Sager NP2096 Owners Lounge

It is the Compal JHL90

 

Are compals as good as Clevo?

and why this thread is not in the compal section ?

 

i was in this dilemma for over a year!!!
live far from usa and was doubt that compal or clevo have same quality like hp or dell!!

i was surprised after taking the risk and bought compal jhl90 5 months ago from usa and shipped to me in Egypt....

its really wonderful ..better quality than hp

compal is old company and in the past was made laptops for Dell but now have its own laptops and companies in usa and europ buy their products and then rename it like Prostar,sager,.....

 

Thanks for your reply

But what I meant is a comparison between compal and clevo

I am glad you are from Egypt

I am from Bahrain (middleeast) and I am looking for buying one of these and ship it to bahrain

I got a recommendation from 'Gophn' to buy clevo and now I saw this laptop and loved it

So can anyone tell me the difference between this laptop and clevo laptops(Or MSI)

 

According to your need (what notebook should i buy? section)
if you need laptop basicly for gaming then go for (Clevo) M570ETU (17''screen) or clevo M86oTU (15'')

but if you are casual gamer so you dont have to buy something you wont use it...then go for compal JHL90(crisis-NFS..many other games work fine with it...plus its much much cheaper than clevo.

According to MSI ...forget about it...

both clevo & compal of same good quality..

 

Is MSI that bad ?

Ya I am a casual gamer and I am bending toward the JHL90

I will post my question in (what notebook should i buy? section) after reading more so that I have some Idea

 

MSI try to run behind other companies...its the same in price range like compal with same specification.....

even MSI wind have highest notebook sell right now among small notebook series!!!!

i will make it easy on you.....
17'' screen notebook is really big and not portable!!!!!thats for clevo M570TU

so you will have choose between compal jhl90 and clevo M860TU ....
the latter is really enough lately they add good GPU.

but your budget will exceed 1400$ ,well if your budget below 1000$ then go for compal.....

 

Long Time, No Posts Everybody!

I figured I'd check in on the thread today and is it long.

I also thought I'd throw up some advice for the touchpad.
I found an awesome driver for the touchpad that allows disabling of tap to click, side/bottom scrolling, and a cool feature on the left scroll side(zooming).

The driver is from Dell. It is an ALPS driver. that is also capable with 64bit vista.

ALPS
Dell Touchpad
version: 7.102.101.211
date: 8-1-2008

It is the best I've used. I've used this laptop a crazy amount and love the speed, power, and beautiful screen. I still check in every once in a while and post. I still am available for help on this site and on YouTube. My username on the YouTube is assclown454.

Enjoy the technology the world throws at you.

 

After doing more research over in the cooler threads, I've started to lean toward the Cooler Master Notepal Infinite, mostly because I intend to have the laptop in my lap fairly often. This would stop me from needing an additional hard surface under the cooler, plus it's cheaper and still gets decent reviews. Has anyone used the Cooler Master Notepal Infinite with the NP2096? What do you think? Thanks!

 

Are there any on-line manuals for the NP2096? I'm beginning to realize the CD manual I have is worthless. There is no mention of the webcam or how to use it, no mention of Bluetooth and how to use it and not enough info on the WiFi part.

I've been using the kill switch to turn on WiFi and then connect. Sould I be doing that or just leave the kill switch on? I have a Bluetooth mouse on order. Should the kill switch be always on when I use this mouse?

And the webcam. Not one mention anywhere other than it has it. Don't even know if the software is installed on this laptop for it. Haven't a clue how to use it.

This is my first laptop. Its supposed to be for my son for College. We are both learning how to use it. It seems when you buy a laptop, you are supposed to know something about laptops already. There never seems to be a begineers guide or Dummies guide on how to actually start out with a laptop.

Oh, I've gotten about 3 hrs of battery use so far. I read somewhere that the laptop is supposed to notify you when the charge is too low. (Charge is showing in the low 30's right now). Is this automatic? Should I have set it up somewhere? Again. Not enough info in the manual.

 

The webcam works just fine, but u need a software to work with it.

 

So I need to find Vista 64 bit software and from what I've Googled, I need a Webcam Driver also? Theres nothing like this on Sagers download website.

I was looking at HP's "youcam" software. It says you need a webcam driver.

 

For the web cam google Debut Video Capture Software it works on Vista 64

 

Got it. I'll give it a try when I get home. Thanks. Oh, One web site again mentioned Windows drivers for the webcam. Hoping Vista has them.

