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

Hi Dannemand! Thank you for your response. I think you are completely correct. My laptop is a refurb. And couldnt manage to install the recovery. Unfortunately , I tried around 6 times to get to the recovery pushing F4, but it would not log in. I dont know if Im doing it wrong, I clicked it way too many times but it would load into windows. If I have a refurb, would samsung still send me a recovery disc?

Thank you so much for your information. So far the computer as been fine except for that.

 

Yeah, sounds like that Recovery is simply not working. If the seller is an official store or retailer, you could press them for a discount or some other compensation. The tech who did this refurb knows that something was wrong, guaranteed, but just didn't have the knowledge and/or tools to do it right.

I wonder what (if anything) is on that Recovery partition, and also whether you have a standard UEFI/GPT Win8.x installation. It is possible they had an image backup of the factory Windows installation and restored that, so it's only Recovery that's borked.

If you download Minitool Partition Wizard, you should see a layout similar to this (from another post):

I think Samsung might still accept to either re-image the SSD or send you a Recovery disc. Of course I cannot I guarantee that, but we've had other positive reports of such service. I would definitely ask them.

You have an amazing piece of hardware there, so don't worry too much about this. If you can get clean Windows install media, we can guide you through a re-install, should you ever need that.

 

Hi everyone!
So I've had my ativ for around four months now. At first, it was perfect, but then I started getting the occasional spotty touchpad where part of the touchpad would stop working. Put my computer to sleep, woke it up, fine again. Recently though, the problem has gotten really bad. The top three fourths of my touchpad almost always stops working after light use. I'm actually using the touchscreen right now because you can't do anything with that little space on the touchpad. Again, it's fine if I put my computer to sleep and wake it up, but this only fixes the problem for sometimes a few minutes, sometimes an hour. I can't find anything online about this problem. It's really frustrating after I shelled out almost two grand for a better laptop than I usually get. Anyone have suggestions or similar experiences?

 

Hi chocolaterain, welcome to NBR. And congrats to you as well on that lovely AB9+.

I don't have this model myself, but if the touchpad is like other higher-end Samsung models, it really is quite excellent -- assuming you don't have a defective unit, of course. Samsung has historically had a percentage of units with defect touchpads -- some only mildly, which is the worst, because users frustrate for weeks or month, thinking the problems are by design, instead of getting a replacement right away.

There is also the matter of Elan touchpad drivers, where some versions work great on some models (and for some users) while others seems to work better on other models (and/or for other users).

In your case it sounds like driver problems. Check if it matches the description in this post, which also includes how to get a better control panel to tweak the touchpad features. Beyond that, the thread linked below contains most of our accumulated knowledge about Samsung/Elan touchpads.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...hronos-np700z5a-trackpad-discussion-only.html

If you cannot get the touchpad to behave, even after trying different drivers and settings, I would assume there is a defect and request a repair or replacement. Don't live with a (semi)defect touchpad.

 

Dannemand, again, Thank you so much for all your help. I think you are spot on with the problem. I just want to make sure that if I decide to get a larger hard drive, or if something happens to this one, I can still have a working computer. At least good to know it is not such a big problem, certainly one I can overlook considering the price.For now I will do a Win 8 image backup.

I will def talk to samsung tomorrow and to the seller (which actually is an authorized reseller), hopefully I can get the recovery disk from samsung. If anything I know people here will be plenty helpful.

 

Sounds good. I am almost certain Samsung will help you since you bought this from one of their resellers. It doesn't cost them much to send you a Windows disc. If you get a larger drive, you can simply clean install Windows on it or clone your current drive or restore that image backup.

I am still curious about the partitions on your disk, the reason being that IF indeed you have an older SRS5 partition (as claimed by the SRS WIndows app), your computer may have been installed in Legacy BIOS mode (as opposed to the newer UEFI mode). If you post a Minitool partition list screendump that should tells us a lot.

 

I'm thinking of buying the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus i7/8gb/256gb. Would you recommend that considering it's been out for almost a year now. When is it likely samsung will relaese the next generation?

