ASUS N71JQ Owners Lounge

If you haven't done so already, make sure your partition is properly aligned by using this calculator:
techPowerUp! :: SSD Alignment Calculator

 

How much performace boost did you see with the Momentus XT drive?

I am thinking also to change the primary Seagate 320GB @7200 rpm in my N71JQ to a Momentus XT 500GB.
The review are positive concerning the boot time improvement and application launch speed improvement.

 

Interesting...this could be help

It`s not SSD but still better then normal Momentus. Boot is fast, launching much off application is like on SSD. But system is still "slow" if it compare with SSD

 

Thanks for the info.
Yes I think it will not be performing like SSD, but I hope it is better than 2.5" 7200rpm drive especially with respect to apps launching and windows boot.

Maybe I will order one next month.

 

I just unwrapped it from the FedEx packaging, and slipped it into the bag. Fits snug in width with about two inches of space at the top of the bag. You could stick some socks in there. There is an integral Velcro strap that will retain the notebook in place. I haven't tried fitting all the accessories yet (power brick, mouse, etc.) but I imagine there is a place for all of that also. This will work for me.

 

I just unwrapped it from the FedEx packaging, and slipped it into the bag. Fits snug in width with about two inches of space at the top of the bag. You could stick some socks in there. There is an integral Velcro strap that will retain the notebook in place. I haven't tried fitting all the accessories yet (power brick, mouse, etc.) but I imagine there is a place for all of that also. This will work for me.

 

Well, my N71Jq was returned unharmed and totally working. Not even a stray fingerprint on it anywhere. The rumors of poor warranty work at the Fremont CA facility are unfounded in my opinion. I checked the BIOS version and it is 206 on the new motherboard. The lastest according to Asus is 207. I think I will leave well enough alone and not attempt to fix something that isn't broke. Wise words from the forum. I am continuing to load applications and files into it and have checked the fps rate for the integrated webcam. It's still a bit slow but I think it improves with increased background lighting. I'm going to check it out some more with different resolutions and whatever else I can adjust. I'm also going to load Skype for Windows and see if that works better than the version in Express Gate. All else is good at this point. I feel like I'm getting my money's worth again.

 

Cool; I was hoping to hear this because I really like that bag.

Thanks

Dave

 

Hey Dave
I have some further observations on the Targus case to pass on. The "fit" is good but slightly tight in width as mentioned before. When the notebook is inserted the sides of the slot are only slightly deformed outward but side padding is sufficient to protect the contents. The zipper only drops about two inches down the side from the top opening so the container is structurally sound despite the slight deformity. The accessory side has two pockets which I assume are for the power brick. Both are not long enough to contain the massive transformer. I placed my brick loose in the bottom of the pocket and wound up the lead and placed that in a pocket. There is a sufficient number of other pockets for any number of accessories. The shoulder strap attaches in a cross-wise fashion to angle the case comfortably when carrying it in this way. It's still a heavy beast but that can't be helped. The strap hardware is heavy duty and the length has a wide range of adjustment. Throw in the limited lifetime warranty and you've got yourself a good notebook protection system.

 

There was someone who posted a while back, can't seem to find it at the moment, who was having difficulties using media cards. I think they were attempting to insert a Sony memory stick into the flash memory slot on the front of the notebook and said it just rattled around in there. Above the front media slot opening there is some micro writing that says MMC, SD, MS/PRO. Inside the slot there are mechanicals that will center these different cards onto the correct connectors. Also note that the plastic insert card that keeps the slot dust-free when not in use is marked SD. If you want to use the Sony MS Pro or Pro Duo cards which are smaller and thinner you have to use the MSAC-M2 adapter which normally comes with your purchase. I think this was the card the poster was attempting to use without the adapter.

