2013 Series 7 chronos / Ativ Book 8 15" owner's lounge (NP770Z5E / NP780Z5E / NP870Z5E / NP880Z5E)

I actually wrote a very extensive response for you here after last time you asked, but I think you missed it.

In short, I DON'T believe you can make a bootable backup of your factory image, unless you have a 32GB USB stick. And even if you are able to create it, you may not be able to restore it. However, I DID describe an elaborate procedure that only requires a small USB stick (to create a so-called USB Admin Tool) and the rest goes on an external HDD.

Either way will the backup consist of your factory image (a number of of files called init.wcl, init.w01 etc) plus the files and folders making up the Recovery Software. As I also describe in that post, you can save a partition image of that USB stick in order to free up the stick for other uses. But just copying/restoring the files alone will not preserve it as a bootable and self-contained Recovery backup.

I think John answered your other questions already. I particularly like his advice regarding (3) to preserve even the Windows partition on the original HDD, in case the F4 link is broken somehow. That said, if you SHOULD have a situation where you are unable to F4 boot an (otherwise intact) Recovery, you can add it to your WIndows boot menu as described in this post. Of course that still requires a running Windows -- although it can be any temporary Win7 or 8, not necessarily the original installation.

Just curious: Did you get your PC yet or are you still shopping?

 

Hi Dannemand, I actually saw your answer but clearly I didn't understand it Anyway I should apologize since I didn't even remember about it, sorry. I guess I'm gonna live with that and buy that damn USB stick I really can't justify such a hassle for saving 30-40 €
Thank you again for taking the time to answer so extensively, hope someone else here with more skills than me will benefit from that!

I'm still without laptop but not for long: in my country the ATIV Book 8 seems to be already available in a couple of sites, I just wanted to wait a week or two to see if some other shops come out with a lower price

 

@alfling: Cool, no problem. Fortunately there IS a much simpler answer: The one described on the opening page of this thread. But I am 99% sure it DOES require that 32GB stick

Edit: If you can borrow a 32GB stick from someone, that should work: You only need to use it once to clone onto the SSD. If you have imaging software (Acronis, Paragon etc) you can save an image of the 32GB stick in case you ever need it again. And you still have your original HDD if all fails.

 

Have you looked at recent prices? 32GB flash drives are nearer €20. It's definitely the safest route. The biggest challenge will be remembering where you put the flash drive. I suggest keeping it with the documents which come with the computer.

John

 

Thank you so much for your very elaborate, well-written and helpful posts. +(my measly amount of )rep when I can.

Not having the bloatware is great, I'd rather have a clean install, great suggestion! I only use microsoft security essentials as anti-virus. I'm not too fond of losing my programs though. I am on the computer a lot and use a lot of programs that take a lot of time to install and configure properly. It seems that I'm having some corrupt visual c++ libraries. That seems to be the problem why I can't run 3Dmark 11&13 in 64bit and some other issues. I also have extremely high disk usage. I uninstalled and reinstalled most programs and uninstalled most bloatware like you suggested in the kernel latency posts but that did not fix either of those problems so far. Probably something with those .NET updates indeed.

I'm having exams in the following weeks so a windows refresh will probably have to wait until after that. I'll definitely let you know.

 

Thanks for the feedback, pranktank, I appreciate that. (Don't worry about the rep power, mine is measly too, it takes a long time and thousands of posts to build it.)

Based on your description, I think you're right it could be a C++ redistributable error. You could try and uninstall them: Whatever app fails after that is the one that needs to be re-installed. I seem to remember that Samsung's Intel ME package installs C++ redistributables -- but I'm not 100%.

Anyways, I'm glad to hear you have your priorities straight: Get through exam, don't be too distracted here. No doubt you'll be missed if you're gone for a few weeks, but the forum will still be here when you get back. Fingers crossed for your exams

 

I have received my Ativ Book 8! I am probably one of the first few to get a hand on these beast. For those who are interested, you can view some of the photos here in the discussion thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...es-7-chronos-amd-hd8870m-556.html#post9200815

Cheers!

 

Can you please check the hw id of your screen?

 

Congrats on your new toy. I checked the pics you posted in the other thread, it looks gorgeous.

Also, I would like to commend you for your forum discipline: Posting your pictures and impressions in the Intro thread (where there's already lots of comments) and posting only a brief pointer in this Owners Lounge (which was designated by the OP for problems and solutions). I like that!

 

Is there any way to tell what's consuming power? I can't seem to get the system running below 15W even on power saver with silent mode, and according to HWiNFO, the processor is using only 5 of that (if I'm reading it right). I used to run around 10-11 when I first got it, so I suspect some driver hullabaloo...

 

If you like HWiNFO, you might give SIV (System Information Viewer) a try: SIV - System Information Viewer

I'ts a bit like HWiNFO on steroids. It may not nail down the power issue but will definitely give you more information.

-Matt

 

5% CPU utilisation is quite high for low usage operation.

1. Which version of HWiNFO? There was a recent issue with HWiNFO increasing power consumption because it was polling the GPU but this is now fixed.

