M570TU = Fail. Restarting issue.

So I went through a lot of issues with XoticPC to finally get my machine shipped. The issues were finally resolved and I recieved it today.

I was very happy when I took it out of the box. The thing is even more amazing in person than any picture could every show.

So I plugged it in and fired it up. The machine came with Vista Ultimate 64 bit. Immediately I was greeted with the "Windows was not shut down properly last time" screen. Uh oh. But I brushed it off and pressed on only to have the machine restart itself before ever coming up with anything. Great. This time I get as far as it starting to run WEI before it restarts. Now I'm getting frustrated. The next time I get it to boot all the way up, I had already done the initial setup stuff so I could get as far as the desktop. Just for grins I tried running WEI manually again. Sure enough, it restarted. Next time I didn't even do that, I was just browsing around some settings and again it just restarted itself. And now here I sit, in the other room on my other machine womdering why I ever decided to buy a Sager. After all the good things I have heard about them, I have been disappointed on all accounts.

So what do you guys reccomend? Should I at least try and reinstall the OS before I call them? Or is this likely a hardware issue? I had planned on installing XP tonight on a small partition and then Vista on another so I could dual boot. But I might just try and reinstall Vista and see what happens. Im leaving for college Tuesday...

 

try and reinstall/partition your drive might be a driver conflict. As for the first time you booted it up, where it says Windows was not shut down properly last time that is there for all the laptops that sager ships because they shut it down so that it does not go through the vista set up process.

 

Yeah. It's been idling fine for about an hour and a half now so I'm hoping the worst is over. I think later tonight I'm just gonna do my OS installs and see how it runs.

Good to know about the "Windows was not shut down properly" message. Thanks.

 

Does yours have the Intel Turbo Memory?

If so, I suspect you don't have the driver released 12 days ago.

Download it from here:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=2813&lang=eng

 

Nope, it doesn't.

And it turns out I've had my extra copy of XP so long I have no idea what I did with it... so this Vista install will be staying on there.

 

make sure to do a HDD error check if the system was not shut down properly.

go START > RUN > type: CMD
- then type CHKDSK C: /F
- say Yes
- then restart to let it scan disk

.. note you must run CMD prompt as Administrator if you are using Vista or have the UAC enabled.

 

imo if its not fully setup and configured yet i would start with a fresh install and re-install the drivers and make sure all is installed properly..

 

Yep... I'll do that tonight. I loaded up Crysis last night... crashed during the first install, I tried again and got it to work, I didn't play long because it was after midnight at that point. But It seemed like it got better after each time it restarted, which seems odd. Its like it does it worse when its cold.

I brought it to work with me today and I'm actually posting from it now... Its restarted twice already. Once almost immediately, longer before it did it the second time, and it's been fine for a little while now.

 

i would also suggest running memtest to check the memory, running chkdsk to test the hdd for any issues, and either orthos or prime to test the cpu.. once you have covered all bases and know nothing hardware / component wise is wrong it will prob help to trouble shoot the issue.

seems like if it had to be started the first time as you say it may have had a issue during the initial install of the os and that could def be causing your issues.

but these are the places i would start with at least

 

hit windows update for all the latest certfied drivers...sounds like a bad video driver.

 

I have exactly the same problem with my M570TU. I first blamed HDD, but now i see, that it works if it only has 2 Gb of ram. Doesn't matter which stick, and which slot. If one stick is in it works, if both sticks are in it restarts.

I run memtest86+ a number of times, and it showed no errors.

My config:
P9500
8800M GTX
4G ram
Shirley Peak Wifi
WUXGA resolution

Everything else stock.
I am sending it back on Monday if they can fix it.

 

Already ran windows update.

I have also run chkdsk and memtest at this point, both checked out fine.

It's been running great since this morning though. I've downloaded some stuff, run 3dmark06 (9199 incase you were wondering) and just been using it a little on and off and it's been doing great. It's getting better, whatever the issue is.

And dang do these things ever run cool! My CPU temps are practically at room temperature at idle according to HWMonitor!

 

So much for that...

Artificial, keep me posted on the status of your issue. If it doesn't stop soon I should be able to get by with 2GB inis thing for a while assuming we have the same issue.

 

Can you tell me your specs?
Also try removing one stick of RAM, and tell me if it works for you too.

 

Yep...
P9500
4GB DDR3
9800M GT
320GB HDD - 5400RPM
WUXGA screen (not sure if that makes a difference)

That should be the important stuff. I'll try pulling a stick when I get home.

Edit: Also ran Orthos for 10 minutes to see if the CPU had an issue... it ran fine. Temps maxed at about 64 degrees C... at least the M570TU's cooling system lives up to expectations.

