W3j Owners Lounge

About 3 months ago i ordered in Ebay an OEM replacment battery for my W3J.
When it arrived one of the sides didn't fit 100% as it should and i had to do some hand work.
About 3/4 weeks ago that "hand work side" piece broke and since then the LCD problems never appened again

 

Regarding the fan with the W3J, this is only one data sample, but I was having the same problem for a time: I was running the RC, problem-free for many months, but when it expired, I had to wait a few weeks for my shipped copy of 7 to arrive, and during that time I ran a cracked copy. It was installed from a legit CD associated with my desktop, and before cracking the WGA it ran fine, but it was only once cracked that the fan issue occurred.

As soon as I was able to remove the crack and run a legit version, my trouble with the fan disappeared. It's actually running cooler than before too, since I've cleaned out the heatsink and replaced the thermal paste. Again, this is just my experience so I don't know if other issues are at play.



That being said, I am experiencing a bit of trouble someone may be able to help with: I'm having a tonne of trouble with the Realtek Gbit LAN. It seems like in Win7, it's just not detecting when a cable is inserted and I'm not able to get a consistent connection.

If the cable is unplugged, I'll need to disable and then re-enable the adapter a few times to get it to connect. I'll try again tonight with a Linux live CD to see if it's an OS issue, but I'm wondering if anyone has had similar issues, and also, what driver they're running- I've had trouble with the Vista driver off the Asus site, the current driver off the Realtek site, and the one Windows downloads through Windows Update. Thoughts?

 

Yeah I have run the RC and now full version of Windows7 Ultimate 64 and apart from a few early driver issues to start with, everything is up and running, with no fan issues or other problems at all.

See the attached screen grab, this is the driver I am using for Ethernet connection, which works normally.

Its about 9mb PM me and I can email it to you.

PS i'm running 64 bit, but from memory i'm sure the install is for 32&64bit.

 

Hi NZwaverider, I'm not sure if my newbie status is preventing me, but I can't seem to send a PM. I'm getting told I don't have the permission or something, which is rather odd...

I'd very much like to get my hands on that driver though!

 

So I have an old w3j that recently died on me... (most definitely a harddrive failure)
and I would hate to see this expensive thing which ran perfectly fine go to waste.

But what keeps me from using it is the screen. The screen is so greenish/yellowish from age (4 years of usage)...
What would be the price to replace the screen, if it's even possible?
And if I can put in a higher resolution screen, say 1366, instead of the 1280?

Thanks

 

seanguynj, if it is your HDD you should upgradable to one of these,

WD Scorpio Blue 320 GB PATA Hard Drives ( WD3200BEVE )

Currently the largest PATA drive you can get, now-days most drives are SATA

In terms of screens, yes you can replace the screen, I found a supplier online a while ago, thought it could be an idea to upgrade and see about upping the res, but the supplier said that it was not possible to use a higher res screen. which I don't know if I would quite believe, maybe the higher res screen has a different connector? but yes you can replace the screen, I also upgraded the internal wifi card to a 5300 intel AGN which has the faster N standard.

 

You can't send PMs until you get a minimum # of posts (5? 15?, I don't remember well).

HDD is easy to replace. I second the WD2500BEVE recommendation, I have been using it on my V6J and it's an excellent HDD. (for its generation)

As to the screen, the price range is somewhere in the hundreds of dollars for a new screen on the ASUS eStore. But you may be able to find them cheaper/2nd hand since so much time has passed since EOL for this computer (on the other hand, this also means they may be more difficult to find).

Check ASUS eStore, eBay, see also InfoBooth/FAQ for other suggestions for getting ASUS parts.

 

Hi guys, I have an annoying problem.

I have a W3J with the original T2500 2GHz CPU, Windows 7 Professional 32-bit, and the optical bay battery. When the bay battery runs out, the screen turns off and won't come back on until I reboot which is extremely annoying. I only realized this recently because I don't usually use it on battery power long enough for the bay battery to run out... Anyway, this problem never occurred on Windows XP; the batteries transitioned smoothly.

Can anyone confirm if smooth battery transitioning when the bay battery runs out is possible on Windows 7? I'm not using any version of Power4Gear at the moment and don't want to install it unless I have to, because I'm getting good results without it (right now with 100% brightness I get 1.5-2 hours on the bay battery and 2.5-3 more hours with the normal battery) and I have absolutely no fan problems and don't want to somehow get that problem...

