Risky Attempt Resetting BIOS

I'm about to do something risky.
To some, this "risk" might sound trivial and outright stupid but please bear with me.

I'll have to reset BIOS settings of my laptop because the screen is not getting any data from my mobo, resulting into a constantly empty screen.
Reading the online manual of the laptop, the instructions sound quite dangerous to me.

They involve shorting CMOS jumpers.
Specifically, by continually shorting the jumpers AND plugging in the AC current and waiting for bios POST, all that while keeping the jumpies shorted.

Few years ago I burnt a desktop motherboard by a similar practice, shorting + AC current. Regardless, the experience was rather alarming.
The issue occurred upon exploring BIOS environment, I changed the value of "default monitor something something" into "auto", it previously had another value but I couldn't remember which of the 5-6 different values it was, so 'auto' seemed like a decent choice.

Since that was my only change, I trivially saved the new setting and restarting I found a pitch black screen that would persist no matter what for these past few days.
Obviously the mobo is feeding the info elsewhere and not my screen.
I tried VGA and HDMI outputs in hopes the "auto" mode shifted toward them, but that didn't work out.

I tried all the typical ways to reset bios, like getting the battery out, CMOS battery out, waiting, casual shorting, more waiting, pressing power button in such and such manner etc etc.
Now my last resort seems to be doing the "proper" shorting.

So my question boils down to:
Even though it comes straight from the official manual of the very laptop I own, I'm still afraid of potential complications.
What are the chances of a disaster and how safe is it and what tool would be better used for this task?

Laptop model is Acer Aspire V3-771G

Here's the manual in PDF form, you'll find the instructions I'm talking about in page 250 (PDF pages) or manual page 5-6.

http://data.manualslib.com/pdf3/55/5466/546527-acer/aspire_v3731.pdf?938780cbf246ab9d32913aa3e7ef2420&take=binary

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Odd. I try it the generic way first.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 29, 2014 1:22PM PDT

It's over in the CNET Laptop Troubleshooting forum if this short version won't do.

Remove power and battery. Press and hold the power button for 60 seconds. Release and re-try.

Now there are folk that can't distinguish a hang from a dead laptop, but let's try simple first.
Bob

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Done that.

by mteamix Apr 29, 2014 1:32PM PDT

Thanks for the reply Bob.
Although I've done all that, I tried pressing power button without battery and/or CMOS battery in many different ways, holding it down ranging from 5 seconds to 2 minutes, it doesn't reset anything.

I tried shorting the jumper with the battery, not AC current to no avail.
My last option is shorting the jumpers while plugged in as I describe in OP, which sounds dangerous to me.
I know what I have to do but due to my dark past of motherboards and jumpers, I'm sort of reluctant trying this.

It's more like an advice thread, rather than a solution seeking thread.
Again, the question would be, if you were in my place, would you do it?
Take a flat-head, short the jumpers, keep it like that, plug the AC current, still keep flat-head on until you see something different?

It's how the official manual instructs it.

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Sure. Why not?

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 29, 2014 1:43PM PDT

It's broke so you can't break it again. Some of our new techs think like that. They hit a dead PC and worry about trying what's in the manual. I wish you luck but it doesn't sound like a CMOS reset issue.

This model could be in warranty. Why not let them fix it? Also, Acer has a site to extend the warranty if it's out of warranty. Cheaper than most options.

Nice manual, good doc for that CRISIS mode.
Bob

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Why though?

by mteamix Apr 29, 2014 1:54PM PDT

What do you mean it's "broke" and that it's not CMOS reset issue?
I mean the problem started the moment I changed the default screen setting and it was the only setting I changed.
I can't really see how it broke or how it isn't a bios issue.
Maybe I failed to mention that laptop was already working just fine for a year, I had fans changed, renewed thermal paste, etc changed MBR and OSs many times, update BIOS, etc. all that progressively down the past months without any problem.
And as I said, the second I saved that new setting with default/primary screen, the screen turned blank.

Do you think there's a possibility the screen kinda got burnt?
I don't get the CRISIS mode reference, is the manual lacking?

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Deep fix?

by Willy Apr 30, 2014 12:45AM PDT

You're not going to burn the screen/display LCD. You're not going anywhere if the bios is hosed though. if everything was working prior to the bios reset then why play with it? the newer bios have EUFI intergrated into it or around it. These are more OEM bound than ever before and probably the purpose it was intended to do. Effectively keeping the user from NOT getting way over their heads, but that won't stop many that continue to dabble.

Clearing the CMOS(bios) it ONLY a momentarily action. Adding power and then short the pins/pads as required. You don't keep it there no longer than a sec. or two. It should return to defaults which is what i suppose you're trying to do. Also, the "reset button" that Robert offered is basically trying to do the same task. Since it seems you're going beyond the typical shorting or doing "service tech" fixes or more than you're on your own. The results can't be complex and since it's all or nothing approach, you maybe left holding the bag. Return everything to the way it was before these fixes and see if ordering a new BIOS i/c can be mounted is socketed or actually install a socket then mount new replacement bios. Otherwise, swap mtrbd. is the last option, Google for eBay or Craigslist sources, etc. or online vendors.

tada -----Willy

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(NT) you just have a wrong video driver issue

by James Denison Apr 30, 2014 5:45AM PDT

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(NT) cancel that if you can't see BIOS output

by James Denison Apr 30, 2014 5:47AM PDT

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another question

by mteamix Apr 29, 2014 3:54PM PDT

Is there some kind of menu/options to press in CRISIS mode?
I'm asking because my laptop screen is blank so when time comes I won't be able to see anything.
Or is CRISIS mode as straightforward as it seems?

