Asus UL30VT FAQ / Official Owners Lounge redux

I believe all NVidia cards, mobile and desktop, are rated to 105C. I know that at least the desktop 8800GT, GTX 470, and GTX 480, and the mobile GTX 460 are.

 

RMA Surprise!

I got my second RMA drive replacement today. Cool they sent a Hitachi to replace my original Seagate with 2, reallocated sector count errors. The 1st Seagate RMA drive had 4 reallocated sector count errors after fresh format.

I have a WD with reallocated sector count errors and it’s not a big deal but that drive was two years old before getting them.

The Hitachi has zero errors, yea! But I’m not happy with the 2,370 rut time hours on it..yes they sent me a very used drive. It’s an older drive than the Seagate that uses 700ma vs .451 on the Seagate. Not my idea to be battery friendly drive.

Oh well, RMA time again…

 

My HDMI port has suddenly stopped working. Usually when I plug in the HDMI cable, the laptop automatically puts it in dual monitor mode. Now plugging in the cable does nothing. The NVidia control panel doesn't list my TV as an available monitor.
The only thing I've changed recently is I did a Windows update on 9/28, but it had an update for "USB Video" - details "Stop 0x0000007E" or "Stop 0x00000050" Stop error message in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. I didn't read the whole thing in detail, but it doesn't seem it would affect HDMI.
Anyone have any suggestions to get HDMI working again?

 

I still love my UL30VT-X1! Treat it like a baby...

 

Hey,

Within last month, I purchased 2 ul30vt from Amazon, and they both shipped with Seagate drives. Build date date of my laptop was 02/2010.

I thought they stopped using seagate and updated it with Western Digital drives?

Can anyone shine some light? I don't want to be stuck with an inferior drive.

 

Have you checked the drives for errors?

You can replace the the inferior drives with superior drives of choice or ask for refund on both laptops.

Mine had one minor error so now on third RMA from Asus, so, take that with a grain of salt depending on how much patience you have.

 

i ordered mine from J&R in july and machine is dated 2010-05, came with WD. amazon was out of stock at the time so...

 

Been playing Civ V on my UL30vt-A1 since the day the game came out. It chugs a bit when you get a lot of computer moves between turns, but it is still quite playable. The only mod I've done to my UL30 is I swapped out the 500gb Seagate drive for a 320gb WD 7200rpm drive. Running stock ASUS video drivers.

 

Kind of a bummer that this computer doesn't come with a back-up disc for Windows 7 or a flash drive containing it. To not be able to reformat it on its own is a con.

 

EVERYONE should have a clean copy of Windows 7 ready to go!!! Don't bother using Asus, HP or Dell crap.

Find an unmolested, clean, unhacked, regular version of Windows 7 online somewhere and download it. A 64bit version is wise unless your hardware doesn't support it.

Use 7-zip (free archive program everyone should have) to modify the .iso file and delete the ie.cfg (I think thats the file) which will, upon installation, prompt you to select which version of Windows 7 you want installed. Thus, you can choose starter, Home Premium or Ultimate depending on the license you have. Keep in mind though the 32bit and 64bit are totally different downloads. If you want to be very thorough, before you delete that file use 7-zip to do a CRC check and compare the CRC against what is understood to be a clean copy CRC.

Once that is done, you can A) Burn the iso (using the free and awesome ImgBurn program) or B) use the genuine MS thumb drive copier utility which will put Windows 7 on a 4+gb usb thumb as a bootable installation media.

You're done! Pop in your thumb drive at startup and select to boot from it. Get rid of the useless recovery partitions while you're at it.

Having this install option is liberating. Sorry about the informal write-up but you get the gist of it.

 

Or just use the very useful link below which has great directions, and then go to the first post in this thread to see what else to install for this specific laptop.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

 

So now that I have a clean version of Windows running (using the method above -- thanks!), what would you guys recommend in terms of cleaning up this laptop physically? I am trying to think of a way to clean the screen and the lid without doing any damage. Any ideas with household materials?

