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lossiemouth
1st Aug 2021, 08:50
Help needed with a terminal Acer Aspire 7250 (Model AAB70).

It is extremely unwell, and needs to reset, and reinstall Windows 10. Sadly it won't allow this, it'll go through all the steps of a full reset, but at the end it hasn't reset at all. I am at a loss, and close to sending it to the recycling centre. But due to severe financial embarrassment, I'd like to keep it a bit longer!

Any ideas to keep it going a bit longer?

Thanks for looking.

Aneas
1st Aug 2021, 09:51
First, back up as much as possible onto an external drive/memory stick
Are you able download from MS a fresh up-to-date copy of Win 10 (21H1) and install it? If not, maybe a friend could do it for you
Linux may also be a consideration

stevef
1st Aug 2021, 13:40
How far back do your System Restore checkpoints go? Maybe an early save will help short term.

lossiemouth
1st Aug 2021, 17:27
stevef Sadly nowhere far enough back!

Aneas I think that Linux may be the answer (fingers crossed).

Thanks for the suggestions both of you.

Procrastinus
1st Aug 2021, 19:44
Linux may well help, but after backing up ,give reinstall a try.
Nothing to lose!

stevef
2nd Aug 2021, 06:45
Lossie - you could try your System File Checker (SFC) in case you've got corrupted files stopping the reset process from completing.
Command Prompt - Run as Administrator - type sfc /scannow - Enter - wait for it to complete.
There's a space between sfc and the forward slash.

cattletruck
2nd Aug 2021, 10:34
I'd say it's the little battery that keeps the BIOS settings in check may have gone flat or the hard disk is beginning to show signs of going permanently kaput. Both have a finite life. Not sure how tech savvy you are but if you can find out the time during boot up and it is wrong by a number of years then it's probably the little battery.

If it is the battery then where they put that thing and how to change it needs some googling time.

lossiemouth
2nd Aug 2021, 17:57
More thanks for the replies; I've managed some form of reset, but fear I've made things worse!

The keyboard is now extremely erratic, and often hasn't even got numbers, this makes things extremely difficult. However the worst thing is that the wifi connect can't be accessed, as when it requests the security key it will only take the first three letters/numbers.

The date on restart was current, so does that rule out the battery?

Once again thanks for the help, and hints.

netstruggler
3rd Aug 2021, 07:57
More thanks for the replies; I've managed some form of reset, but fear I've made things worse!

The keyboard is now extremely erratic, and often hasn't even got numbers, this makes things extremely difficult. However the worst thing is that the wifi connect can't be accessed, as when it requests the security key it will only take the first three letters/numbers.

The date on restart was current, so does that rule out the battery?

Once again thanks for the help, and hints.

When you say 'reset' what did you actually do? In computer speak 'reset' normally just means stop everything and start up again without resorting to powering off.

If I was you I'd download either the 'Windows Media Creation Tool' or a Linux build such as LUbuntu onto a USB stick and boot from that. At least you'd find out if the hardware was OK.

You'll need to know if the Acer is 32bit or 64bit but otherwise the windows tool is easy to use to create a bootable USB. Putting the downloaded Linux image onto a bootable USB isn't trivial if you haven't done it before, but it's not difficult with a little help from Google or this list.

You'd be able to run Linux directly off the USB. With windows you'd have to try a repair or a reinstall. From what you've described so far it sounds like the repair would probably fail. If you know your existing Windows 10 licence number then that should work on a reinstall. Otherwise an unlicensed copy can be still be useful, depending on what you want it for.

Good Luck.

lossiemouth
3rd Aug 2021, 10:19
netstruggler. Thanks for the reply, I'm away for a couple of days. I will return to the struggle, and keep you informed.

Best Wishes,

L.

NutLoose
3rd Aug 2021, 10:45
Have you thought of buying a replacement SSD internal hard drive for it, doing a fresh install of windows onto that then using a lead external / case to use your old drive allowing you copy what you want off / access the old hard drive? it will also speed it up.

https://uk.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/acer/aspire-7250

https://www.amazon.co.uk/internal-hard-drive-case/s?k=internal+hard+drive+case



Other thing is with Windows 11 coming out, if your laptop will take it would that not replace 10 on it?

..

cattletruck
3rd Aug 2021, 12:38
The date on restart was current, so does that rule out the battery?
If you turned it off and on and the date remained current then yes the battery is fine.
Perhaps try an external keyboard and see if that addresses the keystroke issues. Any chance you have a computer virus? If not a new disk then perhaps a low level disk reformat (after backing up your work) would be in order but your backups may also be infected.

Agree, it is an unusual problem as normally the Windows installer will examine your system to confirm an install is possible, and inform you if not in most common cases.

lossiemouth
9th Aug 2021, 17:50
Thanks all again for your time and trouble.

A quick update, I've reinstalled Windows 10, and this appears to have made things somewhat better. It now appears that the one major problem left is that the wifi appears to be terminal. If I'm lucky I'll get a couple of minutes of use, on a very weak signal, before it dies.

I've checked for updates on the wireless driver, and it is the current version, I've also uninstalled the driver. However when the driver is reinstalled it behaves exactly the same as the previous version.

I fear that this may be time to put it out of it's misery. Unless you know different !

Saab Dastard
9th Aug 2021, 20:04
If the wifi performance is the only problem, you could try a USB wireless adapter when you can't connect with a copper cable - moderately portable (although for sure not as simple and convenient as the built-in) and reasonably cheap. Certainly a lot less than a new laptop.

FlightDetent
9th Aug 2021, 21:59
+1 on the WiFi usb adapter. They also come in very small sizes!

lossiemouth
10th Aug 2021, 07:55
Splendid idea, I'll give it a go.

Thanks.

lossiemouth
14th Aug 2021, 12:49
My Wi-Fi dongle arrived yesterday, and all is now well. Thanks again for all of your help. I'm most grateful.

Lossy.