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

Thank you Dannemand - I was just about to purchase a USB3 drive!!!

 

I've had this laptop since Christmas and absolutely love it. I don't have any issues and for me this was a huge change - switched from a 7 year old 17" HP behemoth!

I bought a new monitor (Dell U2414H) and when it arrived yesterday I connected it to my laptop. Everything was perfect except for some reason Chrome started using 50% of the CPU even with 1 tab open and consequently the fans started being quite noisy. I thought that was weird and started investigating - everything else was fine. I unplugged the monitor, restarted, but Chrome kept being weird. I researched online and it turns out there was an update for Chrome on April 8 so I think that's what messed it up.

Does anyone have that issue with Chrome? Did you out of a sudden experience very high CPU usage?

If anyone has a solution I will really appreciate it.

 

Ok so apparently this happens when Chrome reopens tabs after closing and if I click on each tab individually the CPU usage normalizes. Not a great solution if you keep numerous tabs open. If anyone has that problem or knows how to fix it let me know. Everything was Ok before the last update

 

I recently got NP940X3G from MS store and of course my F4 doesn't work. The first thing I did when I got the pc was saved an image of all the partitions using windows recovery tool. I wanted to get rid of the partitions that mostly take up my HDD disk, so I called Samsung to send me an OEM windows 8 disc. I told them the recovery partitions take too much space and I would like an OEM windows 8 disc. They didn't give me any trouble, asked me for address, info, etc. and said it will be shipped out shortly.

now, my question is (after reading the other post about recovery image), once i get the dvd, should i just fresh install windows 8 directly and wipe out all the extra partitions? Since it looks like MS broke my Samsung Recovery, I don't think there is a point for me or can even save the partitions with a usb drive. Your thoughts? Thanks.

 

As you found (and as I only learned recently) Microsoft removes Samsung Recovery Solution as part of their Signature treatment. I believe the same treatment also eliminates most Samsung bloat (and maybe adds Microsoft bloat instead?). In any case would I expect Microsoft to provide a fairly smooth running Windows installation, so that you don't have to bother with a new clean install -- unless you have a strong urge to do so (which I can understand too )

The disc you receive from Samsung will most likely say "Recovery Media" but in reality be just a plain Windows OEM disc, with no Samsung software on it. If you DO decide to clean install, you should download Samsung SW Update beforehand, since that is the only way to get updated drivers. Some choose to download and save those drivers before Windows installation, but you can also let SW Update automatically install them afterwards, as long as you have network drivers (not an issue with Win8.x). That will ensure proper installation sequence -- and even save some reboots.

Oh, and welcome to NBR and the Samsung forum. Congrats on that beautiful laptop

 

Hi guys, new to the forum. Recently got my Ativ Book 9 Plus with I7 and 256gb and really like it. I'm having issue with the screen resolution though and wondering if you can help? I've been all over the internet for a solution but hasn't worked yet.

So far to run at max resolution I have moved the slider to maximum for 'make items and objects larger' but things are still really really small. I've attached a screen shot of it at that resolution. I'm having to run the resolution at 2048 x 1152 just to make it usable. Can anyone help on this because I like the laptop but the resolution is almost making it unusable at high res.

 

Has anyone discovered a method to disable the single finger right click on the touch pad? I tend to accidentally right click, and wouldn't mind having the two finger method as my only option for right clicking. Not a huge concern, but figured it anyone knew how to do this, it would be someone here.

Thank you

 

Higher resolution for a fixed physical size of display makes everything smaller. The challenge is to find a setting that makes everything readable at a comfortable viewing distance while getting advantage of extra sharpness that the higher resolution can provide.

Would the option shown in the attached graphic fix your problem?



If so, then find the Touchpad driver package (export from SW Update if you can't find it on your computer) and run ETDAniConf.exe which you will find in the X64 folder. This is the default Elan control panel rather than the Samsung customised ETDSimpleUI_Win8.exe.

John

 

Trackpad Issue

I love my Ativ Book 9 Plus (NP940X3G), the resolution, size , weight battery life is perfect...

I have one issue though...

Whenever I am copying files form my machine to another machine on my netowrk the track pad freezes, tracks unevenly as in jumps around screen when using it or tends to be very jittery or unresponsive.... and Chrome freezes right up I have to use Task Manager to close it.. after the copying is done, all is good , it works fine...

