13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

Just won one of these on ebay. Can't wait for it to arrive
What's the first think I should do, check all drivers are up to date?
Are warranties transferable if there is any left? How can I check?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

That's nice, congratulations

If it's a used laptop (as I gather) I would do a Factory Restore as the very first thing -- you never know what's hiding in the depths of such a machine. This assumes the Recovery is still intact: Many users delete that partition to reclaim space on the SSD. After that use SW Update to get the latest drivers. Samsung no longer keeps updated drivers on their web site.

Alternatively you can do a clean install of Windows -- a Win7 DVD labelled Recovery Media may come with the PC. This post contains a fairly up-to-date Win7 installation guide.

Once it's running, I'd recommend you download HWInfo (free tool) and check the Battery Wear. If it's more than 30% and you still have warranty, you could try to request a battery replacement from Samsung.

Enjoy your new toy. Let us know how it goes

 

Great, thanks for your response. Will let you know how I get on.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

The first X3Cs were sold just under a year ago so there should be some warranty remaining. The date the computer was first turned on is in the BIOS (keep tapping F2 once you turn the computer on) but it would be useful if the original purchaser can give you a copy of the original sales receipt.

John

 

I followed this thread but fell off around page 150.

I just wiped my HD to get a clean install of Win8 (came with win7) However I have some issues:

#1 backlight fn keys does not work, nothing happens on F2/3

#2 closing lid does no more than turn off screen, win8 is set to sleep when closing lid.

I've installed all win8 updates, and installed SW Update from samsung, only left out intellimem and allshare play from update.
Any suggestion how to get it working?

 

The Samsung Settings program contains the Fn key functionality. (Re)install it. Also use the Intel graphics driver provided by Samsung, not Intel or through Windows Update. If those don't fix the problems then search this thread for other relevant suggestions.

John

 

Hi, I've just got one of these and have a simple question that I can't find the answer to anywhere as search terms around the web throw up too many irrelevant matches. Perhaps someone here knows off the top of their head When running Windows 7, with no applications running, my 900X3C shows about 20-25 CPU usage constantly. Task Manager shows no processes or services using CPU. Is this the built-in graphics usage being shown by Windows, or should I be hunting out another cause?

Thanks!

 

Use resmon. It will definitely show you what is consuming resources (cpu, disk, ram).

 

Thank you. I've grabbed Process Explorer from SysInternals which sounds similar, and it's identified the culprit:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology\IAStorDataMgrSvc.exe

Now I have something to go on and it seems there are quite a few threads around the web concerning the CPU usage of this service, so I'll do some reading and post up a solution if I find one that works on this laptop. It should help with a bit of battery life if it can be fixed.

Edit: I have changed the AHCI setting in the BIOS from "Auto" to "Manual" and "Enabled" and that has fixed the issue with IAStorDataMgrSvc. CPU usage at idle is now 0% or occasionally just over. If anyone else notices high background CPU usage, this is worth trying.

 

Thanks, received it today, love it!

Done a factory restore, updates drivers via SW Updater, all running great.

HWINFO says battery is 0.7% worn, so no need to return.

It has a Sandisk SSD which I've read isn't the best, but it's my first laptop with an SSD so will seem lightening fast to me. May upgrade if/when I need more space.

Also, I didn't received the receipt, but did receive the little pouch with the s/n number on it. Can I use this to check the warranty and how?


Edit: One last thing, what gestures are possible on the touchpad? Is there a link to a site that details them? I can't find one.

 

The Sandisk is OK under light usage but will choke on combined read + write as can happen, for example, if the RAM is getting full and Windows is trying to write to virtual memory while loading more data.

The home BIOS screen shows the date the computer was first used. Warranty is normally one year unless there is something different for country or specific model.

John

 

That's great. Congrats on that machine -- and on it working so well with the battery and all.

Regarding warranty, you can check the Purchase Date in BIOS (F2). I don't think Samsung keeps track of it until there is an actual warranty request, but you could call them and check. I registered mine on Samsung.com when I bought it and received 3 months extra warranty AND an email confirming it.

Regarding touchpad: If you open the Touchpad control panel, it shows the gestures and allows you some configuration. There is a secret control panel called ETDAniConf that gives you more gestures and features. Check this post for details.

Enjoy your new toy

 

umm,, if you've done win8 clean install, need to install win8 latest drivers(such as Settings-in which keyboard,lcd configuration etc)
hope it helps

 

I'm just back from a store that had this ultrabook in 1600x900 and FHD resolution. (I was hoping they had the FHD so I'd be able to see the font size).
First of all I was amazed about the screen quality. It's the best I've ever seen on a laptop. FHD resolution is perfectly doable, opened windows explorer and everything was crisp and readable. The only thing holding me back is the 4gb of Ram. I'll wait for the refresh with Haswell and hopefully more than 4gb of Ram, so I'll be able to use virtual workstations when needed. Now let's just hope the screen and build quality stays the same on the new version.

