U30JC discussion thread

If the full 298GB is visible under Windows Explorer, then the 17GB hidden partition has indeed been removed. A 320GB HDD, after format will show as 298GB under Explorer.

From the ASUS factory, the 320GB (298GB) HDD will come pre-partitioned as:
17GB (hidden)
75GB ( C: )
206GB ( D: ) (or E: if the ODD has grabbed the D: slot)

How many HDD partitions does Win Explorer show you and what sizes?

Not to worry. Your HDD's partitions have no bearing on your warranty. Many, many users change out their HDD. ASUS knows that.

I think the 8-cell battery for the U30Jc is the same battery for the ASUS UL30 & UL80 laptops. If so, then the UL30, UL80 8-cell ASUS battery for sale here on Amazon for $117 should work.

Best to double-check that though. A call to ASUS should clear that up.

 

Only 1 partition, 298gb. I thought I read somewhere during the registration process that if the notebook didn't come with dvd's, any software problems you had would result in a voided warranty if you tampered/removed the recovery partition. I will have to look around for it to make sure.

If I format the drive again, will I be able to repartition it however I want during W7 installation? I want a 98gb partition for the OS and 200gb seperate, but I Windows disk manager won't let me do it, max I can get is one 160gb and one 140gb partition, because there are some locked files that cannot be moved(even after turning off the paging file).

 

Hi guys

I have been lurking on these forums for a while, and just received my Asus U30JC-A2B today
It was the only U30 model available anywhere in the US, at a reasonable price(still 100$ more than the A1 model).
I guess "in stock" in US means that it is in stock "somewhere" in the world, not that it is actually available for shipping tomorrow(Like in Europe), at least I wasted a week waiting for a, highly rated, seller to say that it would take more than a week before they could ship the laptop they claimed was in stock..

Tried my favorite game, Battlefield Heroes. Got an instant punkbuster kick. I get an "Unknown Windows API Function [131133]" message, which I think means that either there is some overlay(but I dont see any, and didnt install that much, so my install is still pretty basic).. OR Punkbuster doesnt know what Optimus is and gets scared about the two cards... Does anyone know about this??

Is there any way to disable the intel card completely, so I can try out my theory?
Or could anyone in texas go down and slap the punkbuster team around for making to many false positives. I sometimes think their policy is "If they cant play, they cant cheat".


If there is any questions about the A2B version, I would be happy to answer. First of all, mine has a plastic "cover/glass thiny" over the webcam - so the dude without it, on a A2B version, probably got one where it fell off.

And Quatro and the dutch guy, gentex?: Thanks for your helpful posts.

 

Ravn I am almost positive I read something about "Unknown Windows API Function" over at the official ASUS forum for the U30JC, either that or it was the u30jc FAQ. Have a look.

 

Can u help me out with a link to the U30 FAQ?

Hmm.. I installed the Nvidia beta driver, v258.69... Got 3775 in 3Dmark06, so its still good and fast, but this time it seems that punkbuster is less agressive. But only tested for a few minutes, so not absolutely sure yet...

Edit: Still getting the same problem. darn punkbuster..

 

Lavabug, depending on your tech experience, here is what I think:
1) If you want to repartition & format your drive and reinstall Windows, I use Gparted as it is easier & faster for me. So I have little experience doing it under Windows. You might want to PM someone who can tell you about doing this under Windows Disk Manager, as you're trying to do. Good ones are any of the NBR moderators or high post count folks. Also GENETX & Th@n@tos could help you.

2) It sounds like you're trying to do this under Win Disk Manager. If you're starting with a single-partitioned drive, of course, it can only shrink the C: drive to as small as the data on it. That may be your 160 or 140GB limit you're hitting. There are programs that can move data from C: to a newly created D: and shrink one while enlarging the other, but it is a slow process.

What you could try if Win Disk Management is letting you create a second partition from your free space, is (once the 2nd partition is created and formatted NTFS) you could try moving non-essential data over to the new D: drive and then, when the C: drive is smaller than 98GB, see if WDM will let you shrink the C: drive to 98GB or increase the D: drive size.