Then I took a look at the ExpressCard slot on the left side and discovered that it not only can be used for an ExpressCard feature, but the plastic insert has an adapter bay in it for SD and MS memory sticks. If you want to use MS Pro or Pro Duo sticks you have to use the MSAC-M2 adapter again. I haven't actually tried it out yet, but I use MS Pro Duo sticks in my camera and I'll run a test today. Both of these slots have protective inserts that are removed by pressing in on the card slightly and releasing so it pops out enough to grab. You know, thinking about the purchase price of this otherwise wonderful notebook computer, we have certainly been done a disservice with the basic contents of the user guide. Will any amount of complaining result in an improvement in this area? I've already made one critical mistake in the handling of my notebook and would certainly not want to make any more.

 

Sounds good to me. How is the padding between the pocket and the laptop area? This is where most laptop bags fall short. I usually put some of those bubble wrap shipping envalopes in with the laptop to keep the power brick from beating up on it.

Thanks for the feedback

Dave

 

Let me see if I can describe this. The notebook compartment is walled off front-back (top-bottom?) by what feels like at least five-eighths to maybe three-quarters inch high-density closed-cell foam panels, and there is a wrap of maybe half-inch foam around the edge. A lockable double closure zipper extends across the top and only about three inches down either side, unlike the full zippers of the other sections. The next compartment over is the Zip-Thru feature that splits the case in two for easy x-ray scanning at the airport. You could probably also use this section for additional file space, magazines and such. The next compartment is the file section which has a full length zipper that opens to reveal a two-section organizer. You could place standard size file cabinet folders in here if you need that level of organization. The last compartment is for accessories like mice, power supply, thumb drives, cell phones, PDA’s, what-have-you. There are three Velcro-closure padded pockets of various sizes, and holders for business cards, pens, keys, etc. These other compartments, Zip-Thru, file, and accessory, are separated from each other by half-inch foam panel material. There are also two large open external pockets on the accessory side and what they call a Trolley pass-through strap on the notebook side for attaching the case to a rolling luggage carrier. I would estimate at least an inch and a half of material/padding between where the power brick resides and the notebook, not counting any items in the file section. That about sums up my review of this product.

 

Awsome; that is almost to good to be true.

I got to have it.

Dave

 

I received my computer back from ZoomTech earlier this week. They replaced the screen again, and AGAIN, it has a stuck pixel (this time near the center of the screen). Then, when I was adjusting the screen/lid back, a tiny piece of black "stuff" fell from the top of the screen and got stuck near the center of the screen.

As if that isn't bad enough, the right-side USB 2.0 port doesn't work any more. Why? I have no idea... but when I connect a mouse to it, it randomly disconnects.

So, at this point, it's clear Asus can't get this right. I contacted them to ask for a refund. They told me to contact Amazon.com, who agreed to give me a refund even though it's beyond 30 days. (Well, duh, it's because I've had to send it back and forth to Asus twice now.)

This has been so frustrating, I'll be relieved when the thing is gone and I have my money back.

 

I might have another problem to report, although I am presently unable to duplicate it or find out much more about it. I have been running the notebook daily since it returned from warranty work, and yesterday late afternoon in the heat of the day (81 degrees ambient in the house) the Action Center reported a hardware fault and suggested I run the Windows Memory Diagnostic in Administrative Tools. So I did, and on the second pass it indicated that a fault had been detected and I should contact the computer manufacturer. I waited until the diagnostic had finished and booted back into the OS for a report on this condition, but there wasn’t any message. I checked in the computer’s reliability and problem history but there wasn’t anything recent. Maybe it was just random and spurious. This morning I checked what hardware I can, removed the battery and removed and reseated the RAM cards and the hard drives. Turned it back on and ran the memory diagnostic again. No faults. I’ll be watching it closely now.

 

Hi PaulW. I am Sampath from india and am heading to netherlands (Maastricht) for a masters degree. i am planning to buy a Asus N series lappy and am particularly interested in the N71JV model. Do you have idea about the approx pricing of that model?

How good are the N61JV and N61Ja in comparison? What might be their prices?