 

Hey guys, I just bought a brand new UL30VT-X1 at a good price. Some months ago I already had bought a UL30VT which i sent back because of bad build quality.
Right now I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised as I seem to have received a new revision or something like that (Date of build is August 2010). The touchpad surface now has a completely different texture (small grid texture) and the keyboard doesn't make a rattling sound anymore as my previous unit did.

But despite all the surprisingly good aspects of my new unit I stumbled upon a problem while making a clean Win7 Home Premium 64bit install.

After I installed the vga driver something weird happened. The installation reached 100% but then instead of switching back to the desktop my machine crashed and I had to restart it holding the power button down for some seconds (This had also happened on my previous unit in the same situation with the vga driver).
When I booted up my machine again everything looked normal. I tried to install the vga driver again, but got a weird setup-error message saying that the OS in use is not 64bit and therefore the installation has to be quit confused: I had already installed this driver on my first try and it didn't say that)

Now I'm afraid that I messed something up. Everything works just fine but you'll never know ^^ Any ideas guys?

Thx

 

Drivers switch and PG4 work OK? Exercise both Video cards using PG4. If you find no major problems, over a day or so, you should be good.

Any yellow question marks under hardware manager?

I can only vouch for the V2.0 driver DVD which I had zero issues during my one and only clean install months ago.

 

I yet have to test some games but everything else seems to work fine i guess... no yellow question marks either.

I don't wanna be paranoid over some non-existent problem but I was just wondering after this strange installation process if you could call it so ^^

Thanks for the advice, I will checkout the driver from the driver DVD. A strange thing is that I wasn't able to install the vga driver again (64bit error) though. But if everything is running fine I won't worry anymore

 

Here's a random fact that I want to drop on the internet to potentially help someone in the future.

It seems that it is not possible to properly install and use GPU (VGA) switching drivers for Asus UL30Vt, UL50Vt or UL80Vt when using "Compatible" for "Sata operation mode" in BIOS (default mode is "Enhanced").

In fact I couldn't get nVidia's nor Intel's GPU to work in Windows 7 64-bit. One would think that "Sata operation mode" doesn't have anything to do with GPUs but it clearly does. Changing Sata mode effects behaviour of two integrated GPUs!

I encountered this problem when trying to set up WinXP / Win7 double boot system. My WinXP installation didn't have SATA drivers integrated and I clearly couldn't use F6 during installation, so I switched Sata mode to "Compatible" because otherwise WinXP would BSOD. In this set up WinXP worked well. Active GPU was nVidia, without ability to switch to Intel (ASUS doesn't seem to support switching in WinXP). Then I installed Win7 where I couldn't get any GPU drivers to work.

Solution:
Sata mode was the only variable left in my troubleshooting quest, so I decided to do something about it.
I followed some instructions on internet to manually unpack and install Intel's chipset drivers (ICH9-M controller) on WinXP. That enabled me to switch back to "Enhanced" Sata operation mode, while still being able to boot properly. After booting I noticed that Intel's GPU became the main one. So I grabbed some drivers from Intel's page (ASUS doesn't provide them) and got them to work. I wanted weaker GPU in WinXP so this was perfect!
After that I reinstalled Win7, because it wouldn't boot anymore after SATA mode change. This time I had no problems whatsoever with drivers. Both GPUs are working perfectly and so is switching with P4G 1.29.

Now, after few frustrating days, I'm happy user of double boot system.

 

On discs. Mine took 4 DVD-Rs as a fresh install (first thing I did when I turned it on, so it also had the bloatware and such).

 

Good job!

What are your feelings with XP on the 30vt?

I'm using W7 with 32bit XP mode on wifes computer for her older programs, works very well.

 

Something that many forget to do. From the number of posts it looks like many had wished they did

Its really stupid that this is an extra cost with most of todays laptops. The install disks are available, $30 from Asus, but should have been included to save countless support calls, no?

 

XP runs fine.
ASUS doesn't seem to support it very well tho. P4G looks rly rly old and basic. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi software looks very funky also, at least compared to W7.