 

The end of the line?

My W3J+ has served me well since 2006. But now both the optical bay and main battery are completely shot and the AC Adapter failed a month ago. I replaced it with a third-party AC adapter from Sparkle.

I have a new problem now. My laptop when plugged in (it won't even start up w/o AC power) will randomly go into hibernation. It doesn't matter if I'm using it actively or not. I haven't lost any data yet, and it comes out of hibernation just fine, but it's really annoying.

It could be the plug w/ the power supply is kind of loose, but I don't think it's the problem esp. when the laptop isn't moving and I'm typing on my external keyboard.

 

DimeandNickeled,

The W3J's battery is probably the issue, since you say it's shot. You might want to try a different battery. Since you say the battery is shot, the computer is probably registering this somehow, and believes it needs to shut down before the battery runs out.

If that isnt it, then you might indeed be looking at a mainboard problem. Still, i wouldn't count your W3J out just yet. Your aftermarket AC adapter might also be the problem, if it's not providing exactly the specified current on a consistent basis, or if the voltage is slightly off, it will function, but it could be screwing with the internal voltage monitors that the PC uses to tell when it needs to shut itself off.

Another tip you can try: Disable Hibernate COMPLETELY. I personally never use it. Its more trouble than it's worth. If you need the PC to power down... Shut it down. If you don't, leave it on. Just keep it well ventilated and cleaned of dust, and you're golden.

I got mine back in 2006, and its still going SUPER STRONG. In fact, I am typing up this post on it currently, and I use it every night when i get home from work, until I go to bed. I have no current plans to replace it since it still can play most of the modern games I like to play.

I have had the mainboard replaced once, but that was due to my own fault (shorting out the USB controller due to a jury-rigged USB mouse receiver). In my opinion, there has NEVER been a better, more solidly-constructed laptop. I know that the W3J created an instant cult of die hard fanatical followers that exists even today, and I am certainly one of them. Do what you can to keep this baby running, dont junk it out... or better yet, sell it to me! :-D

Seriously though, Hope this helps, Cheers.

 

I Agree with ChetKabak, its probably your battery, best thing is download an app that will tell you battery wear, I have had a battery collapse in an old compaq, when they completely go, the laptop won't even boot.

Worth while keeping as I have been testing replacement laptops for work recently and I was surprised to find the W3J, with all of the upgrades still gets performance scores to match mid range laptops being released today! even has better performance than the new UL series with ULV CPU's, its only the new i series processors that are leaps ahead in terms of performance.

Just watch out for rip off chinese batteries on ebay! even so called original batteries on so called proper sites end up being rip offs, which after 3 months will only give you an hours charge.

 

I think I was using "shot" more loosely than I may have intended to. I looked at the Notebook Hardware Control the other day and it showed 89% battery wear. If I unplugged my laptop right now it'd immediately hibernate.

Can't believe I never thought about turning off hibernate. I just backed everything up recently so it's worth the risk.

I'm a little torn right now - I'm not sure I want to sink $100 into a new battery for an old laptop (and another $50 for an ASUS-brand AC adapter). Even running both the main and drivebay batteries I was clocking at 4 hours of battery life when I first got the W3J. Now for less than what I paid in 2006 I can get 12 hours from a U43J. [From what I gather, more advancements have been made in the fields of energy efficiency than in performance.]

Either way, thanks guys for your help - I'll let you know what happens.

 

OK, disabling hibernate didn't work. I do love ASUS and can't imagine getting anything else. I think I'll order a replacement ASUS adapter (Newegg?) and use that when I get another ASUS.

Does anyone know the W3J AC Adapter part number? Is it 90-XB04N0PW00040Y or #90-N00PW5400T?

 

I think I am finally moving on from my W3J, which has served my faithfully since launch in May 2006.

Anyone know what kind of value I should expect for my W3J? The battery is completely dead and I do have some concerns about the optical drive and the hard-drive going kaput in the nearish future. Other than these the machine has been great and I am a bit sad to move on to something else.

 

Not much, sadly. In March 2009 I paid $450 for a mint W3J with the optical bay battery, a well kept original battery (between the two I can break 4 hours and a bit), and two AC adapters. $300 if you're lucky?