 

Unable to duplicate the error condition noted above. Probably just random. I finished updating the hardware and software drivers I felt were important, and without proper guidance from the manufacturer (hello, Asus ?) The "fan problem" which is really not a problem for me is still there. Did we ever confirm a "fix" to this in BIOS 207? The webcam appears to be working better. Since the frame rate is not adjustable, I assume it is dynamic and determined by exposure and environmental brightness. If I sit in a bright room the video is much smoother. I have been keeping an eye on the event viewer logs and there is one more problem device yet to fix. I keep getting an error condition, failed to load, incompatibility message on the file Driver\PxHelp20 which is associated with the LG CD/DVD/BD drive. Probably not a big issue since the drive works fine. Hey, I really like this computer. I've adjusted to the chiclet keyboard and know my way around the operating system and Asus utilities finally. I think I might just keep it.

 

Is anyone here in the N71 lounge having a CPU whine problem like Risco is having with his N61? He has sent it back a few times for this and other problems but the whinning never goes away. We haven't had a lot of other reports of this. I have not been keeping up with this lounge lately so I'm just checking if this issue has come up here.
Thanks, Greg

 

Hey Sampy,

There's a good price comparison site for the Netherlands (in Dutch):
Asus N71JV-TY078V prijzen | Core | Tweakers.net Pricewatch
Zoekresultaten | Tweakers.net Pricewatch Prijzen
Asus N61Ja-JX046X prijzen | Core | Tweakers.net Pricewatch

I believe all three models you mention are of comparable quality. Dispite the few unlucky ones, I think most people are satisfied with their buy.

Have fun in Maastricht! (especially with carnaval )

 

The fan "problem" was never fixed and still exists in bios 205 and up on my computer. Not a major problem to me though, I'm fine with sticking to bios 204.

Don't have the driver error but then I don't have the BR drive.

Nice to see you're getting happier

 

Hey Greg,

I had the same whining sound, and it went away after doing the alternative fix posted in your lounge a while back (something with mic settings). It has been mentioned few times here by others but doesn't seem to be a big issue by most, or doesn't occur that often..

 

Thanks Paul.

 

My freezing problems definitely solved. I changed SSD for SEAGATE XT and everything works well. SSD in another PC working good.

 

FINALLY ordered mine. (N71)

Hope I know what to do with it when I get it? "LOL" (Not funny)

 

Hey, guys! Just got my unit back (it was RMA-ed and fixed in Fremont CA). Eventually, my worries were unjustified. Everything turned out to be just fine. They replaced my LCD, not only the top cover (allthough I didn't notice anything wrong with it), and my touchpad - this one also looked to be working just fine. They said that they got some errors while testing them. I can only say I should be thankful...The only issue I have is that they did not replace my bottom plastic cover (bearing some marks on it following the laptop's "crash landing"), although I was even willing to pay for it. Unlike our other forumist colleague who had some problems with debris between the display and the protective screen (after receiving his unit back), my lappy has no problem. All in all, I'm happy to have my laptop back pretty much as I sent it to Asus. This means, I'm still one of the lucky guys who have ABSOLUTELY NO ISSUE WITH THE FAN (and I'm not deaf at all... ). I'm just glad to be "back in business" with the N71JQ owners. Next time I will present you my laptop case.

 

Hey anyone know of a good cooler for this laptop.
Since the vents are on the side?

 

I think any cooler should work since the fan intake is on the bottom, i just have a generic zalman rip off and it works great.

 

I received my laptop last evening and was sooooo disappointed in the User Manual as far as getting me up and running. It is the WORST I have seen yet especially for a green horn like me!

Have yet to figure out how and what to do.
By gosh and by guess, I did manage to start it up to get a glimpse.
Hopefully today I can make some headway.

I did notice and have the irritation of a little green light to the left of the battery light, flickering all the time.
Can always put a piece of tape on it?

How in the heck do you get the camcorder on to work?

Yes, I did notice the fan revving on and off frequently but was not that loud as to bother me.

What am I to do with that Driver disc that came with it?

Wish me luck people as I sure need it.