On the other hand I now use newer Intel drivers there than on W7. That's because switching doesn't seem to work, so I was able to install latest standalone version. Intel's control panel looks rly modern compared to what we have in W7 -.- ASUS should provide us with fresh VGA driver pack for W7 imo.
I didn't do any performance testing.

I'm just happy that my old programs work like they should, because I badly needed that. At the same time I'm extremely pleased about double boot, because I wouldn't want to downgrade after getting used to W7

 

Oh. I don't know where they are located. They probably aren't saved because that would take at least 14 GB of space on the hard drive since it took 4 discs.

Maybe someone else knows where they are saved, but I doubt they are saved.

If you are trying to get the ISO to put on a hard drive, you might be able to just copy the hidden repair partition. I don't know how to do that, but someone else might.

 

just to let you all know i just ordered the power adapter off the first page. I need and extra one now. I will let you all know how well it works. As long as it works im will be happy for $9 bucks.

 

Okay, I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

I've been looking for a new laptop and I found this sweet deal:
UL30VT for 500,- euros!

Does this model have the big 5600mAh battery? Any other things it misses?
This thing does have wireless N right?

I hate Asus for not providing a simple list with modelnumbers/specs.

 

An update on my keyboard RMA experience:

The rattle was getting to me. It made it hard to type quietly in class, so I decided to try again. I went through the same process, got an email saying my Advance RMA form was received and it would take 48 hours to process. I would then receive a shipping email.

I never got a shipping email from Asus, but they did send my keyboard. The new keyboard does not rattle at all. It sounds so much better than my previous one.

I will be shipping my previous keyboard back tomorrow. For shipping charges, even though Asus 360 gives you free 2-way shipping, it only applies if you ship your whole notebook to them and don't choose an Advance RMA. With an Advance RMA, they will only pay one-way to get the product to you. You must pay return shipping. I just got off the phone with a rep about that.

We shall now see how the return goes.

 

Using google with model number (QX061V) gets you loads of useful info:
ASUS UL30VT-QX061V black (90NYHA514N1121VL93K) | Skinflint Price Comparison Germany
Asus UL30VT-QX061V Multimedia Notebook: Notebook Preisvergleich - Preise bei idealo.de
...

It looks like it's got everything including Windows 7. Nice price!

 

Hi,
Can anybody tell me where can i get UL30VT-X1 hard drive caddy?
thanks!

 

I found those sites too. I'm hoping this one got it all! But reading this I find it hard to believe that it's the big 5600mAh battery. Only 65 watt hours.

I'm looking for an emailaddress, but so far no luck.
The price, if this one got it all, is amazing. Keeping my hopes up!

-edit-
Just emailed them with all my questions. Let's hope I get an answer soon.

 

Hey there, I have recently bought the UL30VT you're refering to from amazon.de
I just took out the battery and it says "5600mAh 84Wh" on the back, so it should be the big battery
Regarding the wireless adapter the device manager says "Atheros AR9285" which should be, judging by this link, wireless N capable.

One thing that you might consider though is the space bar of this notebook. I don't say that you'll get this flaw on your machine but on mine I got the annoying space bar issue some users reported about, where some keystrokes on the space bar are not recognized.
This can be really upsetting while writing a longer text and I'm thinking about returning this thing. Disregarding that flaw it really is a nice laptop but I bought it especially for university and therefore typing should work absolutely flawless. You might check your machine for that when you order it.

I hope that I was able to help!

 

Thx for the info!

I mailed amazon.de with the same questions. They responded that the battery is indeed the 5600mAh. But I'm still not convinced. Because the product page reports 65 watt hours and also reviewers made some remarks about battery life, which lets me to believe it's not the big one.
I mailed them back and asked they could double check it. Just have to wait till tomorrow.

In regards of your spacebar issues... that's not nice to hear. I haven't found any complaints about the keyboard in any review. My use = general use. So typing will be a part of it and issues with the keyboard means a no go.
Can you tell me where to find the posts with that same problem? Maybe an old problem (old model) or just bad luck?

