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

I see that SW Update auto-installed the touchpad driver, but where can I find
SystemSoftware\Elan_TP_Win8_Pre Install 11.7.2.1_WHQL\X64 folder you described?

 

If ETDAniConf.exe isn't already copied to the Elan programs folder, you'll have to save the driver package locally, using the Export feature in SW Update, and pull it from there.

Sorry to be so terse, on my phone now (Tapatalk). And checking out for the day

 

You might remember how I said I completely fixed my disable touchpad when typing problem by putting Palm tracking to minimum. Well after my SSD switch and reinstallation, that no longer seems to be the case. Sometimes I can use the touchpad while typing, sometimes I can't. I set the DisableWhenType_Enable registry entry to 0, but that hasn't helped. It's really really strange because it seems to work and not work at random. Any ideas?

EDIT: So after awhile of messing around in the Registry with DisableWhileType_Enable and DisableWhenType_Move, I discovered some registry files through google that completely solved my problem.
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-tips-reviews/1084245-tutorial-elan-touchpad-disable-palm.html

This was of course after I manually downloaded the touchpad drivers through SW Update and installed them, so I might have messed everything up in the process. But so far those registry files have fixed my problem completely. Not sure exactly what it did but it's working.

 

This is the easiest way to do it. I'm unsure why people are using a 32 GB usb to make a bootable disk when the procedure works perfectly fine through a USB enclosure and Samsungs Recovery program. I cloned my HDD to SSD this way, and everything is working perfectly including F4 for recovery and all drivers, etc. I'd recommend using this procedure, as you should be getting a USB enclosure to put your HDD in anyway.

 

I've got my system from bestbuy (chronos 7) and been trying to clean it up with some of the posts here. Any good way to benchmark performance? 1080p video samples seem to play without hiccups. Windows experience index is 5.9 (though I couldn't get it to run on the 8770 card instead of the hd4000)

Any other ways to check/benchmark performance? Also does the chronos 7 have another memory slot free?

 

You absolutely have both options. Let me quote this from an earlier post instead of linking:

It is true that more users here have chosen the USB backup. I tend to recommend that one too, because, in addition to accomplishing the immediate goal of cloning onto a new SSD, it provides a self-contained, bootable "Recovery on a stick".

Many users like to delete Recovery partitions from their new SSD in order to reclaim the space. If you have that USB backup, you can still boot the USB stick and restore to factory state if the system gets messed up down the road -- regardless of whether the installed disk contains Recovery partitions or not.

Admittedly, there is a self-interest in me recommending that backup. I spend hours almost every day on cases like the one in the thread linked below, where a USB backup would have made it a snap for the member as well as for me. I think it's a justified mutual interest, though

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/727481-samsung-recovery-problem-windows-8-1-a.html

 

All right, all right, I went ahead and made the USB backup

Still planning on just straight copying to the SSD though, but now I have the backup just in case I need it.

 

I think that's a good approach, since it preserves your current Windows installation -- and the USB stick is just a backup.

 

Hello all, I just got the the Touchscreen version (NP880Z5E-X01UB) from Best Buy. I'd like replace the HD with a SSD and also max out the RAM. I have no idea which ones to get and was wondering if you guys had some recommendations as to which ones are most compatible/appropriate for this laptop.

1. SSD - For the SSD I'd like to get at least a 250GB but may consider up to 500GB if the price is good.

2. RAM - I'm assuming it comes with 1 of 2 slots filled with 8GB? I have no idea. If so, I'd like to expand it to 16 GB either by adding another 8GB stick or buying a new set of two. It is my understanding that using the same RAM is ideal for the pair.

Recommendations? btw, is there a separate MOD thread/sticky for this laptop?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

The consensus here is the Samsung 840 Pro. It's going to cost you a little less than $1 per GB. There is also the regular Samsung 840, which costs around $.65 per GB. The non-Pro has the same read speed, but a significantly lower write speed than the Pro. Within the next week or so, Samsung will also be unveiling a new Evo line of SSDs, which are basically non-Pros with better write speeds. My knowledge on this is a bit foggy, but from what I understand the non-Pro and Evo are also made with chips that tend to wear out faster than Pros, but from articles I've read they last more than long enough. I personally bought a 512 GB 840 Pro and so far it works great.

Oh, and the Evo and non-Pro only have a 3 year warranty compared to the Pro's 5 year.