The touch screen though works fine ....when copying

anyone else have this issue... would a different driver fix this issue?

I am running the latest Windows 8.1 with the spring updates released recently..

Thank you for your help

 

That seems like it should work, but so far ETDAniConf.exe doesn't seem to be able to modify the basic button functions. I can edit other aspects of the touch pad (i.e. two finder scrolling), but the basic button clicks remain unchanged regardless of what function I select.

Perhaps there is something blocking the utility from remapping the buttons. Maybe related to having at least one left/right click mapped at all time?

 

Hello, I just received my Ativ book 9 Plus, however I'm having an issue with the brightness fluctuating while on battery. I've updated all the drivers/updates, turned off adaptive brightness both in the windows settings and bios settings, and played with the advanced power options relating to screen brightness. It is most noticeable on the task bar and white file explorer boxes.The brightness will adjust itself by fluctuating up and down very noticeably. Anybody else have this issue or know a solution? Thanks
by the way I'm on Windows 8.1 update 1.

 

In the Intel Power settings (right click on the desktop and select Graphics Properties) I turned off all power management on battery and the flickering stopped.

 

I noticed this too; if you set the power profile to max performance or plug in this issue stopped for me.

 

You may find that turning off the Display Power Saving Technology in the Intel graphics control panel (see below\) will fix the varying brightness. I think this option varies the overall image brightness depending on the content. DPST works separately to the other GPU power saving (which probably throttles the speed).



John

 

oh ok so set it to High Performance and make sure it is plugged in?

I am at work now but will try doing a test copy over my networks...thank you

 

actually either should work - plugged in or power profile set to high performance when on battery power.

 

tried that


it is still the same

thanks anyhow

 

So does anyone know how to remove the hideous SAMSUNG metal decal from the lid of this beautiful laptop? The logo reminds me of a tramp stamp.

 

Detick the sansung utility for display options enable adaptive brightness. That utility is pure evil especially with silent mode conflicting with windows cooling policy.

 

Hairdryer to heat up the glue, peel off, then isopropyl alcohol to remove the sticky remains. (Terrible idea though).

 

Thanks Nyclaptop and John Ratsey, that solution solved my issue.

 

But try to not cook the display panel in the process. I don't know how much heat they can tolerate.

Thanks for the update.

John

 

Just got a prompt to download Samsung Smart Adviser software. Is this necessary or just bloatware?

 

I'd call that bloatware.

The two essential Samsung packages are Settings and SW Update. Others are optional and may be useful for some people.

John

 

Hi all, I have windows professional 8.1 installed in my laptop, and also activated the trial Norton anti virus. Loading of internet pages is very slow and i get a systems notification that i have multiple antivirus installed causing problems. My question is - does windows pro have a good enough anti virus protection for me to uninstall Norton? Sorry for long winded question.

 

Definitely get rid of that norton bloat. MS Security Essentials should be fine, but no antivirus is a substitute for safe browsing/email habits. I use Firefox with noscript/adblock enabled for all but a few trusted sites.

 

Actually, it looks like he's right. I rarely use my laptop at max brightness, but I just realized that when you switch up to max, the yellow goes back to looking mustardy and it looks like the contrast of the entire screen seems to change. It's very strange. But I have the yellow fix installed and it definitely does not look like it's fixed on max brightness. I'm going to play around with the intel settings and see if that changes anything.

 

+1

That's my take exactly, except I use Chrome with Adblock. A lot of malware hides in those ads.

Admittedly, members have reported that MSE (which is baked into Windows Defender in Win8.x) catches less malware than commercial tools. I've never had a problem though.

 

Hi All,

New here and glad I found this Great Forum.

Been looking at this Samsung ( i7 ) for some time now. Then a friend told me about the new NP900X3G with Matte Screen

So I have not decided yet which one to get.

Here are my problems :

I want a Business type laptop because I do a lot of traveling, so light weight is a Big Plus. my job/hobby is working with web sites. I do CMS, own a couple of e-commerce sites , upload a ton of photo's and work with photoshop. So I need Power...

I was leaning with the 9+ but I can't stand working with Windows 8, plus this model is Not using an AC wireless card.
then i was leaning the NP900X3G, it comes with Windows 7 and Has the AC card. But looking at early reviews, they don't sound very good.
I could deal with the backlight bleeding, but the Keyboard sounds shaky

I have gone through most of this thread, but have skipped around a little.