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Let me be clearer.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 30, 2014 12:58AM PDT

To me this sounds like a part failure and not a CMOS issue. Do try what's in the service manual and about CRISIS. That's in the manual how to use and if done wrong could make matters worse as in it really will have to see a seasoned service tech.

To me this sounds like bad motherboard, ram or other. It's not at my bench so I can't see it all.
Bob

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UPDATE

by mteamix May 3, 2014 6:13PM PDT

UPDATE:
Past few days I've tried a number of things and found myself in a dead end.

As far as I know there are 2 formal ways to reset bios.
The one is to Short Jumpers and the other is to use Crisis Disk mode.

I tried both and neither worked, although they are certain instructions that must be done in a correct order for these resets to work.
In my case, both of the methods include the Power Button, holding it down and releasing in a very specific way.

That doesn't work now because: My laptop opens as soon as I plug the AC in, it auto-starts, it turns on automatticaly just by pluggin in the AC cable.
I google'd it and almost everyone attributes the problem to bad BIOS.
The auto-start only started occuring after the earlier attempts to reset bios.
My guess is that I messed the BIOS in the process of reseting the healthy BIOS.

The story:

0.Everything is fine.
1.I explore bios, look around settings.
2.I find "Default/Primary Screen/Monitor Display" or something along those lines and press enter to see other possible values for the option, there were 5-6 different ones.
3.Moving away from that option I forgot which was the default value of the option so I put "auto" instead, thinking that is the holy grail of healthy curiosity.
4.I exit BIOS saving the changes, that was the only change I had made, didn't see anything wrong with that.
5.Upon restarting at that very instant, my screen turned black and unresponsive, it was obvious, my motherboard wasn't feeding power/data to my actual screen, a result of the options.
6.I tried removing all batteries and AC for minutes, hours hoping for a bios reset but that didn't happen.
7.I started searching on the internet and found that I had to short the jumpers for a proper hard reset, reached for the manual and there was a precise but for me dangerous practice of reseting bios, which I described in OP.
8.My first attempts to short the jumpers weren't correct, which is when I think my BIOS got wrecked and the reason why laptop powers up when plugged in.
9.Next day I tried both jumper shorting and USB CRISIS mode, although both of them required a certain way of pressing power button, it was that moment I first noticed the laptop was turning on automatically when plugged.
10.The reset methods were impossible to recreate, because as soon as I plugged the AC in, I had also use Power Button in a certain way but pressing it would shut down the laptop, because it was already powered up.

Recap:
My initial mistake was capable of fully explaining the earlier symptoms.
When I tried(half-assed) to reset BIOS, I made things worse by bricking BIOS.
Which resulted in auto-start when plugged, which makes seemingly impossible to follow the correct sequence of reset methods.
A paradox is created, to fix BIOS I have to fix the auto-power-up, to fix auto-power-up I have to fix BIOS, or at least this is how my limited range of knowledge perceives it.

If you were in my place, with all your knowledge what would you do?

I heard another option, keep the motherboard away from any power source for weeks so all the internal memory gets wiped out.
Do you think this is possible? If so, how much time would it really need?

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Bios is "firmware"

by Willy May 4, 2014 2:03AM PDT

getting back to basics, once you do any changes to the bios you're really editing the firmware it was intially set at. The bios is an i/c chip called a "ROM" that can be re-edited, thus bios resetting or changes. Whatever happened it will remain even after a good/bad change until you undo or redo the change. Since, you can't do that, the only option is to replace the bios chip itself. Of course that implies you can unsolder or if lucky it's "socketed" dismount and mount a good bios chip. HOWEVER, since this is a laptop more often than not the fix is replacing the mtrbd. which has a good bios capable of changes. You check laptop parts vendors or buy used online another laptop either via eBay or Craigslist or parts also. Gathering from the thread here and you last post, that's about it.

There's the outside change the "reset button" is broken and stuck in "ON" position thus when power applied it cycles through but errors and loops again, again. Just a WAG though.

tada -----Willy

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Thanks for the update.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator May 4, 2014 2:04AM PDT

"If you were in my place, with all your knowledge what would you do?"

I'd try the reset bios as specified in the manual. I take it that the BIOS is now bricked so with that I am asking the maker for the recovery method and tools. I see they mentioned CRISIS MODE but the manual may presume you have the BIOS on some memory stick or other media. ASK the maker for this, not me since I don't run a repair shop any longer.

Again, when I needed that tool, I would hit the web to find the service contact number at the maker or if not the numbers there and start dialing. I notice a lot of folk think it is all on the web. It's not.
Bob

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