 

Is anybody using BlueTooth accessories and having problems? It seems like I get good connectivity for about two days and then I have to go through the detection and driver installation rigamarole again. I have the wireless and BT radios default "on" at boot-up. I also noticed that if you press the FN+F2 key it brings up the Asus utility for the wireless connections at bottom-center of the screen and both wireless devices are off. If you carefully click on each device in turn they "bounce" and turn on. I guess this is the only way to check on wireless status, other than the center white LED on the status panel below the touchpad which is "on" indicating the radios are on. I'm using a Logitech BT mouse and just updated the driver application today, so I'll be monitoring the situation to see if that fixed it. I also use a Motorola H390 BT headset, but I think the connectivity issue is in the computer and not the peripherals. Any ideas?

 

Huh. The new Logitech driver doesn't work at all. Reverted back to the CD version and posted complaints on their forum.

 

Glad that you found a solution to your problem.

 

I just bought the -x1 model and it's great except for one thing, the webcam. On mine, there is an one-second lag between doing something and having it appear on the screen. Going through this thread, other people have complained about slideshow-like problems, that's not my problem. I've talked to asus and they recommended sending it in for possible repairs, but I want to wait and know that there is something that can be fixed. This computer is already a time saver (it's much faster than my desktop) and I don't want to give it up for a while only to discover there was nothing they could do. I've tried all the drivers on their site.

 

I am expecting the BlueTooth connection to be back to its amnesia tricks and to "act up" again tomorrow. About every two days it happens. So it's really not solved yet. I've posted my observations in the Logitech forum and will wait for their take on what might be going on. I'm wondering if some other Asus driver updates might be in order. I have updated all the utilities to current versions. Without a read.me in the download files explaining the fixes it's hard to tell what might be helpful. I'm still working on BIOS version 206 and am hesitant to flash to 207. I haven't done the chipset update yet either (Intel INF Update Driver), which might help since it provides an interface between the chipset and the peripherals. Wouldn't hurt I suppose to go ahead and try.

 

Hello everybody
As you can see from my sig i'm looking for a laptop. I was looking to Sony VAIO but yesterday I've seen Asus N61jq at my friend and it was pretty solid except display and ty max resolution. Than we found this model, which has better processor and Full-HD display. I'm not a hardcore gamer but I play Steam games like GTA IV, TF2, HF2, BC2... (lots of 2 ) and future Mafia II
Can you guys give some cliffs about heating, fan noise, gaming performance..? Also links appreciated.

And btw I'm moving to Vienna at the end of the summer holiday, can you tell me how much € is this model in Europe?

 

Hey fellow N71JQ owners,

i have two issues with my laptop.

1) I've had it for several months now but I have not figured out why my hdmi port isn't working with my samsung tv. Is there some conflict between the two brands?

2) The Asus webcam software that came with the laptop does not work. The program itself does not execute when I try to run it. Is there an alternative webcam software that I can use?

Please let me know if you guys know a solution or workaround.

Thank you

 

I had to do some fiddling around to get HDMI output to my Sony, mainly with the ATI video card settings. I think I had to enable the output somehow and mirror the desktop. I was wanting to watch a Blu-Ray movie. I think I got the resolution settings set right for the mirrored device (the Sony TV), and lastly I had to turn the TV off and on again and then it worked. There wasn't any audio through the HDMI interface but I don't think there is anyway.

On your second problem, what software are you attempting to use? There are only two applications in the bundle for the webcam, LifeFrame and Mult, which should present you with what the webcam is seeing. Be advised, the frame rate is rather slow in dark settings and only improves a little with more light on the subject. I use mine with Skype video calls and it works good according to what the callers on the other end say.

