2013 Ativ Book 9 Plus owner's lounge (NP940X3G)

It's a good question that I would say can only be answered on a case-by-case basis. Users who have not upgraded to Win 8.1 will likely appreciate the scaling features that Samsung Settings provides in that OS, but Win 8.1 provides this capability and Samsung removes it from their Settings utility after the upgrade.

While many of the settings can be accessed through Windows Settings or Control Panel, Samsung Settings does provide simple access to a number of other controls that are difficult to find elsewhere (some, but not all, even requiring elusive registry edits from what I can see) - these include:

keyboard backlight level and timeout
silent fan mode (for when one has to work inside a music recording studio?)
eco mode (for when one might want to save power, kind of a beefed up airplane mode)
usb charging
wireless mobile access point
display color
sound profiles
touchscreen disabling (for rare times when someone might need that?)

So, it's not necessary, but you may want access to some of those features at times.

 

Interesting thread.
Figured I'd share as running Chrome has been driving me nuts with how blurry it looks.
Anyway, if you open a tab and type "about:flags" You get to a settings page where you can adjust the setting for HiDPI to always be enabled.

Now it's not perfect, but at least I can use Chrome again somewhat without straining my eyes. Hopefully this helps others.

Will update with more as I find it.
Thanks,
C

 

I've been posting about my ongoing touchpad issues where the top 2/3 goes dead and now there's a secondary symptom of the pointer jumping elsewhere when I try to tap to select anything. Uninstalling via device manager seems to help temporarily, but then it comes back.

Any ideas on a solution to this? I was hoping that the last Samsung update would fix things for good, but no such luck.

 

I don't have any erratic touchpad problems. Try uinstalling, restart, then reinstalling the touchpad drivers. Also in ETDAniConf, one-finger, drag and drop, leave 'release after finger lift.'

 

Great find.....It cleared chrome right up for me. The one lingering nag is that the bookmark bar is so small. Any way to increase the font for that? Increasing the zoom % makes the web page bigger but not the bookmark and address bar.


FWIW: I figured it out. Right click desktop. Go to screen resolution. Go to " make text larger...." and up the " message boxes" to 14 or whatever you like....it increases the size of bookmark bar font.

 

I have uninstalled, restarted, reinstalled, rinse, lather, repeat.

However, I do not see anything called "ETDAniConf." All I have available under Hardware & Sound is "Touchpad" and that brings up the Elan options. "one-finger, drag and drop" is not an option. When I search, I only get "Elan Driver." I check to see if the driver is updated and it says that I have the most up-to-date one.

 

I am lazy now, so I'll just quote this from an earlier post:

 

Enjoying my AB9+ but I'm having 2 issues, well, one is more of a personal nuisance.

1. The wifi. I got this a few weeks ago, but this week the wifi started turning off completely. Only way I was able to turn it back on was to reboot (at which point it took forever and stated that a problem occurred and it sent data), then manually turn it on in the control panel. I'm a little worried about it having issues when rebooting.

2. This one is minor, but it has to do with Chrome, so that may be the issue instead of the AB9+. However, it only happens on this computer and none of my others. The New Tab button is too far to the left. It may not seem to be a big deal but if I have 8 tabs open, I can't see which tab is which bcuz there isn't enough space. On all my other computers the tab is all the way to the right. Here, its almost at the midpoint of the computer. I've just dealt with it this far but figured I'd at least ask to see if anybody else found a solution.
Thanks.

 

One thing I will say about my AB9+ is that the wifi has worked perfectly from day one.( knock on wood) Strong, consistent, and fast. It also boots up within seconds. I wonder if you may have a software or a hardware problem.

 

Having the same problem. This is getting really annoying now!
Anyone out there who can provide a solution to this?

 

It depends on what settings you are working with, but I think I have a "solution" for you. Try installing any of the many themes available (some are very minor variations of stock themes) and it should put everything back to normal. We don't know why this is, but adding the theme to Chrome clears up the problem you are describing.

