Asus UL30VT FAQ / Official Owners Lounge redux

Same as Wisse.

As to the other inquiry, I do get occasional W7 errors when waking from hibernation; it is random though. I have not used hibernation much till I get a handle on it, may be caused by Asus software conflicts.

 

I'm using hibernations all the time, as opposed to shut-down. I keep most of my programs constantly opened, so I can resume whatever I did before in no-time.

I can't recall any problems with it.

 

I haven't gotten around to undervolting yet, so I haven't altered the stock voltage.

 

does having an SD card in the card slot count as having a USB device? I also notice slow wake times sometimes...

 

I guess. I bought the keyboard from my first post, and it said it was compatible with the UL30VT (but it didn't specify the A1), it was too small. I assume it's for the older X1, right?

 

Alright so I've had this laptop for a week now and I've gotta say that I really like it.

As an upcoming college student I'm confident the laptop will be able to handle much more than what I'll be primarily using it for.

Very easy setup, only trouble was installing a 40gb ssd on it, but that was due to my own inexperience in doing so...

My only problem so far has to do with the internet/ wifi I believe.
I'm using google chrome right now, although the problem is the same in IE.
So I'll be browsing the internet connected to my home wifi network and everything is perfect. Sometimes, out of nowhere, webpages stop loading and just hang for a while taking somewhere from 30sec to a couple minutes to finish loading, then everything's perfect. I noted that the wifi icon remained stable the entire time, just a lagging connection. I'm also pretty sure the network isn't to blame as I've been using it for years both wirelessly and directly without any similar errors. I also see that when the pages hang, if I turn wifi on then off, the pages will load like normal again, it's just a pain to have to reset all the time.

I was wondering what you guys would recommend for this or if anyone has had/ is having similar problems. I was considering reinstalling the wifi drivers but figured i'd ask you first... Thanks!

and I'd definitely recommend this laptop

 

armoredraven, I haven't read any other accounts of people experiencing this issue.

I'd re-install the drivers if I were you, it'll only take a couple of minutes.

 

hi all, i purchased this lil lappy last week and i must say im loving it.

i have whacked in the new patriot inferno 100gb sandforce SSD removed the bloatware and installed everything from scratch.

everything is working fine until it comes to starting up this lappy after shutdown. its a hit a miss.

basically when i start it up with ac power in or ac power out it starts up fine.

the moment i start up without ac power it boots up goes into win 7 environment fine. i attach the ac power cord in and it freezes thinks a bit then restarts it self..whereby it will restart into windows think for a bit then restart again. this loop happens for at least 3 times.. and its abit of a hit and miss. sometimes it happens sometimes it doesnt.


the other thing that happens is that once i plug in ac cord after all this happens the power battery icon says X% plugged in not charging.

how do you force it to charge.

thats my only gripe so far with this lappy the start up and stability issue between the onboard gfx and the nvidia.

note that i have only installed the nvidia drivers that came with the cd

 

Could very well be. For now, I've disabled sleep mode altogether and all actions make it hibernate. That's the beauty of an SSD, it comes out of hibernation very quickly. I'm going to continue to look at this.

Incidentally, I have the OCZ Vertex 2. Which one do you have?

 

I installed everything off the V2 utilities DVD and all works fine. If you downloaded a few off the net, you may have missed something or wrong version.

You should normally boot on the Intel then the blank period starts, after you plug in AC, while PG4 switches to the Nvidia..one time only.

So, something is crashing PG4 when you plug in? I can only suggest you verify all is OK with original drive, or do a second clean install on your SSD to rule out corrupt or improper utility install.

 

Thx,

Today i used hibernate 3 times, no problem. I got one error last week so I'll have to dig some more. This problems shows up when Googled so I'll have to read thru those threads.

Get your crash fixed while undervolting?

 

Nah, undervolting is on side track atm, because I have other work.
I'll probably set it up again, but this time 1 step higher. I just have to look into what long term consequences CPU errors have, if any. For example I don't want my files to suddenly be corrupt or something like that. I seriously doubt that there are any serious effects tho.