 

John, thank you for your suggestion. I uninstalled both samsung settings and display driver, then I reboot at let SW Update do it's thing again. Unfortunatly no change.

 

I'll have to leave it to others who have first-hand experience of Windows 8 to make other suggestions. Did you make any backup of your Windows 7 installation before wiping the SSD?

John

PS: There's something similar here with a Series 7. You might want to test if the brightness controls work when the graphics driver is not installed.

 

I have Samsung Recovery Solution 5 on my NP900X3C, is it possible to upgrade to 6? How is the upgrade done? Is it worth it?


Edit: or is SRS6 for Windows 8? I'm currently running W7, may upgrade to 8.1 when it gets released. Already bought W8 last year.

 

I don't think that is possible; certainly not an official upgrade path. As you probably know, the core of SRS is stored on your Recovery Partition, and there is the first issue already: SRS5 uses a single partition, whereas SRS6 uses two. Next is that SRS6 may require UEFI/GPT while SRS5-delivered machines are always BIOS/MBR.

I could think of some HIGHLY experimental procedures, by creating a USB Admin Tool on a SRS6 machine (check this) and using that to re-create the Recovery on the old SRS5 machine, then manually restoring the Initial Image from the SRS5 machine (what's called Factory Image in SRS6). But I doubt that those images are compatible between the two versions. You could forget about the Initial/Factory Image and simply make a new image of your running Windows installation once you have SRS6 running...

But again, that's all HIGHLY speculative and experimental. It could be fun to try, though

 

Hopefully there is an 8GB option and a new wifi module as well. If not, the Vaio Pro 13 is an attractive alternative, but the SSD appears to be soldered/proprietary and battery life may not be as good.

 

Searching through The Official Bluetooth SIG Member website, I found the model name of the new Series 9 (ATIV Book 9) with Haswell processors: https://www.bluetooth.org/tpg/EPL_Detail.cfm?ProductID=29722
NP940X3G-K01ES: i5-4200 4G 128G 13.3 T W8

I hope it will be helpful

EDIT: WiFi module is the Intel Wireless-N 7260 WLAN/BT

 

That's a very useful find.

John

 

Does anyone know if you can switch or clean the keyboard by yourself ? I managed to put some red bull on it

 

Well that's good news at least. It can't be worse than the 6235, I hope.

 

The only way to properly clean the keyboard (which is in fact a combined keyboard / keyboard surround unit) is by removal, which involves substantial dismantling of the computer. An unfortunate and unwanted side-effect of the separated key type of keyboard is that they are no longer easily removed and replaced.

John

 

Out of curiosity, is the 6235 the issue, or is it the placement of the antenna? It looks like most ultrabooks use the 6235 (x1 carbon, zenbook, etc), but they don't have the same wifi complaints.

 

Low signal strength is the result of the antennae placement but having an erratic connection is due to the card / driver. There's a long thread about the latter in the Intel forum and it took Intel a long time to issue an improved driver which enables the 6235 to match the older 6230.

John

 

I just picked up one of these beauties and I'm very pleased so far. I had previously tried the UX31A, but unfortunately had to return it because the fan was decidely "un-zen" (loved just about everything else about it though).

Pros:

- dead silent... I haven't heard the fans yet, though I haven't pushed it much yet (just web surfing, acclimatizing myself to Win8, etc.)
- gorgeous screen (totally matte); the UX31A is marginally nicer, but the X3C is totally matte, whereas the UX31A does have some mirror effects
- perfect screen resolution (IMO) for this form factor; I think 1080p is too much.

Cons:
- only 4GB of RAM, 379MB of which is dedicated to hardware (presumably the HD4000 graphics)

A big thanks ot notebookreview.com and John Ratsey for their excellent review and forums for helping me make this decision.

I do have one question. I use Ubuntu to do most of my work (programming), so my plan is to dual boot Win8/Ubuntu13.04. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for encryption of my Ubuntu partition. I am actually wondering if software-based encryption is unecessary. My machine has the 256GB Liteon M3M, and when I look at its spec. sheet, it indicates "Password Protection" is supported. Does that mean it supports full-disk hardware-based encryption? How do I enable it? I assume I'd have to type in a password every time the machine boots, which is fine, but it's not prompting me for one now. Also, how does this hardware security (no TPM chip on the machine from what I can tell) compare to the software alternative?