Overall is This Samsung 9+ a Solid and Great Laptop ??

TIA

 

Indeed it is. :thumbsup:

From memory there is the option to upgrade to the AC wireless card and some have done this but the standard wireless intel is very very good and stable and no issues whatsoever.
Contact user here for more info about it.
IMHO, this ultrabook is my best buy for 2013. I use it daily have been overseas with it ...it ticks every box... and used it now since Nov'13 and no issues at all. I did see the matte screen (NP900X3G) but it pales into insignificance once compared to the gloss and touch interface of this beauty.

Once setup you will not regret the purchase and some users have also installed windows 7 if that is what you prefer but I like windows 8.

Best of luck

 

If you're so averse to having Samsung on your laptop, your best bet is not to buy a Samsung laptop

 

Thanks for the Info. Not sure If I myself would play around with a $1700 laptop and open the back panel to change the wireless. Maybe get the Geeks at best Buy to do it, if possible.

I wish I can get into windows 8, have it on my Home PC which I bought for the wife to use.
But with my line of work, a tablet is no use for me.

Heard Microsoft was giving back the Desktop taskbar ? that's 8.1 ? Still with a few bugs I believe

appreciate your time, Thanks

 

Does anyone know if the port that the VGA "adapter" connects to is actually a (mini) displayport? I own one but I don't own a cable to test it with.

 

I think it is the same port as on the previous models and is a Samsung special port which is only VGA with the adapter being a simple pass-through connector. There was no room for a normal VGA port.

Users have suggested to Samsung innumerable times that a mini-DisplayPort would be a much more versatile use of the space but there's been no sign of this happening.

John

 

Overheating laptop. I have the i5. It's about 4 months old and all of a sudden (no SW or HW changes) the right top corner (next to the power button) has started heating up. It is so hot that I can't touch it for more then 2 seconds. It is slightly hot on the bottom too, but it is mainly the top.

The red area is the super hot and the orange is pretty hot.

The rest of the laptop is cold. There is no power or USB plugged in or any other devices. I have turned off Bluetooth and turned off keyboard lighting.

I can't work out what is causing it. Any ideas - SW or HW? Does anyone know what component is under that area?

 

I would suspect a hardware problem. Perhaps some sick component but I don't know what is in that corner.

I would arrange with Samsung for warranty repair without delay and it would be prudent to disconnect the battery (there should be a small hole in the bottom somewhere through which you poke the end of a straightened paperclip) when you are not using the computer and before shipping it. The problem will be causing unnecessary battery wear.

John

 

FYI, the AB9+ does not have a physical battery disconnect the way the AB9 and earlier models do. I went round and round with Samsung USA and Samsung support in Korea about this and all eventually confirmed the same.

 

Thanks for the reminder about this.

It's a step backwards, presumably to save 10 cents in the production cost. I guess they think that if phones and tablets without removable batteries are OK without a battery disconnect facility then it's OK for notebooks as well.

John

 

That seems a strange place to be experiencing heat - I agree that you need to get that serviced right away. The main board isn't even over there - just a sub-assembly board with the wireless/bluetooth card, and the interfaces for the right-side ports. Even still, all the main components are on the bottom side rather than the keyboard side. For reference, the CPU is roughly underneath where F5/F6 are and the fans sit between that and the location you are pointing out. (The attached pic is viewed from the bottom , so you have to account for the flip in perspective).

Maybe it's a short in a component up there, but I can't see any other logical explanation.

 

Thanks for digging out the internal photo.

I note there's "Push" moulded onto the edge of the battery near where it connects to the mainboard. So it looks like the battery has the disconnect switch but someone forgot to make the hole in the base of the computer.

John

 

Thanks for the board pic. I worked out what it is. Its the USB port, or something to do with that, because that USB port is no longer working. Nothing gets recognised when I plug something in.

Spoke to Amazon who said they would do a swap for a new one, except they don't have any in stock :-( I'll have to take it to Samsung's repair centre on Tuesday and see what they say.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Hello,

A basic question I'm afraid. What is the difference between a NP900X3G and NP940X3G. I tried Googling without success.

Many thanks in advance.

