M860TU problems - Troubleshooting thread

Hi there

First of all, I will start by saying I am completely in love with my Nexus (M860TU). It's a brilliant laptop, works great and it is exactly what I was looking for.
Obviously, nothing is perfect and there are some minor flaws with the M860TU, which I am hopeful, can be corrected.

So I will start by making an updated compilation of the problems I have found on the laptop. I hope we can all contribute, have some feedback and help in finding solutions for this amazing machine to become a perfect amazing machine!


The M860TU problems I have found:

- Slightly hot HDD

Possible solutions: There are ways to reduce the temperature load.
Read here (thanks to Gophn): http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=292702
Update the SATA controler (thanks to JagerQ): http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=292624

- CPU whining noise
Due to a particular power state that the CPU goes into. It is a perceptible high pitch noise that can be more or less audible.

There is no fix that I am aware.
Ways to go around it:
- Enable bluetooth
- Enable High performance power mode

- Some other whining noise close to the CPU region

- Audio crackling (like a screeching noise in the midle of a fluid stream of sound)

- Got GPU rendering errors running Mass effect (happened twice and after I updated to 177.92 drivers)


And those are the problems I have found so far. Please do contribute, share ideas, information, ways to fix things, etc...

Hopefully we can gather a bit of information and a knowledge base to help in fixing common problems.

Cheers,
M.

 

Removing or putting the battery back helps sometimes when you see an FPS drop during gaming.

 

I had my wireless connection dropping intermittently (ever few mins - would reconnect straight away), which appears to have gone away after installing the latest Intel 5300 wireless card drivers and/or turning bluetooth OFF (I had it turned on to stop the cpu whining).

Petrov.

 

CPU buzzing/whining noise can be remedied easily:

... first make sure its not the mic receiving noise, so disable the mic (volume control)

download RMClock:
http://cpu.rightmark.org/products/rmclock.shtml

Vista users: make sure to run as Administrator and maybe disable UAC.

Make sure to check "Run HLT Command when OS is idle (restart required)" under the "Management" file.

also try to disable "C4 power state mode"

....or.... (if you cannot disable C4 power state if RMclock is not allowing... yet)

set Power Options to Max Performance.

 

Apart from the hot HDD, at 58 atm after installing some patches, my computer is fine. Hit 73 while playing crysis which is my highest yet and 67 on core 1 61 on core 0 so all seems fine on those. Just tried a few of the solutions shown here so will have to see how it goes now that they're done.

DK

 

So, another problem to add to the list!

My DVD tray does not want to open. I have to press the button quite strong to have the tray open and, it doesn't open all the time. I guess this one won't have an easy solution... appart from getting it replaced!

The Audio stuttering is really present and I don't know why it's there. I can hear it while playing games like Mass Effect or while listening to MP3s.

@DK- Good temperatures. My GPU reaches 81-83ºC while playing Crysis or Mass Effect or running the Furmark stability test. My CPU stays around 60ºC.

 

heres a little gem from me to get you all guessing.
turbo memory has dissapeared. ive done a full search and gone through every folder in explore and programs but it is nowhere to be found.
before you ask,yes i have got it as when i turned on my computer for the first time it opened the program with the 2 boxes for pinning or dashboard.
so wheres it gone,any ideas.

 

oh dear milcs. mine catches when i push it back in but so far no problems opening it.

 

Can't see to find the turbo memory either, even though i have installed the drivers for it. Also randomly vista's stupid benchmark only gives my proc (t9400) 4.7?? random.

And my DVD tray is fine.

DK

 

so its not just me
Andrew thinks it could be something to do with a glitch or conflict with the finger print reader.

 

Is your SATA controller running properly? I.e. ACHI mode in BIOS enabled, your hard drive is listed under SATA, SATA controller listed in device manager? (Loaded the latest Intel Matrix Storage Manager - i.e. sata driver pack?)

I had this exact problem when I was running on IDE emulated mode and had ACHI mode disabled in BIOS. I would have to repeatedly press down, and eventually ended up selecting 'eject' from windows instead. Managing to get my SATA controller properly recognized solved this problem and now my cd-rom (which is the second device on the SATA controller) responds promptly.

Also, re: turbo memory - check BIOS to make sure that it didn't get disabled (somehow :/). I think this needs proper chipset drivers as well, and I've actually had SATA drivers be disabled when I installed burning software (which installed an IDE controller, what the hell?)

 

Thanks Tarentum,ill check it out tomorrow.