 

guys, quick question) what your usual gpu temps are? without a cooler

 

Just my 2 cents here. The camera needs a LOT of light on the subject in order to achieve the full 30 fps it is capable of.

Second, I don't use Vista but I am sure that like XP, there is an icon or similar in the control panel for "scanners and cameras" that you can use without needing any third party software and can use native drivers.

 

The Debut software works. It installed and popped up and I'm staring at myself. Very easy. thanks for the help. also, my bluetooth mouse came in yesterday. Microsoft 5000. Got that up and running too.

My next project. The fingerprint scanner. Its always nagging to scan when I start up Windows. I'm leaving that blank for now. I'll let my son scan his finger when he takes the laptop to College. Since the software is already installed and running, is there any info on it on the internet? Again, the manual is pitiful. Can it handle to fingerprints? Mine and my sons, or just one?

I was just checking out the software support page at Sager. Can anyone tell me what these are/do?

Safety Guard Utility
Entrance Guard Utility
Smart Watchdog Utility

Unless one of these is the fingerprint reader, there is none listed on there support page. Or does Vista do that?

 

Did anyone buy the sager with the car adaptor?
Does it work well?

How much time does it take to charge well?

And does anyone no whether car adaptor can damage the laptop or the battery by providing inconstant current?

This is because I never saw anyone using a laptop car adaptor in my place so I thought of asking here.

 

I've noticed there is more software on Compals site for the JHL 90 than there is on Sagers site. Its more confusing also. It seems as though there might be different makes of hardware in the laptop. Is it safe to use their software?

 

compal=sager=prostar........
nothing to worry about !!!!!!
compal is the mother company then rebranded.....
sometimes i use drivers from other companies like hp,dell for touchpad or gpu driver....whatever

 

I got a big problem.
I forgot my computer password, now how do i doing......
I want reinstall the system, but the CDROM drive not running first.
Then I restar computer press F2 what is there I don't know.
Maybe call it BIOS, but it's different I dont know how to change CDROM running first but ......I dont know how to change .......help me

 

Press F12 at the initial boot screen and you will be taken to a menu that lets you choose which device you want to boot from. Select the disc drive and you're all set

 

I tried it,in the menu doesn't have CDROM .
Just before I press F2 change CDROM running first and save it. But nothing happened.....
Help me go to vista install screen.
Do you have any way cancel the computer password?

How to go to BIOS ......

 

When you go into F12 boot menu, CDROM is represented by the full name of the device. Try again.

Lost windows password is nearly impossible to recover. BIOS password is easy to reset, but we are not allowed to discuss it by forum rules.

 

After you press F12 at the initial boot screen, you should see something like Optiarc DVDRW drive or something similar. That's the disc drive.

 

Is it better to use the nVidia driver from the Compal site or from whatever is on the nVidia site?

Joseph

 

Definitely use the drivers either from Nvidia or from laptopvideo2go.com.

 

Going by the Forceware quickstart guide, I can't use the modded inf file, so does that mean I just install it and not worry about the inf file?

 

Why can't you use the modded inf?

 

A few days ago, my computer was broken. So I restoer system, now it can work again. But I lost some files in the c drive, that is 50GB games.....how do i doing can restore these files?

 

I wanted to post again just to report:

Still no problems with Vista 64 besides typical compatibility issues with older software. Case in point: My phone server at work is a Nortel BCM that uses somewhat antiquated monitoring software that crashes on certain events. No big deal, though, that's more a problem with my phone server than the laptop itself.

I didn't uninstall the WOW Video and Audio controls, however I did turn them off in msconfig. I'm weird about uninstalling stock/factory software (as long as it isn't bloatware), but removing it from startup achieved the same results.

I still have yet to get a laptop cooler. That's next on my to-do list.

I'm still struggling with 3-minute start times with Vista Business 64, which is embarassing next to my wife's Inspiron 1525 running Vista Home Basic, which boots to desktop in under a minute. Given the vast differences in operating system and computer specifications, though, I don't stress over it. I'd love to reduce the boot time, but it's not something I'd reconsider this laptop over.

I am still having framerate/performance issues with certain particle effects in World of Warcraft. I tried changing to different sets of Nvidia drivers via laptopvideo2go but they didn't work out (or rather, didn't provide any noticeable increase in performance or efficiency). Can anyone running a 64-bit OS and playing Warcraft make any recommendations on non-factory Nvidia drivers that have increased performance? Maybe a laptop cooler would help, considering 60+ minutes of play typically brings my GPU to the upper threshold of 90-93 deg C.