 

hi, i did install all my drivers from the DVD that came with the laptop.

ok i will try to boot from intel only then plug in the ac..

what about the issue where i plug in into ac but it doesnt charge the battery,

how do i force it to.

 

I believe it operates on the same bus.

 

So, there have been no updated video card drivers? I just find it pretty appalling that the ones currently on the machine are nearly a year old, when nVidia is pumping out new drivers almost every other week. lol

 

Do you still have your original drive with system intact? The idea was to plug that in, just for a test, to rule out any hardware charging problem.

A PG4 conflict may be the issue. If no one else has seen this, then drop an e-mail to Asus to see if they get lucky. Sorry, I'm guessing, as I have not seen your charging error before. Let us know..

 

So since I have the A1, my wifi driver would be the atheros AR9285 wireless network adapter, correct?

Does anyone have a link to download the driver? I searched for it but can't seem to find the right one...

 

which software controls the vid card switch in the left side of the laptop? I was uninstalling a few program and now that will not work after i restarted.

 

Are you using the stock video driver package from Asus? Uninstalling it and using newer nvidia drivers leaves the IGP without a viable driver. If that isn't the root of the issue, then focus on the drivers that control keyboard functionality which would be ATK drivers OSD2, Hotkey, and Generic Function Service.

 

thanks for the info. Its working again now so im not sure why it stopped working. I may just need to do a full reinstall of win7 so that info will come in handy for me. thanks

 

Mine's been delivered! I'm on may way home to get it!

 

I just received my UL30Vt-A1 yesterday, and it's functioning great except for some constant hard drive clicks. The noise itself doesn't bother me much, but I want to make sure it's not a sign of hard drive failure. Here's an audio sample:

(Link removed)

Some notes about this file: The volume has been significantly raised so you can hear it better, but the sound itself is very quiet. The sound occurs when the PC is idling (no apps actively doing disk access).

I did a lot of other searching on the web for this kind of problem, and while people comment about clicks often, it's difficult to know if they are hearing similar sounds.

Any ideas?

Brian

 

I'm assuming I've been spoiled - the machine is so quiet that the hard drive (WD Scorpio Blue) noise stands out. I just compared the volume level of the clicks to another laptop, and the absolute volume of the hard drive activity was about the same, but the Asus is so much more quiet (no fan running), that it seemed loud in relation to the rest of the machine.

The clicks seem to occur within 30 seconds of the drive spinning down, which itself seems to occur after less than 2 minutes of inactivity. Considering how predictable the clicks occurred, I'm not too concerned.

 

Oh wow, those clicks sound very interesting at that volume.

I must say, that I wanted to to confirm them with me, but then I read your description. First of all you have WD hdd. That's the first time I've heard that they ship UL30Vt with it, as opposed to Seagate Momentus.
Second difference is in timing of the clicks. I'm getting them when system is mostly idle. They usually come in pairs every 20s or so, which makes me think that it's Win7 causing them (defragmentation, indexing...).

Edit: Sry, I was a fool. I listened to your sound recording again and I must say that it's incredibly similar to what I hear, but still on different hdd. I'm just not sure if hdd is supposed to be spinning down at that moment. I have no knowledge bout that, so I'll take your word for it.

 

Thanks for your comments. At this point, I'm not too worried, and I think the drive is normal. I ran WD's tool for testing drives (Data Lifeguard Diagnostic) and everything passed. I compared the SMART numbers for this drive to one of my desktop's WD drives and saw similar numbers.

Here's what I hear: First the clicks happen as in the audio clip. Then, after a few seconds, it sounds like the drive spindle slows down (the ever-so-quiet hum drops in pitch), then after another few seconds, the drive spins to full speed for about 2 seconds and then stops spinning completely (the hum goes away). I noticed this process occurs well before the Win7 power options' listing of 10 minutes. If I subsequently do anything that requires disk access, the drive spins up within a few seconds.

