G50v-A1, Random freeze and keyboard issue

any updates so far?

 

None really, since I haven't heard anything new. I still haven't gotten a hangup since I've used the script. But I'm not sure about the whole helper application and vista yet, since I can't test that setup. If anyone tried my second bit of code there and has tested it let me know.

 

does removing the touchpad in bios do the same thing as the script?

 

In terms of getting rid of the hangups yeah, but you won't be able to use the touchpad! I usually use an external mouse but when I go outside or something I need the touchpad so I was trying to figure out a way to have it work... But yeah, disabling the touchpad in the BIOS will just make it stop!!

 

Here's the touchpad fix script, which solves the random lockup/sound stuttering issues, in a zip file ready for both Vista64 and XP Pro.

Extract touchpad.vbs from touchpad-fix.zip to your Start Menu->Startup folder.

In a nutshell this script waits a predefined amount of time and lowers the process priority of two Synaptics applications which manage the touchpad.

If needed, the delay timings can be user customized by editing the vbs file and modifying the wscript.sleep values, which are in milliseconds. Most users should not need to change these timings unless the default values are too low (short), or have a requirement to use cpu heavy applications within the first minute of system startup. Every system's startup time will vary, so I have chosen longer times to be safe. A good way to determine your optimal values is to stopwatch the time from when you get your welcome screen until your hard disk stops constantly being accessed. Use this value for the first wscript.sleep. The second wscript.sleep value is only applicable to Vista, and is much more arbitrary.

To make sure this script is doing its job, go to task manager and right click on SynTPEnh.exe and SynTPHelper.exe (for Vista) and make sure both are set to low priority by hovering over the 'set priority' item. If your processes are jumping around within task manager sort them by image name. Make sure to launch task manager after the combined amount of time you have used for the wscript.sleep values -- 55 seconds by default, so to be safe, a minute -- from system startup.

I'd appreciate any feedback especially from Vista users. Thanks!

 

I'm back. This past days I've been trying and tweaking the script file.

The timing of the .sleep() function is very important to get the script working correctly. I took the time it takes from startup until "SynTPHelper.exe" starts running ("SynTPEnh.exe" priority goes up to avobe normal as soon as "SynTPHelper.exe" start running). I did 10 observations and got a mean time of 63.1 seconds until both programs are up and running. I have a fresh Vista64 installation with UAC off and just Firefox installed. I'll take the times again when I install more programs and games, specially programs that have to load up on startup.

I set my script file to run wscript until both programs are running plus a 7 second delay as an error margin (70 seconds in total) to be sure it sets both times correctly.

Here's my script:

Code:

wscript.sleep(70000)

Const IDLE = 64

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")

Set colProcesses = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Process Where Name = 'SynTPEnh.exe'")
For Each objProcess in colProcesses
    objProcess.SetPriority(IDLE) 
Next

wscript.sleep(3000)

Set colProcesses = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Process Where Name = 'SynTPHelper.exe'")
For Each objProcess in colProcesses
    objProcess.SetPriority(IDLE) 
Next

I've tested it 5 times and so far it sets successfully the priority of both programs to low.

As for the lockups, I haven't used it for enough time to be totally convinced that setting both processes to low priority does stop the random lockups.
So far, I haven't had any but I need at least a week to be 100% convinced.

 

Sparky yours isn't working... i get an error note.

I'm still getting the problem when i'm playing HL2

 

Are you guys using the touchpad to game? I have not noticed any issues but I use my G7 mouse.

 

I'm useing my mouse that come with the G50v and i have the touch turned off in Bios (But i have turned it on to see if the start ups are working).

 

That's weird,,, I've been using it for a day and a half and haven't had any error message. It have successfuly set both processes priority to low every time I have powered up my G50V-A1.

Maybe the problem is the .sleep() function time. I set it to the times I observed from my notebook.
The code in the script is a copy/paste from the one posted in the previous page. I didn't wrote any, just modified the time for the .sleep() function.

I've been watching DVDs, mkv and xvid videos and haven't had the lockups I had before. I used to have a lockup, with the awful sound stuttering, at least once while watching a video.

However I think, or feel, that setting to low the priority of both processes don't stop the random lockups. It just reduces significantly their time and frequency. I think I have noticed the lockups while listening to music but they're really quick and barely noticeable, not like before that lasted between 1 to 3 seconds. I'll give it a few more days to be absolutely sure about that.
If that is true then I guess they'll be worse while playing some heavy CPU game. I haven't tried gaming in this notebook yet so I can't tell.

It looks like the best solution to stop the random lockups is disabling the touchpad at the BIOS but don't take my word, I haven't tested that enough to be convinced.

 

I fixed the hang up... 64bit HL2 is troubled to say the lest.