Just a thought.

3) When I've installed Windows, it's given me a chance to reformat a drive, but I don't think that during install it lets you set up multiple sizes of partitions (like one 98 and the other 200).

4) Again, I don't do that I when I install. I do all of my repartitioning via a free progam called GParted available here. What I use is the ISO that I create a CD image from the ISO file (have you used ISO's before?) and then I boot from the GParted CD and look at, partition & format my old drive.

Of course, when you repartition a disk like this, all info is lost.

 

Just got the A2B i ordered last week. Booted up, wow.. the dvd recovery burning takes more than 2 hours and 5 DVDs.

~~ a quick question: I checked the # of installed programs and they are at 66. I think its a a lot. I would like to uninstall some programs and am wondering which programs are necessary for the notebook.
OR
is it better to format and clean re-install Win 7 Pro and use the driver cd that came with the notebook to re-install the drivers and update them as necessary?

 

cococrust, several people have been making mistakes when they reinstalled and forgot certain essential drivers & apps.

Most of those 66 (really that many??) are useful. My suggestion is to go in and look at each one and then remove the ones you don't feel you need. It won't take you over an hour. Some are trash to start with like trialwares (Office, games & TrendMicr AV). Those are obvious. But go slowly with the ASUS apps. Some really are useful or even needed.

And unless you have a Windows install DVD or know how to use an ISO to make one, the reinstall can be a hassle.

 

Hey guys, quick question.

When I have the laptop plugged in is there anyway to change the settings so that once it is 100% charged it just powers the comp directly and stops constantly repleneshing the battery? Does that make any sense. I have heard that at least on older laptops it was bad for the battery to be constantly plugged in.

Thanks for any input, loving the U30JC so far!

 

hi Quatro

Thanks for your reply. O well, Asus did not send the dvd/iso of Win 7 with the notebook (I guess every manufacturer now are saving $$ by not sending us CDs). I do have a win 7 pro iso that I downloaded from MS Technet and burnt, so I was thinking of using that cd to clean-install Win 7 and use the key at the bottom of the notebook to activate. Is it normal for Windows to be activated before we received the notebook? Mine was activated already.

~~ will look through the installed programs and see which ones I can remove.

 

Is your key on the bottom of the laptop for Professional or for Home Premium? What version of Windows did it come with? That is the version the key will work for. Keys do work for both the 32 & 64-bit OEM versions, but not across types (Home Prem, Pro, Ultimate).

On mine, I had a legal license for Win Pro but my notebook had Home Premium. I upgraded & activated, but it did require a phone call. The key on the bottom is automatic.

BTW, the latest CPU-Z 1.55 for 32 & 64-bit Windows is now available here. It's an installer so it will pick up whether you're using x32 or x64.

 

Does the U30Jc have a built-in mic?

 

Yes it does.

 

The A2B Version comes with Win7 Pro.

Do you know anything about using pre-optimus drivers(the 1xx ones instead of 2xx?), where you only run the nvidia graphics card? Its somthing like modifying some INF file, but I dont really feel that comfortable about trying(But would like to try it, to see if that fixes the punkbuster issue) unless some other people with the same hardware has tried.

 

How do i replace my keyboard? Do i have to remove any screws?

Please explain it to me step-by-step. Thanks.

 

Never heard that. I first used ASUS' supplied NVIDIA driver 189.64. Optimus still worked. So I don't know about any 1XX drivers that turn Optimus off.

 

Have you already ordered & received your replacement keyboard?

Here's info on how to remove your keyboard. It's very easy.

 

If you change to a US keyboard, you will loose the button next to left shift, yes? The only button you cannot blind-type your way out if(since the symbol on the keys are wrong when you change language). I miss that button a lot (have US keyboard, also on my old laptop). In Denmark that button is for bigger/smaller than + backslash, so its quite usefull for filebrowsing and software..

 

I see. Thanks for explaining it to me. In the next week I’m about to order one via Ebay.

Another question: there are several new driver updates for the bios available. At the moment everything is working just fine. Should i upgrade my bios?