 

There won't be any replacement until the next Intel platform (Broadwell) arrives and I don't know when that will be. Maybe later this year but slowing notebook sales have encouraged manufacturers to go slow on new releases while they clear inventory. Samsung also spread a few rumours early in the year that they were thinking of pulling out of the notebook business by 2015 because of declining sales. However, that may also have been aimed at Intel and Microsoft who had their own views about what should be in an ultrabook and Samsung wanted more freedom to make what it hoped people wanted to buy.

If you are also interested in non-touchscreen notebooks then you might want to look at the NP900X3G (13.3") and the NP930X5J (15.6").

John

 

Just received my i5/8GB/128GB from Microsoft, anyone have any slim case or skin recommendations?

 

Hi ghost_recon, congrats on your new AB9+.

I remember some discussion of cases/sleeves earlier in this thread and found this. There could be more, I didn't look hard. You can also check the Series 9 Accessories thread.

PS. I love your avatar. When I first joined NBR I was thinking of getting an avatar and googled a number of great looking wolfs. My favorite was that exact picture -- I still have it cropped and ready in an Avatar Candidates folder, I just never actually used it. Of course after seeing yours I couldn't. Sorry, the most off topic ever

 

Dannemand, I installed the mini wizard tool. Once it runs this is what I see:
Partition Capacity Used Unused File System Type Status
*:Recovery 300MB 20.76MB 279.23MB NTFS GPT (recovery partition) NONE
*: 100MB 29.23MB 70.77MB FAT32 GPT (EFI System Part) Active & Boot
*: 128MB 128MB 0MB other GPT (reserved Partition) NONE
C: 118.29GB 41.17GB 77.12GB NTFS GPT (data partition) System
*: 450MB 379.98mb 70.02mb NTFS GPT (recovery partition) NONE

Let me know if this means anything to you as I really dont understandthis. I am callin samsung in a bit to see if they send the image. Thinking about it, couldnt just anyone in the forum post the image of a clean AP9+ for download? Im not sayin to do it that way, but would it work?

 

Thank you for posting that.

Yes, this tells us that your PC was indeed installed in UEFI mode, the same as all factory delivered Win8.x computers. That's good, it will make it simple to re-install or clone to a larger driver, should you ever need that.

It also tells us that you don't have SRS6 -- as we already surmised. There would have been two partitions at the end of the drive, like in the list I posted. There is something there at the end of the drive (that 450MB Recovery partition) but we don't know what it is.

It is possible that the person who refurbished it set up a Windows Recovery backup. I learned recently that Microsoft Store, as part of their Signature treatment, removes Samsung Recovery and sets up Windows Recovery instead. This discussion with member GuzziRider is about such a machine from Microsoft Store (in this case they had made an error when they partitioned the drive). When you talk to the reseller, have them tell you what they did. Maybe they set up a useful alternative Recovery, once they discovered they couldn't get Samsung Recovery working.

If that 450MB Recovery Partition at the end is just some failed attempt with SRS, you can delete that partition and extend your Windows partition into the free space. But don't touch the 300MB recovery partition at the front, it is used by Windows Recovery Tools.

Unfortunately Samsung cannot just send you an image, and neither can members here: SRS depends on a proprietary link buried in the partition table in order to access the software on the Recovery Partition. The only way to create a working SRS on a disk is by using either a Bootable Factory Image Backup or a so-called Admin Tool, both of which on a USB stick containing the actual, bootable SRS software -- and both of which must be created in Recovery itself. You can read more about it here and here.

Again, the disc Samsung will send you is just a plain Windows OEM disc, not one containing SRS. Alternatively, they will offer to completely re-image the drive if you send the computer in for service.

 

Thank you for your response. I did talk to samsung but the lady said she could only send me a Win 8 disc. I contacted the seller and awaiting reply. So Dannemand, is this a big deal? If i dont plan to upgrade hard drive for now should I be OK?if in 3 years something happens can samsung just reflash de HD? What would you do?

 

The dimensions of the AB9+ are near-identical to those of the 13" MacBook Air, so that should give you plenty of options.

I've personally been spending quite a bit of time mulling over my options and have started to narrow them down to a few promising options.
Obviously I do't know if your tastes will match mine but the brands I'm looking at are the likes of MintCases, Joli Originals and Mujjo.