 

so it wasn;t the g50v itself?

 

allur groceries i extracted your script into start but it puts the thing to below normal instead of low is that right?

EDIT:

it went to low, but thehelper is still at above normal? and i can;t manually change it to low?

 

cy246, I'd recommend changing the second wscript.sleep time to more than ten seconds, maybe 20. This value is in milliseconds in the script. I may have underestimated the amount of time that vista needs to boot ;-)

Remember... I'm on XP, so anything specific to vista I'll need to hear from others, and I haven't heard much.

You can just set it manually, but the point of the script is to get it to happen automatically.

Maybe I'll just revise the script again, but I haven't heard from many vista users and it's working fine for me on XP. I guess more than ten seconds is needed for the second wscript.sleep for Vista users.

Edit: Here's a modified version for Vista users, let me know if this works because I'm sort of shooting in the dark here with the timings. I explained how to change them in my post from yesterday with the updated script, but this should be good 'nuff to just try, and let me plz know if it works thx

edit edit BTW this increases the total time from system startup to 70 seconds. So please wait AT LEAST THAT LONG until you check task manager for the priorities.

 

It works

 

Just wanted to let u guys know I got another lockup just now but it was followed by a BSOD in nv4_disp.dll, so it's not the normal 3 second hang but it acted like it before the BSOD. I was switching from slingplayer beta to firefox and my mouse would move but nothing responded... and then BSOD

But otherwise I've been fine since I started with the script. If anyone has any specific feedback let me know... glad it worked for u Redox keep the feedback coming!

edit: I'm using forceware 177.98 from laptopvideo2go -- I don't think this is the same as the touchpad issue I just want to be clear on that

 

allur how did you put xp on your g50v?

 

GenTech has a pretty decent guide here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3819988&postcount=194

I'm using RAID 0 over two 320GB Seagate drives, but I have a USB floppy drive so I didn't need to slipstream. Otherwise I pretty much followed the directions and had all the drivers on a CD beforehand. If you don't go for RAID the XP install becomes a bit easier, but a bit of hassle certainly paid off for the way I feel about the system with RAID (much faster IMHO).

There are a couple of issues, like the IrDA driver is finicky, doesn't work all the time, and if you disable the startup sound in the BIOS you will most definitely lose sound in XP (not sure if this is the case in Vista).

Also there is the issue of getting a legit XP license in the first place to install with. I have a bunch of SystemBuilder OEM XP licenses sitting around unused, so that wasn't a problem for me. But you'll obviously need an unused SystemBuilder or Retail copy (shipped OEM copies of XP from manufacturers WILL NOT WORK).

Edit: there are even more issues, like directconsole not working, so you can never turn the lights off. But you can turn the OLED off just search my posts for OLED for the instructions. I'm sure I'll edit in a few more annoyances with XP, there were a LOT of them. Unless you really, really want XP it might be more headache than it's worth for most. I'm finally stable though it seems, except for that weird nvidia BSOD I got earlier, which seemed like a fluke. I don't get it when I play games for hours, so go figure... drawing windows makes nv4 BSOD. Whatever it's what you get with a closed source OS. Haven't gotten linux running yet, I've yet to figure out how to load the debian installer and have it see my RAID array. I know it's possible but haven't had the time to wrangle with it yet. I left space free for it though, it's on my todo list.

 

syntphelper is still set to above normal and when i manually change it too low it gives me a error saying i can't do it.

 

Edit touchpad.vbs and increase the amount of time for the second wscript.sleep by perhaps double and hopefully that does the trick for the script.

but to manually change it, you'll need to go to start->accessories->command prompt->right click and select run as administrator, allow, and type in taskmgr

That's a permissions error with UAC/non admin accnt holding you back

 

i increased it to 50000 and its still set to above normal

 

probably isn't even working because if it's in your user startup directory it won't have permission to change the priorities if you're not admin...

 

Try turning off User Account Control.

Control Panel->User Accounts->Your Account->Turn off User Account Control (last option).

Worked fine here. Both processes change to low priority.

 

ok that worked haha , should i change it back to 25000 than?

 

Yeah, change it to as low as you can get it basically, maybe 10000?

 

ok cause i am still getting lock ups for some reason but i have no set it to 10000 yet.

 

make sure both SynTPEnh.exe and SynTPHelper.exe are both at low priority

 

so i set it at 10000 and both are back to above normal

 

increase the second wscript.sleep value

 

Try the script I posted. It's basically the same thing but I took a different approach. I waited until SynTPHelper.exe starts running to set the priority of both processes to low.

The priority of SynTPEnh.exe automatically goes up to Avobe Normal as soon as SynTPHelper.exe starts running. So if your .sleep() function time is set to start the script before SynTPHelper.exe has even started to run, the priority of SynTPEnh.exe would go to low but is going back to avobe normal when SynTPHelper.exe starts.

