* Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge *

Any significant difference of performance and speed?

 

BIOS v210 has been posted to the official N61JQ page: here

 

Still only showing BIOS 209 for me.

 

It's only showing 209 for me as well.

So is there any way to reinstall the PowerDVD software that came preinstalled? I did a fresh install of Windows and the installer for the Cyberlink stuff only installs the label writing software.

 

updated to flash beta 10.4 and using touchpad drivers 7.0.6.4...still no go with the multi-touch three-finger left/right swipes.

not that it matters too much since I'm using an external mouse but it'd be nice to have that functioning.

 

Looks like it was slow updating to their different servers. I can now see BIOS 210. I really wish they would posts somewhere what it fixes or adds. I'm waiting to update until others report back. I'm running 209 right now without any issues.

 

Ken posted the changelog a few pages back. Seems to fix a flashing issue when using AFLASH.

 

Does that mean that pressing ctrl+alt+del might cause computer issues if it causes a shutdown?

 

Thanks! Has anyone flashed to 210 yet?

 

I'm using it. I was using 209 before.

I interpreted the changelog as relating only to BIOS flashing. E.g. if you improperly shut down your computer or restart it after a flash, you might lose data in the BIOS chip.

 

Thanks for the explanation.
But, when I click on download, it redirects to this page. It is only after I run the downloaded "catalyst_mobility_64-bit_util.exe" file(which I believe is around 1 MB size), on my laptop, that it downloads the "10-5_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe" file.

But, it is all right now. Thank you,stevedogg, for providing alternate link (Station-Driver, but it seems it is redirecting to official page itself, but it works).

 

Thanks for the info. I guess I can hold off updating then since I've already successfully flashed to 209.

 

I don't think they can fix it without replace the mainboard.

I assume you are using Winflash?

I think Ctrl+Alt+Del is the automated BIOS command after BIOS flashed, for some reason the command failed.

 

Well I did not notice any speed difference as the original RAM were also 1333MHz.
The main reason why I upgraded my RAM was that my multitasking work environment especially the use of VMWare was very memory demanding and some time to time I was seeing system slow down due to lack of ram.
This does not happen now with 8GB or ram.
Actually, 6GB would also had been ok I think, but I thought 8GB is more future proof and also better for dual channel operation.

 

Anyone experiencing some freezing since BIOS 210 ?

 

This is probably a dumb question but I got my x1 from newegg and in the box there was no paper invoice or receipt or anything. I am filling out my ADW and I did the online portion so I need to send that email in and an invoice. Do I just print off the invoice I got from newegg when I ordered it or was I suppose to receive some type of invoice slip with my laptop?

Thanks

 

I asked to soon! Just made in to this page and I figured I would re-post in case any newcomers had the same question.

 

NewEgg will email the invoice to you, usually a couple of days after you take delivery. If not then you can go to your account on their web site and print it from there. The only thing you will get with the package is a packing slip.

I deal with them a lot and I like the fact that they send the invoice to me electronically, because it makes it easy to track them.

I did the ADW and registration electronically through the ASUS web site. It took about three weeks to get conformation. I bought my laptop from J&R.com, but the process was the same.

Dave

 

@minenfeld you can;t download it. Due coprights asus wouldn't send you a copy/installer of powerdvd or recovery disk. I had the same problem as you,i asked asus about this and they suggested me to send my laptop to a local service(for restoring my windows because i hadn't buned all recovery dvds at first use,just 2 from 4) but in my case i had just to restore the Boot sector and i used just the first dvd, after that i installed windows from partition.
Conclusion: The only thing that you can do to reinstall powerdvd suite is to restore the original windows or talk to an asus service.

 

Regarding getting some of the original software back, if you haven't deleted the recovery partition (and you'd know if you did), you can recover back to a windows installation that includes the original software. Just hit F9 at the Asus BIOS screen, and you'll be prompted through the recovery process. I really liked the feature of only recovering C:, since all my data is on D:

I didn't make the recovery disks either, and did exactly this before setting up the machine to dual-boot Ubuntu.

 

I agree, I can now edit high definition photoshop files with ease. 8GB is the way to go if you are making money from the activities you do on this machine.

 

Yes for me the main reason to buy N71JQ was to be used for work.

 

Today my video has died again. Video never came back on when it went to sleep. Power cycled many times and no still no video.

This will be a second RMA with the same issue. This will probably be my last purchase with ASUS, (never had any luck with their MBs either).

Anyone else having this video issue? If you could just reply yes, I want to see how many are out there.