 

have you tried memtest to check the ram??

 

We both have.

 

memtest is not infallible. I have run this program hundreds of times and had memory test perfectly, but no matter where a stick goes (from one computer to another) the problem follows.

just because memtest shows a stick is good, does not mean it is

 

i know... bit in my case, it doesn't matter which stick it is.
If first stick is installed it works, if second stick is installed it works.
If both are installed it doesn't work.

It could be a chipset problem, CPU problem, (GPU?). I have no idea. That is why i am sending it back if they can test it with other parts. I will report here as soon as i find out something new.

 

So my problems continue...

I've discovered that there's two things that wil consistently make the machine restart: running windows update, and doenloading games from steam. Thinking about it, a vast majority of my restarts occurred doing installs.... so it seems like the problem happens whenever the machine tries to write a large amount of data to the hard drive. I have nt had a chance to pull RAM yet, I forgot my tools when I left so I'm screwed for a while.

 

Turbo 7 MN,

You shouldn’t have to deal with those problems on a new notebook of this caliber or any caliber to be exact, send it back and don’t except less. Heck, I would have been pss’ed to turn on a new notebook and see the “Windows was not shut down properly”. Someone said that was common? WTH???

 

I'm at college right now though... It would kill me to not have a computer at this point. So if it's not something I can fix myself I'm gonna have to just have to overnight it back and have them refund me I guess. And then pick up something at best buy ASAP. I really don't want it to come to that but after all the good things I've heard about Sager, and having to wait a ridiculously long time to get my machine in the first place, I really doubt I will EVER buy one again. I thought they burned them in for three days before shipping, especially considering mine sat in phase 2 for two weeks, but I guess this has proven they really must not do that. Just throw it in the box and hope it works... no different from anyone else.

 

Just do a fresh install of your OS and wipe your HD clean.

 

They received my laptop, and asked for my BIOS pass (I forgot to disable it). No other news so far. How are you doing?

Reinstalling OS, or even replacing Vista with XP or Linux didn't help me, but you can try.

 

Just restarted again playing Half Life 2... lol. I'm just waiting to see what's up with yours before I send mine in. I forgot to bring my tools with me to college so I'm not even able to pull the second stick. Kinda lame but hopefully within the next few days I'll be able to take care of it. I went to a hardware store tonight but they wer closed already. The welcome week thing here makes trying to do anything productive really difficult.

 

All you need is a small X screwdriver (not sure what the word is in english. but the X, not - or *.. i am sure you know what i mean)
I am sure someone has one. If really noone has it you can try with a small swiss knife or something...

 

Yeah, one would think so but I have not been able to locate one. It's kind of ridiculous. It's called Philips by the way.

And I forgot my swiss knife at home too... lol. I'm hoping I can make it to the hardware store this afternoon and get this taken care of.

 

Swapping the memory positions did the trick. It's been running fine since yesterday afternoon, I've been able to install things and play games no problem. So I guess I may have overreacted a bit before... but just imagine how you'd feel if the machine you just dropped $2500 on had an issue like this.

So anyway, I'll go as far as calling this resolved. Thanks for the help guys. Now that I'll be able to use the machine to its potential, expect a review in the next few days or so.

-Darren

 

the symptom may be resolved, but the problem may stuill be there...you've got a bad memory stick or the memory was poorly seated.

Even though memtest did not reveal it does not mean the memroy is good. Memtest will not catch everything.

 

That windows message is normal for the first boot up for any sager laptop.

 

Do they come with a restore partition? I followed the Vista handbook on setting up my computer to run Vista for the first time, and I had to set origin language (no English), type of keyboard and the time region. Then I had to setup the name of computer, user’s name, network if any and restart the computer to get the desktop. I thought I was installing windows if I didn’t have the Vista handbook for new computers, when I restarted and realized all the drivers were already installed, I knew it was just setting up my new computer. I eventually formatted the extra partition, installed windows Ultimate and later windows XP. I guess I thought all new computers had to go thru that process, and couldn’t understand why you would get a “Windows was not shut down properly” message. Excuse me for my ignorance, and thank you for the clarification.

 

These custom notebooks usually do NOT have restore partitions like you woul find on big brand OEM notebooks.

You would usually have the OEM install the OS of your choice, they install the drivers/utilities for it, and ship it to you.

When you get it, turn it on, it should be ready to go.

If you did not order with an OS, you would have to install your own with clean XP/Vista discs (non-OEM modified to specifically support a certain system). Then install whichever drivers that Windows could not find one for (Vista has a huge archive of drivers, so it would find and install most of the drivers automatically).