 

I doubt Samsung would offer to re-image three years from now, and they would certainly charge a fee at that point. Assuming you got a good deal on this unit, I would just take that Windows disc they offered -- and any concessions you can get from the reseller. And not worry too much. You can always re-install Windows from the disc. Many owners choose to delete Recovery from their SSD anyway to reclaim space. You'll be OK

 

have you tried 3d cad software (solidworks, inventor..)? how does the computer handle that and are 4gb of ram really enough for that too?

 

I ended up getting a Toshiba Kirabook (£1300) comes with i7/8gb/256gb, 3xUSB3.0 ports, full HDMI and a keyboard with PgUp/PgDn keys. The touchpad is a lot better than the Samsung too. Has harman kardon speakers, but the Samsung still sounds better.

But that is where the benefits stop. The build and design is just not as sexy as the Samsung. It is also a lot thicker (still under 20mm). I never realised how thin the Samsung actually is before. The screen is not as bright - but I think that is due to adaptive brightness setting which I am trying to find still. The fan is MUCH louder and it turns on a lot more than the Samsung (for me this is a huge issue). The Kira has a smaller footprint so my palms rest on the edge and the metal edge digs into them. The Kira also has a huge chunky power plug that sticks out.

Still confused if I should keep the Kira or return it and get a new Samsung. Comes down to a better build quality and design (Samsung) or a better spec/faster (Kira). But I can't even find a Samsung i5 anymore in UK and the i7 is £1,800. I think I would rather keep this Kira and buy a refurbished £300 laptop as a backup.

The Carbon X1 - my ideal choice wont ship for 18 days and the reviews say the screen is not as bright and the same spec costs £1800. The Dell XPS 13 also doesn't ship for 12 days and has no HDMI and gets really hot reviews said. HP Spectre is not in the same league.

What a headache.

Funnily enough my USB has started working again and the machine isn't heating up, but obviously there is some fault somewhere.

 

It would be useful if you could also share those observations in the discussion of the Kirabook review.

There's something broken with Samsung UK's marketing when Amazon UK has the Italian and German versions listed with significantly lower prices than the UK versions.

Is this what you are looking for? (I've used that etailer without any problems).

The Samsung NP900X3G is also available and shifting quite quickly but doesn't have a shiny touchscreen.

John

 

I ended up finding the Samsung one for $33, should be here in a few days.

I've had the wolf avatar for ages now, I think they make some of the best avatars

 

I got a case from my local Apple Store which is nice enough and wasn't too expensive.
Incase 13" Neoprene Pro Sleeve for MacBook Pro - Apple Store (UK)

 

Hi

I just bought a NP940X3G in Switzerland....after a updating all I could starting with BIOS i tried to connect to a sync master P2770 using a HDMI to microHDMI cable from Belkin (gold/3D/high speed) and I had from monitor the message "check signal cable" and laptop feels a monitor but does not recognize it....I was looking for drivers for windows 8 but no new drivers from 2009 (XP/Vista/W7).....may be this is the problem.....any suggestion.......thanks

 

About to update my BIOS to P04ACJ, will report back with results

 

So I received my Samsung book 9 Plus i7 today from Bestbuy.
I'm happy with it, but not Pharell Williams Happy. lol

I have read through much of this thread but not sure my first little problems have been address.
unless of course I just don't know what I'm talking about. ( which could be true ) Ha

Here are my couple of problems ..

Can't seem to find the Scroll wheel on the Touch pad

Can Not Copy and Paste

and I know I read somewhere talking about how small some of these boxes are. Text size in Java is almost unreadable

also have trouble when typing and my left palm rests on the machine. I could be typing and it will mix into other words

not sure how happy I will be in a couple of days. But need to see if I can get these items fixed before the 14 days are up on returns

 

ok, as I read the manual I found the Scroll on the touch pad

 

update...........I had a replacement.....now monitor is connected......just bad quality.......

 

New to AB9+
Stylus? Pen?

I've just started with my AB9+ that arrived last Friday. I've been a Fujitsu user for 7+ years and have enjoyed their stylus/pen interface. I use it alot in teaching classes with PowerPoint. I saw a YouTube video where someone was claiming to use a Fujitsu pen with the AB9+ screen. Can anyone verify this works? I tried it and did not have any luck with it. Is there a Samsung supported option for pen interface on AB9+?