 

NP900X3G is the latest ATIV Book 9 - a Haswell refresh of the previous NP900X3_ models of the 9 series; matte display in HD resolution

NP940X3G is the ATIV Book 9 Plus - essentially the same hardware as the NP900X3G, but with touchscreen in High-DPI QHD resolution

 

That sounds about right. I would suspect Samsung will replace it under warranty. At the very least, if they repair it, it will likely just be replacing that sub-board. Either way, I hope it goes well!

 

That's a really nice catch! Except, I think the "PUSH" is just indicating where to press the battery in place on installation. I think the actual push-button switch is on the other side of the fans (see pic for reference). I never thought to look to see if the switch was there under the cover. That being the case, I may really consider drilling a hole in my cover so I can access this battery kill mechanism if I ever need to. Thanks for pointing this out!

 

You could be right. There's no "Push" next to the switch on the NP900X4C battery.

However, I would consider it good practice to have a disconnect facility on the battery even if only to be used in the factory before the bottom is put on and the notebook shipped. Otherwise the battery will get gradually drained while the notebook is sitting on the shelf waiting for a purchaser. It also reduces the risk of one dodgy battery setting fire to a box-full of notebooks during shipping.

John

 

Spoke to Samsung repair and it is going to take 3 days to collect it and then 7-10 to get it repaired and returned to me and most likely it is going to get wiped. I can't be without my laptop for more than 1 day.

Amazon don't have any in stock so can't send me a new one, but they have offered a full refund (bought it in September). The Samsung repair lady even recommended that I take the money back and just go buy a new one. Except I paid £1099 for mine and I can't find it for less than £1,300 anywhere now. For that price I might as well upgrade to the i7 (except I can't even find that anywhere in UK). It is ridiculous, you'd think Samsung would make it easy to buy their products. No wonder Apple is kicking , their site and sales model is such a breeze. I have actually spent 6 hrs now trying to buy a PC, and it feels like work. Spending £1,300 on a laptop should be made easy, not like I am doing them a favour.

Looking at the Lenovo Carbon X1 / Asus Zenbook UX301LA / Acer Aspire S7-392 / Dell XPS 13 / Toshiba Kirabook -- All of them as a i7/8gb/256gb for around the same price as the i5/4gb/128gb Samsung!

 

If you can't do without your laptop for a day, then it sounds like you either need a spare laptop to tide you over, or a business laptop with a suitable next working day on-site contract.

I'd be looking at Lenovo/HP/Dell rather than Samsung/Asus/Apple.

 

Hello, I have been following this thread and yesterday I received my ATIV 9. So far everything is good. I just finished setting it up and upgraded to Win8.1 . I was ready to do a recovery USB, but everytime I get to the samsung recovery application, it tells me: "the version of the recovery partition is lower than the installation version. Recovery does not support upgrading from a lower version. Installation will be cancelled"
I searched the forum but couldnt find an explanation. Support told me to delete the SW and sent me a link for a new one. But same message. Then they wanted to wipe down my computer, but I dont think that is the solution.

Can someone help? If I do a system image on a flash drive via windows, will it be the same?

Thanks!

 

Hi elniche, welcome to NBR and the Samsung forum. And congrats on your new laptop.

The way I understand that error message, it means there is an old version (or actually old generation) of Samsung Recovery Solution (SRS) on the Recovery partition. The only way I can think that might have happened, is if someone (other than Samsung) refurbished the laptop after having wiped the SSD, didn't have the correct backups, and found a download of an older SRS on the internet. Subsequently, after installing the latest SRS Windows App from SW Update, that app sees the older SRS partition and complains.

We have had several similar reports here about non-Samsung refurbs. Many tech staff at computer stores, no matter how experienced they are in Windows installation and other brands of computers, do not know how Samsung Recovery works.

But before jumping to that conclusion, where did you purchase the laptop?

Also, have you tried booting directly into Recovery by tapping F4 after Power On? After pressing the power button, start tapping F4 about twice per second until you see it "takes". You may have to try a few times to catch it. If you manage to boot Recovery this way, which version does it display? You should see Samsung Recovery Solution 6.

If the Recovery partitions are wrong, there really is no other way than to "re-image" the SSD using the correct SRS version and factory image. Samsung will do that for you -- or send you a Recovery disc, which is just a Windows OEM disc you can use to clean install.

You can make system images of your Windows partition (and any Data partitions you may have). But unfortunately there is no way to backup and restore SRS partitions other than using Samsung Recovery itself. See this post earlier in the thread for details.