For context, I currently use dm-crypt on my desktop (HDD) with Ubuntu 12.04. I've read this is a real PITA to set up on an SSD, and really degrades its performance, so I'm wondering whether SSD hardware encryption is possible and will suffice.

 

Congratulations on the new ultrabook, I'm also still in doubt to get this one while it's still available.
Yes, it only has 4gb, but 4gb is enough to do most tasks. Only thing is that I would like to run a virtual machine now and then, but I think even that should work.
I also just read that the newer model might only have one fan for the cooling, which could lead to (alot) more noise.
Going to check it out once more this week in the shop and then decide if I'm going to buy it.

 

Hi,
Has anyone experienced overheating issues? My laptop is getting scorching hot these days. The fans are not blocked, and there is air flow under the laptop. It got hot before, but now it's extremely hot. I'm worried the heat could damage it...

 

I would run HWiNFO. It has a nice dynamic CPU speed display so you can see if the CPU is idling or working hard. Occasionally a sub-par program can keep the CPU busy when it should be idle (and make sure you are using the Samsung Optimized performance on demand power profile). Then select HWiNFO's sensors and see the CPU temperature. It should normally stay below 85C on these models on full CPU load and the idle temperature is probably around 60C.

John

 

I really wanted something with a matte screen in this form factor with more than 4GB, but there really isn't much out there from what I can see. The closest I could find is the UX32VD, and that's semi-gloss. I probably would have tried it, but apparently it suffers from the same fan issues as the UX31A that I already tried.

I'd already been waiting for a while, and I would have waited longer if I saw anything on the horizon, but unfortunately it looks like the manufacturers are going for touch glossy screens rather than matte. Even the Series 9, which still is matte I believe, will only have 4GB, which is pretty ridiculous for a "professional" machine in 2013.

I did notice that the Macbook Pros are once again coming with an option for a non-glossy screen (for an extra $100). But upgrade to an SSD and add extra RAM and you're clearing $2K easily, whereas I got my machine for $1.1K. I think I can make do with 4GB for at least a year or two, and I figure it should have good resale value if I need to upgrade at that point.

All that said, I need to install Ubuntu on it (VMs are out with only 4GB), and I'm now worried about bricking my machine as others seem to have done. If I can't do that it may have to go back! It seems like the safe way is to disable UEFI, but I've read inconclusive reports that a) Samsung has fixed the firmware, and/or b) the newer Linux kernels have been patched to work-around the bad Samsung firmware. I'm debating whether to try the UEFI dual boot at the risk of bricking my machine...

 

in my opinion the bezels on the ux32vd and ux31a are too large, making it look rather cheap. I also had the MBA for about 2 weeks, intended fully to run Windows 7 on it. Did my homework, prepared a unattended installation, got the latest bootcamp drivers, etc. But when I had Windows running on it, I found out that Intel did a really bad job on the screen drivers, making the boot time of Windows last 20 seconds longer than booting without the intel screen drivers. (...maybe it was put in the drivers intentially to trick people to show how "fast" Mac osX boots compared to Windows...I'll never know... ). Also there were some minor annoyances like the keyboard backlight not remembering the brightness setting, etc. So you made the right choice if you ask me.

 

It is reported that the Ativ Book 9 Plus will be available with 8GB RAM (provided your country marketing office orders that configuration from the factory).

For one or both reasons, our bricking thread has been much quieter this year.

John

 

Yes I noticed the decreased activity on that thread, which hopefully is a good sign. I will report back to this thread regardless of which way I go.

Also, following up on my initial post, I discovered that I can set a password on the ssd from the bios. You have to set a supervisor password and user password first, then power off by holding the power button (restarting doesn't do the trick). That makes the "HDD password" selectable.

However, I'm not sure how secure this is. All the user manual says is that setting the HDD password will make the drive unreadable on another machine. That's not enough detail for me to feel comfortable, and I can't find any more information. I'd like to verify the password is hashed properly, and stored in a secure location in a secure way.

 

@ultra_98: Not only has the bricking thread been quiet, but the latest activity reports some positive experiences. My impression is that 2013 models have been solid, and the problems were only with 2012 models which were designed for Win7/BIOS/MBR, then updated for Win8/UEFI/GPT. Whether that means 2012 models are safe after the latest BIOS updates is hard to say...

Samsung seemed to make owners whole who suffered the UEFI brick, by replacing their motherboards under warranty. I would personally make any risky installations while I still had warranty

 

Good to know, thanks Dannemand. The bottom of the machine indicates "October 2012", and the X3C was definitely introduced in 2012, so I think that puts me in the more risky 2012 camp.

