* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

I bought one of these laptops a couple of months ago.

When its working I find it incredibly wonderful (mind you my laptop before this was years old, an old Dell Inspiron 5150 that was finicky and threatened to blow up if you looked at it wrong, so basically every laptop is wonderful comparatively). The problem is that occasionally, with no warning, the computer has random graphical glitches all over the screen, then the monitor shuts down, and then the only option I have is to do a hard power down by holding the power button.

I've reformatted back to factory already, and only installed the drivers and firefox, and its still doing it.

Its been doing this since I got it, I checked event viewer and found the LMS event 1 thing happening. I installed the update linked earlier in the thread, and have not had it happen since, but, since its completely random, I'm unsure if that actually fixed it.

Any ideas?

EDIT: Nope, that didn't fix it, just got another crash :/

 

Don't you have a 2 year warranty?

Did you call Asus to get a RMA number and send in the laptop for repairs?

 

Typically when we get this type of problem in our Lab the first thing we do is ask the user if they have ever hooked up the laptop to an external monitor. If you have ANY way of doing that, do so - then work with it a few days. nex time you see those probs, see if it also shows up on the external monitor. If so, you likely have a video card issue. If not (the external monitor is fine but the laptop monitor is messed up) then it's likely you have an LCD issue. HP 6910/30 systems are notorious for their LCD's going out and the symptoms are as you describe so...my first 'gut reaction' is the LCD is bad...but this is one way to narrow that down.

Now, Asus systems may have completely different hardware issues so ... perhaps someone with more experience with these systems will have other insights.

 

Great find Turbogear. As one who has never got up the nerve to flash a bios it is much appreciated by me. I put this up on the driver update section of the first page. Thanks again!

 

Excellent, I did not know that we have Easy Flash possibility... its perfect. Thanks.

 

Meh. Windows 7 is here. I've been rocking WinBIOS updates since the beginning.

 

Hi there,

HTC are easy to un-brick. I usually flash ROM from my SD card. But the new T-Mobile HD2 has to be done from the computer, to ensure the Hard SPL is not erased by the new ROM and replaced with the new Soft SPL.

I usually flash a new ROM on twice weekly basis.

Best regards,

KOR!

Does he/she still has the phone?

 

Yes, I was able to help my friend out.
xda-developers forum rocks.
On my HTC Diamond 2 I also flash the ROM regularly, and I am using Olipro Hard-SPL.

 

We should try and avoid getting on this topic since phone hacking is about the 4th hobby I do. I am sure we could fill a few hundred more pages.

 

You are right.
For that discusion I suggest we go to xda-developers forum.

 

i tried activating the fglrx driver which was there by default after installing ubuntu. On restart, things would seem fine, except that i still couldnt enable compiz etc. then the screen would freeze. On restart, ubuntu (10.04 64-bit btw) would freeze onda login screen. Then i tried removing the ol driver and reinstalling fglrx again; same thing happened. Then i tried purgin the ol driver (found some instructions on an ubuntu forum), same thing happened.

 

For anyone interested in temperatures. Here is mine just sufing the net.

Field Value
Sensor Properties
Sensor Type CPU, HDD, Asus NB ACPI
GPU Sensor Type Diode (ATI-Diode)

Temperatures
CPU 55 °C (131 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #1 56 °C (133 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #2 52 °C (126 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #3 55 °C (131 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #4 52 °C (126 °F)
GPU Diode 55 °C (131 °F)
Seagate ST9640320AS 31 °C (88 °F)

Cooling Fans
CPU 2400 RPM
GPU 30%

 

What you were reading was a post about my old laptop in reply to someone else who had the same model (HP Pavilion dv9644), hence the reference to two hard drives.

My ASUS I just got this week and haven't had any problems so far.

 

I can't install ati catalyst 10.4 It said kind of "user must be administrator". But my user already be administrative. solving by use "run as administrative" doesn't fix this issue.

How do i fix this.

(I can install catalyst form asus website)

 

How do i connect this to my HDTV? I use the HDMI cable but when I goto the input on the TV nothing shows up. Also when I try to"detect" alternate display settings on the laptop nothing shows up either. PLease help

 

I have this same issue

 

That's cool. I get 64+C just surfing the net for both cpu and gpu. Did you upgrade the thermal compund?