 

I received my ULVT30-A1 yesterday. I haven't used it very much so far (charged it, installed Office 2007 and ran all the updates), but so far I haven't noticed the clicking others have posted about. In fact, compared to my HP DV9000 the ASUS is eerily quiet. 'course, the POS DV900's motherboard is dying so the fan is on constantly and is so loud it sounds like a jet taking off.

I ordered a Targus single USB optical drive to load SW and play the occasional movie. I also got an Easy Datalink to transfer files from the old laptop.

I really like the ASUS keyboard, and I am getting used to the touchpad and rocker. I am used to using a Microsoft 6000 keyboard and mouse for home use, and for travel I eventually hope to get a BT mouse (any recommendations)?

 

It's not bluetooth but I really like this mouse:

Kensington K72328US ci95

Amazon.com: Kensington K72328US ci95 Wireless Mobile Mouse with Nano Receiver: Electronics

It's flat so it slides really well into a small pocket without bulging too much. It also has a nano receiver which I always leave in. Some other mice are smaller but most of them are twice as thick. I've been happy with it for a year now.


I got my machine running and noticed 2 things right away:

1. You guys weren't kidding, the viewing angle is very very small both vertically and horizontally.

2. It is drowning in bloatware.


I played with it for about 4 hours unplugged last night, and though it never told me that I had more than 6 hours of run-time left, I only drained it to 48%. That is with wireless constantly running - pretty cool.

 

Still no answer on this. I cannot find a correctly sized keyboard for the A1, they are all too small.

 

Hey stilljammin, here is a link to ASUS's E-Store for the keyboard.

 

It's out-of-stock, and it's been like that for months...and I have no idea if that will actually fit my laptop, since I bought 2 similar keyboards ( http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ASUS-UL30-U...e_Trackballs&hash=item27b2629def#ht_616wt_911 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PFCPTQ/ref=oss_product) that ended up being too small for my ul30vt-a1.

 

If you are in the US you might want to try and give ASUS E-Store a call. There are several times they have listed items as not being in stock but when you call, they have a couple available and will temporary activate stock for you to purchase. If they don't have any they can give you a ETA.

 

I'll try that, thanks. However after reading this post:

I'm not expecting much.

 

Search for Ceolwolf and my post in the keyboard mod. They have 10 left at the posted site from china.

 

i believe the backlit keyboard you're supposed to be looking for on ebay is the one for the UL80...

 

Don't know if this is a setting or a possible problem. On my new UL30VT-A1 I am getting instances when the I get fast "flashes" when I type (not using the ASUS keyboard, but an older Microsoft 6000 keyboard and mouse). Happens using IE8 and on some YouTube videos. It is still under warranty (obviously) but hoping I won't need to send back.

Is this something others have experienced? All I have added to the ASUS is the keyboard/mouse and SW (Office 2007, Twhirl,)and a RocketDock dock. Otherwise I haven't done anything to settings, only the normal Microsoft updates, etc.

Is is possible its the RocketDock? Anything else I should check or be aware of?

 

Hmm. Well I just compared the UL80 keyboard to the one I just bought from the pictures posted on the listing. They look identical:

UL80 - NEW ASUS U80 U80A U80V Series US Backlit keyboard Black - eBay (item 170496531106 end time Jul-07-10 05:25:35 PDT)

UL30 - NEW ASUS UL30 UL30A UL30VT Series Keyboard Backlit US - eBay (item 170496531951 end time Jul-07-10 05:29:17 PDT)

Thank you! I had trouble searching for "Ceolwolf," but I think I found it:

New ASUS U80 Backlit Keyboard US BLACK 04GNUS1KUS00-3 - eBay (item 310209685299 end time Jul-24-10 03:50:37 PDT)

Can you verify this as the keyboard that you used? It should fit mine as well, then.

 

What model hard drive does the UL30VT-A1 come with? I'm planning on purchasing one very soon and purchasing an SSD with it, and then selling off the hard drive to partially make up for the SSD. But I need to know how much that particular model is going for.