2. To see what is cumulatively using the CPU: Open up Task Manager, go to the Processes Tab, select Show Processes from All Users, View > Select Columns > Select CPU time then click on the heading for the CPU time to rank the processes by CPU time.

3. WiFi, Bluetooth, devices connected to USB and the display backlight all use power.

John

 

5 watts, not 5%. So there was 10W of unaccounted power drain.

HWiNFO version is 4.16-1900. I did check the CPU usage but it was all system processes. The laptop was in airplane mode when I was checking, the screen was dimmed to lowest, and no devices were connected.

Oddly enough, I just pulled the plug out and it was showing 10-12 W drain...so I guess it was running updates or something, maybe?

 

Today I tested the Thermaltake Toughpower 120W PSU.
First thing is, it doesn't come with a fitting plug for the samsung
So I jumped over my shadow ^^ and have cut off the plug from the original PSU and connected it with the Thermaltake via spade connectors known for lamps.
Its not the most beautiful solution, but it works.
Im only using the laptop stationary so for me it's not a problem.
The Thermaltake is also quite heavy - not good for people who carry it around.
Overclocking got up to 940 / 1380 MHz without crashing and a nice 4100 score in 3D Mark 11.
Im running it now at 930 / 1350 MHz for secure operation in games.
104 Watts was the highest power draw that my meter has shown.

My other laptop with the Nvidia GT650m graphics got overclocked to about 2400 Points in 3D Mark 11, so its nearly double of performance of this already nice gaming card.

I can say im very pleased with the gaming performance of this thin and beautiful laptop and can easily live with it the next two years ^^

One thing I don't like is the sporadically throttling of CPU cores to 1200 MHz once the graphics card and cpu are used at the same time.
I read that others have mentioned this problem also before - is there a solution yet for this problem ?

 

Got my Ativ Book 8 (880Z5E-X01 - Touch/Black/1TB/8GB) earlier this week.

After reading Black83 tips on how to get the back cover off i upgraded the 1TB HDD to a 500GB Samsung SSD. After adding an extra 8GB and getting Widows 8 reinstalled its lightning fast!

But getting the cover off was a bit of a pain...

 

I picked up one in a high street shop for the equivalent of only €10.

 

Thank you .

I don't have the time right now for a fresh install. I did uninstall all Visual C++ Redistributable though but the problem persists .

 

Hello everyone, this is my first notebook and I have a question regarding the lack of stretching with non-native resolutions.

I'm trying to see if running certain games in at a 720 resolution will give me a few more frames than 1080, however it does not stretch and instead gives me black borders top, button, and sides. As far as I can tell this is an issue with the Intel 4000 onboard but I'm not sure how to disable it. In the advanced options for the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel there is a dropdown list for scaling but the only option is "Maintain Display Scaling".

Is there a way to force it to stretch to whatever lower resolution I set it, or am I stuck with 1080p?

 

Guys, I'd like to try to install the latest intel wifi drivers, but I don't want to mess it up, so..

Where do I uninstall the previous drivers from?

After that, can I reboot and install the drivers only? Which difference is there between the drivers only and the complete package, linked a couple of pages ago? I only want to install the essential stuff..

In case of worsened performance, can I roll back to the old drivers by just uninstalling the new ones and running the setup of the old ones, which I previously exported from SW Update? Cheers!


Also, can I safely uninstall Samsung Help Desk and Samsung User guide?

 

Please, can you tell us the hw id of your monitor?

 

He mentioned it in the discussion thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=9201943

Edit: whoops it's not the same ativ book 8 owner, sorry!

 

OK, I've done something silly. I deleted the wifi adapter driver thinking I had a copy of 15.6.0 - the only one I have had any success with. However, I in fact have only saved 15.6.1 and 15.8.0, both of which have worked very badly on this machine.

Does anyone know of a source for 15.6.0, or an earlier driver?

 

Great to know the laptop takes advantage of the bigger PSU. And 4100? Man, this laptop is a beast!

I too have some cores @1,2GHz sometimes but I can't find a cause nor a solution.

Hmm strange. In my case 3Dmark11 crashes if i go above 930/1375. It shows an error that apperantly is typical for an unsufficient powersupply . I have a 120W psu so that should be more than enough.

Could you please try to run the 32bit version 3Dmark11? That might be causing it for me. 64bit doesn't work for me because of some c++ issues.

 

Here there are: Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software — Intel® PROSet/ Wireless Software Downloads

 

Its "MS_9003"

 

Thx, I think that the panel is the same, since somewhere I read that also on some chronos there was ms panel. I think it's just a software id ms (afaik it stands for Microsoft).

 

Maybe a branded psu like thermaltake helped better...

 

Could be a difference. But my 120W psu should definitely be able to provide 104W.

 

It may be an issue with the game rather than the drivers - XCOM runs stretched on 1600x900 for me, and the performance is a lot better than full HD.

 

My chronos shows the same hardware ID for the display.

 

So i decided to take a break and fix some issues by using the windows reset feature. I hoped for a clean install but this took 4-5 hours and I now have all the bloatware this laptop used to come with . I recommend the 'refresh' feature since it keeps your files, restores less bloat and is way faster.

