Tech Support

Common Acer Problems and How to Troubleshoot Them


  1. Numbers showing up instead of letters? FN+F11 (older models only)

  2. Acer says "user" and when you click it asks for a password. (The password is password.) This often happens on shutdown when there is an unattended update happening. Try to be patient and allow it to shut down on its own.

  3. Mouse pointer going crazy? FN+F7 (F8 on newer models)

  4. Sound not working? Close the lid, then reopen it to test. Unplug headphones and Restart your computer.

  5. Screen frozen or wifi not connecting? Restart computer

  6. Bookmarks missing? Make sure student is signed into Chrome (Sync account and Link Data!)

  7. Bookmarks still missing? CTRL+Shift+B (this displays bookmarks bar)

  8. Coma? Plug in, press and hold power button about 30 seconds. Let go and then tap power button once. It should restart. If not, plug in for 10 minutes and then try again.

  9. Zoomed in screen on Google slide? Refresh the browser.

  10. Zoomed in on other pages? Look for little magnifying glass in URL window and click on it and choose "reset"

  11. Student made a mistake on a Google Doc/Slide? CTRL + Z to undo

  12. Screen reading all of your actions out loud? Click near the sound and wifi icons > click on the icon that looks like wrench > go to "universal access" and turn off screen reader.

  13. Use FN+ left and right arrow keys to change brightness on B118s.For B311, volume and brightness are located on the top row of keys.

Reset Acer to Factory

How to use the quick recovery features

One of the key features of this software is the ability to quickly recover from problems and restore the system to a default state. This process is relatively non-destructive, as all of the user's files can be retained, should you so choose. To perform a quick restore, perform the following steps:

  • If the machine is already off, press the power button to turn it on. If it is running, press the power button and choose "Restart" from the menu that appears.

  • Immediately after you see the system's splash screen the screen will go black and you will see a 3 second countdown timer - press ESC during those 3 seconds to enter the boot menu. Be prepared - you will only have 3 seconds to press the ESC key.

  • When you see the following screen, choose "Restore Factory Settings"

  • After a few moments, you will see the following screen. Choose your option (usually will be #1).

1 ENTER

NOTE: When the system starts up, numlock may be enabled. When numlock is enabled, you will see numbers when you press the J, K or L keys. Disable numlock by pressing Fn+F11.

Disable Secure Boot

Follow all instructions to remove password in steps 8 & 9

  1. Press and release the power button while tapping F2 to enter BIOS

  2. Navigate to “Security” tab

  3. Use arrow keys to select “Set Supervisor Password”

  4. Type the number 1, press enter and type 1 again and press enter.

  5. Navigate to the “Boot” tab

  6. Select “Secure Boot” and use the arrow keys to disable it

  7. Go back to the “Security” tab

  8. Select “Set Supervisor Password”

  9. Enter 1 once and press Enter 3 times to disable password

  10. Press F10 then Enter to save and exit

Steps 8 and 9 are essential to make sure you remove the supervisor password that you temporarily created.