I love my W3J.

 

I still love my w3j too, I just don't have much use for it anymore since getting an HP Envy 14. I was thinking $300 too.

I can't believe you can still get 4 hours between the two batteries!

The only thing holding my w3j back is the graphics card. The HD could have used an upgrade too, but I manage to get around space constraints with externals.

If I could find a use for it I'd love to keep it.

 

Interesting to see many people in the same boat as me.
Still have my W3J with a T2400. In need of an upgrade. A year ago I had to get the optical bay battery to keep my battery life above 3 hours. Between the two batteries I can get roughly 3.5 hours. No problems with the AC adapter yet. Funny thing is people seem to be moving on to similar options (like the Envy 14) that I am also considering. I guess our tastes and needs haven't changed much.

DimeandNickeled, there's also the Asus parts e-store if you have trouble finding replacement parts elsewhere.

 

Yeah I upgraded to a 2.33ghz Duo core2 CPU, HDD several times, wifi card, so still runs pretty damn quick, its only now that I am running W7-64 bit, that I can't find GPU drivers that support photoshop CS5 and because of this Premiere CS5 will not run without GPU support.

But the replacement will be this Asus N43, same 14" form factor and like the W3J has brushed Aluminium finish, new generation GPU, but its still a few months away from being released as it will possibly have the next generation of Nvidia GPU 400 series with Dx11

 

haha cant belive there's a fan club for this laptop!

My W3J with a T2400 is still goin strong! had it 4years now (originally bought it for uni) and my friends dells/toshiba/macs/acers have all broke in that period! Love the brush aluminium finish and the generally solid build, teh bamboo battery and the blue power on button are stylish features aswell

Only had to reboot/reinstall it 3 times (my fault for messing with the registry & downloading things i shouldnt haha) and had no hardware probs.
Only thing i dont like is the ATI Graphics Card. Took quiet a while to get it to work with Half Life 2, will buy Nvidea in the future.

Upgrades
Upgraded the RAM to Corsair 667Mghz 2GB (2x1Gb) a few weeks ago and its more then enough for what i need.
Had a scare last night with the optical drive, but after deleting a few 'filter' things in the registry and letting windows plug & play thing reinstall itself, works fine! its how i found this forum infact.

Got a WD 250GB external HDD so there's no need to upgrade the internal for now. Wont be upgrading the CPU as its too expensive and might aswell get a new laptop/desktop!

Bought a matching notebook cooler early on, reduced the all round temperature considerably.

Im surprised it's lastest this long since im a heavy user: use various 3D modelling sofware, computer games (half life,doom,battfield etc) always on the internet, watching dvds in bed (FTW!). Well done ASUS!

When i get some spare dosh i'll probably build my own desktop instead of buying a laptop as i dont need the mobility factor anymore and would like a larger HD screen, blueray etc + the ease of upgrading for the future.
Despite the w3j showing its age compared to the latest software hardware requirements ...i will definitely keep this laptop - it's too good to get rid of!

 

The B series also looks like a possible replacement.



Take Flight With ASUS B Series Notebooks

 

Can someone please confirm if i can upgrade my W3J with a T5500 or T3200 CPU.
By the way wich one should i choose and why?
Thanks in advance

 

I got one of the first W3J's which had the 1.83ghz processor, after my global guarantee ran out, I upgraded to one of these, next generation 2.33 ghz T7600.

Search

Quite lucky its one of the only times where the next generation CPU shared the same chipset.

Was actually quite a significant speed boost and easy to upgrade and still going strong!

 

I went ahead and bought the 90W ASUS Brand AC Adapter from NewEgg. It didn't solve my "random hibernation/shutoff" issues. But what did is removing the battery. So now I have a third party AC Adapter and ASUS-brand adapter that both work fine as long as my W3J has no battery. As long as I'm not typing on my bed or lap the laptop is fine.

 

Thats in fact a better option but i mentioned the T5500 or T3200 CPU because a friend of mine is selling one of each
Already checked that both CPU's fit the socket so is it worth to replace my T2400 for the T5500?

P.S. - Made a comparison in http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=37160,27253,27235,
T5500 is a Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor while T2400 a Intel® Core™ Duo Processor so it's better right?