 

same question

 

Nope, but remember I do not live in a hot country ( UK ) Also it takes a while for the compound to settle in.

 

Hi everyone, I'm new to the boards but I registered here specifically because this only place that seemed to be discussing the N61JQ-A1 in depth which I've strongly been considering. I've currently got a low end Sager for low-end usage but I need something that can do some mid-range graphical work i.e. Flash CS5, Photoshop, Illustrator etc... also I want something that can run some of the more recent games[CODMW2,Boarderlands,Dragon Age]. I looked around and found the A1 to be the best for the price, the video of it running the Crysis demo sealed the deal. However in looking through the forums the reviews of this model are kind of all over the place. Some say it's amazingly powerful and well built, others say that it craps out on them first thing out of the box. Then there's also the horror stories of dealing with the Asus customer service. I know everyone has horror stories when it comes to laptops but the thing that concerns me is that most of the reports were posted from a few months ago, the most recent review on XOTICPC was from a few days ago. So I guess what I want to know is if anyone has an average of how reliable this laptop is and if anyone has any regrets after buying it. Thanks in advance.

 

¿is CPU upgradable?

 

Did you upgraded the thermal compound ? I'm in Canada and I have 62/59/61/60 and 61 GPU... on idle...

About HDMI and CCC, my HDTV Sony 1080p confirm 1080p resolution on screen but the ATI Control Center show my computer AND my HDTV as 1366X768 ... whats wrong ? Bug ??

About Bios : nothing change if we trust the Asus log history since 202

 

Anyone? please help

 

I think you must press some keys. If you are using windows 7, you press winkey & p. If you are using older Windows-versions you press fn & f4(could be different f-key)

 

I'm sorry if this has been answered already. I didn't find it in the first post so I decided I'd go ahead and ask. Is there anyway to calibrate the play/pause button up top by the volume controls to control winamp and not just launch Windows Media Center?

 

Jumping on the HDMI topic, yesterday I connected to two different TVs and even though it looked good the video was choppy. Any idea why or where I can tweak settings for this?

Thanks!

 

Were at 240,000 hits and 2,176 posts. We've had about 50 posts in the Issues section. Having started this Lounge and trying to keep the front page updated I have read every post in it. We have had some returns but regrets have been less than a handfull and refunds I have not seen. For me ordering a laptop from anyone now is a crapshoot. There are no guarantees that you won't get a lemon or that you will be made whole if you do. But for what you are looking for I would highly recommend the A1. I would say the odds are better with this laptop to be trouble free compared to many others.

 

BIOS 209 for the N61JQ has been posted on the official page: link

Edit: New MEI driver: outside link

 

LOL, a small world, the global village!

Yes, xda-developers forum rocks and so do some of the best chefs like Olipro, who cook up the best goulash in the world.

I haven't posted there in ages, but visit daily. I use the same KOR user name there. Got a very good deal on T-Mobile HD2 on eBay.

Anyhow, back to N61Jq, or we will be hijacking the thread and become trolls!

 

Happened to me once found out the cable was loose, it did detect my TV but shows a black screen, I reconnected make sure it's secure and it worked.

 

A.S.U.S guys : We REALLY appreciate that to have CHANGE LOG for all new bios version because we have same feeling like pig that eats corn...

 

Yes, upgrading it yourself will void the warranty. Faster CPUs are available on custom configurations from many of the resellers recommended on these boards and will not void your warranty. I've found the cpu plenty fast and upgrades expensive. Might be worth it in 3-4 years if you can get a used one off of ebay.

 

There is an updated Power4Gear on the website. Along with a newer version of ExpressGate. The newer P4G has a normal desktop picture for battery saving, instead of that grey Asus background from before. Seems a little bit more energy efficient.

 

Thanks for replying, I'll definitely be picking up this laptop, appreciate the help, I've been trying to get a definitive response from someone for some time. I was pretty sure about this laptop but wanted to double check with someone who has first hand knowledge. Thanks again.

 

Yes it is really annoying to see all the time only two words with each new bios "Firmware change".

 

Hi Risco,

Are you talking about P4G Hybrid v1.1.29 from 2010/05/11 or v1.1.35 from 2010/04/27?