Settings -> Appearance -> Get Themes, then and install whichever you like

See this thread for reference: https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=280447

Brian

 

This happens because Chrome does not play well with scaling, fixing this will also make Chrome look much sharper and is highly recommended.

To fix it you need to:

First: Right click Chrome (or a shortcut to Chrome) and select "disable display scaling on high DPI settings" under the compatibility tab.

Second: You then need to enable HiDPI support in chrome or everything will be too small, to do this open chrome://flags (copy into address bar of Chrome) and enable HiDPI Support (Do not do this until display scaling is disabled for Chrome in windows as described above or Chrome will crash).

I would also recommend enabling the touch settings including pinch to zoom whilst your in chrome://flags.

Hope that helps

 

While this is a solution, I will note that this was not acceptible to me, since Chrome's HiDPI setting causes wackiness with the interface - like text boxes and drop down menus to be way out of alignment. You can read about that problem on the chroumium forum page I linked above. That might be acceptible to some, but I also run Chrome Dev and have pinch-zoom enabled (also under chrome://flags). In that scenario, HiDPI mode will then make a huge mess that can take an hour or more to get out of (imagine trying to click a buttom with a pulldown menu by clicking roughly 4-6 inches away and hoping you got it right when restarting Chrome. Anyway, my point is - if you can't deal with the screwy interface issues that HiDPI mode will incur, than consider the workaround. If you want to enable pinch-zoom in your browser, then certainly DO NOT enable HiDPI mode in Chrome.

 

I'd like to figure out a way to use the touchscreen to scroll windows without moving the cursor - even better, to scroll a window without making it the active window. I use split-screen mode quite a bit - scrolling through notes or an article in Word, Acroread, or in Chrome while adding my own notes in Onenote on the other side. I tend to scroll through the the article with my thumb, but then I have to remember to make the Onenote window active again before I can type into it. Similarly, if I am in Word and I scroll with my thumb but want to continue typing where I was last, I can't - the thumb tap to start the scroll has moved the cursor.

I know I am using Windows all "wrong," and I haven't found a utility that will enable such functionality, but I'm curious if anyone here has a suggestion. I know it's off-topic, except that I think it's very relevant to hi-dpi notebooks to have ths ability.

 

I suffered similar effects to this when enabling HiDPI without disabling windows scaling first, I am now using the current beta release of chrome with HiDPI, windows scaling disabled and pinch zoom with none of the problems you report.

The problem with just changing the theme is you are still left with unpleasant blurred fonts.

If your testing flags you feel might break Chrome you can always add them manually to the shortcut rather than editing chrome://flags, making it easier to remove them should they cause problems. You can also navigate all web pages including chrome://flags with tab and space keys on keyboard if the mouse cursor does not work.

 

Guys! NEED your help or advice!
Can't restore to the factory image...while the process on th 88% it writes to me ..This task was not complited successfully (2)
Seems the image in my laptop was damaged from the beginning...Tried to make copies to the external hard drive...the same mistake appears...
Can someone upload the factory image to the dropbox????? HELP

 

Something is definitely wrong there. If this is an AB9+ it must be a fairly new device. I would simply contact Samsung support. They may send you a Recovery DVD (clean Win8/8.1 install media) or offer to re-image your drive.

In order to use a factory image from another user, it must be from EXACTLY the same model and submodel (for example NP940X3G-K04US), since it contains drivers and a pre-installed Windows. And it's 20GB or more to upload and download.

But that said, since the factory image contains copyrighted Windows 8.1 software, NBR should not be used to discuss or facilitate sharing of it. You are probably thinking it doesn't matter because you still need a Product Key -- and I would agree with that logic. But Microsoft has decided not to make Windows 8 (and 8.1) publicly available for download, and since the software belongs to them, it doesn't matter what you or I think, only what Microsoft's lawyers think.

Also, you cross-posted this request in several threads. Please do not do that, it violates forum rules. Some posts have already been deleted by others mods, and I'll delete the rest of them now.