P.S. 2 - Nevermind, will try and get that "T7600 because just read T2400 is better. Tigher L2 latency, only advantage of Merom is having 4MB cache, but T5500 has 2MB disabled.Yonah is faster than Merom clock for clock with equivilent cache. "

 

im on the OEM 1.83ghz processor with XP and its fine... dunno about windows 7 performance?

but IMO, £200+ for just a processor is abit steep, might aswell get a new laptop as yr halfway there!

 

I'm not really surprised. As both NZwaverider and myself pointed out, the culprit is very likely your battery, not the power supply. I'm actually kicking myself for not having caught this post in time to persuade you to get the battery instead of the power supply.

A factory power supply is really not going to help with the issue. If it were the problem, you'd see the charge light and battery system tray icon come on and off even when it's plugged in all the time (because your battery would be discharging here and there).

The battery really needs replaced. If your battery wear is a whopping 89%, that does not mean you have 89% left... it means you have 11% left...which is horrid! You are risking your data by not replacing it. Running without the battery is a temporary solution at best. Sooner or later, you're going to have something important on your screen, not saved or closed out, and you're going to accidentally bump that power cable out of it's socket. POOF! Data gone/corrupted.

If you cannot afford to buy the battery outright, (which means you likely cannot afford a new PC either) my suggestion to you is to send the Asus A/C adapter back for a refund, and spend the difference to get yourself the battery. If you plan on using this computer for the next year or more, it is well worth your investment.

P.S.:

If you (or anyone out there) ARE going to sell your W3J, by all means, PM or e-Mail me! I will buy it! Seriously! I've got two main batteries, a bay battery, bay HDD bracket, etc.

I love this computer so much, I will buy it again despite it's age. I mean it when I say the W3J is a once-in-a-generation machine. If I find out someone (ghasp) tosses theirs out, or lets it rot in a closet, I'll come find you and get you!

 

Agree, but make sure you buy it from the Asus estore, W3J-4F 8 CELL BATT MODULE(4S2P), I just ordered one and managed to pay with my UK credit card but had it sent to our office in the US.

Because if you search high and low on the net, all you can find are cheap Chinese rip off's, the last one I purchased was from a supposedly legit site, but they sent me a Chinese rip off that I could have purchased on ebay, I emailed them like 10 times with no reply, I had to hack the battery to make it fit and even then it only lasted for a few months, now it just lasts for 20 mins and just dies, during use it goes from 100% to 75% in about half an hour then all of a sudden dies! and automatically hibernates.

Useless, i'm just lucky that when I purchased my W3J I purchased a second main battery that I stored away, which I now use as my main, but its always handy having a good spare especially when travelling long distance.

 

Well my sister is going to NY in November and i'm thinking on asking her to bring a replacment notebook for my W3J.
I'm probably asking "too much" but wich ASUS notebook do you guys advise ( max price 550$ ) and a good online shop also.
Thanks in advance

 

Headless, check out this one, the N43, not released yet, you might be lucky to see it in the US by November, but who knows.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6640307-post230.html

But this is definitely top of my list, the only other consideration would be the N82, but after owning a W3J I would rather wait for an N43 with brushed aluminium finish and new generation GPU.

Considering the W3J cost....what was it? approx 1400-1600? (cant exactly remember) but with only 550 to spend I don't think you could get a W3J replacement less than 900-1000usd.

 

My second kid "arrives" in the end of November, along with much more expenses, thats why i cant spend much more then 550$
Probably my buget for the new notebook will give me an almoust equal machine as the W3J right?

 

NZwaverider how about the U50F, a good mid level replacement?

 

Just placed on Amazon an order for a ASUS A52F-X3
* Intel Core i3-350M (2.26 GHz)
* 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8 GB Max
* 320 GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
* Intel HD Graphics; Super Multi Optical Disk Drive; Wireless 802.11bgn
* 15.6-Inch HD LED LCD Widescreen Display; 0.3 MP Webcam; HDMI Port

Very good specs and good price ( 610 USD )

 

Old thread I know but finally seeing issues with my good ole w3j+. was using it the other day and the screen went all crazy, it then shut down and had a burning smell. I let it cool down and rebooted and it came up fine only to shut down again. I know the video card is overheating as it gets extremely hot. Contact to the cooling system is working properly. My question is the with the motherboard overvolting the video card or is the video card bad? No matter the situation the card overheats. Even in bios just sitting idle for 5 mins the video card over heats and shuts down. Any one experience this?
I don't want to spend the money on the video card only to find out its the motherboard and vice versa. Any help or troubleshooting ideas appreciated.