 

You can find my experience with the keyboard in posts on this thread. To sum them up:

1) Press hard on the keys when you type.

2) Some keyboards have rattly keys. My first one did, but I RMA'd the keyboard and the new one is very quiet and doesn't rattle.

3) It does miss keys if you type too fast, especially if you have cooling set to Passive, as that down-clocks the processor to 1066MHz.

You can do the backlit keyboard mod for this laptop, which uses the UL80 keybard if I remember correctly. It is supposed to be a much nicer keyboard. You can just install the keyboard without needing to do the backlight part. The UL80 keyboard does, however, touch the screen when closed, so you'll need something between the screen and keyboard, such as the cloth that is in that spot when the laptop is shipped to you.

Found my mini-review. Post 1223 in this thread on page 123. I also have posts in the next few pages about other things with this laptop.

 

I found the other keys on the keyboard to work quite well tbh. It is only the space bar that doesn't react the way it should.

@Freaky86: There were some posts by other users in the old owner's lounge. Look at post #399 for example.

There also is a youtube video of the problem but I have to admit that many notebook space bars I've come across tend to not recognize the key stroke if you just slightly push on them at the bottom as it is demonstated in the video, but on my UL30VT it really is annoying sometimes.
I don't know, if i'd change my typing habit it might work out for me, but I just feel like I've got an inferior keyboard :/

And an exchange of the keyboard via Asus support isn't an option for me. I just received the machine last week and I don't want to mess with it this early. Since I can return it to amazon.de during the first 2 weeks after purchase (on amazon.de it says 30 days) I'd rather use that option ^^

 

@ noboru;

Thx for the info! Did you get your ul30vt from Amazon.DE? Could you please check which battery you've got!! PLZ.
I'm waiting for a dutch guy to get his (in a couple of days) because I'm not sure about the battery. The site says 65 watt hours, which would mean the little (4400 mAh?) battery and not the 5600mAh. I would be so grateful!

About the keyboard. I'll be changing my keyboard really soon. I don't want a german layout, I prefer the US int. one. I'm guessing such a keyboard replacement will overcome the spacebar issue?

@ cmasupra;

Also thank you vm!.
I've read your posts and I'm hoping I won't be dealing with the same problem when I get mine. I really like the backlit keyboard mod, but I'm afraid I'll get annoyed by the cloth.... putting it on the keyboard EVERY time I close it.... I'm going to read the entire topic, hoping that there is a way to get a backlit keyboard without it touching the screen.... but I'm not getting my hopes up.

So US int. normal keyboard or a backlit (same layout) if I can get it to work without a stupid cloth.

 

@Freaky86 I'm glad I could help^^ Yeah I got it from amazon.de (bin selbst Deutscher ) and like I posted earlier the label on the battery, when you take it out of the notebook, definitely says "5600mAh and 84Wh"

There's nothing more to say about that I guess^^ I get around 7-8h of battery life I guess. I've just watched a 720p video file and there are 6h 13min left with the battery having 76% left.

 

Ah viele dank! Sie sind ein gutte Nachbar! (Ich; Holländer sind sehr schlecht in Deutsch)

Google translation is very handy . Well you're really making my day! I'll wait for that dutch guy to get his (21st or 22nd) Then I have two very reliable sources that can confirm this great news

UL30VT + SSD + keyboard mod.... omg... SWEET dreams I guesse! Hope you have them as well

 

I added black felt "dots" around the bezel in five places. Note that the keyboard would touch screen only if you squeezed the notebook when closed as in carrying under arm or bag.

The round pads cured that and they also fixed the problem of wear marks, that all of the shiny bezels pick up over time, due to dust and grit contacting the edges.

 

Fresh install redux

I had some time to do a quick fresh install, on a spare drive, to answer several questions that came up in the past; and refresh my own soggy memory.