 

My SATA, Bios, etc... are all set up correctly. It's just the button that is broken.

 

oh no,poor milcs :0

 

The main annoyance for me atm isn't my laptop but my router It keeps just dropping the wireless conncetion and then i have to restart it to get it back. Sometimes it will last over an hour before dropping, others it lasts less than 5 mins. Its a 3COM OfficeConnect ADSL Wireless 11g Firewall Router any ideas on how to stop it doing that?

Thanks
DK

 

I hate DSL modems with built-in routers/wireless... they are very inefficient and unstable.

Either use the notebook hardwired directly with ethernet...

-OR-

I recommend to disable the wireless on that DSL modem/wireless router.

Then get another Wireless Access Point (or router that can change modes into a Wireless AP... I know Belkins do that) and connect it to the DSL modem/router.

There... now you should have a good wireless signal from a good source.

 

Nice 1 thanks Gophn, would http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Wire...8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222507070&sr=8-8 do it?

And i take it with this one i would still need to use my old one for the internet and then connect this one to it.

Also hit 59 on my HDD while playing cod4, i stopped after this as i didn't want it to get any higher, but the HDD was constantly spinning while i was playing, never really stopped and i'm not sure why. Even after loading a campaign level it kept spinning.

DK

 

59 hard drive is fine De@thknight. its when it goes above 65c you need to worry.
mine hit 61c yesterday after 45 minutes playing team fortress 2
when it went above 57c i get a bubble saying critical temp. just need to change the base temp to 60c in HD Tune.

 

When I signed up to my ADSL2 provider, they provided me with a Netgear DG834G ADSL2 DSL modem/router (G). I also have a Netgear Draft-N router, which I'd prefer to use as the router.

The ADSL/router combo has a port for the DSL (of course) and then 4 ethernet ports.

Can I disconnect the wireless function on the modem/router, then connect it via the ethernet port to the Draft N pure router, and use that as the wireless router (but continue to use the modem/router as the ADSL modem)?

Any help appreciated!

Petrov.

 

OK cool, i only get worried because the norm operating max is 55 :

http://www.samsung.com/global/busin...72&type=62&subtype=80&model_cd=371&ppmi=1168#

Although it says hot here: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/productSubType.do?group=72&type=62&subtype=80 mine is the top one

but i shall trust u MrDJ and come after your head if it fails

 

Once you identify the modem/router as the WAN gateway in the Draft N router, and set the Draft N router as the one to assign local IPs (DHCP server), you should be fine.

 

ok next.
ram question for you all.
im running vista 32bit so know i cant see the full 4gb of ram but should be able to see and use 3.1gb ram.
could anyone tell me why im only seeing and using 2.556 which is 39%

 

Try turning off some background services and programs that are known to constantly spin up the HDD.

I went over it here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=292702

Yes, you should be able to disable the wireless function in the DSL wireless router.

Then you can connect your wireless access point.
(... I say wireless AP rather than router because you do not want two DHCP routers to deal with.)

So if you have a wireless router, there might be an option in it to switch its mode to wireless AP only... which would disable the router part of it.

 

Already been through that actually gophn but worked out that it was because i was downloading using the blizzard updater and this was spinning up the hdd more than normal.

Still having problems with the router though, tried updating the firmware on it and it only made stuff worse , might have accidentaly downgraded or somthing. Now my laptop won't even connect to it if the security is on times out all the time. But when i turn the security off it is fine, so not sure whats going on there. Still looking into it.

DK

 

Here is one for you guys...
So I initially (out of the box) had around 9250 in 3DMark06.
I then installed Driver version 177.92 with Dox mod inf file. I had then 9300 3DMark06.
Couple of days ago I installed driver version 178.13 with Dox's mod inf and my 3DMark went down to 9000. I also seem to have noticed a decrease on gaming performance. Today I decided to uninstall the 178.13 drivers and revert back to the 177.92 to check whether it would improve performance.

Unfortunately, it seems i am now stuck at 9000 in 3DMark06. I have tried instaling all possible drives, different mods... nothing makes it go back to what I had originally.

Any ideas? Help? Suggestions?

 

buy an alienware
wot you mean ive got a better score than you

yours isnt far off mine milcs,im getting 9229
i havnt updated anything yet.

 

Which driver version do you have? (Go to Nvidia control panel and go to system information and it will tell you which driver you got).

It's not about the 200-300 points... I am just intrigued why is the performance decreasing.

 

That does sound weird, Milcs.