 

I suggest to you to buy a ssd and proceed with a fresh install.

 

OMG that's my fault!

In my last response to you, I MEANT to suggest you try the Refresh feature -- and said so in the text; but I incorrectly highlighted the Remove everything and reinstall Windows function in the screenshot (instead of Refresh your PC without affecting your files just above). If I hadn't included that screenshot (or made it with my eyes open) all would've been fine.

I am terribly sorry, pranktank. Of course I'll correct that post right away and include a corrected screenshot. But you already wasted valuable time on this mistake. I apologize

 

I will but I need to save a bit first. SSD's aren't cheap. Definitely not in the 500gb range.

 

No problem at all . No worries. As I said I'm studying so I didn't need the computer while it was doing the reset. I made a backup because I knew I was going to lose my files. It did solve the issues I had and my disk usage seems much lower now.

It's not your fault at all. I first did the refresh thing like you suggested but I decided to try a full disk wipe because I wanted to start clean. So I did the reset feature directly after it. For now I only uninstalled a bit of bloatware which only took a few minutes and I installed some school programs. I already have everything I need the next month installed again. I did not lose any valuable time at all.

 

Thank you very much. That is a useful like. I thought it must exist but was struggling to find it.

 

But note that the list does not currently include the 15.8 driver that was released less than two weeks ago and then disappeared less than two week ago. That's the version which, for me, provided noticeable performance improvements.

John

 

@pranktank

crashing @ your clocks shouldnt be the cause of your psu.
its just your graphics chip which cant take more without overvolting.
My clocks are only 5 MHz higher than yours, that doesnt really matter because it may be only 1 percentage more performance, which doesnt count...
Tomb Raider is working totally nice at almost everything at ultra settings.
Just disable TressFX for Hair and Tesselation and it rund mostly at 30-40 frames at FullHD.
Nice gaming Laptop

 

It's a great gaming laptop. Very pleased with it. Playing BF3 maxed out except for msaa at 1080p at 40fps is awesome!

I'm just a bit jealous of your 4000+ 3Dmark score I can't get over 3900. Thanks for the info.

 

Did you set max performance (not just optimized performance) when on psu in ati powerplay settings?

 

Whereas it has been a disaster for me, which is odd. I am finally back to 15.6.0.19 which was previously the only one with which I had usable performance. However, my top tip for that Intel data base is this - the downloads do not load the drivers they claim to on the website or judging from their file names. Particularly, the one promising to load 15.6.0 actually gave me an early version of 15.6.1. To get 15.6.0 I needed to download the one calling itself 15.5.7.

 

Intel bundles several different drivers for different devices into their packages, none of those physical drivers are usually exactly the same version number as the package.

Package 15.6.0 was notorious for doing nothing: Many of us installed it, then John discovered it didn't actually update the driver. Then came package 15.6.1 which DID work and properly updated the driver.

I think the reason they pulled 15.8.0 was (again) because of bugs in the installer: Only a Win8 package was released (*De64.exe) but it installs in Win7 -- even if you abort installation when Windows complains about inability to verify the driver. Of course as John found, again, that Win8 driver actually works fine in WIn7. Go figure

 

I'm looking to buy a 24 inch monitor for my 770Z5E and spend several hours searching:

Is it compatible with resolution 1920x1200 over HDMI?

Would be very grateful for a clearification if somone knows.

 

When will the 780Z5E oder Ativ Book 8 be available in germany?

 

So, I've got this lap tray USB fan thing, that I got to help cool down my macbook.

Putting it under the Chronos has the fan sitting right under the vent and fan that's on the bottom of the laptop. I figure it's probably a bad idea to set two fans blowing against each other, but I can't tell if the laptop's fan is blowing out or sucking in to blow air out past the screen. It looks like I could open the lap tray and turn the fan upside down if I had to.

Anybody have any recommendations?

 

It is sucking in air through the bottom and blowing it out at the screen.

 

If you have a full-size HDMI port, I can almost guarantee you that 1920x1200 should be no problem. I use an 8 years old 1920x1200 HP monitor through HDMI-DVI on my NP700Z3A. I cannot imagine you would have any problems on this newer model. BTW, see this thread for a similar discussion.

I recently learned in this post from John that Samsung models with micro-HDMI ports are limited to 1920x1080. But I don't believe that would be a problem on your model.

 

Excellent, I shall persevere with it, then. The lap tray fan is a good deal quieter than the system one, especially since it's just spinning constantly, not powering up and down.

Might come in handy for future power supply / overclocking fun.

 

Is anyone else having strange graphic glitches while using metro apps? While scrolling the page/moving the mouse around, portions of the screen become black and it's almost impossible to use that particular app since buttons and images disappear/go black. It happens with almost any metro app I have! What can it be?????



Here's an example: you can see all those black borders, and also, while I was taking the screenshot, fewer buttons were visible. Most of them came back on the screenshot only...

help!


the black flickerings occur during Solidworks usage too!! While rotating a part, the image (on the object's position) flickers a bit, showing something like a black flash... What the..? i'm not using overclock! And I'm on AC power.

 

What are the drivers? Beta 13.5 or stock ones?