I just bought it, and I think (will double check) that the manufacturer's warranty covers one year, so I think I should be good to go. I'm hoping I can find a more definitive answer from Samsung or the Ubuntu image I want to install before I give it a go.

 

Yes, I'm afraid you're may be in the danger zone there with the X3C. OTOH, the fact that there hasn't been any bricking reports in months would indicate that even 2012 models may be safe with the latest BIOS updates. But I admit it is circumstantial

 

It's never been clear to me whether the Series 9 include a TPM (at one stage in the past SW Update was offering a TPM update but noting is now listed for my X4C). If not, then the password protection won't be as secure as having an encrypted drive (if the drive supports it). There's a useful description here.

John

 

I assume this is akin to HP's drive lock feature, which I believe is extremely difficult to circumvent.

 

Hey ultra_98, did your X3C come with single or dual channel ram?

 

Hey Guys,

Anyone still having WiFi issues?
Under Windows 8, WiFi signal is repeatedly getting lost. The notification icon says everything is ok, but there's no connection. I have to disconnect or switch the adapter off and on to get it working again. It's very annoying, I had to stop my self from punching the laptop a few times. I have the latest drivers installed. I mostly use Ubuntu on this laptop and there everything is fine with the WiFi.
I have to switch over to Windows now and then, now days more often, because it seems there is a memory leak or something, because the computer stutters then freezes, which is not really common on Linux.
I really don't know what the Linux problem could be, because it used to work fine till about a month ago. I did a fresh install, and it's still happening
The Windows problem I know has to do something with the driver. I did the power plan settings, so it's not that. The funny thing is that the WiFi had no problem under Win7, it only started acting up under Win8.
I rather use Linux, but it seems there's something majorly wrong with the latest Ubuntu on this machine, so I guess I'm stuck on Windows for now. I need help in getting this WiFi issue fixed though...
THX in advance...

 

If you've done all the tweaks listed in this post, I suggest you try to roll back to Win8's built-in driver, using the steps in this post.

Most people get good performance with the latest Intel-provided drivers, but several have seen better and/or more stable results with the built-in Win8 driver. After being a proponent of the former for a long time, I ended up rolling back recently, and found that it solved issues with occasional disconnects. Definitely worth a try.

 

THX Dannemand for the detailed instructions. I did the rollback to Win8 drivers, hopefully it works, because this was driving me nuts. If I could figure out what the hell is up with the memory leak issue on Ubuntu, I'd be jumping for joy. Anyways, that'll probably be fixed by the community so waiting a few weeks and a clean install will do the trick. Until then I'll just use Windows... life could be worse

 

I've been reading about the air vents, it sucks air in through the bottom vents and blows the air out through the back right?
Is it then possible to use it on a bed? (for a short period of time, lets say max 30 min?)

 

You can use it on a bed but there are two potential problems with using this computer (and most others) on a soft surface: (i) In the short term the airflow through the bottom vents is likely to be obstructed so the computer will tend to heat up and the fan run faster; and (ii) in the long term fluff is likely to be sucked up through the air vents and progressively clog up the cooling system, resulting in overheating.

The best way to use a computer on a bed is to put it on a lap tray.

John

 

Udate:

The diver roll-back method proved to work like a charm. Thanks again!

 

Does anyone have another battery in their X3C besides the AA-PLXN4AR?

 

I was looking at the differences between the models NP900X3E-K01NL and NP900X3E-K02NL and spotted that the K02 has a Intel Core i7 3517M? Probably a typo right? Otherwise I can't find any differences between the 2.

Edit: Yes, it's a typo, found both models on the official Samsung site, both have the 3517U.

So what's the difference between the 2?

 

I stumbled upon another bug in this garbage 6230 adapter. If you have an android (jelly bean) phone and you get a BSOD when you try to tether, it's because of the card/driver. There are a couple of workarounds:
1. Disable N-networks in the adapter properties
2. Enable FIPS in advanced security for the tether network
The first option worked for me. The second option requires you to connect to the network and quickly make the switch before the blue screen, I was not able to do this.

This is an open issue that intel has been aware of for over 6 months, well done.

netwsw00.sys (6230, v15.3.x) BSOD on Windows 8 x64

 

Thanks for sharing - as always.

I thought the X3C had 6235 - which is the troublesome one. My Z3A has 6230, and I haven't had nearly the problems that 6235 owners report.

I actually DO tether from my Android phone occasionally (when my Cable Co drops out and I urgently need to close a trade) but I have not experienced that BSOD (knock on wood). When I tested Nexus 4 some time ago (Jelly Bean 4.2.2) it gave my router a terrible time, but no BSOD problems. I only tested tethering once though, I could have just been lucky.