Acer Extensa 5420 Laptop Review
I purchased an Acer Extensa 5420 series laptop the other day and have been pleasantly surprised. I was looking for a decent laptop to handle my needs, but still be under the $1,000 price range. I ended up finding a display model on eBay for $620.
I have written a couple articles on it already that you can check out called Laptop Shopping - What Laptop To Buy and I Bought A Laptop.
Specifications
- ACER Extensa 5420
- AMD Turion 64x2 Mobile Technology TL-58 (1.9GHz)
- ATi Mobility Radeon HD 2400 XT Video Chipset(256MB Discrete Ram)
- 2GB DDR2 Ram
- 250GB (5400rpm) S-ATA HDD (dual drives)
- 15.4" WXGA CrystalBrite LCD (1280 x 800)
- DVD-Super Multi Optical Drive
- Media Card Reader (SD, Memory Stick, Pro, xD)
- DVI-D output
- S-Video output
- D-sub output
- 4 USB 2.0 ports
- Firewire
- Infrared port
- Analog modem
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
What I Will Use It For
Just an overview of how I will be using this laptop or how I use my current computer.
- Internet
- Video (hi-def and regular) on the laptop and viewing on a television
- iTunes for my iPod
- Occasional Programming (Eclipse, Visual Studio)
- Web Development (Apache, MySQL, PHP)
- Photo Editing
- Video conversion
- Video Editing (occasional)
- Some Video Games (World of Warcraft)
- Occasional document editing (Word)
What I Like About The Acer Extensa 5420
I have only had it a few days, but there are a few things I have noticed that I like.
Decent Processing Power
I am not looking for the top end processor to play the latest games, but I do feel I sacrificed a bit on the processor end. I ended up with the AMD Turion 64x2 TL-58. I do a bit of video editing and Intel's Core 2 really performs better here in almost any review you read and offers better battery life.
That being said, the AMD processor I have has definitely been responsive enough for what I have done so far. Windows Vista is reasonably snappy and I was able to watch high definition video without a glitch. I have loaded up World of Warcraft and FarCry and they play well enough. I will try and do some metrics on it later and post the results.
2GB of RAM
I expect this as standard now, but a lot of systems will still only have 1GB and expect an upgrade fee to go to 2. Vista has a little memory usage widget you can add and I have yet to max it out so that is good.
Partitioned Into 2 Drives
This is a pleasant surprise I was not expecting as it sometimes costs extra to have it done. The laptop comes with twin 125GB drive partitions. One has the Windows installation on it and has a hidden partition which includes a backup image of the laptop when you received it. if you ever have problems, then you can re-image from that partition and you only lose the Windows installation drive. If you keep all your data on the other drive then you still have it. Very smart.
USB Ports
They have included 1 USB port on the left hand side of the laptop and there are 3 on the back in the right corner. All of them are USB 2.0. I don't really know if this is an optimal setup but I have found it convenient thus far. The only thing better would be if they had USB's on all the sides I guess.
Dedicated Video Card
This was another requirement of mine. It helps out with video playback, editing, photo editing, and games. I don't do any of these religiously, but I do it enough to make it worth my while. Plus it is one less point to bottleneck the other features of the laptop.
The Extensa came with the ATi Mobility Radeon HD 2400 XT. This is a middle of the road card, but does feature 256MB of discrete memory. Not having shared memory like with the integrated cards was one thing I wanted to avoid.
Hidden Restore Partition
This is just awesome. There is a hidden partition on the hard drive that keeps an image of how the laptop looked when it left the manufacturer. I already pooched my laptop once by fooling around too much with settings and I was able to restore from this image and start with a fresh laptop.
You can even capture images of your laptop periodically and save them to the drive or to DVDs. If you ever want to roll back to a previous image then you can do so.
Decent Battery Life
I spent the morning blogging and had around 4 hours of life out of the battery. This would be basically light internet surfing so not very hard work. This is excellent for me since this will be one of the main uses.
UPDATE (Jan. 6, 2009):I have owned this laptop over a year now and the battery life is down to a little over 2 hours for blogging.
UPDATE (Nov. 14, 2009):Close to 2 years of use it is now down to one hour and 15 minutes of uptime before charging is needed.
Video Outputs
This is probably standard on laptops now, but it comes with D-sub, DVI-D, and S-Video outputs. This covers off most of the possibilities for connecting your laptop to various displays.
Cables to connect to a television can run you up to US$40 in some stores, but check out eBay to get the right cables.
Infrared Port
I just noticed this the other day. There is an infrared port on the front of the laptop for devices (like printers) that support it.
What I Don't Like About The Acer Extensa 5420
Keybord Layout
I am still trying to get used to a more cramped keyboard. The shift key on the left hand side is small and they have placed the backslash key beside it (which is normally above the enter/return key). The enter/return key is also narrow and you have to reach a little bit farther with your pinky finger to hit it.
I think with time I will get used to it, but it sure is annoying to be correcting spelling mistakes all the time. The most common is putting in a backslash every time I try to hit the shift key to capitalize a letter.
Acer Software
This is my biggest beef with package systems. The software they package with it is fairly annoying. There is a tool bar on the main desktop for accessing various features of the system that you can basically do through the Windows Vista Control Panel anyways.
You can disable all this from running on startup so this is not really a very big issue.
Speakers
Maybe I am just not used to the speakers on a laptop but they are terrible. I can't play the music or video very loud before distortion and clipping kicks in. I will definitely be wearing my headphones more often with this system.
No Bluetooth
I think this depends on the specific model you have. My laptop has a button on the front for bluetooth, but when you press it, it tells you that there is no Bluetooh device installed. If you want this, make sure your Acer Extensa model has it.
If you don't know what Bluetooth is, it is a wireless communication technology. You can purchase a number of different Bluetooth devices that will work with your laptop without any additional hardware. Bluetooth tends to be very power efficient as well, so the batteries on a Bluetooth mouse will last for quite awhile.
Problems
I have had two major problems with it:
Windows Experience Index For Acer Extensa 5420
For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a score for how well your computer can handle Windows Vista. It is a way to compare systems for what their overall performance is. Your computer can calculate this by going into the Control Panel and then Performance Information.
The Base Score is the lowest score off all the tested components. The Base Score for my Acer Extensa 5420 is 3.4. Here is the breakdown of the components.
| Component | What is rated | Subscore |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Calculations per second | 4.7 |
| Memory (RAM) | Memory operations per second | 5.9 |
| Graphics | Desktop performance for Windows Aero | 3.4 |
| Gaming graphics | 3D business and gaming graphics performance | 3.9 |
| Primary hard disk | Disk data transfer rate | 5.2 |
Drivers For The Acer Extensa 5420
Drivers can be found on their website or use this link to the Acer 5420 drivers. There is BIOS software and the other software applications that come packaged with the Acer on there as well.
Summary
Overall, I have really enjoyed this laptop and it has performed the tasks I need it for very well. I think it is a good choice for anyone wanting a basic to medium end laptop that offers some higher end performance for games and other applications.
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Related Posts
My Acer Extensa Laptop
Acer Extensa Power Jack Problem
I Bought A Laptop
Acer Extensa 5420 Black Screen On Startup
Disable Away Mode in Windows Vista
Category: Computers
129 Comments
Christoffer Says:
2007-12-26 07:07:56
Hi,
I found your blog thanks to Google. I'm planing to buy a similar computer (same memory and cpu) and with the ATi Mobility Radeon HD 2400 XT card.
Have you tried the card with World of Warcraft? How is it? How many settings can you enable until its unplayable? :)
Im looking for people who has personal experience with the card and the game World of Warcraft, and their comments.
Neil Says:
2007-12-27 10:48:26
I just finished installing WoW the other night. I will load it up and give you some stats tonight. I have run FarCry and medium settings and it runs really smooth.
Neil Says:
2007-12-28 00:22:54
Wow performance seems to be reasonable. Check out this screenshot below. I had some settings at high and some on medium and I was hitting around 40 fps standing still and low to mid 20's at the worst point. This is only in Theramore. I will need to check out some other spots.
rene Says:
2008-01-01 17:12:28
i bought the same computer and I feel like i got myself a good deal for 499.00 in New York at best buy.
Did you try to burn some photos on it if you do so pls let me know it is saying that my drive is in use and saying format anyway. What should I do next
Neil Says:
2008-01-01 23:15:38
Hi Rene,
I have not tried burning anything yet, but I will shortly. I am on holidays right now and do not have access to any blank media. Are you burning to a CD or a DVD. You might want to try different programs for burning....
Kirsti Says:
2008-01-05 03:38:24
This is great! Thank you for sharing! I purchased mine the other day as well. I really enjoy it. I was concerned since it didn't come with even one disk. Should I be making this - I have never had to do that and don't know how. Other than that - this is a wonderful machine. Great deal! Thanks again for your review it was very helpful!
VAdim Says:
2008-01-06 06:32:42
Thanks for you review ! I found it very helpful. I got this laptop as a gift and also found the acer software, annoying. Also the whole MS Vista OS seems unnecessary and a pain, since XP is more then enough. I am concerned that a lot of software out there will not work with Vista since its so new, I am also
toying with an idea of installing linux on it.
califboy Says:
2008-01-08 16:50:31
acer extensa with HD 2400 radeon video card ? where did you find this deal ? i got from best buy with radeon x1250 video card same model 5420. Why could be different here in this same model ?
Neil Says:
2008-01-08 17:33:58
The exact model number if Acer Extensa 5420-5762. Here is the link to the eBay auction. There are a few different flavors for the 5420.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120198177811&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=002.
neilg
Edd Says:
2008-01-09 21:45:54
Thnx a lot. man. i m still searching around for a decent laptop for gaming and movies, etc. i was thinking aabout to get the msi Gx610 gaming notebook(http://www.anitec.ca/product/9540/msi_gx610_004_amd_turion64_x2_tl_56_1.8ghz_gaming_notebook/)
but $1099 CDN is a bit over my budget..
Then i looked at An Acer product Aspire 5720-6279 which priced $945.95 CDN, which is reasonable whichin my budget(http://www.anitec.ca/product/10018/acer_aspire_5720_6279_intel_core_2_duo_t5250_1.50ghz_notebook/) it looks good to me but the Hard Drive is 4200 RPM (wtf?even my first destop was 5400..) so if i upgrade the hard drive. gonna cost me extra money.. which out of budget again..
THEN lastly.. i looked at the current product we are discusing about :Acer Extensa 5420-5232 priced $909.95 CDN.
Turion 64X2 1.9GHz. 2GB ram. "ATI® Mobility Radeon HD2400XT 256MB graphics" 200GB hard drive (5400RPM). which all suits to my need.( i think).
I m kinda new to laptops. so u think the Extensa 5420-5232 is what i want out of those 3?
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-01-10 01:20:20
Edd,
If you are looking to do some gaming then the last laptop would definitely do well for you. It might not run Crysis that hot, but a lot of games should be good. The second laptop has an Intel Core2 which is definitely higher powered than the Turion chips. I don't know, but I really like my laptop so far and the price is far more reasonable that a lot of machines. I took a better graphics card over Intel as well.
Edd Says:
2008-01-11 22:55:35
Thnx for the advice. i still have some last question :)
1) Is Acer Extensa 5420 5232 (http://www.anitec.ca/product/9835/acer_extensa_5420_5232_amd_turion_x2_tl_58_1.9ghz_notebook/) same as the one ur talking about? does it come with a remote control?
2) can i run Need for Speed Pro street smoothly with "high" in graphic options?
Thnx for the help
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-01-13 00:30:05
Edd, I looked at the specs and that laptop is almost identical mine. Mine has dual 125GB hard drives in it instead of a single 200GB, but the other specs are identical. I would think they should run exactly the same. It does not come with a remote control, but there is an infrared port on the front of the laptop and I think you can order a remote from various retailers.
I can't say anything about Need for Speed Pro Street since I do not have the game. You will need to look at the system requirements and other user performance reviews I guess. Your laptop is basically identical to mine in terms of performance expectations, so if the game is not brand new you might have good luck.
Edd Says:
2008-01-14 04:11:19
I think i m getting it. $909 CDN is a good price to me i think, :) since i do gaming alot(i mean.. sometimes) like lineage/wow and other 3D games. once again. thnx for all the help !
Day Says:
2008-01-22 03:21:36
I need help!
I bought an exactly the same model from Best Buy a few weeks ago. But am having probs with it now. I find that every now and then the monitor will go gray and the machine seems to be dead - as in I can not do anything on. Tried to press different keys but to no avail. Even trying to open the CD drive won't work! I would normally just turn the power off and reboot it, which will then give me the option to "start windows normally".
Has anyone out there experienced this problem?? Help is much, much appreciated.
Anonymous Says:
2008-01-22 08:45:32
There have been a a few problems. I posted this article after I toasted my laptop a few weeks ago and got a few responses. Ever since I restored mine how I described in the article it has been fine, but that takes a couple hours and you have to reinstall everything that came with it.
Acer Extensa 5420 Black Screen On Startup
AshWilliams Says:
2008-01-23 07:25:05
Day, I have the exact same problem on mine. I just attributed it to a virus. I guess it's a larger issue though. Crap. I'm looking into it at the moment. I'll let you guys know if I find anything. I'd rather not go to the extent of re-installation.
Kirsti Says:
2008-01-26 21:51:38
Hi again - I had the same problem and Best Buy swapped it out for a new one and now this one has done it as well. I don't know if I should be worried - looks like a lot of people have had this issue. I didn't get any "restore" disks - I know I should make some, but don't know how. Needless to say - I am scared if something happens. Ash - will you let us know what you find out, please!
JJ Says:
2008-01-27 11:03:30
I have the same problem with the screen blackout! It's so annoying.
Abel Says:
2008-02-18 17:41:49
hey,, man i got a lap top at the first of the year, i put a dvd in it and automatically played, but now it wont, how do i get the automatic play again with movies and games, i been trying to figure it out for about three days now.
Ashot Says:
2008-02-21 19:04:16
I cannot believe you think you got two separate drives! Ever heard of partitioning?
What you got is a *single* drive that the manufacturer had chosen to split into two partitions (and good for them - imagine having a single drive ~250GB in size).
As for the keyboard, you probably got the English/French version (very popular in Canada) - small left Shift and weird Enter keys *are* annoying, but, hey, it's easily fixed - you could get a replacement US keyboard for the laptop from eBay.
Now, all you got to do is run Linux on it (as I do on mine; admittedly, with WinXP through virtualization) and you'll be all set :)
Oh, just so you know - the 5420-5762 doesn't have a bluetooth device, but you could get one on (wait for it...) eBay for ~$40. Convenient :)
Ashot Says:
2008-02-21 19:13:33
Oh, and also - why'd you left out a PCMCIA (CardBus) and ExpressCard/54 slots from the list of specifications? These are important to some :) Same goes for Broadcom wifi (b/g) and Marvell ehternet (10/100/1000T). Surprisingly, you've mentioned the modem; you're not on dial-up, are you?
Ashot Says:
2008-02-21 19:23:38
Oh, and last but not least - the Crystal Eye 1.3 mega pixel cam.
Does the XP works on it? Says:
2008-02-25 06:48:28
Hi, I bought similar laptop. But I want to use XP, not Vista. Please, is there any drivers for XP? Please, if someone one put the link please.
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-02-25 10:02:46
I have found XP drivers on the Acer website, so I assume it shouldn't be a problem to get it working. I have not tried it myself though.
Acer Europe's Drive Page.
jon Says:
2008-03-17 21:53:45
ok,this may sound weird but i jsut got this laptop and i was wondering do i need to buy a card to get internet
Vu Says:
2008-03-19 12:12:52
To everyone with the "black screen" problem. You have to upload the bios.
This is the link to download the update.
ftp://ftp.work.acer-euro.com/notebook/extensa_5420/bios/v1.16.zip
once you have it, upzip the file, once unzip, there will be another zip file. unzip that as well. in there you will see more files. there will be a folder called ATI. go into that folder, there will be a filed called "POM116". make sure you have your power plugged in before running the file. Run this file and it should update your bios. follow the simple instructions. should take about 10 minutes or so and your computer will restart.
another problem i've heard people talked about is not being able to capture video with the crystal eye. for some reason the capture video feature is not put into the main webcam software that is loaded. to capture video, go to the root directory, which should be your C drive then open up the windows folder then find the folder called "SUYIN NB Cam" then open up that up and use the "LiveCam" program in that folder. it should work.
Josh Says:
2008-03-20 09:09:12
I connected a new Extensa to home wireless (b) network with WEP encryption. According to the Vista network manager and even the Acer network monitor, the connection is not lost, but I'm experiencing frequent (i.e. every minute) freezes in the connection. I have to reclick the link or refresh the page to resume. It's a really annoying problem. Any suggestions?
Anonymous Says:
2008-03-22 02:27:59
i just bought one today...$499..
Johnny Says:
2008-03-24 00:40:48
does it comes with two 1.9ghz processors? or two that together give 1.9ghz power?
easyemu Says:
2008-03-27 18:42:48
Great buy! I have written about this laptop as well, see my web-blog story March 2008.
Anonymous Says:
2008-03-29 21:59:16
I cannot access the internet. I just bought this notebook. Arrrhhggg!!!! I have the linksys wireless router. It sees the router and tells me I am connected to the net. HELP!!!
IronMike Says:
2008-04-02 19:27:17
I bought an Acer Extensa 5420-5687 a few weeks ago and created a separate partition for XP. I was able to download XP drivers for almost all my hardware from the Acer-Europe ftp site. Everything installed correctly except (1) the Conexant HDAUDIO Soft Data Fax Modem with SmartCP and (2) the Realtek HD Audio Driver. In fact the Device Manager in XP didn't even identify these 2 devices-it only had an entry in System Devices for an unidentified PCI device with a yellow question mark. However, I knew my laptop had these 2 devices because they showed up in Device Manager on my original Vista partition. I could have lived without the modem but not without sound. I tried running "setup" for both the Realtek and HDAUDIO soft modem installation software, but doing so had no effect. However, I discovered advice about "updating" the drivers through the Device Manager was the solution. See http://randombitsbytes.blogspot.com/2008/02/acer-xp-drivers-hd-confusion.htm for more detailed instructions. First I selected the unidentified PCI Device and updated that by selecting the folder containing the extracted Realtek folder. This resulted in the successful installation of the Realtek HD audio sound device and also spawned an entry for a modem in Device Manager. After a reboot, I "updated" the modem by selecting the folder to which I had extracted the Foxconn Modem files. That successfully installed the HDAUDIO Soft Data Fax Modem with SmartCP as the recognized modem in Device Manager. Lastly, I had a "Mass Storage Controller" with a yellow question mark which I updated using the folder holding the extracted SMS bus files (turns out this "mass storage controller" was for reading MS/MS Pro memory cards). So now all is good and I have both Vista and XP partitions with fully-functioning hardware devices.
J Says:
2008-04-16 12:32:29
Hey iron mike. Could you post the link to the windows xp drivers? I cant seem to find them. Also the link with to randombitsbytes does not work. I could use some help here. tHANX
J Says:
2008-04-16 13:28:08
Hey Neil , is there a way I can contact Ironmike?
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-04-16 13:44:08
I will fire him off an email right now to see if he wants his email address shared.
J Says:
2008-04-16 13:57:38
thx for help. I really appreciate it.
IronMike Says:
2008-04-18 13:39:42
To I: Try this url:
http://randombitsbytes.blogspot.com/2008/02/acer-xp-drivers-hd-confusion.html
I just logged into it successfully. Apparently it's html instead of htm as earlier posted.
IronMike Says:
2008-04-18 13:44:33
To I: The XP drivers are located here:
ftp://ftp.work.acer-euro.com/notebook/extensa_5420/driver/
Next project for me is to try and set up a 3rd partition using Ubuntu 64-bit. Can't imagine Ubuntu will recognize all the hardware, but I'll try anyway.
Kelly Says:
2008-04-19 17:36:57
My laptop came with two harddrives so i tried partitioning one to install xp on it. Unfortunately it didnt work so i tried deleteing the new volume i mistakingly deleted the old one. I therefore have only one HDD icon showing. But it still tells me i have both in use.
Plz what do i do to restore it how it was and show the icon again?
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-04-20 00:40:36
@Kelly
yikes....Not sure what to do. You might want to have tech support do it to make sure what exactly happened. If your laptop was like mine, it came with ONE hard drive that had three partitions. One of the partitions is hidden, one is a the windows installation, and the other is for data. The hidden one contains a snapshot of the windows partition at the time of manufacture so you can restore back to it. If you read your manual, there will a section on how to restore from that. I wrote about it in this article as well: Acer Extensa 5420 Black Screen_On Startup. Check out the restore section.
Sonny Do Says:
2008-04-21 06:30:41
Hi Neil,
I want to upgrade my Acer Extensa 5420 laptop from 2GB of RAM to 4MB (since the memory so cheap these day), but I can't open the back cover. After I took all the screws on the cover off, it still lock in very tight. I try to pry on each corner to take it off, but I am not sure that is the right way to open it or not.
Can you give me some advise?
Thank you for your help.
Sonny.
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-04-21 08:13:41
I haven't tried to do this yet, so I can't tell you exactly. I looked through the manual for the 5420 and didn't find any guide offhand for doing the RAM upgrade. Sometimes you do have to use a little force to get the cover off, but I know the feeling, you don't want to break it. I would suggest looking around some more in case there is something else that needs to be removed to get access to that area, but it sounds you like you have tried (which is more than I have done).
Kelly Says:
2008-04-22 11:27:12
It takes soo long for it to boot, especially since i haven't installed any additional softwares?
Chase Kidd Says:
2008-04-24 19:13:08
This laptop is really nice. You get more than you pay for at $499.00 Just so you know the burner on it works fairly fast. All I use it for is music and I play the Sims 2 and Fable: TLC on it. I have to tweak the graphics down a bit but it's nothing dramatic. And if anyone notices that the speakers sound shot right after you first start it, like the instruments are there but the vocals are barely audible and sound tolietish...well mine did this and for some reason it came preset in Kareoke mode which disables vocals. So hope this helps =]
J Says:
2008-04-25 22:58:36
I saw once in a review that will solve the speakers problem. You just go into setup and do something...i just cant remember was it exactly but there is a solution. If anyone can add further more it would be helpful. Thank you.
j Says:
2008-04-25 23:05:54
Open Real Tek Audio Manager from your task bar, click the tab "sound effects", check the box "loudness equalization". This will double your potential speaker volume. Found this on a review. hope it works
IronMike Says:
2008-04-30 17:20:02
Hi all. I recently discovered a link to help get the most out of the Broadcom wireless adapter in my 5420. There are a lot of tweaks that can be made using the Advanced tab for the Broadcom properties in Device Manager. I wasn't sure what effect these tweaks might have until reading this webpage:
http://www.linksysinfo.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47263
I made several tweaks, including enabling the Afterburner and Xpress Technology, and enabling "G" wireless (the default restricts the adapter to "B" wireless, which is asinine). I don't have any software installed to measure download speeds, but anecdotally I feel that my internet access speed has increased substantially, especially when downloading large files. Try this, I think you'll like it!
Sene Says:
2008-05-06 19:07:51
In response to the post made on 2008-03-19 12:12:52 by Van, How do you update the Bios when you can't see the screen.
Anonymous Says:
2008-05-08 02:49:59
how long are you suppose to charge it to reach to the full battery?coz mine lasts an hour and about 15 minuets only,is that right?i was expecting it to last longer.please help me with some of youre advices.thanks
setho Says:
2008-05-09 07:25:40
I recently bought an extensa 5420 and os (vista) was not working (opening) so I formatted it. I then installed windows xp. As a result, I lost all the drivers. I then got this address. ftp://ftp.work.acer-euro.com/notebook/extensa_5420/driver/. All the drivers I downloaded just would not open. The zipped folder showed errors. What could be the problem. What do I do?
Anonymous Says:
2008-05-09 10:57:26
Kelli Says:
2008-05-11 21:16:57
I tried Vista for two months and I ran out of four letter words to use! So I'm in the process of reformatting and installing XP. I'm running into all the same problems as the other people here about not being able to find the drivers I need. Can you tell me what Realtek hardware is installed on these machines so I can (hopefully) track down the right stuff on their website. Or the driver details or something...anything. I've downloaded and tried so many things there that didn't work that I'm starting to make up new four letter words to use! Help, please! Your website has been the most helpful thing I've run across so far that I've now pinned all my hopes on you. No pressure, right?
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-05-11 22:44:46
Hmmm...good question. I just checked the device manager on my vista installation and here are a few details...Keep in mind that I use a Acer Extensa 5420-5762
Realtek High Definition Audio
File version: 1.0.0.54
There are a couple files beginning with Rt like RtHDVCpl.exe and RtUpd.exe
DriverProvider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Date: 23/04/2007
Driver Version: 6.0.1.5404
I also found downloadable stuff at this location...just select your model and such.
http://www.acerpanam.com/flex/acerdrivers/bin/drivers.html?CFID=1034705&CFTOKEN=68235119
IronMike Says:
2008-05-12 13:36:43
To: Kelli & Setho
Check my posts in this article for the information you need to get the Extensa 5420 up and running with XP. Setho, i just downloaded a file from the acer-euro ftp site I posted earlier and opened it without any problems. Either your ISP is truncating your downloads or possibly you are using an older version of Winrar or PKZip that isn't opening the files properly. But the files you need are there, just keep trying. You might want to note the exact size of the files (these sizes are posted at the ftp site) and double-check your downloads to see if the sizes match. Also try logging in from a public computer (library, university) and downloading and moving the files to your flash drive. Kelli, i know you now regret not entering Device Manager in your Vista partition and recording all the device names before reformatting. All the 5420s are NOT the same-each can have a choice of 2 different modems, wireless adapters, and webcams, as you can note from the files listed on the ftp site. You'll just have to download all the files and try the different choices. Good luck.
Kelli Says:
2008-05-12 20:09:47
Progress! We have progress! Not tons of progress but I'm taking every tiny little bit I can get at this point. I've found the right drivers for the display so now everything looks lovely. Going through the AMD web site I ended up getting the drivers here:
http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=xp/radeonx-xp
I started out just installing the driver...why waste more time installing things that won't work, right? But it worked so well I went back and got the whole package. I can't begin to tell you what all was installed but it works and I'm happy so life is good!
Now I'm back on the audio search. Thank you so much, Neil, for the info. I'm sure that'll help me alot. When I find the treasure I'll share with y'all.
And, IronMike? You have no idea how much I regret not recording the device names before I reformatted. I regret it twice as much as you'd think because that thought has never ever occurred to me! But it is a great idea that I will keep in mind forever.
Thanks again, y'all.
atara vijay Says:
2008-05-13 00:21:02
i puches my laptop from oregen that is extensa 5420 is really nice. You get more than you pay for at $499.00 Just so you know the burner on it works fairly fast. All I use it for is music and I play the Sims 2 and Fable: TLC on it. I have to tweak the graphics down a bit but it's nothing dramatic. And if anyone notices that the speakers sound shot right after you first start it, like the instruments are there but the vocals are barely audible and sound tolietish...well mine did this and for some reason it came preset in Kareoke mode which disables vocals. So hope this helps =]
Kelli Says:
2008-05-13 20:12:53
I did it! It works! I have sounds! Life is good! I was reading something in the wee hours last night that said you needed to install the Realtek stuff first immediately after installing XP. So I used the drivers for this machine from the Acer site and started the reformat process all over again. With my fingers crossed! And doing it that way works. Phew!
Neil, keep up the good work here. From everything I've read over the past three days (and that's been alot) I can say that you have THE definitive site here! Thanks.
mustafa Says:
2008-05-29 22:53:34
hi neil
i have this laptop and it's very nice , but i think it shoud came with Bluetooth :)
joe Says:
2008-06-01 22:31:31
Some body please tell me if the modem that comes with the Extensa 5420 is speakerphone compatible.
i would very much appreciate your help.
Bill Says:
2008-06-03 06:26:34
For all of you who are complaining about the speakers on the 5420, the major issue is that they are located on the bottom of the laptop, and depending on what surface you place it on, the speakers just get covered up. My solution was to buy a lapcool 3 cooling unit which sits under my laptop and keeps it cool while in use...comes with a USB power connector, so no need for external power.
When I use this, the sounds I get out of the 5420 are excellent (but what do you expect for a laptop). One other addition I'd also suggest is a LCD cover from shaggymac, they have all different sizes, and it helps to keep the LCD from getting scratched when the laptop cover is closed (also serves as a nice cleaning wipe for the screen as well). Hope this helps...
Bill Says:
2008-06-03 06:53:19
Other items which might be useful for your 5420:
7-14ft ethernet cable (regular and crossover)
Firewire cables
USB extension cables
USB to Serial Cable (the 5420 has no serial port connection), I bought mine off of newegg.
External USB floppy drive (never know when you might need to read a floppy disk).
Good Surge Protector w/6 to 8 outlets (useful when someone is using the outlets on the wall at the coffee shop, this lets everyone share) :)
Good Laptop Bag (I have a Targus 17" bag), plenty roomy and stores all my cables, accessories, etc.
Anyone else have good tips to share?
David Says:
2008-07-02 14:55:13
Love my $499 Extensa 5420 EXCEPT that the battery life is horrible. No way I get anywhere close to 4 hours even if I disable the wifi and turn the screen brightness down.
Can find a replacement hi-capacity battery. Hard enough finding a replacement battery.
NEED to find an external battery pack for this thing. Anyone?
juan Says:
2008-07-10 10:08:04
the main acer startup toolbar is getting realy anoying can anyone tell me how to dissable it from running on startup?
Ross Says:
2008-07-12 09:02:54
who knows the driver for built in microphone? I use Acer Extensa 5420-5687. I have changed vista to XP. I can not find my built in microphone any more. Anyone has good tips?
jarrett Says:
2008-07-25 11:08:46
Does anyone know the max memory upgrade for an extensa 5420-5687? Some sources say 2, others say 4, acer says \"uhhh...let me transfer you\".
Pocky Says:
2008-07-28 01:35:53
Nothing to fear, Jarret: page 20 of the "User's Guide" makes it very clear that the maximum memory capacity, given currently-available memory modules (two 2GB SODIMMs) is 4GB. Anyone who thinks "maximum memory capacity is 2GB" is saying that because there are two slots in the machine which are configured from the factory with two 1GB sticks, so if you want to go above that, you have to replace one or both of the 1G sticks with 2G. That'll leave you with an extra 1 or 2 sticks to put into an older laptop, give away, or sell. You probably won't have any need to upgrade RAM; Vista seems to run just fine on this thing as-is. (I turned off Live Bar and lots of other unnecessary junk as recommended by all the other Vista tweaking sites, anyway.)
Just got this laptop for my wife today (model 5420-5038, with TK-57, 120GB HD, and Radeon 1250) with free printer/fax/scanner, laptop bag, and wireless cable/DSL router bundle, all for $399 after rebates. VERY impressed--it's a fast, very full-featured machine for dirt cheap. Was looking at HP/Compaq laptops in this price range before, and they didn't have firewire (important to me) or ExpressCard, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this one had not only those, but also an old-standard PC-Card slot too! And infrared, and a webcam... Features of a much higher-end laptop, for dirt cheap.
Pocky Says:
2008-07-28 01:41:22
Oh yeah, I should mention the $399 after rebates for the whole package (including the all-in-one printer, laptop bag, and wifi router) is at Circuit City, apparently in stores only. They still seem to be in stock at all of the Circuit City's I've checked online, so go run out and grab it if you're thinking about it!
Omar Says:
2008-07-28 04:51:48
Hi. I just purchased this laptop and uninstalled vista and installed XP. I was able to get everything to work perfectly except for the wireless card. I have tried all different types of drivers. There is still a yellow exclamation point on the device manager and it says "Device cannot be started (Code 10)". Can anyone shed some light on what the problem might be? thanks a million.
Rijian Says:
2008-08-01 10:44:56
I have had my Acer since mid-march and I only recently tried to play DVD movies on my laptop. Unfortunately, nothing plays. The disk doesn't get read nor is it detected. I can load up a video game, but not a movie. Can anyone help me with this? My disk drive is a DVD-RW. Would that make a difference?
Fx Says:
2008-08-07 11:42:39
I got the Acer 5420 for about $450 at Bestbuy in January 2008.
I was able to fix the two problems that made this notebook unbearable to use:
1. the screen blackout
2. wireless often unable to connect (802.11g with WPA2)
Both of these problems were fixed by updating drivers, but it is tricky because I found the drivers on Acer's FTP site under a different notebook model.
I basically scoured the FTP site for Vista SP1 drivers and found the matching ATI and Broadcom drivers under a different notebook model.
Unfortunately, I don't recall the FTP folder but here is my new driver info:
ATI driver 8.422.0.0 (3-Oct-2007)
Broadcom driver 4.170.25.19 (26-Oct-2007)
After updating the ATI driver, the blackout never appeared (it was happening all the time before).
After updating the Broadcom driver, the connection attempt is now 100% successful every single time (instead of < 50% before.) However, Microsoft update keeps bringing up the older version of the driver as a recommended "update" (which I ignore)
Now the laptop works great (even with Vista SP1) and it was a steal at $450 in January 2007.
Fx Says:
2008-08-07 11:53:42
I tried updating to Extensa 5420 bios 1.16 (from 1.14) but the blackouts continued. However, updating the ATI driver permanently fixed the problem for me.
This ATI driver from Acer's FTP site fixed the blackout issue for me on Extensa 5420 on Vista. Blackouts happened all the time for me before the update. Afterwards, the blackouts never happened:
VGAdriver_ATIMxM_v8.422_Vistax64x32_HCA5131W.zip
81,687,312 bytes
This is the Broadcom 802.11g driver that fixed the unbearable connection issues for me:
WLANdriver_Broadcom4311&4312_v4.170.25.19_Vistax64x32_HHWBA07W.zip
11,333,064 bytes
I'm not sure, but I think I also updated Realtek audio drivers (this file was in the same folder as the other two and I did the update way back in April 2008):
Audio_Realtek_v6.0.1.5543_Vistax64x32_AZA1VF1W.zip
40,107,884 bytes
ps
I noticed Extensa 5420 bios 1.17 is available. But I'll stay with 1.16 (updated from 1.14) because everything is working perfectly now.
pnut Says:
2008-08-10 12:00:50
I seem to have the same problem as Ross above. I'm thinking of buying a microphone but if anyone has the answer as to whether there is still a built in mic after Vista to XP, please help.
Also, I noticed that after the change from Vista to XP my computer restarts after its already been shut down, in a matter of seconds and I have to turn it off manually. Any idea what went wrong?
brandon Says:
2008-08-14 00:38:49
you just back it up using the ePower program i bought it today and have already burnt everything to disk and have even the drivers on a disk so if it pooches i can start over
shawn Says:
2008-08-14 08:13:30
Hi, Could anyone tell me how to open the back cover to upgrade memory, i have 3gb and would like to take one 1gb and replace with 2gb, i already have memory, tried unscrewing those 7 small screws, still it's tight, wouldn't come out at all, any help (with pic or link) would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Shawn
Anonymous Says:
2008-08-17 15:45:10
Just bought an Acer and can't download iTunes or anything else. Very unhappy with this computer.
JO Says:
2008-08-18 13:32:28
Hey FX were did you get those downloads I have been trying for 2 days now..
Thx
garr Says:
2008-08-21 15:48:12
As far that the sound,(volume)goes,just hook up your headphone ext.,to a small guitar amp and you will get all of the power sound you want.
garr Says:
2008-08-21 15:48:15
As far that the sound,(volume)goes,just hook up your headphone ext.,to a small guitar amp and you will get all of the power sound you want.
Mark Gailmor Says:
2008-08-24 15:34:17
My friend, you have a dual core machine. Core2 is Intel's fancy name so that they can be separated from Amd's Dual Core technology. Of course, it's AMD that is already offering Quad core technology to a few manufacturer's so they're still far, far ahead of intel. As for Acer, the cool thing about their laptops is their wireless technology. I'm not sure if you are aware but a few computer manufacturer's tried to steal Acer's Signal Up technology. Acer took them to court and they lost. Acer's wireless signal up technology is second to none. I take mine into the office all the time in the deadest spots and the folks that I work with are amazed at how strong my signal is. Besides that, it's comparable fast and I can do everything I need on it. I don't need it for games since I have a ps3. Just need it for personal work, screen writing, watching movies, etc. For that, it does everything I need it to do.
Mark
JO Says:
2008-08-26 12:52:21
I nees to fine the xp wireless driver for Acer extensa 5420-5038.
Any one can help????????
Laura Says:
2008-08-27 22:01:16
I got my acer 5420-5687 less than 6 months ago. I watched a movie & played a cd w/ in when I first bought it just to make sure it was working correctly. Now it won't read anything. Also within the last week the screen is dim. I've looked for a driver for the cd/dvd problem, but I cannot find one. I was wondering if someone could help me out w/ these 2 problems. Other than this I really like my laptop. Thank you.
Laura
yossi Says:
2008-10-02 13:05:24
If you push the bluetooth switch and you see green text that says something like No device found in the lower center of the display....
The 5420 has a bluetooth switch but no bluetooth module installed. Acer saves money by keeping the case the same on multiple models and thats why we have the switch. For some reason they dont include the actual module in the 5420.
I found one on ebay for $30.00. It came with how to instructions. I had it installed in about 5 minutes. The seller has another one for sale right now. Ebay user linknergy.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Acer-5420-Notebook-I...
donovan Says:
2008-10-04 15:24:43
i bought the same laptop and mine was only $440 with tax but i think that was just for the back to school sale.
velvetfoot Says:
2008-10-07 06:40:32
I recently bought an Extensa 5420-5038.
We can't get the Verizon PCMCIA PC5750 aircard to work right.
We use the aircard at home mostly because we're semi-rural and have no hard wire broadband available.
The problem is that it seems the signal is weak. I know the bars on VZ Access Manager aren't really strictly signal strength, but that's the way it looks.
My wife's work Gateway laptop works fine: 2-3 bars. I don't know the detailed specs, but I believe it's got an Intel chip and XP pro.
The Acer gets 4 bars in the city though.
I am trying to borrow a USB modem to see if it would work better.
Would anybody be able to help with this?
roshan Says:
2008-10-07 09:37:19
i am planning to buy a brand new Acer Extensa EX5620-4025..how much should i pay for it ??or should i consider something else
Carlos Says:
2008-10-14 21:49:25
Hi, I got an Acer Extensa 5420 and I can't hear my voice in real time trough my speakers .. I like to sing Karaoke with my kids but the external mic doesn't work .... I found a lot of guys in different forums with the same problem :
http://www.miguelcarrasco.net/miguelcarrasco/2006/12/vista_microphon.html
Somebody Knows how to fix it in this laptop ??
THANK YOU
josh Says:
2008-10-17 05:17:55
please advice with reply due paid acer microsoft plus extended 3116-5223-4673 not microsoft trial for 60 days only.thanks
domainlord Says:
2008-11-04 06:17:08
IronMike
You are king. Thanks for that advice regarding the smbus driver. Hidden in that folder were the files i needed. Thanks again
Bill Says:
2008-11-15 10:26:14
Here is the direct link for the bluetooth adapter for the 5420 on E-Bay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Acer-5620-Notebook-Internal-Bluetooth-2-0-Module-4pin_W0QQitemZ170278993079QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCOMP_HN_Network_Adapters?hash=item170278993079&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
there is even a link there showing installation instructions.
Kayle Says:
2008-11-24 10:08:58
How is this author getting 4 hours of battery life?Anyone else not getting great battery life?
Neil Galloway Says:
2008-11-24 10:28:23
I had 4 hours when it was brand new and I am just under 3 right now (a year later). Keep in mind that I tweak my settings for battery performance and I'm blogging (10 minutes writing and then simply submitting), so it isn't very intense bandwidth through my wireless.
Bill Says:
2008-11-28 16:32:40
I just got back from Fry's and they had a sale (with mail in rebate) today for 2x2GB PC5300 SO-DIMM's (667Mhz) Corsair) for $49.99 (about $54 with sales tax), but with MIR, the price comes down to $19-20. After getting the 7 screws off the back of the laptop, I got the cover off, and found the 2x1GB modules, removed them, and inserted the 2x2GB modules (make sure you remove the battery pack first and do not have the laptop plugged in), then put the cover back on (don't screw it on just yet), re-insert the battery pack, and boot the laptop, if all goes well, your system will automatically see the additional memory and boot into WinXP or Vista. On my system, task manager shows approximately 3.2GB of physical memory, the remaining 700-800MB is in use by the ATI graphics adapter (shared memory) confirmed by checking the ATI icon and hardware information (and the memory onboard in BIOS is set to 256MB) on my particular laptop. Then I powered down and put the screws back in place, and then powered back up.
It's nice having the laptop maxed out with memory, and the booting process is faster to boot.
huddy william Says:
2008-12-04 14:13:53
I am lookiing for nic driver for the acer extensa 5400, can anyone help me
noreen stack Says:
2008-12-06 06:21:26
hi, can anyone help me,I transfered an avi video file onto a usb flash drive.When i play it on my extensa 5420 will only play audio no picture.The avi file plays fine on my desktop.Has anyone an idea what im doing wrong Is there something turned off in my laptop that should be turned on ?
Sal Says:
2008-12-11 14:33:00
hey noreen
the reason your video is not shown is because you do not have the proper codecs installed on your system. This is a very simple thing to do. Just search google for a codec pack such as K-Lite Codec Pack. Once that's installed, your video, and any other video should work fine.
On another note, sy anyone else having a problem with the webcam freezing after a couple seconds making it not usable?
I have already tried the removing the pictures from the folder and updating drivers. The webcam does however seem to work fine in other applications such as windows live messenger
Bill Says:
2008-12-12 22:37:44
On the NIC drivers for the 5400, you will need to find out what chipset the NIC is using, but the drivers should be available for download from ACER. on my 5420, it's a broadcom chipset.
shehreyar khan Says:
2009-01-09 01:17:15
i have problem of my drivers for acer extensa 5420-5038 laptop configuration of my laptop is AMD Athelon 64*2 dual core 2 gbram
chris Says:
2009-01-25 08:56:20
my laptop is a 5420 and i must say that a really good
all-around computer
Turtleman Says:
2009-01-30 02:08:22
i have pretty much tried every driver on the euro site to get the wireless and blue tooth activated. the device manager does not even recognize the devices after i installed XPsp3 from vista. i got pretty much everything else installed!
any ideas?
Yagi Says:
2009-02-04 03:19:12
hi- does anyone know if you can install a bluetooth device inside the acer to be activated by the front button. Can get a usb device, but want to use the usb's for other things. Thanks for your help
GeekGal Says:
2009-02-16 11:48:57
I work on computers for a living, and lately have had numerous requests to dump Vista and replace with XP. Vista is nothing but an over-bloated resource hog IMO, and I hate it passionately! However, it is quite time consuming finding XP drivers because the manufacturers don't supply them. This site has been extremely helpful in getting the correct drivers to run XP on the Extensa5420. However, I too had difficulty getting the Broadcom 802.11g WLAN to install properly. You can download a workable driver here: http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-22701-help-with-extensa-5220-wlan.
Don't use the Setup.exe, instead, double-click the SilentInstall batch file, and voila! SUCCESS!
Hope this helps!
Kevin Says:
2009-03-28 23:13:36
I'm sorry - I have the same laptop, but I paid $409.99 for mine... and it came with a 3 year warranty. Maybe you should ask for a refund, seeing as you may have overpaid by $210...
Jackie Says:
2009-05-06 20:01:41
how do I take pictures with my webcam.
Andrew Says:
2009-05-09 09:05:23
This is a cheap and a nice laptop. However if you play world of warcraft and you are a raider this is not the laptop for you. I get 7 fps in 10 mans and like 3fps in 25 mans like naxx and ulduar. Its really frustrating when all you see around you is coming like a slow motion movie
Jacob Says:
2009-05-20 03:43:48
Y i have the exact same problem and i cant set the GFX ram higher then the 256, the acer support cant figure it out either ??? FTW to doo
acer Extensa 4520 vista HP
have anyone sucsesfully opgradet the GFX ram on there acer ?
G Says:
2009-05-30 08:16:19
I had my Acer Extensa 5420-5698 for about two years now.
I absolutely love my laptop. However, I decided to take the Windows Vista Home Premium off my hard drive and then I installed ubuntu ---a version of Linux onto my C Drive, then I created a C Drive partition and installed Windows XP Professional onto it. From there, I downloaded the Extensa drivers off the Acer Euro ftp (File Transfer Protocol) web server.
So I have to give this laptop a two thumbs up!
Acer :D
NiN Says:
2009-07-02 22:15:57
Hey , does the extensa have wifi in it?thanks...
Jeremías Says:
2009-09-01 11:28:58
Tengo graves problemas con acer extensa 5420. Las bisagras de la pantalla son demasiado apretadas y la esquina de la pantalla se quebró. Ahora no se puede cerrar y debe permancer abierta.
Hay forma de ajustar estas bisagras ?
DJMina Says:
2009-09-01 14:23:57
I've had my Acer 5420 for 1 1/2 years now. I too had the issue of the computer randomly turning off in the middle of doing something. I finally had had enough and used my extended warranty with Best Buy. It took 5 weeks to fix, but they put in a new motherboard, LCD screen, fan and hard drive. After having it back for 3 weeks, it is now completely dead! No power at all! It is back at Best Buy trying to be fixed for the 3rd time or replaced for a new one. The laptop was pretty decent, although it seems to having an over heating issue and something going on with it shutting down.
If I get a replacement laptop, I will NOT be getting another Acer!
Pat Says:
2009-09-24 14:58:11
I\'m having trouble with my Acer 5420 where I can\'t access the internet if the power cord is plugged in. Is anyone else experiencing that or have experienced that?
Sal Says:
2009-09-28 14:07:58
Pat, Have you checked your power plan settings? Maybe the power saving setting on your wireless adapter when plugged in is set too high. Try changing the wireless adapter power setting to maximum performance when plugged in.
Lee Says:
2009-10-01 00:42:03
I've had Extensa 5420-5120 model no. MS2210 laptop for 1 year. recently it is getting sluggish and is very nearly overheating. Mine has Athlon64 1.9Ghz x2...I know others have the Turion but mine doesn't. I think the Athlon runs hotter, uses more power, it's a desktop cpu.
I've upgraded to 4GB RAM with no difference in operation. My understanding is that the ATI Radeon 1250 internal graphics card is a bottleneck to Vista, but I don't know why. I was going to use my second partition to put XP64 PRO on it but I read that the manufacturers of the audio (realtek) don't provide 64 bit drivers and I can't do without sound. So I think I'll install Kubuntu 64. Though, I'm not sure if I should go with 64 bit version.
If anyone has any insight as to whether I should go with 32 or 64 bit versions I'd appreciate it. Also, opinion as to which OS would be best for this laptop Kubuntu, Ubuntu or Fedora?
Lee Says:
2009-10-03 15:45:54
Anyone? How's the Extensa 5420 with 64bit Ubuntu? Anyone
Bill Says:
2009-10-23 18:26:45
If you find your laptop is overheating, get a lapcool 3 dual fan unit to fit under the laptop, it's USB powered and doesn't draw much juice (I got one a while back and never have heat problems).
Heat kills laptops and car batteries...:)
JAFF Says:
2009-11-26 13:42:52
ACER IS REALLY SCAM WITH CUSTOMMERS THEY DONT CARE SELL DATE THEY OWN GURRANTI BY FACTORY SHIPMENTS WE BOUGHT LAPTOP AND AFTER 11 MONTH DUE TO VIRUS HDD WASHED THEY NOT SHIP RECOVERY CD WITH PRODUCT.AND AFTER 10TH MOTH ONLINE SUPPORT SAYS WARRANTY IS OVER.SOME ONE TAKE MUST ACTION.
sip Says:
2009-11-28 20:16:19
I have the extensa 5420-5687 laptop, with 896MB ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 HyperMemory for video capability. Is this a video capture card?
Max Says:
2009-12-03 10:37:37
I am really dissatisfied with my laptop. After a year the fan is now loud as #!@%*# every 5 minutes or so for a minute and then it stops, and during that minute my frame rate in gaming drops down too low to play, so when you're playing quake it's really irritating. Battery life is non existant but I think that is my fault, but what really pisses me off is that they never gave me a recovery CD
Sal Says:
2010-01-07 23:07:18
you're supposed to make your own recovery CD when the computer is first booted....dont people read?
dont complain when your computer stops working becuase you people dont know how to take care of it.
I've had this laptop for over 2 years without problem and I am a heavy user.
ernie Says:
2010-01-07 23:46:08
I too have owned my 5420 for over 2 years. The only issue I had was not keeping the heatsink clean (damn pets and bed sheets) not an acer issue. It does get hot but AMD turions are known for this. Currently running Win7 pro64 and Karmic64 with absolutely no problems. Been reading this blog for a while now, not sure why people are getting bent out of shape from fixable problems. This was only a sub 500 dollar laptop. Just a tad bit more than my toshiba nb205 netbook.
Sal Says:
2010-01-29 21:03:00
well I bought this laptop for 1000 when it was first released and it is a very reliable laptop. I'm currently running Windows 7 x64 Ultimate with upgraded 4GB of memory. Yes it does have an issue of getting hot at times but this can be circumvented by purchasing a cooling fan/pad for like 20 bucks.
Whit. Says:
2010-02-13 12:42:49
I am a full-time student and photographer. I have had this computer for over two years now and had had 0 problems with it! Love it!
ernie Says:
2010-02-16 18:58:38
Finally installed a Broadcom Crystal HD bcm70012 minipcie card. I am now playing 1080p videos at 15-35% CPU usage. And linked through an external USB to hdmi converter to a 42" LCD the image playback is incredible. Undervolting with RMClock Utility definitely solves the heat and stability issues. Make sure you are using flash player beta 2 for .flv and the latest XBMC nightly build for HTPC. I'm happy.
Kenneth Says:
2010-02-24 00:41:42
I have the same computer as you and I have recently been having promblem starting the computer. It says I have a hard drive malfunction. I have tried fixing the promblem, I wanted to know how to you restall to the partial already built.
Omar Says:
2010-05-04 11:55:08
Hello. I have a problem with my acer extensa 5420-5038, I install windows 7 on it, but I have a message that say : There is a problem with your battery. I thing is for the driver because with windows vista was working perfectly. Some one have a solution or the driver?.
IronMike Says:
2010-05-26 19:01:43
Glad to see this blog is still viable. My 5420 is working fine after more than 2 years of steady use. Recently I decided to upgrade to Windows 7. The Acer site DOES NOT list the 5420 as a model that can be upgraded to Win7 and does not provide any Win7 drivers for the 5420 on its driver download site. My first attempt at installing Win7 was to upgrade from the Vista partition (I also have an XP partition on the hard drive). For some reason I had problems activating Win7 and then Internet Explorer refused to allow me to play games in the MSN Zone. So I decided to do a fresh install of Win7 and booted from the Win7 DVD, formatted the Win7/Vista partition, and completed the install. Then I used Windows Update to download some optional drivers and such. If Device Manager showed any yellow exclamation marks for devices, I used Vista drivers from the Acer support site to fix those problems. It's been a week so far and I had no problem activating Win7 this time. The only glitch I've experienced is with the internal webcam. After the initial install of Win7, the Crystal Eye webcam showed up as a device in the Imaging category in Device Manager, and I could use the Acer Crystal Eye software to access it. Then later the webcam (and imaging category) disappeared from Device Manager. I was able to get it back once by unintalling the Standard PCI to USB Host Controller in Device Manager & the driver for the webcam in its properties tab was listed as Suyin. Then later, the webcam/imaging category again disappeared and I used the same uninstall trick to bring the webcam back into Device Manager, but this time its driver was listed as Microsoft (usbvideo.sys). And then the webcam disappeared again. This may be a hardware problem, as some comments on the web have suggested there is a loose connection between the webcam and usb slot on the motherboard.
IronMike Says:
2010-05-27 22:46:30
Update on the Acer Crystal Eye webcam problem. I realized that the 4 usb slots on my laptop were all occupied. I had a flash drive serving as readyboost, a cooling platform, another flash drive downloading torrent files and last but not least a usb hub into which was plugged a mouse and a wireless keyboard. Assuming that my internal webcam is actually connected to a usb node on the motherboard, I deduced that perhaps the usb node was being overloaded and its response was to deactivate the webcam, since it wasn't in active use. To test this theory, I unplugged all the devices from the 4 usb slots and then uninstalled the pci to usb controller, reinstalled the suyin webcam software from the Acer support site, and rebooted. I had to uninstall and reinstall a few times, but finally the webcam reappeared in Device Mgr and I could access it using Yawcam software. Now for the test of time.
Walter S. Says:
2010-06-10 20:26:06
Windows 7 on Acer Extensa 5420.
Install the Acer Extensa 5420G VGA driver on Acer Extensa 5420.
IronMike Says:
2010-07-02 19:41:42
Question for Walter S: I assume you have installed one of the 2 VGA drivers from the Acer support page for the Extensa 5420G, which does provide Windows 7 drivers. Which one did you install? Did it improve the display on the 5420 in Windows 7 and if so, in what manner? Thanks.