The WSXGA screen upgrade IS THE BEST VALUE UPGRADE FOR THIS LAPTOP, PERIOD. If you don't make any other upgrade, make that one... you won't be sorry. The only caveat worth mentioning is if your eyesight is bad, the WSXGA screen has a much higher DPI than similar-sized screens or monitors, so the displayed images/fonts will seem incredibly small at first. Options at that point are to stick with the WXGA screen (doh!) or use accessibility options in your OS of choice.

I can't boot from USB? Not a big deal, since I won't be changing OS at any point (work laptop first, play laptop distant second)... just frustrating. I've entered the bios and changed boot priority, and I see USB Drive as one of the boot options, however I can't promote it above "Disabled" in the list. Any advice?

This was my first new laptop purchase for myself (I bought my wife her Inspiron 1525 at the same time... she enjoys it quite a bit but she doesn't use hers to the same degree for work/home as I do mine; she's is, however, jealous of the novelty in the fingerprint scanner!). In terms of build quality, sales and customer service response, and performance, this is the best machine I've ever purchased from a company (and better than some of my own custom builds! ). I love it and wouldn't change a thing thus far.

EDIT: Oh, I did end up purchasing an Acer Aspire One as a field machine and a personal "around-the-house" computer. The Sager NP2096 is an amazing computer but due to the weight and startup/shutdown times, the Aspire One makes a more appropriate "I've gotta run out of the office and check a router at (insert remote location here)" or "I'm sitting here in bed and just want to check my mail, Woot.com, or notebookreview.com really quick!" system, as long as what I'm doing will be limited to Firefox, Evolution Mail, or Terminal. If I've gotta get some serious work done (spreadsheets or Remote Desktop/VNC), the NP2096 is still king.

 

I'm running WOW on my NP2096 and Vista 64 using the default drivers it came with from PowerNotebooks.
So far I haven't noticed any issues (25FPS in Dalaran at native WSXGA+ resolutions and all the options cranked up), but I also haven't been playing WOW a lot since I got the laptop because Fallout 3 has recently captured my free time. I have always had severe slowdowns in raids with a lot of spell-effects (Malygos, Thaddius, Sartharion, etc.) since WOTLK dropped (regardless of whether I am on my desktop PC or my notebook), and I know a lot of other people have similar issues.
For whatever it's worth, I've been using the Zalman NC2000 Notebook Cooler from day one with my NP2096.

Can anyone recommend a screen protector for the NP2096?
Something like the ones from NuShield? They don't list the NP2096 under the Sager models, but maybe one of the other ones on their site uses the same screen?

 

Can you tell me what your current Nvidia driver version is?

 

I just finished upgrading to the latest laptopvideo2go drivers.
I don't see any difference in WOW so far if that means anything.

 

My NP2096 came with the ALPS 7.102.202.101 touchpad drivers installed, but I can't find where to disable touchpad clicking, enable touchpad scrolling, or change click sensitivity. (Under mouse settings I only see things like double-click speed, pointer trails, swapping buttons, cursor speed, disable cursor while typing, etc... but not the ones I'm looking for.) I have Vista Home Premium 64-bit. I've tried installing other drivers linked to earlier in this thread and had no luck with those either. Can anyone help me out with where to look? Thanks!

 

Well...Yesterday I received my Compal JHL90...Core 2 Dou T8300 in it, 3 GB and 250GB 7200 RPM HDD. Today I start it...I did hear a very strange and for me alarming sound. When the fan kicks in it is making a very high and loud noise, I don't know if it made that sound also yesterday. I started to checking the temps, cause I thought the coolfan is broken or something. Temps are 28 degree celcius when idling, so nothing to worry....under full load (superPI) temps are not coming higher then 48 degree celsius, the temps also drop immediately after SuperPI stops.

Someone also noticed a very high sound when the coolfan is running? I'm going to try to record the sound soon...it is very very very annoying

edit: I recorded it, please listen and tell me if this is normal: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QCSKC68L

You will hear the coolfan, the laptop is just idling for about 20 minutes...it runs long, then it turns off for about 15 seconds and after that it kicks in again...it is so loud

 

hey guys... just wondering if anyones used photoshop cs4 on one of these? it is VERY laggy for me, using laptopvideo2go drivers 177.92, while cs3 works well.

ill see if i can try out the newest drivers (185.20), has anyone used these yet?

