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

All the more reason why you should try to get redress on the wtty claim, if you still think it should be eligible. Look forward to your replies. We're here for you

 

Sorry, did not know that. usually it's pretty straightforward, but I haven't repaired a Samsung. I have disassembled my unit to an extent but not enough to get down to the keyboard.

 

I tried all the options in the Samsung setting panel and in the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel, but the issue seems to remain. As the other user mentioned, the Intel control panel used to have an option to disable "Display Power Saving Technology", but the option seems to have been removed (probably as part of an update). The drivers on my laptop are fully up to date according to the Samsung SW Update software. If anyone has any insight please let me know. Thanks.

 

Struggling to defeat Adaptive Brightness (assuming that is what's causing your problem) is a classic Samsung discipline. Try searching this thread for Adaptive Brightness (use the Search box in the top-right corner and select Search this thread only) and you'll see what I mean. There is also the classic, and appropriately named thread linked below:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...riving-me-nuts-unable-to-disable-help.636721/

I suggest you use the Find Model feature in SW Update download the latest version of Samsung Settings (which is probably not the one it automatically offers you), then uninstall and re-install it. Make sure to reboot before re-installing and reboot twice afterwards (some features don't kick in on first reboot). You will need to redo any tweaks to your power profiles after this.

Check the thread linked before for more information, including which models have the latest Settings version (as of a few weeks ago).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/settings-easy-settings-what-you-need-to-know.729139/

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I used the Find Model feature but was a bit confused by the results. Some of the driver versions I have installed (e.g., graphics card, wireless lan, settings, etc) have higher version numbers than the list given using the Find Model feature (I have a NP940X3G-K05US). My Settings version is 2.2.0.18, but the Find Model feature says it should be 2.2.0.15. Is it possible that the lists provided by the Find Model feature are outdated or are the smarts in SW Update just not good enough? I'm thinking about rolling back to the graphics card driver version listed in the Find Model feature.[/url]

 

You use the Find Model feature to look up drivers for other models that are more up-to-date, since Samsung tends to stop updating models in its database not long after their release. Newer Settings versions are backwards compatible with older models.

The thread I linked has information about where in SW Update to find the latest version of Settings. Check the update links in post #2. Or just the last page of the thread.

 

I rolled back the graphics driver to the one I found in the Find Model feature. I'm pretty sure it's the same driver that was installed originally when I bought it. Anyways, the "Display Power Saving Technology" toggle reappeared in the Intel Graphics Control Panel. I disabled it and voila the problem was fixed. Not sure why this feature was removed. I'll be careful in the future with my driver updates and not just automatically updating what SW Update says I should. Thanks for your help!

 

Yea, it's definitely not the adaptive brightness settings as Dannemand mentioned. It's the option you mentioned being removed for some reason. I actually reached out to Intel to find out if there was a work around because I believe the change was not limited to Samsung laptops, but I honestly don't remember for sure. Anyways, they weren't really too helpful and I just kind of gave up on finding a solution. Your best bet as far as I can tell is to just stick with the previous driver version if you want to disable that feature.

 

@obsidian_octagon: Good job fixing it.

Indeed, it is strange why Samsung would push a newer Intel driver through SW Update that breaks brightness control. I am still curious if newer Settings versions might fix it too by overriding the block introduced by the Intel driver. Settings has a LOT of hardware wiring inside and reaches its tentacles into many Windows and device settings.

But now that it's working, I would follow @Bbmaster91's advice and leave it alone

 

I uninstalled the Samsung supplied Intel driver and installed the latest one from Intel. I use power profiles to disable adaptive brightness, and brightness controls on keyboard work fine. Then again I also have a clean windows installation. I mainly did it because I wanted to create custom resolutions which wasn't an option with the Samsung drivers.

 

eDrive anyone?


I have changed from my 256 GB Samsung SSD to a crucial M550 M.2 512 GB last week because I wanted to have more HD capacity.

I have not noticed a higher power consumption (it was and is about 8 W) but an increase of writing speed.