Did you buy a recovery disc thingy from Kobalt that reverts you back to the original settings in case you encounter any problems? I'm sure I opted for one of those in my order.
What I hate about computers is that, sometimes, when you uninstall a driver or software that embeds stuff into your registry, you can never seem to hunt down what it's done in order to remove EVERYTHING. Your decrease in performance could be something silly like a written registry line that's now clashing with some other running task. Sometimes making mistakes, and then formatting and starting from scratch is the best option while you haven't got that much stuff on there at the moment. I'm just assuming you haven't installed the world on there yet?!

I've subscribed to this thread to check back on whether somebody solves this issue for you. I hope they do. A slight drop in performance would bug me as well!

Good thread, Milcs.

 

For me the same thing with XP Professional (32-bit) -> 2554MB. Any ideas?

 

Here's some other issues:

- GPU in crysis reaches 90ºC (last level of Crysis)
- When I rest my hands on the laptop (when typing or something like that) and apply some pressure on it, I can clearly hear a vibration noise that the laptop transfers to the surfaces where it is placed. Does anyone else has this?

Appart from that... still loving it! This is the best laptop in the world!

 

hi milcs
just seen this post so sorry its a bit late.

hope this helps.

i ordered the recovery disc as well but didnt get one. spoke to Neil and he said it comes on the hidden partition and you press the F? (cant remember) on start up to go to it.


Hi lebowsky and welcome to the forum.
what computer have you got and where did you buy it from.
any chance of putting your spec. in your signature.

if you are getting the same thing then this could be the norm but its a bit strange. on my previous m15x with the same 32bit OS and 4gb ram and 8800gtx i was getting 3098mb showing in the gadget on my sidebar.
im wondering if its due to only having a dedicated graphics card and not havin on board graphics as well.

this was one of the questions i was going to ask Andrew at Kobalt but the are all unwell at the moment.

sorry milcs, not noticed this yet.

 

hi DJ,
I have an One D8425 (Germany) -> http://www.one.de/shop/product_info.php?cPath=213_216&products_id=2836

Field Value
Computer
Computer Type ACPI-Multiprocessor-PC (Mobile)
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 3
Internet Explorer 7.0.5730.13 (IE 7.0)
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)

Date / Time 2008-10-04 / 16:00

Motherboard
CPU Type Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2, 2533 MHz (10 x 253)
Motherboard Name Clevo M860TU
Motherboard Chipset Unknown
System Memory 2554 MB
DIMM1: Swissbit MGN25664B1BA2EP-BB 2 GB DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-18 @ 457 MHz)
DIMM3: Swissbit MGN25664B1BA2EP-BB 2 GB DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-18 @ 457 MHz)
BIOS Type Phoenix (07/24/08)

Display
Video Adapter GeForce 9800M GTS (512 MB)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS (512 MB)
Monitor Plug und Play-Monitor [NoDB]

Multimedia
Audio Adapter nVIDIA Unknown @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
Audio Adapter Realtek ALC662 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller

Storage
IDE Controller Intel(R) ICH9M/M-E 2 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 1 - 2928
IDE Controller Intel(R) ICH9M/M-E 2 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 2 - 292D
IDE Controller JMB38X MS Host Controller
IDE Controller JMB38X SD Host Controller
IDE Controller JMB38X SD/MMC Host Controller
Disk Drive FUJITSU MHZ2320BH G1 (298 GB, IDE)
Optical Drive TSSTcorp CDDVDW SN-S083A
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 20002 MB (10909 MB free)
D: (NTFS) 285232 MB (247727 MB free)
Total Size 298.1 GB (252.6 GB free)

Input
Keyboard Standardtastatur (101/102 Tasten) oder Microsoft Natural Keyboard (PS/2)
Mouse HID-konforme Maus
Mouse Synaptics PS/2 Port Pointing Device

Network
Primary IP Address 192.168.1.74
Primary MAC Address 00-21-5D-0A-59-04
Network Adapter Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 5100 (192.168.1.74)
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Network Adapter WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface (92.227.32.8)
Modem Motorola SM56 Data Fax Modem

Peripherals
Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer
FireWire Controller OHCI-konformer IEEE 1394-Hostcontroller [197B-2380] [NoDB]
USB1 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB Universal Host Controller
USB1 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB Universal Host Controller
USB1 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB Universal Host Controller
USB1 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB Universal Host Controller
USB1 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB Universal Host Controller
USB1 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB Universal Host Controller
USB2 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
USB2 Controller Intel 82801IB ICH9 - USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
USB Device USB-HID (Human Interface Device)
USB Device USB-Verbundgerät
USB Device USB-Videogerät
Battery Microsoft ACPI-konforme Kontrollmethodenbatterie
Battery Microsoft-Netzteil