 

I thought I’d post an update to my ongoing BlueTooth (BT) problems. Since no one else posted, I guess I’m the BT tester. I’m still trying to figure out where the problem might be. Recently I was thinking it was the Logitech software, but now I’m almost convinced it is in the BT hardware or software/drivers. As I have posted previously, the computer is losing BT accessory connection history. It does this even with both of the BT accessories I use still listed on the BT devices page. When I first started diagnosing this problem, two days would go by before it would occur, but lately it will happen when I shut down and turn it back on or even restart. Typically I will boot the computer, log in, and then turn the mouse on. The mouse will be recognized and will correctly point and click. There is a Logitech icon in the system tray for mouse settings and such, and if things are working correctly you can cursor over it and the battery status will be shown. When the problem occurs, there won’t be a battery status. I have figured out that in order to get the mouse properly detected I have to cycle the BT radio off and then on again, after which the Logitech BT connection assistant will launch and I go through the “discovery” process to get it working again. Today I disabled the multi-touch track pad to see if that might be causing a conflict, but there was no change to the behavior. I noticed in the Asus drivers update list that there are two BT updates, one just says BT and the other is for Azurewave BT. Device manager says I have Broadcom BT, so I grabbed the other driver. I launched it and things were looking good when it said it would update the WIDCOMM BT software, which is what I have. But then it says that no BT devices were detected and to make sure they are properly “plugged in”. All you can do is cancel installation. As far as I can tell, the device is properly “plugged in”. Thwarted again. Well, this post (rant) is getting rather long, so let me say the process of diagnosis continues. I am also dealing with a Logitech software issue on their forum. I’ve only got a little over two weeks before I’ll be taking this notebook with me to cold and windy Antarctica for 6 months. I sure hope I can get all the bugs worked out before I go since internet connectivity down there is tenuous at best.

 

bump bump

 

hi all.
yesterday i bought Transcend class 6 4gb sdhc card, and realised that my N71JQ can't read it.
according to http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...-asus-n71jq-owners-lounge-93.html#post6254972 N71JQ should be able to read sdhc, but it doesn't. Asus support told me that it's card reader can't read sdhc at all, but as far as i know Alcor AU6366 card reader controller is able to read sdhc.
i've installed last available Alcor drivers - everything stays the same.
i found some ways to fix the same problem for win xp and Ricoh card readers, so maybe anyone knows how to fix it for win7(64) and Alcor(n71's card reader)?


-----
fix'd.
"Dantrag's guide to unlock sdhc:
1. delete Alcor drivers
2. instal exactly the same drivers
3. delete drivers
4. install new drivers
5. install drivers from another card reader
6. plug in random sd card
7. undo all changes so there are only standard drivers are installed
8. unplug random sd card
9. Profit! it works with SDHC cards!

 

It works very well for me! It is strange that ASUS says that as it is not true...

 

It seems the guy from ASUS with whom you spoke has no idea about this model.

The SDHC card works perfectly for me.
I have a Sandisk Ultra II 16GB card that I keep in the card reader all the time and I do backups to it.

Did you try the card in some other reader to check if the card is not defective?

Maybe you should try to update the Intel Chipset drivers.
Here you will find the latest drivers:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-reviews-owners-lounges/494250-asus-n61jq-driver-thread.html

The above thread is for N61JQ. Except for the bios file all the drivers posted there work also for N71JQ also.

 

you don't get the point of my "dantrag's guide". it really worked for me
i did all of these steps and now my N71jq reads this goddamn sdhc transcend class blablabla memory card
i don't know if i can do this again, so i have complete system's reserve copy

 

So it seems that this was some sort of driver issue.
Glad that you fixed it.

 

What kinda of fiddling did you do again? What changes do I need to set in the ATI Video settings? Audio should be heard through the HDMI cable. For example, a PS3 plugged into the TV with a HDMI cable produces visuals as well as audio.


I have Asus Live Camera that came with the Laptop. Anyone else have this? For some reason, the program won't execute at all.

 

Well, two hours later I figured it out again. As I said, it wasn't easy the first time around.

