Random Freezes with the 8130 and 8150

Ouch! You are rubbing salt on the wound(s) with an "I told you so"

But is this for real?? it was the RAM all along?? If it is this entire thread is going to breathe a sigh of relief.
Edit: not to mention the sighs of relief from prospective buyers (me).

EDIT2: it was too good to be true

 

I can't agree it was Memory problem, becouse i did memtest86 when I experienced freezes and memtest result was NO ERRORs on my memories. after reinstalling drivers situation with freezes is under control now.

 

maybe its still several diff things? werent there people that installed all the drivers again, and still had things.

and it could be something w/ the ram thats would necessarily show up on memtest? idk what that would be though.. just snowballing

 

Yeah many of us suspected it right off the bat but with everyone saying their memory passed numerous tests none of us wanted to drop a hundred bucks on new RAM to try it out.

@LightningPL: I installed and uninstalled everything you did (with the exception of the hotkey utility) and I still get freezes. Not sure why yours stopped but (based on LBO's findings and my own past experiences) I'm willing to bet that if I stick some new RAM in this thing my issues will mysteriously go away. Did you by any chance update your BIOS? If so maybe that helped your mobo handle the RAM better. Who knows it still might not be the RAM but I'm sure enough now to spend the money to find out.

 

can you contact you reseller to get your ram replaced under warranty? tell them you suspect the ram to be faulty? hoping to help others avoid having to spend more money.. maybe if you can get yours working fine w/ new ram, people can ask for replacements

 

Not sure XoticPC would send me a different brand of RAM based on LBO's findings but if my freezing issues go away after I eat the cost of replacing the RAM I will certainly mention it to them.

 

you could try w/ just like 4gb at first so you dont have so much upfront cost..?

 

You can try with new RAM, but this is extra cost. I didn't upgrade BIOS yet, I'm waiting for info what Clevo improved in BIOS ver. 103. But if my RAM passed in memtest86, only BIOS can improve combatibility with RAM management. Maybe Dual Channel RAM mode it's not stable and that's why it's freezing maybe put one module under keyboard and second on the back and test this option.

 

where's your ram located now? if you have them under the keyboard, maybe it's an issue with not filling the primary ram slots first (which are the ones under the back panel)..

 

Yeah I had to run my Vista machine in single channel mode for a year because of an issue like that (which is one of the reasons I'm leaning toward replacing the RAM.) I thought about putting a chip under the keyboard but it seems like it is not intended to be like that and it would be a pain to do as well. I'm considering updating the BIOS before buying RAM to see if it handles the existing RAM better. Havent decided yet.

@hizzaah: Both chips are in the standard RAM slots under the access panel on the bottom

 

Hmmm... how accurate is memtest since I just ran it on my m1530 after 2 bsods with the error saying failed memory write, but the tests came up empty then I got a third BSOD...

I will call up dell for some new sticks anyway...

Mythlogic uses different ram so I'll see if I get any issues too. That would either rule in or out the ram issue for the most part.

 

Coincidentally I wanted to install my own RAM on my NP8150, so I have some information on it.

You can actually order Sager models from XoticPC with no RAM at all, and you can buy or salvage and than install your own RAM. The catch is you can't do it on S1 models, only base models.

Sager also currently uses Hynix RAM on their NP8150/NP8170 models to my knowledge.

I am getting an S1 model. Price wise, it doesn't really make sense to go through all the trouble of getting a base, as it is more expensive. I am just going to go with S1, if it ends up being a RAM issue, I'll try with XoticPC warranty or buy a new 8gig set for $90 :/

I pray there will be no issues though.

I am ordering my NP8150-S1 tonight.

 

After one week with no freezing issues from yesterday again experienced 3 freezes in one day I want to throw this computer from a window (4th floor) . I need to try right now to change memory modules. I have from reseller two A-data 4GB 1333mhz modules.



I tested both in memtest 4 and result is no errors.
I'm planning to buy one module for tests. Which modules are the best for Clevo P170HM? OCZ, Kingston, Crucial or GoodRAM ??

 

This is a good point. I installed my own RAM from the beginning since it came with no RAM, and have had no freezes and had my system for a couple months now. Perhaps they have some bad RAM modules.

 

Which brand RAM modules you bought HTWingNut? Can you write exact model ? Tell us also in which slots you have it installed under keyboard or on the back ? I want to solve this freezing issue it's going me crazy

Can you also write your BIOS version and EC firmware version? please... in advance thank you

 

I'm using all four slots 4x4GB = 16GB total. G.Skill F3-10666CL9D-8GBSQ

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSQ

BIOS is 4.6.4 based on CPU-Z but in the BIOS it says 1.00.02aLS1
EC Firmware (in BIOS): 1.00.02c

 

thanks for informations. I reflashed BIOS to version 1.00.03 ( ftp://cftp.clevo.com.tw/ALLBIOS/P170HM/BIOS_103.zip) and EC to 1.00.03 ( ftp://cftp.clevo.com.tw/ALLBIOS/P170HM/EC_03.zip). We will see it helps or not.