And the same goes for the 310m. Which update do i have to install without going back in performance?

Thanks again.

 

Hey everyone. I have a small admission and retraction to make. Earlier, I had said that the new NVIDIA Optimus Beta drivers 258.96 had caused me to lose 400 points.

I was wrong. I DID lose 400 points, but I finally discovered why. It was because a few days earlier, I had messed with my boot up settings (I'm sure none of you ever mess with any of your settings :wink: ) and forgotten about it.

I had reverted back to the original NVIDIA drivers, but the missing points .... remained missing. Then under CPU-Z, I realized it was only reporting 1 core & 2 threads (should be 2 cores & 4 threads.)

Embarrassed, I suddenly remembered my changes under boot of msconfig. Apparently, my processor's only been running on one core ... no wonder it felt so halting of late. Duh!

I changed it back to what it was originally, and voila! My missing 400 points magically returned.

So, just to say that the new NVIDIA Optimus Beta drivers 258.96 are working really well for me on my U30Jc.

I've updated my BIOS on my U30JC twice now. The last time to 210.

I can't really say I saw any changes. I'm sure something changed ... but what, I've no idea.

Good rule of thumb on the BIOS, unless you're experienced, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Update the BIOS only when there is an improvement that you need or you need to reset something. That's my advice, for what it's worth.

I update the BIOS, because I like to experiment, but sometimes I get myself into trouble (see above )

As for the 310m, I regularly update the video driver when one comes out. The above driver is located here.

Be sure to fill in the search catagories: GeForce 300M Series > 310M > Windows 7 64-bit

If you want to be safe, (non-experimental as beta drivers can make problems), then look for the list of WHQL drivers and pick the latest.

 

I have been through the whole forum so far, but just found this. Not sure if it has been posted here yet.

But for those looking for the nvidia test tool used in reviews its here:

Optimus test tools finally in users hands

edit: just found that Serendipity545 posted the link on page 142. So sorry for the double post guys.

edit2: also found Quatro posted the same link on page 141. Once again my appologies

 

On such useful links, don't worry about accidentally repeating others.

It's great that you found the link and shared it with the others. Not everyone is crazy (or bored) enough to slog their way through all of these pages and great links get buried.

Keep on trying to help & share what's helped you.

 

Thanks!! I searched for that test tool for days since I saw it on ayoutube review for the u30jc, but didn't succeed.

 

FYI everyone Optimus switches to the nvidia gpu for google earth automatically, I recommend turning it to integrated gfx in the CP settings to save battery life. I don't see how google earth would benefit from the Nvidia gpu.

HD video and youtube and even some casual games like Osmos are set to integrated gfx by default, they work great, good to know Optimus isn't switching to the 310m with them.

Question: Is it necessary to have the SRS premium sound and Nvidia CP icons running in the tray? I want to clean up some space but I don't want to lose any functionality, does optimus or any soundcard feature depend on these 2 apps in the background?

 

Lavabug: I removed the SRS thingy - and have not missed it. Next im wondering about removing the Realtek Audio manager. I dont really think I need the "bathroom sound" settings or differentiate between speakers or headphones.

If anyone else have problems getting kicked by Punkbuster in games, it is possible to switch to the 197.16 driver with a modified INF file, I got mine from NVIDIA & Laptop News | Latest NVIDIA drivers and related news | laptopvideo2go.com . There is however problems with that as well, I could not run 3Dmark06 for instance - but if gaming is important, this seems to be the only way for now - at least from what I know.

 

Sorry, Ravn1, I don't get what Punkbuster is since I don't do online gaming.

Why won't the regular WHQL 197.16 drivers work for you? The latest WHQL driver is 258.96, which is what I'm using.

BTW everyone, the 258.96 drivers have now been WHQL-certified. You can get them HERE.

 

This laptop has been on my radar for a while now, but until now has been entirely unavailable here in NZ (along with almost all the other ones I'm interested in

Today I look at my usual stockist as a routine check, and LO! U30JC spotted!

