Asus UX31 Ultrabook

Big thanks to Decworld for the tips!

5. Can the mini/micro HDMI be used to connect directly to a TV? I've tried this with my SONY Bravia KL-32S2010 and the resulting picture was awful resolution. Maybe I'm being stupid here, having not used HDMI before

Change the resolution to match the TV. Will work perfectly.

- I tried this but still it was a really bad picture. The Bravia uses 1366x768 but when I set the laptop resolution to this value the desktop showed up really small on the TV and the quality was awful when compared to VGA. Fonts were much harder to read on the 32" screen than on the 13" ASUS screen..? Should I just not use HDMI to connect laptop > TV? I'm using a micro HDMI > HDMI cable with no adapters into the HDMI-in on the TV.

6. After flashing my BIOS and upgrading to all of the latest ASUS drivers my graphics score on WEI went down from 5.9 to 5.5 (my lowest sub-score). I tried downgrading/upgrading the Intel HD driver and uninstalling/reinstalling ASUS Splendid but nothing improved it. Any idea why this happened or what I can do to resolve this?

See above posts. Not a real test.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I should probably benchmark it with a better tool.

Thanks again

 

Ref the hdmi, make sure in screen resolution its set to 1366x768. If so then the TV must be set to display as original source, ie not converting to a different aspect ratio.

HDMI is HDMI. The same on any computer/tv/dvd/game console.

PS, the asus screen is 1600x900, way more than 1366x768. So if you try and use 1600x900 on your TV it wont work. The internal screen must also be set to 1366x768 OR set the HDMI port as an extended screen then you can have independent resolutions.

 

I wouldn't be so sure about it.

Some system info tools on Linux indicate that there are two RAM slots free on the motherboard (total of 4 slots, 2 taken by 2GB 1333 Dual Channel).

 

By the way, do you guys manage to connect your UX31 to, say, a television using HDMI?

The slot on the motherboard seems to be a "mini HDMI" and I didn't get any adapter when I got the shipment, except the adapter for VGA and Ethernet.

 

I'm using this
Gold Plated 1080P HDMI Male to Micro HDMI Male Shielded Connection Cable (1.5M-Length) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

and it's working great.

 

Done that, doesn't help. Thanks anyway.

 

As I said this only works for me when logged in as an admin user. I'm not quite sure which ASUS utilities that are necessary to get this functionality, but my guess would be the ATK Package and Power4Gear.

PS Actually I have found a (not so good) workaround for standard users. I requires you to manually start the BatteryLife.exe process (using "run-as-admin") after having logged in as a standard user. But then you need to know and enter the admin password). DS

 

Yes, i always log in as admin so it does not bother me. But as i stated, i don't know how to set it to change between plans as the power cable attached/detached. Can you tell me more details?

 

Your fn f2 issues is most likely related to the proper functioning of the atka cpi hotkey which has been updated once to version 1.0.0014, and which is part of a series of drivers related to the atk package.

Are you running the ASLDRsrv.exe have it set to start automatically?

Hope this helps you track down the issue.

Good luck!

 

I un-install this program, Wireless Console 3.

DO NOT INSTALL BACK

I use the FN function key to toggle On/OFF Wireless

I resolve my Wireless issue doing the above

regards

Singapore

 

Fir the guy who asked about the Dell U2711 monitor issue, where you cant use full 2560x1440 over HDMI I did some further testing with no solution.

I tried a VERY short and VERY high quality HDMI cable (1.3b) without micro adaptor, at both 35hz and 40hz and was unable to get the monitor to respond.

So I am officially giving up.

 

hi guys, I've had my eye on the UX31 for awhile now and since my old laptop finally died I need a new laptop asap. I'm looking to buy one within the week but with all the recent news about the UX31 stopping production is it still a good idea to buy one? if not then what else are on the market that comes close to the UX31?

 

Source please?

 

Sorry, I do not have any more details On my UX31E this is the default behavior when I am logged in as an admin user. Have you removed any of the ASUS utilities that was installed from the beginning? I belive that you need at least the ATK package and the Power4Gear utilities from ASUS to get this functionality.

 

Hi, yes the ASLDRsrv.exe service is running and i have the latest version of the ATK Package installed.

 

Tried this, and you are right, the fn+f2 toggling of wireless and bluetooth actually works better when wireless console 3 utility is NOT installed. Strange wireless utility

No visual feedback though, but I can live with that.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/645408-apple-stops-ux31-production-zenbook.html

 

Hey people!
I bought my ASUS UX-31 today, and like usual normal user I wanted to reinstall windows to fresh and new, to lose all asus trash. I had read some post before about installing win7 on this laptop, because later after install it's get's problem to install the ASUS software which you need. Maybe someone know how to solve this problem ? When im installing instantOn an some other programs, it's drop me an error, what it's only on asus laptops, in some way the programs do not recognize my laptop as asus. There was some topics before about that, but I still can't understand how to fix it. Could someone help me please? Maybe someone knows how to solve it ? by the way laptop is AMAZING.