 

So, just to summarize....we have two possible sources for the freezes:

1) RAM
2) BIOS

Am I right?

Mr. Mysterious

 

As far as I'm concerned, yes.

I'll try both.

Hopefully, mine comes with the latest BIOS. It went into production the same day the new P150HM BIOS/EC KB was released.

 

Chances of drivers being the culprit has been out-ruled?

 

yup, I thought previously it was bad combination of drivers but even with that I experienced freezes after a week (it was good luck only that it didn't hang during last week). So right now I'm testing on newest BIOS and EC firmware.

 

Wow, there is a new BIOS and EC? Why doesn't Sager update these on their site? Where do you find all the BIOS and firmware updates? Just from that ftp site?

edit: I tried to go to that FTP site but the directories seem to be empty using anonymous login however the BIOS link works, but not the EC.

 

I also believe you can email and ask your reseller for the latest BIOS/EC/Drivers

 

I'm reading very often this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/416916-clevo-bios-thread-113.html

Content of this ftp is not visible for public users, you can only download if you know exact link.

And of course big thanks for our friend pkhetan for bringing links.

 

Thanks, guess I should frequent that thread then.

So far my machine's been running fine, and have to send my laptop back for a replacement mobo due to Intel SATA chip, so will just wait until then, because they will have to have an updated BIOS anyhow based on the 1.01.02 update 2. Support Intel B3 version chipset.

 

Here's an extra data point from my experience. I've had the 8130 since beginning of February.

As I've said in previous posts I've had freezing problems like everyone else in Win 7. I've switched over to running mostly linux (Arch) for at least 3 weeks now. Amazingly, all the drivers work well and I can even suspend the computer with no problems. In fact the Nvidia driver I'm running in linux is newer than the one I can run in Win 7, because Sager never bothered to update their driver and for some reason the reference driver from Nvidia doesn't recognize my card. Until yesterday, I've had no freezing problems. Then I noticed that the GPU was running at max clock even on idle, so I searched the web and found some flags to stick into xorg.conf to enable throttling. That worked and I started running the GPU at the lowest clockspeed (50 Mhz). That same day, I got a freeze in linux. Remembering that some people a long time ago had mentioned that the lowest clock setting was problematic, I then forced the GPU to run at the intermediate throttling level of 200 Mhz. I got another freeze today. So now I'm going to disable throttling altogether again and see what happens.

Since this bug is so spurious, I wouldn't take this as solid evidence that GPU throttling is the problem. As many people have said, sometimes there won't be freezes for a week and then 3 freezes in a row. It would be much more convincing if people with different laptops running the GTX 460m reported identical symptoms. I haven't bothered to check.

 

I'm gonna order my 8130 tomorrow, do you think it will also freeze? Or have they fixed this problem? please help! I need to decide ASAP

 

OK guys I did yesterday reflash of BIOS in my Clevo P170HM to version 1.00.03 I reflashed also EC to 1.00.03. Yesterday all day was with any problems I was working without any glitches. And today i ran beckup of harddrive and after 50 minutes of working I went from computer and guess what ? Again freeze ! Really I'm pissed off on this situation . I have only last one option change memory to another. If this not help I'm opening window and throwing this piece of sh#!.

Which memory you recommend for this Clevo P170HM? Actually I have 2 x A-DATA 4 GB DDR3-1333 (AD3S1333C4G9-S) installed on the back.
I'm thinking right now to buy:

1) OCZ SODIMM DDR3 4GB 1333 CL9 (OCZ3M13334G)
2) Goodram SO-DIMM DDR3 4GB 1333MHz CL9 (GR1333S364L9/4G)
3) Corsair SODIMM 4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 204PIN (CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9)
4) Kingston KTL-TP3B/4G RAM 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) DDR3 SDRAM 1333 MHz (KTL-TP3B/4G)
5) Nanya DDR3 4096MB 1333 MHz SODIMM

I can't decide what to buy.

Is it possible that AC Adapter cause this freezes ? On this stage really I'm really out of any ideas.

 

Personally, I'd choose Kingston, Corsair, or OCZ in that order of preference.

If memory doesn't fix it then perhaps asking for a replacement power supply is in order.

This really sucks though. I hope this gets sorted out. I'll be quite irritated if I send my laptop back to get the motherboard swapped out for the Intel SATA chipset recall and end up getting freezes afterwards.

 

this will be totally irritated. I specially was waiting for fixed Intel chipset SATA and now I have big riddle what is wrong for god sake OK i ll try with Kingston

 

Update from Sager today:

 

Yes and I have B3 chipset version and still problem with this freezing issue I have latest (I hope so) BIOS 1.00.03 and still no solution

And this user was probably me becouse I send to them essey about my problem directly to Sager support even they aren't my reseller. I thought maybe they had any solution for this freezing issue.

 

The user that has helped Sager greatly is Jasongrieves, he has help us track down a USB 3.0 port issue and this has been fixed in Sager's latest update that is not 1.01.03.

@LightningPL You will want to contact your place of purchase since you did not purchase from Sager.