1. TV is off. Plug in HDMI cable to the TV. Boot Computer.
2. Log in and open Catalyst Control Center - CCC.
3. Click Graphics pull-down menu (upper-left corner) and select Desktops & Displays.
4. Turn TV on and select input from HDMI on TV.
5. Plug HDMI cable into computer HDMI output. It should detect the TV and show it in the detected displays and also display your computer desktop on the TV.
6. Now, depending on the resolution of your TV you might have to play around with the settings for each. In my case, my TV is 1280X768 and when it synchs up it changes the resolution of the computer screen to that resolution. This is where the fiddling around comes in. I found the fastest way to get my 1600X900 resolution back on the computer monitor is to go to the system tray and right-click on the ATI icon. There will be two ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 devices listed, the first is your computer monitor and the second is a duplicate computer monitor being sent to the HDMI output. You can adjust the resolution of your computer monitor back to 1600X900 here.
7. The display on the TV may be slightly larger now because of the different resolutions. Open the Catalyst Control Center - CCC again, click the Graphics pull-down menu, and select Desktops & Displays.
8. Click on the black triangle in the upper right corner of the TV icon on the bottom of this screen and select Configure.
9. In the Image Scaling menu, select Use centered timings. This should reduce the TV image size to fit the screen.
10. When I play a movie, I select full screen mode and then press Fn+F7 to turn off the computer monitor.

I didn't check it for audio, I'll look at it again tomorrow.

Some of the Asus utilities listed in the program menu are not executable in that they can't be launched. Most likely they are launched already during boot-up. I don't have anything called Asus Live Camera. I have Asus Virtual Camera which is one of those non-executables. The only executable in my list is Asus LifeFrame. Hope this helps.

 

Let me correct what I typed near the end of my last post. Most of the Asus Utilities will launch and you will see an icon in the system tray with right-click properties and capabilities.

 

Drama,

I'm playing Starcraft II on it right now, and while the highest settings make things a little jolty, playing on 'high' settings makes everything look beautiful. I've been using this computer for gaming for a while, and I love it. (especially - a numpad! A numpad! My old laptop did not have one.)

As for heating, it can feel a bit hot at times if you're playing something really processor intensive like a newer game. I have a cooling pad that I put under my laptop and plug in whenever I notice the heat rising from the fan area on the left hand side of the laptop. I've not had any actual issues (i.e. error messages from overheating, or anything like that), mind.

The display is amazing. The only fan issue is that when the computer is doing nothing at all, the fan speed stops, then ramps up, then stops, then ramps up, every 30 seconds or so. This can be a little distracting in a perfectly quiet room, but I just put the computer into hibernation/sleep mode or shut it down when I'm not using it. The turn-on time is pretty darn speedy.

Regardless, the fan is still three times quieter than my prior laptop.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Andrew

 

I have an update concerning the backlight keyboard.
I have implemented it with modifications to the PaulW's solution.

I moded the circuit shown in the link http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-9.html#post6131070 to include a FET between the negative keyboard supply terminal and the QT chip. The problem with the original proposed design was that the QT110 had to sink 200mA of current when backlights are on.
The chip is specified to sink only 2mA so it will get hot and can get damaged after prolonged use.

Furthermore, looking at the data sheet of QT110 chip you will notice that the metal touch sensor does not need to be touched directly. It can be implemented behind a plastic. For example as a small metal plate which can be glued with double sided tape inside the notebook casing. So when you touch the plastic area where the sensor is placed inside the notebook the lights will turn on or off.

On my N71JQ, on the right side there is a TV card antenna placeholder between the USB port and the Blue-ray drive which is covered by a round piece of plastic. I placed a small square aluminum plate inside the notebook behind this round plastic cover so that when I touch the round cover the lights are activated.

Sorry I don't have the pictures at the moment. In the lab when I implemented this solution, I did not have a camera available.
I will take the notebook appart in the weekend to post some picks.
I will also upload a schematics of my circuit.

 

Has there been any update on the fan ramping issue?

 

I contacted Ken last week and he has sent an email to ASUS.
We are waiting for the reply from ASUS.

It is very strange that ASUS is taking an infinite time to fix it.