It is confusing why ASUS released a lower numbered version of P4G after a higher numbered version.

 

1.1.29, they are numbered funny. However I think that they are special ones tailored for each notebook.

 

Thanks I will try it.
So far I had v1.1.35.

 

No worries, let me know if it fixes your fan issue.

 

Thanks.
After a lot of testing Ken and I strongly believe that the fan is not a software problem, but it is related to bios.

 

As someone who has spent a lot of time downloading drivers from the support site, I can say that the latest postings are not always the newest drivers. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that they have a million notebook models and randomly update the individual models at a whim.

 

Hey guys,

I'm a new owner of this laptop (my first laptop) and i've got a question.. I'm sorry if this has already been asked I have done alot of reading in this thread and can't seem to find the answer i'm looking for so I figured it would just be easier to ask.

My question is: How do I make my external monitor(Samsung 206bw) work to 75 hertz? If there is an easy way can someone please give me a step by step, not exactly the most technologically advanced person out there ;]

Thanks

 

Hi folks, watched the forum for quite a while and became a brand new owner a couple weeks ago. I've got a problem that keep popping up and wonder if anyone can help... It's my blue tooth. I've got an Asus BT mouse and the BT keeps disconnecting, and the only way to get the mouse to work again is to un-install it, then re-install it. Very annoying... Anyways, my BT icon just disapeared. I restarted, and the BT is still not up. Upon further invetigation I get an error trying to start the BTTray.exe file.

"The application has failed to start because it's side-by-side configuration is incorrect"

Has anyone else seen this before? I tried a system restore and that didn't help either.... Using the function key to turn BT on and off is giving me a screwed up error too. It's telling me there's an error with a USB port. I'm guessing it's actually the BlueTooth. Windows says it's "unknown." Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

 

Somehow I am also thinking so.
It seems to me that ASUS sometimes releases older versions after they have already released the newer ones.

 

You might try updating the Bluetooth driver: external download. While it should install properly without removing the old driver, you may want to uninstall the old driver (Bluetooth WIDCOMM and all Broadcom references in the uninstall programs list).

 

The 209 Bios may reduce temps. I was getting max 82 playing SC2 yesterday on CPU and GPU (with 208). Today, I have max 77 (209). Of course, this might be due to some other reason, but it might be the bios?

 

Unfortunately we do not know what the A.s.u.s dudes did with the bios, there is no any official change log documentation. It's the same with few drivers from this manufacturer. We working in a dark. it's a shame but we must be good pigs and eat our corn and trust a.s.u.s God ??
I have an other "cheap" L.e.n.o.v.o laptop T5600 core2duo but IBM know exactly what is a computer and user, and everytime change log is here Lenovo Support & downloads - BIOS Update Utility - 3000 C200, Lenovo N100

It's very disappointing - Please, A.s.u.s, Growing a bit !

 

I have got problem about dust or someting that under the plastic plate covering my n61jq screen.

There's a spec of dust behind the screen glass that's creating a "rainbow" glittering effect, but I can't get rid of it because (obviously) it's behind the plastic plate. Anyone else have this issue or find a way to deal with it? Is there a way to sort of knock it out of there?

 

Hello everyone!

I'm new here and also a proud owner of the Asus N61JQ. I was wondering if anyone could tell me or even better find me WIndows XP 32-Bit drivers for this laptop if they're available at all (I need XP beacuse of some old external hardware I'm still using and there are no Win 7 drivers).
I also have a question about the keyboard. Is it normal that keys S and W (and maybe some other as well) have strange clicking noise?

Thank you for your answers,

Greetings from Slovenia,

Miha

 

Okay, so my first attempt with LapLink PC Mover failed. It attempted to pack/unpack the "Moving Van" and got about 1.5 hours into it then claimed it lost connection (pretty odd considering I was hard-wired via their own USB cable). Will be trying it again soon.

I find it hard to believe others don't have massively personalized systems that when they get a new one, or have to re-formate/re-load their old one, they're almost in panic-mode because of all the customization that gets lost..including all the "register one-time only" apps you have to chase down to get them to transfer to the new OS smoothly. Laplink is supposed to do all this...I will reserve judgment since the first one failed.