After installing the crucial (very easy) I started a new installation of Windows 8.1 because the crucial is recognized as eDrive and I wanted to try the fast BitLocker encryption. But unfortunately, even after a fresh installation, BitLocker is not making use of the hardware encryption. I have the latesed BIOS version installed.

Does anybody knows if the 940X3G supports UEFI version 2.3.1 and has the EFI_STORAGE_SECURITY_COMMAND_PROTOCOL defined?

Maybe not, so the eDrive function will not work on our machines. I have followed the procedure from here: http://www.ckode.dk/desktop-machines/how-to-enable-windows-edrive-encryption-for-ssds/


I restored my system backup and everything works fine except when I try to encrypt the system drive with Bitlocker: BitLocker asks only for a passphrase and is not giving the option to generate a USB startup stick. I have also changed back the BIOS settings to be able to boot from USB sticks. (edit: I could solve this by using at cmd promt: manage-bde -on C: -sk F:\) Still strange that this option is not anymore availible at the BiLocker gui).

Since this behavior is wired, I checked for errors with Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and found that my system is running fine and error free.

Any clues?

 

The head of one of the screws for the bottom panel has worn out when I tried to open it up and change the hard drive. Any pointer to where I can find the exact type of replacement screws?

 

You may be lucky at http://www.samsungparts.com/partslist.aspx?Catalog=Parts_and_Accessories&Category=NP940X3GK05US

 

Hi,
Samsung Ativ book9 plus NP940X3G-K05US owner.
Anyone having trouble with the trackpad of this model? 2/3rd of the upper left area is dead and I have to restart PC or reset driver.
It appears that finger 2 is being sensed even when I'm not touching the trackpad. ( sometimes it maybe more than just one finger being sensed by the trackpad). And also shows that trackpad has been pressed.
Then I have to reset driver to get it all back to normal.
My drivers have all been up to date. I have tried uninstalling and re-installing trackpad driver but this doesn't solve the problem completely. It happens sometimes and then I have to restart again or reset driver.
Anyone else have this problem?

http://postimg.org/image/qxfr0mhs3/

 

Abdul, the trackpad is a common source of problems with the 940x3.

 

Abdul, if it's still under warranty, return it to Samsung. I had the same issue, and it seems as if it has very little to do with the driver. It's an electrical issue involving the touchpad. I tried numerous uninstalls and reinstalls of the drivers after dealing with Samsung tech support. Finally I told the guy that I was sending it in. Via UPS tracking, it arrived at around 10 am to the factory and it was on it's way back to me by 3 pm the same day. When it arrived, there was a note stating that an electrical part had been replaced. The fact that the fix itself took only a few hours gives me the notion that Samsung knows what's causing the issue. They really should have either recalled it, or agreed to fix every touchpad issue that any buyer had. That being said, I still believe that the Ativ Book 9 Plus is, in my opinion, the best ultrabook out there now.

 

Israel, try this:

• Go to C:\Program Files\NetBeans 8.0\etc\netbeans.conf
• Open file with Notepad or some other text editor.
  
• Find the line -J-Dsun.java2d.dpiaware=true and change it to -J-Dsun.java2d.dpiaware=false
• Save the file
• Restart Netbeans

 

It's still a minority of these units that have trackpad problems, which are, as clearly stated here, are easily remedied. This is, indeed, pretty much the finest made Ultrabook on the market. I turned down an offer to buy mine for a $300 profit shortly after I bought it. A year later and there is nothing on the market I would trade it for - and I have owned or tried them all!

 

Now that I've praised the NP940X3G to the stars, I have to report a problem with mine! This is a strange one and let me be clear at the outset that it deals solely with the behavior of the machine when running Firefox - I have no problems of this nature (see below) nor any at all except when running in Firefox.