TJW

 

ok, so instead of going through 108 pages again. Has there been known prh oblems wit ( that'oblemss Known Pr
known problems with when typing that words get mixed ?? ( see above what I mean )

 

It sounds like your touchpad is still giving you problems -- and you're accidentally touching it with your palm while typing. You probably already know this, but you can tweak its palm sensitivity under Advanced in the Touchpad control panel.

There is also a far more extensive "secret" touchpad control panel, as described here. There is much more touchpad discussion in that entire thread.

If you cannot make it behave, I suggest uninstalling and re-installing the Elan driver -- if necessary with a different version found in SW Update.

 

If it's any help, I just tried out my iPad Wacom Bamboo stylus pen on the AB9+. It works but not very well. I think maybe the screen requires a larger, finger-sized, contact patch.

 

There's a useful Wacom stylus compatibility chart here. The AB9+ isn't listed. I think a special screen overlay is needed.

John

 

Getting ready to pull the trigger on the AB+ i7

Any recommendations on a nice portable slot USB3 Bluray burner to go with it?

Thanks!

 

Ok, Thanks for the tip.
I think it worked, only time will tell. But looks good.

 

Thanks for the update. Did you have to uninstall/re-install, or just tweak the Palm sensitivity?

 

With regards to Wacom styluses, yes, the screen needs a special digitiser to work with the proper ones with the thin nibs.
The AB9+ doesn't have that digitiser, the ATIV Q was supposed to have it but it never saw the light of day, unfortunately.

I have the Samsung SE-506BB.
It's only USB2 but when I was looking around Christmas there really didn't seem to be any USB3 options, plus the 506 got really good reviews.

 

Second this one. Works fine, I've ripped blurays, booted and also comes with PowerDVD which is nice. You don't really need USB3 with an optical drive, except for the power draw. When you burn you will probably need to plug into two USB ports, an extender cable can help you since there is only one on each side.

 

Nope just tweaked it.
It was set at medium High, took all of 5 seconds.Thank you again

Now if I only can take care of my Java problem , that would be a Home Run. But that's a Windows 8.1 problem

 

There is a new "stability" BIOS plus a bunch of other drivers. Just updated, and no issues so far.

 

Ok, maybe I spoke too soon. Had to tweak it again, down a notch.
So far no problems with this post. Wish me luck

 

Well, I'm still hitting the touchpad and getting mixed words.
Biggest problem as posted back a few pages is that the Touchpad on the 9+ is not centered like the NP900X3G. and I believe this is the major cause, at least for Me.

Still have 8 days to decide to bring it back, so I will try to tweak some more and see if it's workable.

 

I see. You could test a few different driver versions before making a decision (look around in SW Update). Or try if ETDAniConf (that "secret" control panel I mentioned) has further options that will help. As mentioned in this post you need to tweak some registry settings before loading ETDAniConf in order to reveal all available settings.

I am afraid that's all I got

 

I'm from the UK, and a recovering NP900X3B user.

I recently decided to take the plunge and upgrade to the Ativ Book 9 Plus (wow, what a horrible name!).

Anyway, long story short, I have now ordered two! The normal 128GB / 4GB / i5 UK model, and just a few mins ago the 940X3G-K05 from amazon.co.uk sold by amazon.

It's my understanding that the K05 may be a German model? Samsung haven't released the 256GB / 8GB / i7 in the UK, right?

So, do you think it will have a UK keyboard or not? If not, will I be able to swap the keyboard and chassis from the standard UK one and place onto the K05? How hard would it be?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

Might not be too hard if you've done that kind of thing before. From pictures, the ATIV looks fairly simple inside.

I recently had my old iphone apart to change the battery and the biggest hassle was that the battery was glued in and I had to heat up the casing with a hairdryer. Don't know if you'll have the same problem with the ATIV.

I think I'd rather use some key-mapping software to swap over Z and Y!

 

Bleh, remebering from the NP900X3B, we're working backwards to get to the palm rest / upper chasis part.

'tis a shame that there's no teardown photos.

As for the Z and Y issue, that's not a problem for me. But I'd prefer to have the proper inverted L shape enter key rather than the American-style long flat one.

 

John responded to a very similar question back here in this thread.

As you wrote yourself, the keyboard and keyboard surround and palm rest is one unit, so you would have to swap that entire one. Member oled previously posted this link to a nice Series 9 disassembly guide, but I don't know how close it is to the AB9+. You can buy downloadable service manuals for AB9+ on samsungparts.com.

