Acer Aspire V5-131-2680 Troubleshooting

Laptop turns on but does not display anything or is very dark.

Your computer's monitor might be the problem. You can try connecting your laptop to an external device. To do this, use a connecting cable (HDMI) to connect the laptop to any external function monitor. To check the display issue with your Acer laptop, follow these steps to connect the laptop to a monitor:

1. Use the HDMI cable and connect the laptop and an external monitor.
2. Check if the display is on the monitor or not. If not, use the keypad and press the F4 key until a display sign appears.
3. If a display sign appears on the monitor, then your laptop needs a graphic driver update.

If you have a display on the external monitor, it means that your graphic drivers are not updated or are old. In order to download the necessary files, you will need to log onto your laptop. If you cannot log onto your laptop, then use “Safe Mode” with a network and then follow the instructions below.

1. After logging onto your laptop, search the graphic card driver manually from the manufacturer, download, and install it. If you do not know what graphic card driver to download then use “Driver easy,” which will automatically download and install all the graphic card drivers for you.
2. After it has been downloaded and installed, run driver easy and click on scan.
3. After scanning and checking to see if everything is downloading, restart your computer.

It is also possible that your device has a virus. To check for a virus you will need to run a virus scan through your laptop. You need to log into your laptop in order to check the antivirus program that you currently have. If you cannot access your login, then refer to the “Safe mode” method discussed in the last method.

1. After logging in, run a virus scan throughout the entire Windows system. It may take some time but it will help you resolve this problem.
2. If any malware is detected, then follow the instructions by the anti-virus program to resolve it.
3. Restart your computer.

You have trouble listening to computer audio using a headset, but not over computer speakers.

Unplug your headset and then try plugging in again. Ensure that your audio jack is fully inserted. Check to see if audio works through your headset.

Also, check for dust or dirt in your audio jack as this may be distorting your audio. If dust or dirt is found, take a cotton swab and very slightly damp with water or rubbing alcohol. Then, carefully insert the cotton swab into the jack and clear away the dust or dirt by making circular motions. Once you’ve done this several times, take a dry cotton swab and do the same to remove any excess moisture.

If you already checked if your headphone jack was loose or dirty, then you might have the wrong audio output selected. To fix this, follow these steps:

1. Click the windows key on your keyboard.
2. In the search bar, type “Settings” and click on the settings icon.
3. In the search bar in the Settings app, type “sound” and hit enter.
4. Multiple options will come up. Look for the “Choose your sound output device” option and click this option.
5. Once open, check and see where the audio output is assigned to. Change it to your headphones, computer speaker, third party device, or any other desired device.

Try playing audio using the computer speakers. If audio is heard and is not distorted, this might indicate that your headphones are faulty. Try playing audio using a different headset.

The laptop’s touchpad is not responsive to certain commands.

Some Acer Aspire V5’s come with the touchpad disabled. You can check this by pressing and holding the Fn key and pressing either the F6 or F7 key. A window will pop up letting you know if the touchpad is enabled or disabled. From here you can enable the touchpad if it is disabled.

If you’ve already checked to see if the touchpad is enabled, and your touchpad is still not responding, the touchpad driver may require an update.

1. Press the Windows Key and R at the same time.
2. A window will pop up that says “Run.” In the search bar, type “devmgmt.msc” and hit enter.
3. A list of multiple items will pop up. You will want to look for “Mouse and other pointing devices.” Press the sideways arrow that’s in front and it will give you one or more options to choose from.
4.  Right-click on the first one and press “Update Driver Software.” Once you do this it will ask you “How do you want to search driver?” Choose “Search automatically for updated driver software.”
5. Allow the driver to update.

If you’ve already checked the touchpad driver for updates and it still does not work, you need to uninstall the touchpad driver and reinstall it.

1. Press the Windows Key and R at the same time.
2. A window will pop up called “Run”, in the search bar type devmgmt.msc and hit enter.
3. A list of multiple items will pop up, you will want to look for “Mouse and other pointing devices.” Press the sideways arrow that’s in front and it will give you more options to choose from.
4. Right-click on the first option from the dropdown menu and click “Uninstall device.” Confirm the removal of the device by clicking ok.
5. Restart your Acer Aspire. When it boots back up, Windows will automatically detect that the touchpad driver is missing and install it for you. Your touchpad should work after this.

If you need to replace your touchpad, please refer to our replacement guide for replacing an Acer Aspire V5 touchpad.

You are trying to turn on your laptop, but the computer does not respond or show signs of powering up.

Check that the battery is properly placed in the battery slot. If performing this task does not help your situation, check the condition of the battery. Locate the battery port, slip and unclip the battery from the slot. Check to see if the battery contains any dents, signs of corrosion along the sides, or if the battery is bloated. If this is the case, refer to our guide for replacing batteries.

You tried turning on your laptop but it will not turn on. What you could try to do is power reset your laptop.

1. Unplug the charger from the computer if it is plugged in.
2. Turn the laptop over and remove the battery by releasing the lock that holds the battery in place.
3. Turn the laptop back over, open it, and hold down the power button for 30 seconds.
4. Once you’ve done this, close the laptop, and turn it back over. Place your battery back in and enable the lock tab so it doesn’t fall off.
5. Turn over your laptop, and plug in the charger.
6. Open up your laptop, and turn it on.

The computer does not charge when plugged into a power source.

The problem may be your power socket and not your laptop. Try plugging in your charger to a different power socket to ensure that the original socket is not the problem.

Check the charging port for signs of dust or dirt. Accumulated dust and dirt can interfere with the charging process. If you find your charging port dusty or dirty, take a dry, clean cloth and carefully brush the dust away.

Ensure that all cables are securely plugged in and are not bent. This may be preventing your laptop from charging. Carefully inspect your charger cables for rips, tears, or frays. If you notice your cable is beginning to fray, take electrical tape and carefully wrap around the damaged area on your cable several times. If the cable is very ripped, consider purchasing a new charger rather than repairing.

Laptop gets hot very quickly.

If your laptop tends to overheat consistently check to see if you don’t have too many programs running. Close all open programs and shut down the computer. Then wait for the laptop to cool down for several minutes. If when restarting the computer the overheating persists, refer to the other solutions down below.

Most often, a malfunctioning fan due to dust causes laptops to overheat. Power off your laptop completely and unplug any cables attached. Wait a couple of minutes, and then flip the laptop over and inspect the vents and fan for dust, dirt, or other signs of blockage such as hair. Take a compressed air duster and carefully blow the dust or other blockage off the vents or fan.