The problem at hand is with graphics presentation, and it is not related in any way to scaling issues. What happens is that every 2 days or so a plethora of problem occur in which, for example, graphical icons disappear and are replaced with text to mark the location where graphics usually are on the Google search page, on the Gmail home page, on the NBR pages (personal avatars are not shown, only a "marker" that a graphical icon is missing. There are a number of other problems that occur at the same time in various programs. After trying just about everything to remedy this. EG, Fresh Start of Firefox - works, removes all add ons and plug ins and restores graphical presentation to normal but doesn't provide opportunity to determine which, if any, add ons or plug ins seem to be the cause; as I replace each one, everything stays the same and nothing brings about the recreation of the problem presentation that I'm referring to. As a workaround, I simply keep creating restore points when, after installing the latest round of Windows Updates, then performing a Fresh Start in Firefox, everything is working as it should and, the next time things spontaneously (cannot identify condition precedent to the problem occurring), I restore back to the last time everything was working well. What's important is to keep creating restore points after I install any new programs or Windows Update processes so that when the screwy graphics occur, I can restore back to the most recent state when everything was working well and everything was installed. While this works as a workaround, it strikes me as entirely unnecessary and I would simply abandon Firefox - I have no such problems with any other browser, nor with Firefox on any other computer (all of which are running W8.1 and have Core i5 or, in the case of this Samsung, core i7 and 8GB RAM - but Firefox has been my mainstay for at least 5 years.

Any thoughts? Anyone else have similar experience? I know this sounds trivial, but I have been a Firefox devotee for many years and really find my style cramped using any other browser. Thank you very much. Jeff.

 

I debated getting the Broadwell version of this ATIV Book 9 Plus but ended up getting the Haswell version with the Core I7 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It was brand new but in an unsealed box from Micro Max Computer's eBay listing. It was $1079.00 with free shipping. This ultrabook is amazing.

 

so, my screen wont turn on, blue light turns on but nothing happen, no noise, nothing... I can't even find a battery pin hole to try battery reset... since it's out of warranty I'd rather do what I can before get the usual "change the motherboard" for $500

 

You don't necessarily need to read my entire previous post (above) but I would be so grateful if sgomeone could help me find a solution to Firefox graphics going haywire (most graphics missing - even the Google logo on the search page) (some text overwriting (Gmail Sender list - only). Problem appears every 3-4 times I use FF (I think it happens even if I leave it launched and just return to it 3-4 times, don't need to re-launch.) Thing is, of 4 computers I use regularly, only my 9+ does this, and it doesn't do it on any other browser. My best workaround is to constantly set restore points after each Windows Update, then restore when it goes haywire. I love FF and have been addicted to it and its addons for years. Have tried restoring FF (w/no Addons or Plugins) and gradually adding, but everything works with all my addons and Plugins (about 5 each) but all goes nuts again in a couple of more uses.

****I would be so, so grateful if someone could lend a hand here. Thanks. ******

 

I would suggest you start by reading through the various threads relating to unbricking Samsung notebooks (start here). Perhaps UEFI sneezed and caused everything to stop.

I wonder if Firefox is somehow corrupting itself and I presume you have tried clearing its cache. The next step would be to create a backup of all the bookmarks and other settings (as if you were going to transfer to a new computer) and do a full uninstall and clean up before reinstalling. I'm going to have to try this procedure for myself because I'm also an FF user and have lost functionality on one website on one computer.

John

 

Thanks much John. When you say you have lost functionality on one website on one computer, is the one computer a Samsung (which?) Does your experience in any way resemble my description? regardless, I have tried all of the suggestions you made above, but to no avail. Let me say, it is a great feeling to know that you are on the case - for your own need!

 

My FF problem is on my Dell E7440. I don't think either of our FF problems are related to the brand of the computer.

John

 

I think my FF problem has gone away by itself. Possibly the consequence of FF updating itself to 38.0.1.

John

 

Anyone interested in buying my ATB9+? It's the i5 with 8gb/128gb. It's in perfect condition with installed keyboard stickers.

I'm selling for $999 O.B.O. Let me know and I'll send you pics and give you more details.

 

Hey all,
So I’ve had my NP940X3G for 11 months now, so I still have one month left in my warranty. When I first got the laptop, it was awesome, no problems at all. However, about 7 months ago (very roughly) something downloaded from the Samsung SW update that made my unit much louder (fan noise). I “fixed” the issue by changing over to the balanced power plan. It’s still loud when plugged in, but ok when it’s unplugged. Well, about 2 months ago I heard a “grinding” noise coming from one of the fans it was spinning up. It stopped, and didn’t happen again for about a week. I opened the case, nothing in the fan, but cleaned it anyways. The problem went away until about 2 weeks ago, the grinding has happened twice since then. It's always short, but obviously worrisome.