I choose to wait until the SynTPHelper starts to run the script. In my system it takes an average of 63.1 seconds untill both processes are running on avobe normal. I set my script to start at 70 seconds (70000ms) so about 7 seconds later the priority of the two processes goes to low. Take your times!

 

i will try your script i am still have freeze issues with allur's.

 

does this problems appear in g50v-a2

 

Yea I'm on an A2

cy246 can u verify that ur processes are at low priority

if you're still freezing and the script is doing its job that's a problem

 

Ya my A1 is now locking up with the script in play but it wasn't before... i am going to run a few tests.

 

i am still having lock up issue just out of curiosity the cds that we got with the laptop am i suppose to insert the asus g50v driver cd and install it?

 

My G50V-A1 is still locking up but definitely not like before. Now the lockups are barely noticeable if they ever happen at all. I've been watching DVDs and it's been great.

Now I have to research the headphone/line out noise problem... Man, I haven't really used this computer since I bought it. All I've been doing is tweaking and trying to fix problems... Really disappointing for a $1900 usd system.



The ASUS Drivers DVD is for when you do a complete system restore with the other DVDs or to reinstall a particular driver or Asus application. If you insert it now it'll tell you that there's nothing to install.

 

is it norton causing the freeze?

 

I don't think so.

I did a system recovery a few days after getting my G50V-A1 and didn't installed Norton at all. I still got the random lockups back then.

 

I have just bought an A2 and this thread made me kinda worried...I use the touchpad a lot and I am not into using an usb mouse.
I wonder if this problem affects ALL the G50 a1/a2 or just some of them?

 

Try listening to some music or watching a movie. If your sound starts stuttering really loud and the picture freezes (if it's a movie) for half a second, or a bit more, then you are affected by this problem.

That's an easy way to notice the lockup but you could get one any time.

Just set the priority of "SynTPEnh.exe" and "SynTPHelper.exe" to low. That way you can use the touchpad and reduce significantly the ocurrence and duration of the lockups. I've been testing this for about a week and only had one or two barely noticeable lockups. I just finished watching a 1:20 hour movie without any problem. Before I used to get at least one lockup while watching a 10 minute video.

 

Sparky thanks a lot for your reply. I will receive my g50v a2 on Tuesday and I will test it immediately.
I know my question can be offtopic... but I am going to install win xp and I have heard that installing raid0 can be tricky (drivers)... is there any post about hwo to do it?
thanks!

 

Will ASUS release a fix for these issues?

 

Don't know about if Asus would release a fix but with ALLurGroceries fix it's been great so far. I don't have to worry anymore about the random lockups.

About the RAIR0 with XP I don't know but there's a how to set up RAID0 tutorial on ViciousXUSMC G50V-A1 Review but it is for Vista64.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=283137

 

sparky are you using allurs script? and could it be that we need to update the bios there was a updated bios released on the 18th

 

Sparky pasted his code in a few pages back -- plz let me know cy246 if your processes are running at low priority in task manager if you're still getting lockups... The script has worked for me so far but if it's not doing the trick for you plz let me know

edit: btw the beta bios did make a difference for me in terms of not losing keystrokes anymore, but there is the issue of the multiple keypresses with certain combos, so I'm still waiting for a new beta or official bios. I don't think it's related to the 3 second hang, but it might be worth a shot to try. Especially if you're using my script and your processes are at low priority, you've checked your wscript.sleep timings etc, and still getting hangups... I made the script after I updated the bios so I can't rule that out at this point.

 

it is still freezing and i am using sparks script i e-mailed asus and they told me to do this

Date:2008-09-21 08:54:06

Dear Valued Asus Customer,

Please using your recovery disk and driver CD reload windows and drivers.
1. Make a copy of your data first
2. Put in your recovery disk, reboot your laptop, press ESC, then select boot from CD/DVD, follow the instruction.

If there are any questions or problems, please call 1-888-678-3688, option 3 and 2


Best Regards,

ASUS
Notebook Technical Support

how would i go on to make a copy of my data ?

 

Gah, that is weak. I'm not sure that's going to do it for you, but try disabling UAC - user account control - as soon as possible during the recovery process (that's pretty important to do apparently) as sparky said in an earlier post.

To backup your data you just need to take an assessment of what you have on your hard disks and move it to an external disk, usb drive, file server, or burn a cd/dvd depending on how much data there is. All you're really talking about is documents and files, movies, music, and any configuration settings or savegames etc you have. NOT everything on your hard disks, but anything that you added after you got it.

http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2006/09/20/763275.aspx

 

whats sparky fix ? i can;t seem to find it.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3932786&postcount=73

 

oh yah i did that