ASUS U30JC-QX101X(ZBD) Notebook | Techbuy Australia
Model U30JC-QX101X, apparently has an i5-450m (2.4ghz). Seems to be some newish model released in the Japan/AU market? I like that it has a DVD drive and a decent processor. Would prefer USB3 and a 7200rpm HD though :/


Any opinions on this vs the upcoming u35?

 

Fluxcore: I considered the U35, because of a bit better CPU, larger HDD and 1024mb gfx, instead of the 512(i think) one in U30 - and the USB3.
But if you can get the i5 in the U30, you are pretty well set, and the DVD drive could be nice to have?

I thought the bamboo was cool, but then I thought that I might ruin it with my sweaty palms(they sweat a lot :S ) - so I am very happy with my extremely smudge proof aluminum palmrest

Punkbuster is a program designed to make it harder to cheat in online games. Unfortunately it has so many false positives, which means you get kicked for cheating, even though you dont.
Many EA FPS games use punkbuster(Battlefield and Call of duty series). I guess the problem is that the screens buffer gets accessed by more than one video card, which makes it scared that you are using it to put in some extra stuff (like wallhack or whatnot).

With the 197.x desktop drivers modified to fit the mobile gfx series, Optimus doesnt really work, so it doesnt really switch graphics I THINK. Whatever it is, it works with regards to punkbuster.

I went back to the newest WHQL driver though(The one you posted), I will not bust my and put up with an unstable system, because some Texan company wants us all to use waste energy because they don't know how to program.
Starcraft 2 is coming out next week, so I will be showing that some love instead

 

The U35 doesn't have USB 3.0 either. No one does yet. But the Bamboo models (U33, U43, U53) will have one USB 3.0 once they actually arrive on the market. So I wouldn't make USB 3.0 a point on my buying list right now. 6 mo from now, it will be easy to find, but not now.

And on 512MB vs 1GB VRAM for the GPU, no one's been able to show that the NV 310M and games hardly use it. Little difference is being seen. So I wouldn't make that a concern. That's not the 310M's bottleneck.

The U30Jc is a great laptop with a solid build. It's easier if you just read what I wrote HERE two days ago about my experience with my U30Jc.

On the U35Jc, looking at the specs, the U30Jc has a better processor (2.4~2.66 GHz) and BT. I'd still go with the U30Jc given that it's chassis/body is made with so much more aluminum and strong body. It is a unique body design from ASUS, one they may not repeat later. And if you WANT a DVD drive, (which the U35Jc doesn't have) then even more I'd recommend the U30Jc.

The only one I'd recommend over the U30Jc is the U33Jc or U43Jc Bamboo line. VERY nice workmanship and the entire keyboard area is brushed aluminum ... and it has USB 3.0 and a very nice 2.0 MP webcam (the other full-sized laptops from ASUS are 0.3 MP). But this one isn't physically in the US market yet, and not everyone likes the bamboo wood idea on thier laptop.

Upgrading the HDD is a very simple matter. Some sellers will do it for you for a fee, but it's easy to do yourself when you're ready. And you can then take your "old" 500 GB HDD and put it in a USB external enclosure and use it for backups of large file storage. I wouldn't make that a consideration either.

 

Do these U30jcs have a 2.5 or 1.8" HDD?
Are the U33s and U35s going to be the same?

 

2.5" HDD.

Going to be the same what? Same HDD size? Yes, they all come with the standard 2.5" HDD.

 

Trying to find some accessories for my u30jc...

Are there any decorative body skins available for the U30JC or that are known to fit the u30jc perfectly?

Has anyone tried an anti-glare screen protector on the u30JC? I found this one from a brand called Kai on ebay: Kai Anti-Glare Screen Protector for Asus U30 U30J U30Jc en venta en eBay.es (finaliza el 04-ago-10 13:55:52 H.Esp)
anyone try it?

Trying to find a sleeve on ebay that'll fit the u30jc, closest thing i found was this one, but its for the Asus PL30JT:
Black laptop case bag for Asus PL30JT 13.3" en venta en eBay.es (finaliza el 13-ago-10 21:53:28 H.Esp)
I think it will fit, any ideas?