 

I use Photoshop CS4 with 180.44 modded .inf drivers without much if any lag, and I typically work with pretty hi res images. Also, did you download the new Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 update? It seems to help even more with speed.

 

just so everyone knows, the 185.20 drivers do not work at all, i am using the 182.06 drivers and they seem to work well.

i tried cs3 to see if it was just on my end, but cs3 works great, cs4 is choppy (i.e. moving a layer around, never smooth). ill give the update a try, thanks

//edit: when you say modded inf, do you just mean the modded inf that lv2go gives you, or a more customized one?

 

Just the one that lv2go has. Let us know how it goes, I am curious to see how the driver combined with the CS4 update works out for you.

 

First thing, verify you're still using the ALPS 7.102.202.101 driver. The first Windows Update I ran actually installed a Synaptic touchpad driver that overwrote the ALPS driver and the extra ALPS features. (Note: if your ALPS drivers have been overwritten by a Windows Update, you can roll back the touchpad drivers in the device manager, then make sure to HIDE the Synaptic Touchpad update in Windows Updates so it won't happen again.)

Once you've verified you're still running ALPS 7.102.202.101, go to Control Panel, Mouse, and then the 'Tapping' tab. Do you have anything there?

I currently have tapping enabled, Drag Lock disabled, but 'Tap off when typing' is enabled with a short delay length. I love it. Your cursor will still move if you touch the touchpad when typing, but it won't accept tap-clicks while keys are being actively pressed.

 

Thanks much, jgolightly! I verified I did indeed still have the ALPS driver... I just didn't have the "tapping" tab you mentioned. So just for the heck of it tonight I went into the driver details and tried selecting "update driver" and let it find a driver from the internet. It installed a Synaptics Touchpad v7.0 driver... and made me a happy guy! It's version 11.1.18.0, dated 6/20/08, and has everything I wanted. Ability to turn off tap to click, touch sensitivity, scrolling, tap zones, etc. Not sure why I got this with Synaptics when others have talked about needing to switch to ALPS, but I'm all set.

 

LOL that's odd, but hey... at least it works like you want it. Just make sure Windows Updates doesn't try to pull any shenanigans. How's Vista 64-bit treating you?

 

Is anyone else having trouble booting from a USB thumb drive? I see it in the list of boot options under "Disabled" but the enable/promote hotkey (I can't remember what it is right now) doesn't move it out of the Disabled list.

 

I'm really considering purchasing the NP2096....

been looking around and for the specs including a 3 year warranty i can't find anything that beats the price, but I have no experience with sager, I havent even seen one in person lol

if I find some good things about their customer service it should be a lock for me making my purchase

 

I purchased directly from Sager Midern ( www.sagernotebook.com) but I've heard great things about PowerNotebooks and XoticPC as well. The customer service of Sager Midern was absolutely fantastic, though. I called up, got a sales rep on the phone (I can't remember if it was a direct pickup or an automated answer, but I got to the sales rep within 30 seconds), and told him what I was looking for. We reviewed my purchase and he sent me a purchase authorization form (since I was buying it with a corporate card not in my name). It took me about 2 hours to get that completed by the owner of my company. During that time, though, he had already gone ahead and put in the request for the buildout, had it completed, boxed up and ready to go. He literally had it shipped as soon as he received the purchase request. It arrived in around 4 days.

Whenever I've had any questions (OS/software backup, cooling) or issues (video driver issues in World of Warcraft), I can just mail my sales rep and he gets it to the right person. It's nice to have that personal contact with the company. I recommend them very highly.

EDIT: It's also worth noting that both PNB and XPC have customer relations people on this forum. Hell, I think the PNB owner is a major contributor to this thread?

 

If you are looking for a very sleek and modern looking laptop, the 2096 may not fit the bill. It's very bland in my opinion. Open up the lid and its pretty bare bones. No multimedia buttons. Nothing. Screen looks good, but it isn't the most fashionable laptop out there. It's big too. Nice and thick.

 

I have a 32gb flash drive with UBUNTU and Fedora on it. I boot into them easily on startup. I never changed anything in the bios. Just pressed the corresponding F button to enter the startup menu. You can also follow the same method for live linux distro cds.

 

Can someone tell me or point me to a web page that might show what all the Fn+F# keys do? My son and I love this laptop but I got to say, the CD manual is worthless. I printed everything out and keep it in a binder for reference, but I'm getting more info from these Forums. Everytime I find something, I print it out and add it to the binder.

 

Page 44 of the service manual in my sig