I contacted Samsung, who have thus far been absolutely useless and want me to reinstall some display driver over and over (literally – three times) despite me telling them it was a fan issue. I had to end the phone call to get back to work.

I’ve looked through this thread and have seen a few posts about fan noise, but none (that I found) had definitive answers.
So I was wondering, is it possible to just replace the fan on these units? Also, does anyone have any idea what downloaded from SW Update that suddenly made my unit 2-3x louder than it was prior to the update?

Thanks!

 

Fortunately for me I haven't had that issue yet. If you are that close to the end of your warranty, simply TELL them that you are sending it to them to investigate the problem. I had an issue with the touchpad, and they did the same thing to me. Having me uninstall and reinstall drivers repeatedly. Finally I demanded a ticket number and sent it in. Ended up being an electrical issue that had to be repaired on their end. Be forceful with them! Good luck!

 

You do realize it's $1100 new on amazon. You can post in the marketplace.

 

Thanks for the reply! I still haven't resolved the issue with Samsung yet, I told them I was going to mail it to them, but they wouldn't give me any of the ticket/rma information. I even asked to get escalated and was told I'd get a call back, which of course didn't happen. I think a lot of the confusion [on their end] seems to stem from the fact that their automatic tech support system (and likely their tech flowcharts) don't have any options about fans.

Unfortunately I've been traveling a lot for work lately and at this point I'm not even sure I'd be able to send in the unit as I critically need it for work until literally right after the warranty is up.

I'll probably just end up biting the bullet and trying to figure something out. Stuff like this always seems to happen at the worst of times, haha.

 

I believe if you have started the ticket before the warranty is up, they are obliged to repair it.

 

Wondering if anyone can help me. I purchase this notebook 1 year and 1 month ago and it has decided to give up. I switched it on and the login screen appeared (Windows 8.1). I cleaned the screen with a cloth (wasn't pressing hard) and as I did, the screen went off. I assumed I must have pressed some combination of things on the touch screen that made it go off, so I held the power down to switch it off. Switched it on again, the power lights appear but nothing at all on the screen. I can plug it into a monitor and it works fine. I can't get to the bios using the plugged in monitor which is a little annoying as I wanted to reset everything to factory settings. I have reinstalled Windows, but obviously this isn't looking like a regular driver issue. I'm losing hope that it's anything that I can fix. A little annoyed as I look after my equipment very well, so didn't expect this to happen so soon. Is there anything I can try that might bring it back to life? I've thought about leaving it on and de-charging the battery to see if that resets anything. Any help would be most welcome as I run a web development business and life without a laptop is not easy! Many thanks in advance.

 

Is the display totally dead or, under the right lighting, can you see a feint image on the screen? This would indicate a backlight problem (which is very rare since the introduction of LED backlighting).

One thing you can check is where the cable for the internal display connects to the mainboard. To do this you will have to remove the bottom of the computer and identify the cable that passes through the hinge. It is also possible that the problem is at the other end of the cable. However, most modern display units are glued together and not made for convenience of disassembly and repair.

John

 

Hi John, thanks for your message. I've just taken it into a dark room and checked the lighting. The screen is completely black, much the same as if the laptop is switched off entirely. I'm going to have another look at the cable from the motherboard. I looked last night, but maybe another look may help. I'm thinking that something may have become dislodged as I cleaned the screen (but this process was applying even less pressure than if I was using the touch screen). Will report back with my findings.

 

Had another look and can see the motherboard connection (wire goes into the screen hinge), but as you said it looks glued and is covered in tape. I've tried pushing it in more and watched the screen as I did it to see if anything flickered. Still completely dead unfortunately. I imagine it's going to be time for a new laptop. I've emailed Samsung to see what they suggest, but I imagine as it's out of warranty I'm going to find it tricky.

 

So the problem may be within the display. Replacing the complete display will be cheaper than buying a new computer (the current computer is still usable with an external monitor). I think this part is probably a complete display + display back + hinges but is somewhat expensive. You can search for other sources using the part number.

