heat as heat causes resistance in circuits.

I went ahead and sent a long, detailed email explaining my experience with the system and their support to the addresses posted above, hopefully some good will come out of it.

Even though I returned my system, I at least want a coupon damnit!

Good luck

 

hm.....good to know about this.

here, now i stop use de google chrome.

i`m with media player open, msn, IE8 (IE sux...:/)....coolar ate 60 celcius, the top?...63 celcius

this..for 2 hours or more...and whith no ac power..just batery...

yeah...will be fanny if the google chrome be the cause for the freezing.....lol

let`s test more and to see what`s happens...

can a program corrupt the system and stop work?

 

Hey there ulissesbr,

It might be a good idea to start reading through this complete topic. You will see that there isn"t a specific cause for the freezing. And that is the whole frustrating thing about it.
Maybe somebody will give you a reply but I doubt this will solve your problem.

Like some knowledgeable guys already wrote before; ACER should take its responsibility and step up and recall the complete 751h line. (and replace it with Macbooks :twisted: )

Good luck anyway.