 

I have already contacted Samsung support. The reason is i'm not in US now... I'n in Korea. Will try to visit on Monday their service center. But as i know the windows license key is inside the Bios, so all i need is just factory image of NP940x3g-k04US.... just 11gb.
And Wednesday i'm leaving to another country...Of course service center can't make it for one day.....i need this laptop urgent..
That's why i'm trying to recover it in such a way by myself...
Who can help..
Please ...begging you.

 

I understand the urgency, I really do. But even if I had that model (which I don't) I cannot help you. I am obligated to tell you one more time, that you are NOT allowed to make this request on NBR. Our forum rules are very clear on this, with the following rule in boldface. Notice the last sentence.

As I explained above, regardless of Product Keys, there is no doubt that sharing a factory image violates copyright law, since the software is not in the public domain. Our forum rules do not have exceptions, not even in cases of great urgency such as yours. I am sorry.

If there is a Samsung Service Center where you are, maybe they can provide a Recovery DVD on the spot if you go there (I don't know, just speculating). You could also contact Microsoft support. Maybe they have a way of validating your license and letting you download a Win8 ISO (though I am doubtful).

But I really do understand. I used to travel a lot for work myself, and sometimes got tempted to mess with my laptop installation while on the road. I learned that lesson quickly -- and even began bringing various install and backup DVDs with me just in case

 

Ok. Sorry for my posts...Will wait for a Monday visit of Samsung service center... It seems that factory image is damaged in the laptop, so microsoft won't help me. Thanks for your clear explanation and time.
Sorry for posting it against forum rules

 

Well, thank you for understanding. I am sorry I couldn't be of more help. This type of request comes up frequently, and I hate having to strike it down. I hope Samsung will help you.

 

TATONDER, you can first download all the latest drivers directly from Samsung through the SW Update / Save Setup Files. Second, download a legal copy of Windows 8.1 from MS using your serial. Install clean Windows 8.1, and then all the Samsung drivers. That is pretty much a factory restore.

 

1. I don't know my serial..it's inside of bios... Yesterday i tried to install Windows 8.1, but it refused to do this... i've been told that the drive is blocked and i can't do it..
Or are there any special instructions how to install windows on this laptop?
2. where can i download sw update tool?

Appreciate your help.

 

All, an SOS: in my recently-purchased AB9+, the scaling settings appear to be resetting by themselves upon the computer waking from sleep or reboot.

All software has been updated through Windows Update and SW Update, and the OS is Win 8.1. In the Windows Display settings, I will typically set the scale to 150%. I run at a resolution of 2048x1152. After rebooting or waking the computer from sleep, the scaling bar slider is reset to all the way to the left (the "smaller" end of the slider bar).

This is annoying. I wondered if Samsung Settings was interfering with the 8.1 scaling settings, but my Samsung Settings program has been updated such that there is no more "settings" function there (i.e., the only way I can change the scaling is through the Windows settings).

Help!

 

We have very different results - I would love to see what your Chrome looks like, but the first two attached partial screenshots are of my Chrome broswer with Display Scaling disabled and in HiDPI mode - it does not look good

 

Great!
It helped me...
Downloaded official Win8.1 image and latest SW update...
20 min...and brand new computer again! Activation was automatic due to the key mounted in bios.

The only difficult thing was to create WIN8.1 GPT Bootable usb disk....! That very important... As our laptop has UEFI BIOS.
I even didn't know what is it...2-3 hours of reading..and experiment has finished successfully.
As now i have this bootable usb i can delete recovery 20 gb sector.

 

Good to hear dude.
I have left the recovery partition for emergency only. I guess it takes up a fair bit of space but at least it's there in case something goes wrong in the future.

 

Hi,

I just purchased my SAB9+ and I am extremely happy with my purchase. I am not very tech savvy, and I'd like some guidance in setting up beautiful laptop to perform as best as possible. My previous computer was a HP dv6000 running Windows 7, so the touch and Windows 8 interface feels quite foreign.