 

Hey there, haven't had this problem,with my W3J, but my wifes F3J was overheting, it was actually the power socket, it was overheating so much it was melting my power cord!

But I fully disassembled, pulled out the motherboard, re-soldered the connections (where the power socket attaches to the mobo) and reassembled, during the process I gave everything a good clean, clearing all the dust and rubbish out, I also re-applied good quality thermal compound to the GPU and CPU, quite amazing, it runs like a new machine and much cooler, without any overheating.

In the W3J you can replace the thermal compound of the GPU and CPU from accessing the main door, but would be worth doing what I did and completely dismantle, clean the motherboard, all ports and vents (which was incredibly dusty) then put together to ensure there is a good airflow around everything.

Worked for me and all this will cost you, is your time, and a few bucks for good thermal compound.

 

Hey Guys,

Been a while, but I was just wondering what people had replaced their W3J with and what they thought of there choices. My W3J has solidered on very well, but I have a bit of spare cash knocking around and I think the time has finally come.

 

I just got an N43, pretty good replacement, good Nvidia GPU, i7CPU.

you know what they say though...

"they never make them as good as they used to"

I still prefer the design and compact size of the W3J, the N43SN is wider and a bit more "plasticky"

 

Hi there, I'm hoping my W3J will get me through another year, but I've recently run into a battery problem and am wondering if anyone has any words of wisdom on where to find a legit replacement? I need a true 70-NEX1B1000 (other models cross-listed as "compatible" are not, in fact, physically compatible). Sadly the asus parts store discontinued the 70-NEX1B1000 battery. On a related note, if anyone abandoned their W3J in favor of a newer fancier model, and has a battery of this description that they're willing to part with, please let me know...

 

Good luck with finding a genuine battery! Mine barely last an hour when a take it off mains lol.

My W3J is coming to the end of it's life I fear; Keyboard is knackered, wireless keeps loosing signal (I replaced the OEM but it's actually made it worse ><) graphics card is crashing regularly, HD is getting slower and slower, got a few missing screws here and there.

It's lasted 6yrs which is pretty damn good, and I've become strangely attached to this device :/
Searching for a new replacement, so will put this in the back of the cupboard as a spare, waiting for the zombie apocalypse or some other time when it might become useful haha

 

I just replaced my W3J with a ThinkPad T430s - it has a lot of the features (14 inch powerhouse) that made the W3J so attractive - but I continue to use the W3J. I've had mine for about 6 years, and it's amazing how well it's soldiering on with daily use. I can still get a little over an hour on the battery, which is a minor miracle, and XP with 3GB of RAM is still more than enough for many applications and uses.

Hope everyone else is still getting use out of their W3Js!

 

I just replaced my W3j as my main PC about a year ago, with a self-built desktop.

However, I -DO- still use my W3j. It has now been given a new mission, as my entertainment center PC. It is connected to my TV via S-Video and speakers, and serves as an internet TV device. It still excels at this, and it's still soldiering on. Wireless still works very well, hard drive is good, and I am perfectly confident that if I cleaned up/reformatted the HDD, I could easily begin using it as a main PC again.

If only all my computers were such hardcore troopers like my W3j!

 

i still use mine as my main PC. But I think its pretty much time to let it go .. a couple of weeks ago it developed a line of light pixels accross the screen and the right arrow key on the keyboard has stopped working. Over the years (A fiar few, I pretty much bought it the day it was released) I've replaced the HDD once, the DVD drive once, upgraded the ram, and put a new battery in it. I still get 2.5 hours out of the battery (genuine from Asus).

I don't do that much with it these days, most use it to check email, listern to music, watch video all of which it does pretty damn well still. I also use it for some photo editing, which it does struggle with a bit.

Looking for a replacement its hard to find something that matches up. The T430 is meant to be heavy and not have such a great screen. The N55 is again, heavy and the battery is mean to be poor. I'm considering a Samsung series 7 or a Vaio S at the moment.

The W3J had it all at the time. Top of the range full voltage CPU, great GPU, good screen, respectable battery life and all for onloy 4lbs!