 

The operating system was definitely pre-installed. The Vista manual told me what to do if I bought the operating system preinstalled, or if I had to install windows new with new computer. The computer had every driver for the machine, plus all the drivers for the software. When I eventually made a new install of windows Vista Ultimate, the only drivers that were installed were the Bluetooth driver (no software) and the modem, I had to install everything else which was a lot. Plus, it only took about 5 minutes to setup the computer; windows install took every bit of 20, and another 20 minutes to load drivers and software.
Thanks for pointing out the difference between small and large OEMs, as I thought no matter what you shouldn’t see “Windows was not shut down properly”.

 

I was hoping you were wrong... But it has restarted itself twice today after being good for a while. Guess I did call it too soon.

 

Today i got some kind of answer from service.
In my case GPU was to blame. Now they are waiting for spare parts to replace it.

it took them WAY to long to figure this out IMO.

 

Dang, haven't checked this thread on over a month.

The GPU is likely my issue as well then. Ever since I pulled one stick of memory out it has been running perfect. Thanks for reporting back what your issue was.

 

so, the 9800m gtx is to blame? cause i'm having the exact same restart problem...

 

Turbo7MN and Artificial

Got the same problem as you both have and I also have 4gb ddr3 ram. The GPU is 9800M GTS.
So its basicly a GPU problem then?

Shipping it back for service tomorrow, I hope they can fix the problem :/

 

kazuma, I have the 9800M GT, not the GTX. And if Overdriv's GTS has the same issue... that's not a good sign. If it is indeed a GPU issue it sounds like it's common to the whole 9800 family of cards. Overdriv, please keep us posted on what Sager says the problem is so we can see if yours was also caused by the GPU. And for anyone having this issue, I do reccomend just pulling a stick out and seeing how it runs.

I have not sent mine back yet, I'm in the middle of the semester right now and life without my lapop would not be fun. I've been able to get by with 2GB just fine, just gotta monitor my processes a little more closely.

 

You can simply test it yourself if the problem is the GPU. Just play a game, loop 3dmark or run some other 3d intensive program like FurMark. Ofcourse with only one stick of RAM.

If the laptop works fine with only 1 memory module then its probably a compatibility issue with the memory modules. Or with the RAM and chipset. Are the RAM modules the same brand and do they have the same specs?

 

Well, Im pretty convinced it was a GPU issue, seeing as I'm pretty sure my GPU died this morning. No display at all. Good stuff.

Purchasing a Sager is by far one of the worst decisions I have ever made, and a mistake I will never be making again. Now I have to hope I can put my HDD in someone else's machine so I can get some of my files off of it before I say goodbye to my computer during the busiest part of the semester.

 

I'm going to update this abit.

The funniest thing is that I played Dead space for 4 hours straight the day before I shipped it back, thats the longest the laptop has ever been on since I bought it. And it seemed to happen less when I played games than when I didn't.

Hopefully the company I bought it from (Multicom - Norwegian Company) will give me an update in the following days.

 

Turbo7MN: I wouldn't jump right to pointing the finger at Sager. They simply put the machine together; your failed GPU was manufactured by NVidia remember. Sager makes really great machines, and their cooling is second to none.

The Hitachi hard drive I have in my Sager NP9262 failed this morning, but such is life when dealing with hardware. This is the THIRD Hitachi hard drive I've had fail on me since 2001, spanning 4 different computers.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't totally write Sager off, though understandably you're angry - we all paid $2500 - $3000 for our machines and to have things go wrong is infuriating. But I feel you'd be hard pressed to find a better machine overall.

My two cents.

 

Good point. But my whole experience has been a nightmare. From XoticPC losing my check to start with, to the restarting issue from the day I got it, to it being dead completely now. And I actually found out the issue is with the screen since I was able to hook it up to a friend's monitor and it worked fine, so at least I can get my files off. I guess every manufacturer has lemons and I was unlucky enough to get one that sucks in more ways than one... and if this happened with any other brand I'd be saying the same too. I still directly blame Sager for the restarting issue though. The fact that this occured from the minute I got the machine means that their testing before they ship them out may not be what they claim it to be.

It would be a hell of a machine for the price if the **** thing worked properly. I love it when its working, but after hearing so many good things about Sager, from the retailers to the machines themselves, I have been let down in absolutely every way possible.

So now I have to ship it back and be computerless for who knows how long. Sager gets a chance to redeem themselves in my eyes depending on how long the whole process takes. But I don't have much hope for seeing my machine again this semester after I send it back.

-Darren