 

I contacted with mySN (Schenker Notebook) they sad that I have latest BIOS in their opinion (I had that time BIOS version 1.01.02). And they offered me that I can send to them again P170HM and pay for shipping. And I know they will test it and return it with no repair (as I sad sometime it's working all day without glitch and sometime it's freezeing 3-4 times per day) So that's why I'm asking any reseller for help. It's Clevo P170HM that same model any reseller deliver to clients.

P.S. God bless Jasongrieves. Justin can you deliver for all users this new BIOS which fixes freezes and USB 3.0 port issue for P170HM? We all users need it. Not all resellers are interested in customer satisfy.In advance , big thanks to you.

EDIT: Again I had unexpected freeze (I was testing Clevo on one module of RAM) and after hardreseting Windows 7 can't detect any network adapters ? I checked also in Ubuntu 10.10 that same situation. I entered into BIOS and I can't believe my network card disappeared. So now I have limited Clevo P170HM without any possibility connect to internet. It's some kind of joke right? Please help.

 

Which 3.0 issue is that? I've just started having problems with it not recognizing my wireless mouse transmitter in either 3.0 port, but is fine with the 2.0 ports.

BTW, my machine is a two week old Sager 8130 (via Xotic!).

 

I think the latest BIOS revision is the 1.01.06 not the 1.01.03. Try flashing it to that one.

EDIT: Sorry what I meant was the P150HM revisions, just saw your machine...a P170HM.

 

glad the users on NBR made enough of a rumble with Sager to get them to start posting here on NBR

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/568309-official-sager-news-thread.html (says DO NOT MAKE COMMENTS ON THIS THREAD)

 

Is this "Sager" really an official representative of Sager Notebook ?

 

they've got the support of the mod's, so it seems legit to me

 

OMG! I just placed an order last week.
What should I do? Does it mean that my laptop will be affected?

 

I believe the last affected system was shipped about a week from a recall. (From another thread.) The recall was a few months ago, so no, your laptop will not be affected.

 

Hello everyone.
I recently changed my Crucial C300 for the new C400 (available in Japan).
The SSD works fine but I always had a one minute freeze after starting to use windows 7.
It was a single freeze and then everything worked perfectly fine.
I found a solution there: Solution: C300 Disk Freeze-ups in Windows 7 solved... - Crucial Community
It seems that my SSD had something not compatible with one element of latest intel driver so I had to disable it manually with a reg file.
I am not saying that it works for everyone but my freeze with C400 is gone.

 

Thanks Natadiem, I was just about to post that link!

I bought a P150HMB and installed a Vertex 3 240gig SSD on it and was experiencing exactly the symptoms described in the article.

The system would work fine and then seemingly during low-intensity tasks such as web-browsing it would occasionally become non-responsive for 5secs up to about 2-3 mins, and then all the clicks / commands made while it was 'hung' would come out all at once and it would be fine again.

I'm not sure if this is the freezing problem some of you guys are experiencing but this fix really does seem to have corrected the above problem. You can definitely see in the event log under windows management that the Intel Rapid Storage has errors at the same moment the hang occurs. I would also suggest making sure that the windows power management is set to 'Never' turn off hard drives if your running a SSD, as the default setting is '20 mins' on both battery and power.

I believe that there are also some bad ram modules floating around for those of you that are getting BSODs and hard freezes, so I would suggest running a memtest86.

Hope everyone can iron out their issues so best of luck!

 

I'll try this method with my Segate Momentus XT I'm also fighting from a long time with unexpected freezes, maybe it helps for my problem.

 

No problems yet, knock on wood... However there is a scratch on my shiny black monitor bezel that looks like it was causes by flexing the plastic rather than a scratch... Is the v4 screen slightly thicker or something?

 

Just an update for folks who saw me post on this thread.

The latest BIOS update has fixed my freezing issues and USB lock ups on my NP 8130. Sager has been extremely accomodating. If I could go back, I would have bought directly from them and avoided Xotic PC. I'll likely post a review of Xotic PC in the near future, in the appropriate forum. You can make your own conclusions about them from there.

But I digress, I'll jump back to this thread if I experience any more freezing issues, but as of now, I haven't restarted my macine in 7 straight days of heavy use.

 

I wish they would let the B2 owners update the bios. 2 days ago I had 5 freezes in 1 day. Not fun to wait till June with that happening. I know you can bypass the resellers and download it directly but it seems to be important to them to receive recalls with the original bios (not sure why if they have already found the problem.)

 

Any Mythlogic owners have a freeze yet?

 

Yes, I was getting them on average about every other day. I have been meaning to post here, and it seems like Natadiem's posted solution below did the trick for me as it has not happened for a week now. It's either that, or it is coincidental with the fact that I am not doing the same kind of things I may have been when first getting the computer in the state I wanted it (copying old files, etc).

 

None from me been using it extensively since I got it a few days ago.

About to switch to a 256gb c300 SSD (hopefully in the next week or so? *cough*hurry up Myth*cough*) from my current config though, so we'll see if that changes anything