 

Hi,

I'm a proud owner of a Ativ Book 9 Plus i7
Bought it on BestBuy as soon as I moved to US (around March 7th). I had some struggles but I really love it, and I even like the Windows 8.1...

But I have some minor issues and u guys maybe can help me, I searched for similar problems in the thread but this ones feel kinda unique (in fact I've been using this Thread for a while and helped a lot already). They are all minor problems

- The yellow problem. Well I've done everything that can be done, several times. The problem keep coming back sometimes but I usually just repeat the procedure an everything end's up ok. But now the problem came back in a different shape, every time the computer in plugged IN the yellow go back to the mustard like color. In fact If I turn the Samsung ECO Mode back ON the yellow go back to the "less worst" version. I've done all the procedures again, but now I'm stuck with the bad yellow again. I think the problem is somehow linked with the custom power plan that I'm using, but I can't figure out what it could be.
(Edit: Some time later it went back to the "not so worst yellow" alone. But this kinda of behavior is common?)

- Audio jack. Every time I mute the sound with something plugged on the audio jack I need to unplug it and plug back again to unmute. This can be pretty annoying sometimes.

- Power plan changing back to Power Save. This happens sometimes, and the problem is that I usually like the computer to "To do nothing" when I close the lid. Sometimes it changes the power plan all by himself and it sleeps when I close the lid.

-Dead Leds, ok, this is no a minor problem... I have one or two black tiny spots on the display, I contacted Samsung and I think I can have it exchanged. The problem is that to be a week without the computer can kill my job.. don't know what to do here. The dots are pretty small, but I feel like I should not learn to live with it. (Sorry, now that I write it up sounds more like a personal problem, =\ )

-Loosy lid (?) I don't know if it's a real problem, the lid is kinda loose for angles smaller then 90. Maybe is just like that, I'm just concerned.

-Windows Update. The Windows 8.1 Update pack #KB2919355 mass up with the scale and resolution of the display... I tried it twice (since it's a big package with a lot of security stuff) but it screws it up every time. Anyone with the same problem?

Well, that's it. Sorry If they are usual questions.

Thanks in advance...

 

Hello MattFCS, welcome to NBR.

I don't have the AB9+ myself, so on many of these issues I will have to defer to other owners here.

But on the question of power plans, I would say it sounds like you may be running in Silent Mode if the Power Saver plan keeps kicking in. In Settings (Fn-F1) make sure Silent Mode is set to OFF, since it will keep the computer running at very slow speed.

This is a classic gotcha for many Samsung owners. See this post earlier in the thread for more info on Samsung power management.

If you have hardware defects such as dead pixels and mechanical issues, I would get Samsung to repair them (or replace the unit) as soon as possible, even though I understand it's a hassle. Do you have another laptop you can use temporarily? You could also ask Best Buy, particularly if you bought warranty from them. But the sooner after purchase, the more likely they will have flexible options for you.

 

Thanks!

This sounds like correct! I've never heard about this feature, but I'm using it in Silent Mode since the beginning and this can be the reason. I'll try it for some days and see if it kick back in.

It is always a time problem. Right now it's hard even to get the phone and call Samsung, I'll figure out some way to do it.

 

Last night, I accidentally dropped my notebook and it made a big scratch on the touchscreen panel
Would it be difficult to replace the touchscreen panel on my own? I have no idea how to take it out.
Maybe it is better to get Samsung to do the repair.

 

Oh, one other problem to to the list:

- The touchpad. I use, a lot, the touchpad gestures. But everytime I use a Virtual Machine (I'm using FermiLinux in a VirtualBox) the right swipe stops working. Is this expected? The Left swipe never stopped. One other thing.. sometimes if I'm using the internet really really much (like uploading all my 40k of songs to google play) the touchpad gets really crazy... only with me?

 

Funny as I was uninstalling programs that I loaded, Up pops some SW updates. One which is a Touchpad update.
So now I am looking to see if that works before I bring this baby back.

As far as the "secret" Control panel, I'm not that Tech savvy to try.
But I'm willing to see if this update helps out.

Believe it or not, at the moment, the touchpad sensitivity is on High. and no mixed words "YET"