John

 

I am right there with you man, and it is getting bad. I feel like I am torturing the computer running a YouTube video or with a few chrome tabs open. It just gets so hot and the fans get very loud. I am scared I am gonna cause some damage.

 

You really need to call, escalate to the highest supervisor you can get, demand that they give you an RMA for a return and tell them you want either a fully refurbished and tested replacement or do all of this with yours. None of this running it on quiet mode or on battery to get the fan to stop making noises and no having to plug into a monitor to get it to work. Don't even mention any of this if you can avoid it. You want to send this in and get a virtually brand new one - refurbished is better than new, because a human being had to test each major area of operation. Don't accept any BS from them! These machines are tanks and should not be broken down in 11 months!

 

What happened to the 15" version price and inventory?

I was just about to pull the trigger on a 15.6" I7 256 version from B&H and overnight it went " discontinued" and all across the web the price for this version went from $1500US to nearly $2000.

Is something else coming along or has Samsung decided not to make this anymore?

 

Hi all,

Has anyone swapped out or repaired their right sub board? the one with the wifi card and usb on that side. This one is dead.

Anything I can check to test if it's still functional? thanks!

 

I don't know, but the supply chain for samsung laptops has been tenuous for the past year so it's possible. It is too early for a skylake refresh and seeming too late for broadwell. I really feel like the 15" haswell refresh was a missed opportunity for samsung (no matte!?! high price), along with their product line of late. If they put a fraction of the effort into selling laptops that they do tablets and phones, they might do better in the market, just saying. Of course, with the issues I've been having with my X3B (and others that keep this forum active), I'm not even sure I would recommend the brand anymore. The 15" was a unique option in the market though. You may try contacting B&H for additional information...

 

So I'm planning on sending my ativ book to Samsung to repair the TouchPad problem. However, I changed my ssd to a bigger storage and I'm not sure what their attitude is towards customizations like that. Should I still send it? I have a warranty for it by the way.

 

It is always advisible to restore the hardware configuration to that supplied by the manufacturer to remove the potential for the service people to blame the defect (touchpad in your case) on the user causing damage when they opened up the computer. Also, putting back the original SSD avoids the risk of the service people trashing your files when they restore the factory Windows installation to check that the problem is not caused by software.

John

 

Okay when I put on the new ssd, i noticed the laptop had a flat object stuck below the port for the ssd and I had to take it off because the new ssd would not fit in the port. When you take off the flat thing it sort of breaks, but i have a feeling it was there to hold the original ssd in place. Should i still send it back? I dont think they're going to remove the original ssd but still. I'm a little weary.

 

I assume that your replacement SSD had chips on both sides. That flat object would be a spacer / support for a single-sided M.2 card.

If the missing space can't easily be seen without removing the SSD (which the service people have no reason to do) then I wouldn't worry about its absence. They are much more likely to notice if the SSD isn't the original.

John

 

has anyone upgraded this laptop to windows 10? Any problems that I should know of before I jump to win10?

 

I have. It runs well on it so far, and makes me actually enjoy using the touchscreen more.

One issue I did have on the day before yesterday was the fan suddenly started running constantly and the laptop became warm, which I have hardly have happen much. Turns out it appeared to have gotten hung during the indexing of files. Possibly a result of the update to Windows 10. I noticed the Windows search filter host was using about 50% of the CPU. I killed it in Task Manager, and immediately, the fan stopped spinning.

It doesn't appear to be an issue with the laptop. It's just one of those bugs that some people get, but others never see. There's some information regarding this issue here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...y/bae4c974-5b47-4ab2-b17d-c599853f00f1?auth=1

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

no issues with missing drivers? Did you do a clean install or an upgrade? I feel like doing a clean install since win8 is giving me some issues lately.

 

No driver issue as of yet. The Samsung software on Ativ had an update a day or so before the Windows 10 launch. It's possible that they may have included driver updates in this in preparation for Windows 10.

I did the upgrade instead of the clean install. I wasn't having any Win 8 issues with it other than the fact that having to go from normal desktop to Metro in order to get to my programs was REALLY annoying.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk