Need your advise..taking back G73 to Best Buy ; (

Hi guys. I need everyones honest advise. There are quite a few questions here so feel free to itemize your answers if need be, I know, I am all over the place.

Well, I bought my G73 (RBBX05) from Best Buy on 3/30. At the time they had 3 in stock. I was happy to unwrap the lappy to see no physical defects, no clicking noise coming from the left palm rest or around the touchpad (as some users here have noted on theirs) and an overall sturdy solid unit. Shortly into booting the G73 up, I started my customizations and uninstallment of the bloatware...Imagine me with a smile on my face as Im heavy at work trying to make the G73 "my own"

Out of the blue the speakers begin to BLAR very loud crackling and static...At first, I would immediately restart or shutdown the laptop..I literally thought my speakers were going to explode

Well to make a long thread short, I have been troubleshotting the initially thought/suspected audio driver issue...see thread right below titled "Help..brand new G73..issue" with still no fix

I wanted everyones advise..it is 7 days past purchase which is well within my return window. AN option now is to either run the F9 partition or I did make Recovery discs, does anyone recommend that I try one of those routes first or just take it back for another unit? If taking it back, I plan on calling the best buy and hoping they still have one left for me to come in and exchange. Thing is, I just read on here about the popping or clicking of left hand palmrests due to a poor build (I assume in factory) as well as ther dreaded GPU dead on arrival issues etc...and the unit I have currently has NO ISSUES aside from this damn audio! But to be honest, even though its symptoms are and have been since day 1, driver or incompatability symptoms...I really dont know what to do and I have a a hunch it may be hardware related (loose wire or faulty speakers)..Its hard to come to that conclusion because I have at times, had the speakers working wonderfully for hours on end...then BAM...IM hit out of no where...last night was the breaking point for me...it just wouldnt go away...come, go , come, go. no ryhme or reason. Its so frustrating. I have tried everything..tried ASUS drivers, tried laptoptogodrivers, tried ReatlTeks R2.46 drivers (latest version) with all the same results..

So ultimately, I am asking everyones advise on what to do at this point. I have spent many hours trying to fix this audio issue and it seems it will never go away..

Last question, if you recommend to just take it back and swap at best buy, I wanted to save my Batman Arkum Asylum profile (profile settings and saved game as I am pretty far in it) where can I locate this? I assume program filesx86/Edios...then ?? DO I just copy and paste a few files into my thumbdrive?

Thanks everyone....no body can feel my pain

 

No recommendations
Ask yourself...what would YOU do in this situation?

 

IMO i would take it to bestbuy and tell them wahts going on, they will point you in the direction of geeksquad. Explain everything you have done. They should be turning it on by this time and seeing your problem. Get them to swap it out and start again. The g73 is def. a great speced laptop but the problems ppl are having are no fun to deal with. So try again and post an update! good luck!

 

Return it for another unit or have them fix the speakers, not much else you can do with a faulty laptop.

 

From a user here named MrSeaBass posted in Feb-

"I have the same issue. I am running on a clean install of win7hp oem. I have noticed that it happens at random only on windows sounds, all other audio sounds are great. I do not think a new install will do much good. My best guess is that it is a driver conflict/issue with win7. I found some info that this is due to the frequency the sound is being processed, which is why it only happens on windows sounds. You can adjust this in the audio control panel, increasing the sound quality seems to help, until a updated driver comes out."

The above is the most accurate I could desribe this issue...it really does seem like an incompatibility/conflict between Windows 7 (sounds) and the audio (drivers?) But I have tried all realtek audio drivers with no fix!?

I have messed with the sound quality (i.e trying different values from 24bit 192000 Hz (studio quality).....and still no luck!

Mr SeaBass if your out there have you found the fix?????????!!!!!

Tried this didnt work....
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=458344&page=55

Everyone says its the CREATIVE SOFTWARE..but thats been uninstalled since day 1!

Since day 1 the G73 boasted about this EAX Advanced HD 4.0 sound...and I dont think I have ever witnessed a lick of it...dont even know if my sub works...very dissapointed

 

Have you tried contacting ASUS and see what they have to say?

 

Ive sent PM's to forum members here (below)...

1. ASUS CUSTOMER CARE (has posted on one of my threads but never heard back from him when I pm'd em)

2. MrSeaBass (has explained the issue I am having to a "T" in another thread)

 

I can feel your pain bro. I purchased my N61JQ-A1 on 2-1-10 and it is now 4-6-10 and I have had 2 RMAs and basically only used the laptop for one week since I bought it. Waiting on parts for it to be fixed right now at ASUS . I would return your laptop and get something that works 100 percent. There is no point in spending the type of money we do on laptops and not be 100 percent happy.

 

tbrocato-Ya Im with you...just cant let this one go as everything else works like butter...aside from this audio issue...so Im trying my damn'dest to iron it out and be a happy G73 owner before I take her back..

As on update- Asus Customer Care and SeaBass have responded and are helping me..I will post my results later tonight regarding any progress or the outcome!

Thanks everyone

 

If you believe there is something lose inside, you could try using a can of compressed air and spraying air into the various vents.

** Warning **

Some manufactures of compress air cans include chemicals that can be corrosive. Be very careful that it's safe for electronics, plastic and metal.

 

This is just me, but if I had that issue, I'd exchange it. When spending good coin on a laptop, it needs to be in perfect working order. I'll return it ten times if I have to. Maybe they'll get the point.

If Asus helps out, great, but most likely a hardware issue. If Asus recommends shipping it to them to fix it then I would tell them you will ship it as an exchange for another new perfectly working laptop. No reason to accept a repaired laptop that you paid new for.

 

yep, Id swap it out for another one, sounds like a hardware problem. I've yet to have the sound issue, and if I did, that would drive me NUTS!

Take it back to Best Buy, don't have geek squad mess with it, make them exchange it for a new unit. And then test that one well, should be good to go, but if not, then you can swap that one for another as well.

Don't settle on a brand new machine.

 

I totally agree with you! Bought a G51J-A1 on 2009-12-16 and I am at my 2nd RMA and the 3rd on is coming. They aren't able to fix my problem but they do not want to swap or reimburse. Didn't have the chance to return it where I bought it because of their "15 feet 15 minutes warranty" and they do no want to help... Dis I say CanadaComputers by the way! Ooops I said it lol.

My only advice for 780Cinco is to return it while he is able to do it because if you have to deal with Asus after, GOOD LUCK.

 

If you are going to return it to Best Buy, then you have nothing to lose by doing a clean install. If for no other reason than not wanting to give the kids in the back room at Best Buy access to all my files.

 

I called BB today..they have one on hold for me...she said that the geek squad would have to "look" at it and see the issue...F that...last thing I want to do is explain to some chump who doesnt even understand the G73 or gaming laptops, the issue. Plus it ois so random, what do I have to sit there and wait for the issue to pose itself? I mean IM SURE it will but still...dont want the hassel...PLUS I BET YOU even after he hears the issue he will say "leave it with us we will check the software and drivers etc..." in which I will laugh in his face and demand a NEW UNIT!!!!!

And Kalim you are correct...is the F9 partition the way to go? (rather than use my recovery discs?) If so, It is straight forward and I just need to follow the prompts and wait? How long do you think it takes? I assume it reverts back to how it came from Best Buy...so I wont need drivers or ANYTHING correct?

"If you are going to return it to Best Buy, then you have nothing to lose by doing a clean install. If for no other reason than not wanting to give the kids in the back room at Best Buy access to all my files."

 

yep, that's normal for best buy, just explain whats wrong, it's intermittent, and you want it exchanged for a new unit. Geek Squad sucks, and is annoying, but you will get a new one. I had this same process happen when I needed to swap my first G51 that had a bad GPU. Same deal, they wanted to see the problem, I explained logically how that wasn't feasible, and they simply exchanged it for a new sealed box unit.

 

Thanks...I am going to try one more thing that MrSeaBass advised me to do then if no dice its going back...does anyone have an answer to my Batman saved files below? Thanks!

"Last question, if you recommend to just take it back and swap at best buy, I wanted to save my Batman Arkum Asylum profile (profile settings and saved game as I am pretty far in it) where can I locate this? I assume program filesx86/Edios...then ?? DO I just copy and paste a few files into my thumbdrive?"

Oh and one last question, sorry- I have done soo many gosh darn uninstall/reinstalls of audio drivers, is it necessary or would I benefit from running driversweeper? I currently fix/clean my registry 3 times a day with ccleaner and assume that will get it all should there be scraps here and there..

 

780Cinco, look in this folder "C:\Users\780Cinco\AppData\Local\Microsoft" for the XLive folder. Without that profile, your saves will be useless.

My condolences on the pending return of your G73. I don't blame you. I would return it as well. Having an audio/sound problem would really bother me too.

 

Bottom line. It's a new machine. Unless that issue appears for everyone else, no driver will fix it. It's a new machine that should work fine out of the box.

 

When I had my G72 swapped out at Best Buy a few times, they just let me swap my 500gb drive out as well. (Was also taking out my SSD.)

 

Thanks everyone! And DAMN jester, regarding Batman Arkum Asylum, I missed your post like ten minutes too late!!! I saved the wrong files/folders to my thumbdrive for my saved games! I saved some config settings defaulteditorusersettings and defaulteditorkeybindings and default game as I was in a rush and I KNEW I needed that Xlive folder. Damn i was 40% in...oh well

So I ended up taking it back to best buy and get this...I told her I had a G73 on hold (I called earlier and luckily it was the last one there) and the girl literally gave me the box and did some typing and gave me a exchange reciept..no looking in my box for contents..no geek squad...just "there you go"...I started thinking to myself, "I know 6lb 4 ounce baby jesus wouldnt have done it, but damn I could have kept the battery and took a stick of RAM out to add to my 6!" (ok Il fess up I kept the asus LCD cleaning cloth so now I have two YAY!!!) Im just saying, it was a joke..she literally threw my box with G73 in a cart and said next.....

Anyway...I have been configuring/uninstalling the bloat on this new rig and so far so good...per HWInfo32 the idle temps seem to be the same as my last..around 60GPU and 50CPU (I live in Scottsdale AZ and the AC is not on)..we will see what a few hours of Batman will do to maxing the temps...Anyway some things I noticed and wanted clarification on..

Memory states- PC3 8500 Hynix which I read as DDR3 1066 Hynix brand....my current clock is 564.2MHz..sound about right?

In dxdiag-My BIOS date says 10/30/09 ver 08.00.10 but HWInfo32 states BIOS release date of 1/11/2010 ver 2.6
So I assume dxdiag is reading something different and my computer BIOS was created 1/11/2010 and I have the latest BIOS .206?

SO on to the Audio..seeing as that was the main reason I took it back..I have yet to uninstall the creative software with its Sound Blaster Audigy HD component...I am really unsure on if I should? What do you guys think? Maybe dont touch it unless I start getting incompatibilities or GOD FORBID that static shows its ugly face? Normal windows sounds (like accessing control panel and sounds/hardware) work fine as well as I played some music on youtube which sounded fine. Device manager is showing RealTek High Definition Audio with driver 6.01.5978 dated 11/10/2009 (I believe this is the one from ASUS's site) Think I should leave Creative and Sound Blaster Audigy installed unless something comes up?

On a good note-The unit feels as solid as the previous..has just as much flex as the last when it comes to the keyboard (I miss my FX 7805's keyboard ; ()...but I'm glad no creeky parts/loose palm rests etc...so far so good!

 

Well personally I would return it as well.
Yet I wonder if you still get that noise when using the headphones, for some reasons I think that the noise might be due to the fact that the speakers were not electrically grounded correctly but this is just my guess.