 

Ah yes of course. I mixed up the U33 and U35. Been looking at both laptops, and kinda mixed them into one I cant imagine how many years will pass before the U33 will be on the market, especially considering how hard it was to even find the U30 in stock(Had to buy the more expensive A2B version).

 

Has anyone noticed that the stock pictures of the U30JC-B1 have the blu-ray logo on the optical drive? The picture is on both Gentech's and XoticPC's site. It was on Amazon's site as well until this morning but now it's gone. I cant find anything in the specs anywhere that say it ships with a blu-ray drive though....Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

To me, wisdom says to follow the specs, not the stock photos.

If in doubt, phone GenTech. They'll know more than anyone here about what's actually coming.

As well, I don't think GenTech took the photos as they look stock & touched up, so even more, I wouldn't go by them on something as changeable as an ODD.

 

I am having some problems with video output on my U30Jc (both for hdmi and vga). I am using Windows 7, and the laptop was reformated to remove all junk software. The drivers I used are all from the included CD.

I have hooked up many laptops to my 46 inch Samsung LCD TV, and have never had any issues.

With this Asus laptop, the HDMI resolution seems to be messed up. If I put 1920x1080 (the native resolution of my TV), the screen does not fit properly - it is cut off on the sides and bottom.

When using VGA, the resolution at 1920x1080 is fine, but the quality is really bad - the colors look washed out and it seems a little hazy. Again - I have never had this issue with other laptops.

Just wondering if anyone else has had these issues with the U30Jc. Is it a problem with the graphics driver? Do I need to update it, or are there some settings I need to change?

 

This seems to be a known issue with Samsung and HDMI porting to use the screen as a monitor instead of a TV, or so I've read from users at Amazon & Newegg. Some also said they had poorer quality but properly centered, etc when they connected via VGA, etc but not when they used the HDMI port. One review is HERE about halfway down the page. I found this complaint on several of the Samsung models. Here is what one user said he did to fix the problem:

• FIRST a note to anyone trying to use this as a monitor via the HDMI input, this tv is set up for that connection to be used as a 'tv' by default, which is why everyone is having issues using the HDMI port as a monitor, it is very easy to fix (but you will lose audio via hdmi, so you'll have to plug in from the headphone jack). I got this from a review on newegg, and it works perfectly.
  
  -Hit the Menu button on your remote
  -Scroll down to Input, Press right.
  -Scroll down to Edit Name, Hit Enter.
  -Scroll down to HDMI, Hit Enter.
  -Scroll down to DVI PC, Hit Enter.
  
  I guess it is a firmware issue, but again, easily correctable, and explains many of the very negative reviews on here regarding image quality as a monitor via HDMI.

Another person said:

• "I've been using this piece mainly as a monitor. Initially, I was very displeased with the resolution through the DVI. There was no option for full HD output. The text was fuzzy and the icons were too large and slightly stretched. There were no settings within the normal "control panel > display" to change to a higher resolution. Luckily, I located a setting hidden in the Nvidia graphics card utility. I had to actually go in and switch "DVI output," to "DVI HD." Once I did that, the resolution popped into true HD and looked amazing! I use the monitor for graphics and video and have found the colors and contrast to be quite good. It takes a bit of playing around with the color settings, but this monitor is impressive in both style and function."

Someone else said:

• "If you are planning on using HDMI to your video card, you need to rename the HDMI to DVI PC.

And lastly:

• "Some people have complained about HDMI looking awful when connected to the computer and at first is is. Don't freak out when you see it. As others have said, there is an option that you have configure to get the monitor to display correctly. Navigate to Menu-Input-Edit Name-HDMI and choose PC."

Of course, none of these may be your problem at all. I merely pass it on, in case it might help.

 

Thanks for the suggestion...I tried that fix but it does not work. I dont think this is an issue with my tv at all, simply because this is the only laptop with which I have had this problem. I even have an HP laptop that is over 5 years old...the VGA output to the same Samsung LCD TV looks absolutely great. I am going to try and update the video drivers and seeing if it helps.