I purchased the 940X3G-K01; 128GB/4GB

1) I would like to maximize my hard drive space, and I saw on the Samsung page of these forums that I can clean install Windows 8 to get about another 30+gb of space. Is it suggested to do this with the new SAB9+?

2) Should I do a clean install of Windows 8 prior to upgrading to Windows 8.1?

3) Is there a SAB9+ Owner's Guide after unboxing? I am looking on ways to optimize performance, remove bloatware, and general fixes.

I look forward to participating in this forum! Now to continue lurking through the posts!

Thank you

 

Thank you for this.

I didn't realize Microsoft had opened up for downloading of official 8.1 ISOs. Could you share details of that? I understand your message to mean it's still not a public download (like the Win7 ISOs from Digital River) but for individual users with 8.1 Product Keys.

And in that case I presume it still won't do Win8 users any good, unless they have a Win 8.1 Product Key. Please correct me if I am wrong in that assumption.

 

Windows 8.1 -
but this forum all in Russian.. only i can read) and requires registration
here you can download official images of windows 8.1
Activation will be automatic as you have your key inside of bios

 

Thank you. Was your laptop originally delivered with Win8 or 8.1?

I ask because (to my knowledge) clean install of Win 8.1 is not possible using a Win8 Product Key, whether in BIOS or manually entered. You have to start with a Win8 installation, then go through Microsoft's upgrade to Win8. But maybe once you've done that once, you can extract the upgraded 8.1 Product Key and (presumably) use that to clean install 8.1 next time.

I have not tried that, but I'd love to hear from members who have -- including if my assumptions above are wrong.

 

Mine was originally with 8.1

 

Got it, thank you. Again, very well done getting it fixed.

 

Hi everyone. I have intresting question to all of you:
In specs its written that our laptop i7 core has 1.8ghz, in boost mode up to 3.0hgz. ? How can I check it?
When you click with right mouse button on the link "this computer" on the desktop and open windows properties I see info like this:
Intel i7 core @1.80ghz @2.40 wft?
What is 2.40?
Does everybody has the same like me?
Or it has another meaning. ..
Will be greatful for any answers. .
Thanks

 

Run HWiNFO. It has a nice dynamic CPU speed display where you should see the core speeds varying between minimum and maximum according to the CPU load.

2.4GHz is the rated non-turbo speed. The CPU will run at least that fast with all cores / threads fully loaded. Turbo mode goes faster than this but depends on the number of cores fully loaded, the total power consumption and the temperature. Running wPrime with only one thread should get the CPU to maximum speed but as you add more threads then the CPU will slow down to stay within the overall power envelope. Load the GPU at the same time and it will slow down further.

John

 

Hi John. Thanks for the explanation. So you have the same 2.4ghz in system info?
Does turbo boost switxh on automatically??
How can I see it whether is working or not?

 

One more question: cant find samsung and windows scalling options?
Can somebody help with advice. Thanks

 

I've got a notebook with the older i7-3537 CPU but I would expect that operation would be similar.

Turboboost should happen automatically when the computer is plugged in to the mains and using the Samsung optimized power profile. It will not be engaged by default when running on battery.

John

 

Does anybody has hebirbation mode available? Or win 8.1 uses just sleep mode? I mean by default

 

Hibernation is not enabled by default in windows 8 / 8.1.

There are several guides explaining how to enable it. Here's one.

John

 

Noticed that when reading news or weather screen in metro interface is little bit adjusting itself...making more bright and clear?
What can it be? Auto brightness is disabled.

 

hi guys -

i have a question. When I unplug the power on my AB9+ (i7/266gb/win 8.1) the colors seem to fade even at full brightness. In particular the yellow changes to an awful mustard (like on the lenovo yoga 2 pro). I generally keep my plan set on the samsung optimized power settings, but I've tried 'high performance' mode and that hasn't fixed the problem either. As soon as I plug back in the colors change right back to the "right" contrasts.

has anyone else had this issue or know how to fix it?