DMI
DMI BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies LTD
DMI BIOS Version 1.00.05
DMI System Manufacturer CLEVO CO.
DMI System Product M860TU
DMI System Version Not Applicable
DMI System Serial Number Not Applicable
DMI System UUID 0090F58A-97C50000-00000000-00000000
DMI Motherboard Manufacturer CLEVO CO.
DMI Motherboard Product M860TU
DMI Motherboard Version Not Applicable
DMI Motherboard Serial Number Not Applicable
DMI Chassis Manufacturer No Enclosure
DMI Chassis Version N/A
DMI Chassis Serial Number None
DMI Chassis Asset Tag No Asset Tag
DMI Chassis Type LapTop

 

hi again lebowsky.
you have the same computer as us, the Nexus,M860TU,sager NP8660
hopefully i will get some answers soon when i have the chance to take my computer back to kobalt. until then someone else might reply with the answers but until then keep an eye on this thread.

 

ive just played infernal for the last 90 minutes with good readings. ok its not as demanding as crysis but it gives you and idea milcs

 

Anyone know some way I could be able to get a 3945 wireless card to work in this laptop?

 

I'm on stock drivers still but my GPU doesn't go above 75 atm

 

Mines over clocked, and on modded drivers, never gets above 79c

 

Ok, can you guys do me a favour and run Furmark for a good hour or so (if you don't have anything interesting to do on the computer, just leave it running) and let us know those temps (with HWmonitor).

With Furmark my temps go to 88-91ºC after one hour or so.

ps: I'm on 178.13 drivers.

 

ran the test for 2384 seconds with no temperature change at all so gave up as i wanted to play a game
hope this helps mate

 

You are a star. I will run it tomorrow to compare temperatures...
Cheerios.

So... can I grab a lift with you next week?

 

get the bus
not sure when im going now as im back at work tomorrow for the first time in 7 weeks
it might have to be at the weekend or evening once the kobalt boys are well again. will have to wait and hear from them first.

so are the above readings ok for you milcs.

 

Small update:
Its official... under decent gameplay (by this, I mean... playing something that is graphically challenging), my GPU reaches 90C.
I have got these temperatures playing Crysis, Crysis Warhead and Mass Effect (on the most recent drivers from L2VGO).

As I'm completely busy with work, I will postpone doing a more through test for later... In any case, yesterday while playing Mass Effect (just for like 30 minutes or so), the GPU was hitting 90C. The temperature close to the power button (above the GPU card) was really hot. This was probably the hottest I have ever felt on any surface of the M860TU. And when I say hot... I mean HOT! Appart from that, all other surfaces were OK (including the part on the right of the touchpad).

So... the temps are not too bad, but my GPU should be running a little bit cooler (specially when compared to other people's laptops). I will have to look into it...

 

Um, I only reached like 83 max during gaming... This makes me believe that -the cooler system was not assembled correctly or there a defect -poor thermal paste (I have Artic Silver, don't know if this makes a difference).

For the rest, I agree, the right side of the power button is just EXTREMELY HOT but the rest is more than cool.

 

Could it be the drivers ur using milcs, i think most of us with the low ones are using stock? Playing assassins creed my GPU hasn't gone above 72 with all settings on max and although i don't montior the frame rates they seem fine to me.

 

I'm using the latest video drivers from L2VGO. I don't believe the drivers can make a 10 degres difference. I believe its more hardware.

 

as i said all along "if it aint broke dont try and fix it"
i will give it a good thrashing tonight.
ive noticed while playing the demo (ordered crysis) it does stutter a few time but strangely not at the most demanding times. its like a slight hesitation for a split second now and again.

ps. ive just got upto where they find the ship in the jungle and thats where it ends so how much more is there to look forward to when i get the full version.

 

Mine lagged loads at about 3 point i think it was (Only in a small area) so not sure what that was about but it was fine when i wasn't in those areas. Thats throughout the whole of crysis though not just the demo.

 

thanks De@thknight

 

The GPU does seem to be running hot but it won't be because of the way it was built here, possible the GPU HS was slightly nudged in transit or something.

MILCS, if you come round with MrDJ then we'll have a quick look for you then

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
you mean ive actually got to meet the legend that is milcs.