 

My UL30VT-A1 came with the Seagate 500GB 5400RPM, model number: ST9500325AS.

 

Thats the one. You will have to remove the back plate. Works fine.

 

Just got my SGP carbon skin and wrist rests! I'm really happy with the look and feel of the laptop now, especially with the wrists and the separation of the touchpad. Highly recommended for all!

 

Hi everyone,

I've been following the forums here especially the threads on the UL30-VT and UL80-VT for some time.

Just wanted to give a quick heads up to anyone looking to buy a UL30-VT in the United Kingdom (UK), i'm currently supplying this model as part of my online selling on Ebay, and i can appreciate how hard it has been to come by one of these units in the UK.

As a special introduction exclusive to all the forum members here anyone who would like to order one of these laptops please check out as normal and pay but send me a message with your username on the forum so i can verify who you are, and quote ASUSX10OFFER and i will knock £10 off the laptop by refunding the amount through Paypal.

Asus UL30VT-A1 Win7 Nvidia GFX 4GB RAM 12HR Battery on eBay (end time 29-Jul-10 21:03:20 BST)


All the best!

 

They only list UL30A. Safe to assume it is same fitment for UL30A and UL30VT?

 

yes, it is safe for you to assume so!

i purchased on ebay from the seller called sgpcraft, 'cause he allowed me to combine both items for shipping and so the shipping came out to $4USD. It took only about 8 business days to arrive from Korea to Canada.

 

hi all im having a a lot of BSOD problems after i come out of Hibernation both on battery or on AC power.

the errors are System Service Exception, Wimfsys, page fault to non page area. etc,, anyone had this problem. could it be my rams are giving me trouble.??

 

Hey, does the same backlit kb work for the silver one and the black one? Aren't only the keys what shows? Or does this plate, surrounding and under my keys, on my silver one go back once the new kb is installed.

Thanks for the help Great mod.

 

hi everybody...

after a complete format (as soon as I have received the notebook) here below the list (in order) of the drivers and software I have installed...


File list for Win7 Driver CD V2.0
============================================================================================================================================
File Name Description Version
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Driver\ATK0100\Win7_64_1043.2.15.75 ATKACPI Driver for Win7 64 bit (V1043.2.15.75)

2 Software\ASUS\ATKHotkey\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.0053 ATK Hotkey Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.0053)

3 Software\ASUS\ATKOSD2\Win7_32_Win7_64_7.0.0007 ATK OSD2 Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V7.0.0007)

4 Software\ASUS\ATKMedia\Win7_32_Win7_64_2.0.0006 ATK Media Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V2.0.0006)

5 Software\ASUS\AGNFEX_ATK GENERIC Function Service

6 Driver\KBFilter\Win7_64_1.0.0.3 Keyboard Device Filter Utility for Win7 64 bit (v1.0.0.3)

7 Software\ASUS\VGA_Patch_UL50\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.0.1 VGA Patch for Win7 32/64 bit

8 Software\Display\nVidia\NB9X_NB10X_MV_Hybrid\Win7_64_8.15.11.8688 NVIDIA VGA Driver for Win7 64 (V8.15.11.8688)

9 Software\ASUS\Power4Gear_Hybrid\Vista64_Win7_64_1.1.0029 Power4Gear Hybrid Utility for Win7 64 bit (V1.1.29)

10 Driver\IMSM\XP64_Vista64_Win7_64_8.9.2.1002 Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver for Win7 64 bit (V8.9.2.1002)

11 Software\Audio\Realtek\ALC269_SRS\ Win7_32_Win7_64_6.0.1.5958 Audio Driver with SRS Premium Sound for Win7 32/64 bit (V6.0.1.5958)

12 nVidia HD Drivers

13 Software\LAN\Atheros\AR8131\Win7_64_1.0.0.14 Atheros AR8131 LAN Driver for Win7 64 bit (V1.0.0.14)

14 Software\Alcor\AU6433\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.5.17.25482 Alcor Multi-Card Reader for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.5.17.2548 2)