 

Dec,

I went with 2 x 23" LG monitors in the end, both at 1080 using a microhdmi to hdmi cable and the stock vga cable.

Works a treat.

 

Dec,

I went with 2 x 23" LG monitors in the end, both at 1080 using a microhdmi to hdmi cable and the stock vga cable. Used some sandpaper to narrow the plastic bits at the end of the two cables so they squeeze in beside each other nicely.

Works a treat.

 

excellent, but poor on asus to not make them a few mm further apart.

 

It is amazing indeed, and if I were you I would just get back to the default install using the recovery (if you haven't deleted this). From there uninstall the crap and update the rest from the website. This is how I did it and in 2 months I haven't seen Window's sandglass once. It's running very fast and very stable. Yes I do run 73 processes and plenty of services, but that's exactly what the UX31 is supposed to do

 

I used to install Win7 because I have legal windows, and I got more space ofcourse in hard disk + I lose that all trash. Yeah I agree with you about what you said, actually I miss only InstantOn and few more utilities. I dont know actually is the laptop running smooth now, bus it seems like it is. I just wondering maybe without all those programs the laptop will lose some power, or some advantages in using of it..

 

Is it really so dangerous to update BIOS like post above was : "close your eyes and ask god for working laptop after install" . Is it so dangerous if I will try to update my BIOS from 209 to 211 ? And can I update it directly from 209 to 211, or I should first update to 210 and then only to 211? Im not very experienced in BIOS.

 

one bios update is safer than 2

 

but is it really so dangerous to update bios ?

 

I'm out of ideas Sorry couldn't help.

I haven't had any issues with the wireless console, fwiw.

On a different, but perhaps related topic, I think most folks should *not* wipe this computer and do a fresh install of the operating system.

For a machine that boots in under 30 seconds or better and resumes from sleep in two seconds *out of the box* what's the point?

The machine is speedy and stable right out of the box. It only improves with the latest drivers from the Asus website.

Typically, the rational for a clean install is to speed booting up, or improve performance by removing unnecessary or useless system draining processes. The Asus drivers really don't take up all that much hard drive space, that would be another reason to uninstall them.

I know this is against received wisdom around here, and elsewhere, and a wipe and clean install may be very good advice for other Asus laptops, but IMO it doesn't apply to the UX31e; at best it is a waste of time; at worse an invitation to having issues.

To be sure, stuff you know you are not going to use, like a trial copy of MS Office, a 30 day trial copy of antivirus, and the drive image after you have made a backup, are fair game for removal up front.

But I have read through the more than 200 pages in this forum, and some (clearly not all) of the issues relate to problems getting the original installed drivers and equipment working again after a clean install. Most folks would be much better served using the machine for a period of time just as Asus intended. Then deciding, on a driver by driver basis, what you really don't need, or what the machine doesn't need to still work correctly.

Good luck!

 

Updating a BIOS is dangerous only in three cases:

(1) You use a false, incomplete or corrupted BIOS file

(2) You use a crappy/unadapted flashing tool

(3) Electricity goes off during the flash/you shutdown your computer while it is flashing

Given that Zenbooks have a battery, and if you have a brain, you don't have to worry about the third point.

For the first, if you download the update from ASUS.com, for the right model, and you wait for the download to complete at 100% before moving it to your USB key or CD, then everything will be all right.

For the second, I suggest using the flashing tool already present in the BIOS of Zenbooks (it is called "Update Tool" or something like that).

If you fail your flash, your PC won't be broken, just unusable, and you'll have to ship it to Asus for a physical flash on the motherboard.

Flashing a Bios takes approximately 30 seconds. It is a dangerous but potentially very rewarding operation.

I don't recommend doing it on classical computers (it is generally useless), but I recommend doing it on laptops, especially when they came out recently, and especially when they use an SSD. You can earn faster boot times, better recognition and use of new technologies like SATA-6, and better power management.

 

I have them all

 

Hi all,

I haven't update my ZenBook's BIOS, what are the changes from new BIOS? Is it worthwhile to do the update?

I have only updated Atheross app, Elan's driver and Intel HD.

I have used ZenBook for about a month, not from fresh windows, just uninstalling all trash and it runs very fast and stable.

My rig : Core I5, 128GB Sandisk, Elan Touchpad.

 

I have the Core i5, 128GB Sandisk with Elan Smart Pad. I was very annoyed with the horizontal scroll would kick in way too easily. Didn't see any good fixes out there so decided to try using autohotkey. It works! I've effectively disabled horizontal scrolling by overriding the NumpadLeft and NumpadRight keys which are fired on two finger side swipes.

I compiled the autohotkey and gave it an icon. Find it here: DisableZenbookHorizontalScrolling.zip http://bit.ly/wdtO9P

Make a shortcut in Startup to make it auto run on boot.

Let me know if this app has helped you and feel free to reshare!

 

Hello, Everyone.

I'm considering purchasing the Best Buy $999 UX31-RSL8 Zenbook tomorrow and would like to confirm what CPU (i5-2467M or i5-2557M), SDD (A-Data or Sandisk) and Mousepad (Elantech or Synaptics) ships with their current package.