 

hey another thing i dont get from this machine is why they didnt make space for a 2nd hard drive... i dont get it... in the g series you have that option, but not in this one..

 

I think it is a marketing strategy because they want to sell N71JQ.
Basically both are similar machines except that N71JQ has larger screen, 2 HDDs and a tiny subwoofer.

 

Hi guys!
I really need your honest opinion about this laptop.

I am thinking of buying it and would to keep it ("healthy") for at least 4-5 years

a)Could you tell me shortly how the build quality is it? (poor.medium,high)
b)How about the temperature because of i7-720 and hd5730.
c)Is sound quality good?
d)Finally, have you met some common problems (overheating, crashes, dead vga etc)

Thanks in advance!
I am looking forward reading your answers, as soon as possible

 

a) Build quality is good. Main chassis is a little flexible but nothing to be concerned about.
b) I don't really keep track of the temperature. The laptop is pretty much on a desk whenever I use it and I have never had a heat related issue, except that one time I was blocking the exhaust
c) surprisingly yes, for laptop speakers.
d) touchpad is acting up. basic functions work but others don't, like 3-finger swipes. I use a wireless mouse most of the time so this is a relatively small issue (but one I'd still like to get corrected).

Hope my answers help.

side note...I did regain use of the 3 finger swipes today at school, but I came home and it doesn't work anymore. Hmmm... :/

 

Question, did you have an external mouse plugged in when you go home?

If so, then by default you lose the functionality of the touchpad including the 3 finger swipe.

Go to the ELAN properties of the MOUSE category in Control Panel and you should see the option to 'disable touchpad when external mouse is plugged in'.


Another solution could be to update to the latest drivers for this touchpad as found on the first post of this topic. I have them and everything works like a dream.

 

Drivers have been removed from the first post, but you can get the Elantech driver here.

 

I have that option unchecked but I have tried it both ways to no avail. I have been using the newest version of the touchpad drivers.

I'll update/reinstall the drivers again. *fingers crossed*

edit: just reinstalled it but to no avail. three finger swipes still do not work.

 

Is the touchpad even detecting three fingers? I.e., does the taskbar icon show three blue dots when you touch with three fingers?

 

yup, it's showing three dots. I get the "right click button" when I tap with 3 fingers. Just no swiping. Weird, right?

 

Try disabling "Tapping" in the settings (double-click the taskbar icon). I disabled mine because I hate accidentally clicking stuff without pushing the physical button. It might be confusing the three-finger tap (pop-up menu) when you're trying to swipe. Also, make sure "Swipe Page" is enabled, obviously.

 

hey superjojo, about ur SSD dilemma, seagate have just announced their SSD hybrid drive. figures are pretty impressive, with speeds pretty close to SSD. but the price is real low, like a 640 gb 7200rpm drive is only like $50-$70 more than a conventional drive of the same speed and capacity. i plan on upgrading with one when they come out

 

Do you mean the Seagate Momentus XT?
If so, it is already available. Here is the Newegg link.

Barring SSD's, it is probably the best performing notebook HD you can invest your money in.(Speeds come close to SSD, only in some cases; in others, it would be comparable with other magnetic hard drives)

 

well friggin' a...

I had a feeling some program was "interfering" so I decided to close out programs. Turns out it was MS Outlook that was causing the pad not the work.

WTH indeed.

 

To the owners of N61JQ...

Would you suggest me to buy (instead of n61jq)

Sony Vaio VPC-F11M1E/H (i5-520, 4gb, 330m gt)
or
Acer Aspire 5740g (i7-620, 6gb, hd5650) ???

 

a) Build quality is medium. (my LSHIFT key sometimes when pressed,gets stuck)
b) The temperature(I believe due to the i7-720) is quite high.(80-85 C while gaming for CPU, 82 for GPU)
c) Average for a laptop
d) No problems so far.

I doubt whether this laptop will last, without any problems for 4-5 years,unless you are lucky.(Well, that would be the case of most mainstream laptops,nowadays, I guess. At least battery would need to be changed)

In terms of configuration alone, Acer Aspire 5740g.(Better CPU,GPU and more headroom with the 6 GB RAM). But, don't know about the build quality of these two laptops.

I am not sure, but think have read in this thread, about Sony Vaio F series having problems(whining?).