15 Software\WiFi\Intel\1000_without_Cliffside\Win7_64_13.0.0.112 Intel(R) 1000 WiFi Wireless LAN Driver for Win7 64 bit (V13.0.0.112)

16 Driver\PointingDevice_PNP\Win7_64_7.0.5.9 Touchpad Driver for Win7 64 bit (V7.0.5.9)

17 Software\Camera\Suyin\CN031A-S30C-MI01_CL\Vista64_Win7_64_6.5853.77.014 0.3 slim Camera Driver for Win7 64 bit (v6.5853.77.014)

18 Software\Bluetooth\Azurewave\BT(audio_pack)\Win7_32_Win7_64_6.2.5.500 Azurewave Bluetooth Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (6.2.5.500)

19 Software\ASUS\Wireless_Console_3\ Win7_32_Win7_64_3.0.15 ASUS Wireless Switch Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V3.0.15)

20 Software\ASUS\Virtual_Camera\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.019 ASUS Virtual Camera Utility (The Camera driver must be installed.) (V1.0.19)

21 Software\ASUS\ControlDeck\Win7_32_Win7_64_1. ASUS configuration utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.5)

22 Software\ASUS\AI_Recovery\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.8 A system restoring utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.8)

23 Software\ASUS\Net4Switch\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.0019 ASUS Net4Switch Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.0019)

24 Software\ASUS\NBProbe\Win7_32_Win7_64_3.0.0041 System monitor utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V3.0.0041)

OTHER SOFTWARE

Software\WALLPAPER WALLPAPER

Software\AFLAS Utility to update the Notebook's flash BIOS (V3.01)

Software\ASUS\Win7_32_Win7_64_ASUS_UL_Series_Screensaver ASUS ULSeries Screen Saver for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.0)

Software\ASUS\WINFLASH\Win7_32_Win7_64_2.29.0 BIOS Flash Utility (Windows Version) for Win7 32/64 bit (V2.29.0)

Software\ASUS\LiveUpdate\Win7_32_Win7_64_2.5.9 ASUS Live Update Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V2.5.9)

NOT INSTALLED

Driver\AW-NE785_PNP\Win7_64_8.0.0.238 Azurewave NE785 Wireless LAN Driver and Utility for Win7 64 bit (V8.0.0.238)
Software\ASUS\ADSM_Utility\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.00.0014 ASUS Data Security Manager Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.00.0014)
Software\ASUS\eManual(UL30VT)\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.3 eManual Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.3)
Software\ASUS\FancyStart\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.8 ASUS FancyStart Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.8)
Software\ASUS\FastBoot\Win7_64_1.0.5 ASUS Fast Boot utility for Win7 64 bit (V1.0.5)
Software\ASUS\LifeFrame3\Win7_32_Win7_64_3.0.0020 WebCam Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V3.0.20)
Software\ASUS\Mult\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.0.0021 Mult Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.0021)
Software\ASUS\SmartLogon\ Win7_64_1.0.0007 SmartLogon Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.0.0007)
Software\DeviceVM\ExpressGate\Win7_32_Win7_64_1.2.13.40 ASUS ExpressGate Utility for Win7 32/64 bit (V1.2.13.40)

 

For some reason, my UL30VT-A1 won't detect my HDTV when I plug it in via HDMI. I tried both mine and my family's television (with separate cables), and no detection under Display settings. Any idea how to fix this?

 

Rid, It only works with the nvidia so not sure of your settings. Mine is detected within 2 seconds of connecting plug..your going to love it for 720p or greater files.

 

Pretty much same install on mine except I left off some auto update junk as well.

PG4 is pretty much the the only rough edge I have with it but you learn it's quirks after awhile.

Enjoy

 

Only works for the silver one..not. Works on both

Search for the keyboard mod thread, there are photos. I suggest you do not pull off the surrounding black fascia as it tends to damage the keyboard if your not really careful. I have my original keyboard in box if warranty work is needed.