A member confirmed the system shipped with the i5-2557m CPU in December, but it was rumored Asus would change it to the slower CPU, and we are in February now....

Also, Best Buy has a display unit. Is there any way I can tell which SDD, CPU and Mousepad is installed on that unit?

Thanks in advance for your response.

 

You can look CPU and SSD on BIOS.

 

Ref bios updating, doesn't matter how safe it is. Do it twice and double the change of failure. So better to go straight to the latest version than incremental updates.

 

Perfect solution I'd say! Even got the option to temporary disable it, just what I was looking for.
Thanks alot

 

Thanks, incendio.

Does anyone happen to know the exact items shipping with this unit?

 

If you are refering to my earlier post about updating to bios ver 211, my comments about giving prayer during the flash was not seriously ment, sorry about that, it was not ment to discourage anyone from updating. I personally always update my gadgets with latest firmware whenever available. So far it has never failed for me.

However, there is a risk involved, so care should be taken and all instructions should be read and followed carefully. When updating the UX31E I would recommend flashing using the EasyFlash function of the bios, having the file with the new bios version on a FAT32 formatted flash drive (as described in my earlier post). The reason for this is that I prefer to have as little software as possible running while flashing (that possibly could interrupt the flash process).

 

So after 4 or 5 weeks i got my ux31 back. The screen was defect.
They replaced it. I hope this solved the problem...

but still i have a question about the SSD. i have the 256GB version.
But at 'computer' when i look at the sizes of the SSD's it show 95GB and a 128GB.

Im I missing something, besides the 50GB of storage....

pls answer, i already posted the same question a little while ago, but i got no respons. can someone check if they got the same issue

 

SPECIAL THANKS for those who help me!
I upgraded my bios and it's working perfectly!
And the main thing, all those people who was installing fresh new Win7 to laptop, you dont how to worry about anything. After I install fresh Win7, and updated bios to 211 ALL ASUS PROGRAMS (instant on,powerwiz,winflash) are installing just perfectly! Everything working super fine. After fresh install of Win7 not all program was working, even I didn't need such programs like powerwiz, or winflash or something else. InstantON is already installed (inside) of bios 209, (laptop is always on instant on) so you dont have to install the program, and all other crap you actually don't need. But now after BIOS update you can do whatever you want, everything working fine. Thanks for everybody, I hope this gonna help for a lot of people who have or gonna buy UX31. Thanks! sorry for bad english.

 

Found the answer myself.

The Best Buy $999 computer has the slower processor and the slower Sandisk SDD. I forgot to check the mousepad, but I doubt it would be the better one.

Time to spend a little more and track down the better system.

 

My BB UX31e, purchased in November for $999.00, has the i5-2557M, the ADATA XM11 128GB but the Sentelic Finger Sensing Pad.

 

I got a UX31E with Sandisk SSD 128GB.

How do you update the firmware of the SSD?

 

To my knowledge, SanDisk does not provide any SSD firmware updates either on their website on or ASUS' one.

So I guess, and this is a wild guess, that firmware updates for the SSD are included into BIOS updates.

 

Hi to all,

I realized that there is a new Zenbook model called: UX31E-XH51.
http://www.datavis.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?prrfnbr=628946&merfnbr=2010

Its specifications are same with UX31E-DH52 but this new model about 150 USD more expensive than DH52.

Do you know what is different with UX31E-XH51 ? They look completely same !

 

Is the OS

THis time round is Win7 Pro Not Win7 Home

 

I have my ux31 for about 2 weeks now, and I have 2 issues:
1. my external usb 3.0 hard drive doesn't get reconized when I plug it in the usb 3.0 port. When I plug it in the usb 2.0 port it pops up in windows explorer. When I plug it in the usb 3.0 port it starts spinning but thats all. I've updated the drivers, and also formatted the hard drive but I'm still having that problem.

2. Is there a way I can switch the default F1-F12 keys with the FN-keys? so that when I want to use the F1-F12 keys I have to press the FN-keys first? I would like that much more, that I can use the multimediakeys without have to press the FN-key first. There is no BIOS-option for this, and autohotkey is to difficult for me.

 

Install the latest USB3 driver. Mine would not recognise any usb3 devices until I did so.

Would also like to know the answer to 2?

 

Hello

Im not sure, if somebody already asked about this problem: when i plug in the power connector the ux21 zenbook will reboot! not every time but mostly when the akku-power is realy less (<20%). I tried to use diferent power options (asus) but no solution..

can somebody help me?

 

a good starting point is to boot into safe mode an try it again, with a view to seeing if its a hardware or software issue.

if software its a good old remove/reinstall the power bits.

 

Another difference is the inclusion of a TPM chip for use with Bitlocker. There are 3 XH commercial models -- match up with the DH models for specs -- but have Win7 Pro and the TPM chip. These are spec'd online at ASUS Commercial Products | ZENBOOK UX31E