 

Cinco,

Go into Control Panel and go to the EASE OF ACCESS center...if your comp doesn't freeze upon clicking on it, you may not have to uninstall Creative.

GL with the new comp! Best Buy..returns...lol.

 

corpfan1-Thanks mayne. Ease of Access worked for me no issues!

I know right...about Best buy returns...IF I have to return this one again I am taking a stick or RAM out ; )

So this is funny...I was setting up/installing batman and in the setup it stated "we noticed you have a RealTek Audio Card...Batman Arkam Asylum has known issues with RealTek sound cards"....lol....I was like..."oh brother"........

Thanks again

 

SO I ended up installing and playing Batman AA for about an hour..this G73 runs "slightly" cooler than the last..maxed CPU at 75 and GPU at 89 in an Arizona house with no AC...anyway..for anyone wanting to truly hear how loud these speakers can go, under control panel/hardware and sound/manage audio device...choose your realtek high def audio speakers and click properties..under the enhancements tab check "loudness equalization" and under advanced, set your format to the greatest 24bit 192000Hz (studio quality) and apply.....umm wow thats loud

corpfan1-after playing Batman on my speakers as well as my headphones, everything was GREAT.....BUT....when I exited the game..I went to EASE OF ACCESS center just to check...and BAM it froze on me....now I did not get any issues as far as the audio goes thus far, but entering that ease of access did freeze the system for me...pre Batman installation (and Im not sure thats the culprit) I could access it with no issues...what do you think?

 

I think you have the same problem I documented. Uninstall Creative.

 

Yep - not sure what triggers it, but something sets things up so that the Creative drivers freeze the comp upon certain sounds.

It didn't happen to me either at first, but after a couple of days, I found certain things that always froze the comp...they were all certain sound triggers. Uninstalled Creative and voila - no more issues.

Kalim, do you think that there will be some kind of fix or solution that would allow re-installation of the Creative drivers? Would there be any point? I know my subwoofer is outputing, but some say that it is not reaching it's full potential without the creative software...

 

Thanks Kalim and corpfar1- I am just so scared that when I uninstall Creative (which will take Sound Blaster Audigy HD with it) that my dreaded static/crackle will come back!! Everything just seems so nice right now (besides that freeze)..So uninstalling Creative poses a decrease in audio/potential? That blows if its the case...

Also, besides enabling "loudness equalization" in the enhancements tab...is there any other setting I can use to further enhance the audio/speakers? What about the subwoofer...I dont notice it nor am sure if it is functioning...I guess I am asking what are the best setting for optimal audio? Thanks.

 

Most notably the narrator, which is a good way to find out if the problem exists.

Yep. That was my biggest concern when I was contemplating an RMA. The issue being that as soon as I did a full re-install everything was fine for awhile and then it would happen. If I was to send it back to them, would they spend the time to experience the issue or would they have sent it back to me, saying that they re-installed the OS and couldn't reproduce the problem.

Without even rebooting the laptop, just uninstalling the Sound Blaster Audigy HD, the EoAC worked. The problem was there one second and gone the next and has never returned.

I would uninstall all the Creative junk. It's all worthless in my opinion and there are much better alternatives to Creative's MediaSource5.

I can't imagine that Creative wouldn't release a newer version. Even if they released an update tomorrow, I still wouldn't install it. Not because it might crash, but because I don't need what it offers.

As to the sound; you could try playing around with the Equalizer, Loudness Equalization and other audio settings. But, I really don't expect to see the laptop bouncing off the table with the size of the sub that it has underneath.

As to some saying; it's like when you walk into a Best Buy and see all the poorly adjusted TV screens, to some folks those poorly adjusted TVs look great and was the reason they purchased a particular model. Same with the G73JH sub, it's subjective.

 

LOL
10 char

 

That's the only advantages I can think of to purchase @ BB.... if you don't like it, just return and no question asked.

I recall I bought iTouch from BB and exchange it for 3 times because of the light leaking screen....