 

For anyone interested in checking an online rma status I got this email from the service team. ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

 

ACER and SONY is SCRAP laptop quality brand... check any LENOVO/IBM or any MSI and... ASUS laptop if you want to stay away from trouble

 

I heard also that ACERs are not very good in quality.
I looked at a few of them when I bought my N71JQ. The ACER prices were sometimes too good to be true.
After I read many quality issue complains in lot of forums I dropped the idea and stayed loyal to ASUS and bought my third in a row notebook from them.
Beside what I really disliked about ACER was that it seems they are using the same standard casing design among lot of different models for some time now. They are not very innovative like ASUS.

 

POSSIBLE OFF TOPIC:

Hey guys (reseller guys),

My nephew (the one I am close with) is looking for a good laptop for around $1000 shipped. He can't find the N61JQ in that price range anymore. I was wondering, since I "know people" (as he says) and refuse to let him order off of Screw-Egg, if you guys can PM me some "comparable" notebooks around that price. PM since this is a N61JQ forum and we have worked so hard to get it running smoothly. ;-)

Thanks guys!

 

Ok my friends now I need your help. I just couldn't resist my first attempt at a bios update with all the talk about it here. Well of course I bricked it!
I tried version 210 using easyflash. Well I guess easyflash refers to how easily you can loose your Laptop in a flash . So now I get no power and well yada,yada you know the rest. Now here is where I need some advice. Does flashing your bios void the warranty if you brick it? If you send it into ASUS and say nothing about the bios update will they be able to tell and refuse your warranty claim? I am not asking about the ethics of this. I will have no problem sleeping after some of the things I have seen ASUS do to some of our members here. I just need to know if I need to be upfront with them or I can just say My laptop won't turn on and if asked say I don't know why.
P.S The remodel is going well.
Laptopless and going to sleep in Seattle!:SLEEP:

 

Hello everyone, new guy here. I got my laptop on Friday, n61jq-a1, really nice laptop I might ad. I am not to technical, but I get by pretty good with the basics and some. I have a bit of a problem, I like the little Intel turbo-boost desktop gadget, but yesterday when I went to the desktop gadget gallery I clicked it and it came up but with an error. The icon itself appears but does not function, it's got a big "X" on it. I proceeded to do a reinstall from the Intel website and it started working again. But I got the same error later on. I then did a complete uninstall and reinstall, I also deleted the icon from the desktop gadget gallery, well after it was completed, the gadget has been working fine, but the problem is that I can't get it to appear in the gadget gallery anymore! I did 2 uninstall and reinstall and I rebooted twice but it's still not there. Any ideas on how to get it back in the gallery? I don't want to have it on my desktop all the time, and I want to be able to access it through the gallery. Here is a screen print of my desktop so that you guys know what I mean. Appreciate your feed back.

 

My gut tells me that no flashing the bios using the built in flash utility should not void your warranty, but I don't know for sure. As far as can they tell, a good tech might be able to, however most would not. I would send it in without telling that it was a flash bios. As far as they know it might have just been some corruption in the bios memory. Either way you can argue it and the customer is always right.

 

I think you are safe telling them what happened. They posted the BIOS on the official driver page, implying that you are free to download and install it. Actually, v210 is supposed to prevent these bricking issues (I think), but, unfortunately, the EasyFlash utility is part of the BIOS, so you don't get the benefit of the update until after you update, making your case really ironic (but still very unfortunate; sorry it happened to you too )

If you look in the official N61JQ manual (downloadable on the support site), many of the troubleshooting solutions include updating the BIOS (e.g. for problems with the ODD or camera). ASUS will not condone actions, in their own manual, that go against their policies.

 

Sorry to hear about your brick ally. The funny thing is, I've been using Winflash for every single flash for this machine so far and have gotten through with no issues, and its the method that is said to be most avoided. Go figure! :S

Anyway, I'm having a situation reinstalling Power4Gear guys. I found that I was getting the best battery life under the Quiet Office mode and would like to get that back. However, I uninstalled power4gear because I thought it was only removing all my icons and doing a google search that was the solution

The error I'm getting when I try to reinstall is,
There is a problem with this installer package. A program run as part of the setup did not finish as expected. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.

I emailed Asus about it and they were no help on the issue. So if anyone can assist me here it would be most appreciated

 

What version are you installing? The newest is V1.1.35.

 

LOL!

I'm using 209 now, and I don't think I'll be flashing the future BIOS updates. If my asus gets easyflashed, it's bullshrek.

 

Just put in my first RMA on this machine. For the plam rest pealing issue and random graphic artifacts while browsing the web, It's also starting to crash after an hour of game play.

I think I got a dud video card.