I used a 4gig USB drive, MS USB tool, and the digital river download of W7HP, all free except USB drive; please search older posts for links. Also, the keys off bottom of computer, for same version install, and an external USB drive for the asus driver and utility disk. The driver disk could have been an ISO to avoid using the external DVD drive. You may have to call in to activate your W7 after install. I would suggest you not connect until everything is installed, YMMV.

The finished install gives you everything you had when computer first booted except, of course, the install/restore partition that came on the original drives. What I do not know, or care, is if the original restore disks have a way to reinstall the original restore partition but, expect not, only a proper full CLONE of the original working drive would do this.

If your original drive fails, you loose the restore partition, as a bonus, whether you wanted to or not; so research this if restore partition is mandatory.

Screen shot 1 show what your device manger sees after fresh W7 (only) install; NO other drivers installed. Note that both video cards are seen and that the Intel video is active as no Asus Hybrid Nvidia drivers have been installed. Some confusion by reading past posts, some claiming it impossible to see the Nvidia card?



Screen shot 2 shows which and in what order Asus installs all the UL30vt drivers and utilities, starting from the top to the bottom. This was totally automatic and included all restarts. I had asked this, driver install order, from Asus and not received an answer; I guess they got tired of the same questions, over and over, as well



From inserting prepared USB stick to final DVD driver install took 1 hour and some change; the W7 online updates are not included as they are never ending, no? The W7 updates could take 3 hours or more by this date. Also, at this point, W7 and the Asus DVD did not install any drivers for my Intel 6300 wifi card , your stock Atheros or Intel card should be active by now.

For a really clean install, I and most others would not install many of the unneeded utilities including Trend Micro; see Dave’s post for the Shovel Ware list.

Hope this helps.

 

the newest Elan touchpad driver is amazing, new features: edge scroll, zoom, rotate, foward/backward, and a few shortcuts... it just increased the value of my laptop, a must have

ElanTech Touchpad Driver v 8.0.7.0 - TechSpot Drivers

 

Oh wow, thx for info man!

I searched for new drivers months ago, but they didn't add anything compared to the ones on Asus's page.

This version on the other hand is superb! Everything I wanted since I saw functions of larger Elan touch pads is here.

Thx again.

 

+1 g00d find..

 

HELP! My ELAN Smart-pad icon has a red x over it in the system tray. I have to use a mouse as my pointer. Any suggestions?

:EDIT: Oddly enough, after uninstalling/reinstalling the touchpad driver, it came back. Very odd.

 

Anyone else find that their UL30VT-A1 has slight period sound stuttering. Just for half a second every 5 minutes or so.

It doesnt matter if it is Winamp, WMP, or even watching a movie.

Also, sometimes the screen would turn off and back on for a half a second. Similar to what happens when you switch graphics, but no graphics is being switched?

I have a clean install of Windows 7 64 ultimate, and all the drivers from Asus site.

Edit: When the sound stutters, the CPU utilization does not spike at all, stays at 3-5% tops.

 

I don't have the sound stuttering problem, but my screen does go black for half a second after switching graphics. I can't remember if it is only when switching from Nvidia to integrated, or if it goes black in both directions, but I do know that it always go black going from Nvidia to integrated.

 

Any problems before update?

All the drivers from the asus site are a mess with several versions of same driver. You might want to install the ones off your driver DVD. I use the v2 DVD with no sound issues.

 

where can i get the v2 dvd?

 

UL30VT Windows 7 Recovery (Set of 2)

 

thx mate

edit: damn they really want money for it? unbelievable!

 

Well I'll be joining the club

Ordered mine UL30VT today, expect it on wednesday/thursday.

Next plans;
- check it out for a few days/weeks (warranty wize)
- momentus XT or SSD
- keyboard mod (backlit)

 

Well, they throw in a free OS restore disk

They should put up the driver image file for free. I posted the file list and version numbers, if you search back about 50 posts, if you want to download just the drivers you need.

 

Welkom! Genieten van dat slechte jongen.

 

I tried to search through this thread but couldn't seem to find it anyway, what is the difference if any between the -X1 and -X1K models?