Thanks

 

It's been discussed at length earlier in this thread. Apparently it isn't as bad as it is for the Y2Pro, but both products use the very same Samsung panel. I'm not sure if it is a profile setting somewhere hidden away or simply how power is inherently delivered to the panel when on battery vs when plugged in.

 

Anyone feel like discussing optimal settings for Chrome? I know some have reported that setting Chrome to disable display scaling in the shortcut properties and then enabling HiDPI Support in chrome://flags has fixed the bluriness that Chrome content suffers from when Windows display scaling is set any higher than 100%, but I suffer from horrible problems with that setup - namely, mouse-over text boxes are out of alignment, horrible pixelated text in certain dropdown menus (in chrome://flags, for instance), and many of my extension buttons show up blank (the icons do not appear).

My solution after hours of tinkering is to Disable HiDPI - while it's been improved over the past few months, these remaining problems are not worth the benefit. I did manage to find a combination of settings that works well for me, without noticeable bluriness and with tabs and menus that are sized well for touch and with readible text.

I am running the latest Dev channel build (33.0.1736.2 dev-m), so your results may vary, but my setup looks like this:

(I would first load chrome://flags and Reset all Default Settings in the upper right to get back to a clean baseline...)
1. Control Panel > Hardware > Display > 150% scaling (or up to 175, sometimes)
2. Then Check "Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays"
3. Then under "Change only the text size," I change each of the items in the drop down menu to 12 pt font
4. Right click the Chrome shortcut icon > Properties > Compatibility, and make sure "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings" is UNchecked
5. In Chrome, chrome://flags/ > Enable touch events is Enabled
6. Touch Optimized UI is Enabled
7. Enable pinch scale is Enabled
8. HiDPI Support is Disabled
8. In Chrome Menu > Settings > Show Advanced Settings > Page zoom is set to 125% (Font size is set to Medium)

I believe this removes any bluriness in the Chrome content that most people solve by setting HiDPI mode, but without the problems that HiDPI mode incurs. I would love to hear feedback from others on this.

 

Hi everyone,
Has anyone noticed occasionally the CPU boots up locked at a lower cpu speed?
I have noticed this irregularity and am curious what is causing it.
I have noticed if i shutdown remove power cable then reconnect it and boot up it works correctly (i am in balanced power mode).
I will try disabling hibernate mode as other laptop users have noticed this locked cpu behaviour as well and it could possibly be a software os issue.

Edit: i will add that i reduced max cpu speed to 99% in power profile so this could be disabling turbo mode and hence it goes into locked lower cpu speed. Will experiment around.

 

This is normal for this screen technology. The Samsung rgbw screen to produce excellent s-rgb colors needs high power to achieve this. At low power settings( remove psu), the screen cuts back its color reproduction qualities but consequently and importantly the battery life is extended.
This for me and many others is the prefect compromise.

 

It seems that Kensington requires a slot that can clear their 3mm x 7mm T-bar, but Samsung uses a slot that is (from my estimation) just shy (in each axis) of 3mm x 6mm, so despite how most reviewers and retailers have described the AB9+ as featuring a "Kensington slot", it is really proprietry and may only be suited for Samsung's own $40 lock, which features a bulky cable: Security Lock for ATIV Book 5/7/9 Lite/9 Plus

I have a mind to get a Kensington lock and try to file the T-bar down to fit, but I don't know how well these barrels will clear the tabletop while inserted:

Amazon.com: Kensington K64670US Portable Combination Laptop Lock: Computers & Accessories
Amazon.com: Kensington K64698US ClickSafe Portable Combination Laptop Computer Lock: Computers & Accessories

EDIT: This might be an option as well, though I cannot find specs to determine the clearance required for this wedge lock mechanism, but it seems to fit Kinsington slots as it works with Dell devices that also support Kensington locks, I believe - I just don't know if it will fit a slightly smaller slot like ours. It's also pricey, but it is certainly slim and has a cool little trap mechanism that will aparently lock down the power adapter cord as well:

http://www.noblelocks.com/wedge/TZ08A1WC.html

EDIT: According to the artwork in the patent, it seems this mechanism won't fit, either - it looks to require 3.1 mm x 4.55mm of clearance , so it might be too thick to fit in the Samsung slot. https://www.google.sc/patents/US201...a=X&ei=uVeuUtLtCIfxoATd0oKwBg&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAg

 

To follow up my previous post, this is what I have found - the Samsung USA site does not provide any clear high resolution pictures of it's lock, but the Samsung UK site does.

http://images.samsung.com/is/image/samsung/uk_AA-SL0NKEY-E_021_Dynamic_black?$Download-Source$

The Samsung lock appears to be two hook shapes that are wedged apart when locked to hold it into the cavity. A little poking around with an unwound paperclip confirms that the slot is about 3mm deep straight through the wall of the case and then another 5mm into the cavity, which opens up to each side to allow room for the hooks to lock into place. There is a bit of room to the top and bottom of the cavity, but no substantial amount. Since the Samsung lock does not rotate into place as Kensington locks do, even if a Kensington were filed down to fit into the Samsung slot, the cavity is probably not designed to allow a Kensington T-bar to rotate into locking position.

The Kensington spec sheet for the DS line, which is designed with ultrabooks in mind, shows that the T-bar is 6.4mm x 2.5mm in order to clear the 3mm x 7mm slot they specify. The Samsung slot is at most 3mm x 6mm.

Kensington lock specifications: http://accoblobstorageus.blob.core.windows.net/literature/ef4c6069-a68a-415d-9030-9782881912ae.pdf

Posted elsewhere on this forum, I believe by John Ratsey, a lock with a "claw"-like mechanism like the following might fit and hold into place with that little bit of room toward the top and bottom. A picture he provided showed that the lock he tried had a barrel that was too big for even the Book 9 Lite, so the notebook was not useable while locked, though this one seems potentially slimmer than the one he had in his photo (also linked below). Please note that I have seen horrible reviews of the device I linked - leaking oil, freezing while locked in place, allowing the code to be reset easily, and so forth, but I'll link to it for reference:

"Claw design" lock by a budget manufacturer: Amazon.com: Laptop Padlock For Samsung R540 15.6", RC520 15.6", RV511 15.6", RV720 17.3" & R730 17.3", Samsung Chromebook Series 5 & Samsung ATIV XE700T1C-A01US Smart PC Pro 700T: Computers & Accessories

Similar lock installed in the Book 9 Lite: http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...-series-9-accessories-lock-lifts-computer.jpg

The Noble Security Wedge lock that I mentioned before is a new product that Dell is now marketing with their slim notebooks and tablets. The artwork I found shows that it needs 3.1mm x 4.75mm of clearance, so depending upon their actual tolerances in that 3.1mm measurement, it may not fit the Samsung slot. If it happens to run small enough to fit the slot, I believe that it might lock into place in the Samsung cavity, though (just kind of a rough guess based on spacial comparisons), enough that I am considering giving it a shot.

Dell's Noble Security Wedge: Noble Security Wedge Profile Lock - for Tablets and Ultrabooks : Computer Accessories | Dell

Noble Security Wedge dimensions: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/US20130180295A1/US20130180295A1-20130718-D00006.png

After all that, though, I am now leaning toward settling with the Samsung lock, even though it is a bit more bulky that what I want - I would prefer one with a thin cable, perhaps even retractable like some of the Kensington models. Noble makes a lock that has a cable in a tight coil for better portability, but with both of these options at $40, and that's assuming the Noble Wedge even actually works, I'm thinking the Samsung lock is going to be a better and more secure fit. I do still believe the Noble Wedge is a neat looking product and might be worth a try, but there is no guarantee it will fit this application.

 

The yoga got a bios update which greatly improved their yellows while running on battery. Maybe we'll get a similar update?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

Perhaps, but their "yellow problem" was far worse than ours, despite identical hardware - it's possible their improvement leaves them on par with us. I'd like to see a side-by-side now.