If anyone else has any ideas, I would really appreciate the input!

 

I can. I just recieved my U30JC-B1 this afternoon. It's just a regular DVD optical drive.

Does anyone know where to download Express Gate from? It wasn't on the Drivers and Utility CD that came with the laptop, though the specs said it should have.

 

Where did you buy it from?

 

I bought it from gentechpc. You can customize them there for blue-ray I believe, but I didn't get that.

 

Were the other laptops you connected to the HDTV also connected via the HDMI or via something else like VGA or DMI?

I'm trying to understand if your problem is the HDMI connection or just the ASUS laptop with the HDMI connection.

You mention the 5-yr-old laptop that connected to the Samsung fine, but that was with the VGA, not the HDMI (since that didn't exist back then anyway.)

 

Express Gate will not work on the U30Jc. That's a speed boot to a separate simple OS. The ASUS models that do Express Gate have two buttons (one on the left & one on the right) above the keyboard. The U30Jc only has the on/off button up there. (I own a U30Jc).

And with resume being so fast (and for me I usually start up from sleep which is nearly instant) .... why would you even want Express Gate? What's the point?

 

The old laptop was via VGA, not HDMI. Either way, I figured out how to fix the HDMI for this laptop - I actually had to go to Intel Graphics Control Panel, and choose custom scaling for the TV, and then I just fiddled around with the numbers until it fit perfectly on my screen, with 1920x1080 resolution. Don't know if there is an easier way to do this (maybe a setting on the TV), but it worked for me.

 

Just an update for the people wondering if the U30JC can run Starcraft 2. Got i last night and have been playing a few hours without problems in native resolution and medium settings. Have not tried High yet, Medium is fine for me More than I expected.

 

Thanks for the heads up! I'm heavily leaning towards getting one of these and SC2 is pretty much the only modern game I'd be playing on it so this answered an important question for me.

 

<<<Trying to find some accessories for my u30jc...
Are there any decorative body skins available for the U30JC or that are known to fit the u30jc perfectly? ......

Trying to find a sleeve on ebay that'll fit the u30jc, closest thing i found was this one, but its for the Asus PL30JT:
Black laptop case bag for Asus PL30JT 13.3" en venta en eBay.es (finaliza el 13-ago-10 21:53:28 H.Esp) I think it will fit, any ideas? >>>>>

When I bought mine off Amazon while in US in May they suggested - and still do for the U30JC - the Case Logic 13.3-Inch Neoprene Laptop Sleeve (ENS-13) - I got one for $20USD with the lappie and it is a neoprene glove type sleeve that is a pretty damn good fit - not too snug, nor too sloppy - like the 3 Bears, just right. I can recommend it for basic protection to throw the lappie in another bag - what sleeves are about really. It has a full sided zip on the front which goes around 90% of one side so you slip the lappie in sideways. I leave the ASUS microfibre cloth inside the sleeve for obvious reasons. Very recommended as ideal for the job.

 

Further to my response to Lavabug - is not the PL30JT virtually exactly the same body shape as the U30JC - just with an i5 processor - rather than i3 - inside? So what you referred to will almost certainly fit/be the same

 

further further on sleeves for U30JC -
I have just looked on the actual Case Logic website - and although the description for the ENS-13 item:
Case Logic 13.3 Laptop Sleeve > Laptop Sleeves > Case Logic
clearly says it fits a 13.3 in. laptop - do NOT be misled by the link to "will this case fit my device" - as when you put that in it says it will fit 15in. laptops - and specifically says the U30JC - in the list there - will NOT fit!! - this seems plain wrong and contradicts the basic correct info. Very confusing - don't be. There seems no ID of the actual item no. on my actual sleeve - but what I ordered from Amazon as the ENS-13 fits perfectly as previously summarised.

 

My wife has this exact neoprene sleeve for her 13" Macbook and it fits my U30Jc perfectly.

Excellent. That's good to know for when I buy my much-smaller Samsung P2570HD HDTV!