I bought this RAM. Kingston Model KVR16S11/8 Laptop Memory - Newegg.com.

It worked great until I switched out my SSD and it failed on me. I sent it back for a replacement because I'm pretty sure it was my fault by discharging the battery before I switched the drives, so I'll update with how it works when I get it. I saw someone else on this thread bought the same one, so I'm almost certain it was just something I did.

 

I install new 13.8 beta ati driver. Not clear install, up on old 13.6. No problem) About +5-+8 fps in World of Tanks

 

So, I bought the Samsung series 7 Chronos NP770Z5E-S01 on Thursday, and I've been having issues similar to the ones on here.
The computer will not wake up from sleep mode (it doesn't seem to go in to sleep mode, the screen goes off but the power button/keys/fan are still on). This also sometimes happens when I click shut down, to solve this issue I need to hold down the power button, and I know that is not a good thing.

So to solve this problem I have to follow the steps on the first page?

 

Hi all,

Have any of you had any problems with the stock 1TB Seagate HDD so far in terms of reliability / data loss?
The ratings for this particular model are not very promising at e.g. SAMSUNG Spinpoint M8 ST1000LM024 1TB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Newegg.com . Mechanical issues seem to be quite frequent.

Replacing it with a more reliable 1TB model or an SSD would solve the issue, but the risk of losing warranty (if the opened housing can be noticed, I dunno) worries me a bit...

 

I tried uninstalling the intel graphics driver and reinstalling like it says to do in the first post, but my screen now flickers to a black windows screen periodically, what should I do!?

 

Ordered.

Thanks for your informative reply. You definitely saved me time, and it's great to go from having no idea to buying with confidence. It seems you've picked up a lot on this computer and done a lot of legwork for troubleshooting some of the problems. I foresee a lot of time spent in this thread as I try and learn how to swap this HD out.

By the way, did you end up getting an external enclosure for the 1TB HD? If so, which one?

Also, if you're still concerned about HD space, you may consider getting an SD card and just keep it in the slot. I ended up buying a 128GB Sandisk.
Amazon.com: SanDisk Extreme 128 GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 45MB/s SDSDX-128G-X46: Computers & Accessories

I'm no expert btw, but it seems like this one gets pretty good reviews. Although most people use it for their cameras, some of the reviewers used it to add space on their laptops and attest to its reliability. Just be wary of a couple of things:
1. An expert did caution that SD cards are more vulnerable to failure in general which seems to be true based on what I've read. So you should use it to keep stuff on it that you're okay to lose, or back it up regularly if important. I keep an external harddrive that I use to backup everything periodically.
2. I'm pretty sure the it's not possible to get speeds on par with a good SSD. People get up to 45MB read/write, and I think I've seen speeds higher than that on a USB3.0 external HD. But if it's used for extra storage I don't mind.

Anyway, I'm sure you already know of this option, but I thought I'd mention it just in case... something to consider if you're running out of space. Probably better to wait, cuz you may end up not needing the space, and I'm sure they'll come out with bigger, fast stuff and slash prices on the one I got. I'll post on this forum if I run into any hassle.

It would have been nice to have this computer in college.

 

I noticed my NP870z is slowing down and the battery life went down to only 3 hours...

I already defragmented it but it didn't help. Are there some programs that is not needed so I can delete them?? What else can I do to improve its performance?? Thanks

 

Yeah, it seemed like your issue with the RAM was somewhat complicated. So don't discharge the battery? What measures, if any, can I take to reduces the chances of RAM failure?

So I sifted through the thread and realized that I got the poor man's ATIV 8 because I bought it from Best Buy??? From what I can tell I'm getting an inferior graphics card (8700 series vs 8800 series), which I don't mind, and I have two 4GB ram sticks, one of which is soldered on and therefore irremovable? I can confirm the graphics card, but can someone confirm the RAM part? I don't have a set of precision screwdrivers (ordered) and I can't find something small enough to unscrew the panel. Also, is there anything else I should be aware of about my version? (NP880Z5E-X01UB)

I would like to buy the same RAM you suggested above. An early post suggested Kingstons work well with Samsung's and another person suggested that the model above is the same one that is included with the computer. Assuming that I have 2X4GB, mine can't be the same as the one above, which is 8GB. I guess what's important is that it's "PC3-12800, DDR3 1600", but is it really wise to to have an asymmetric distribution of 4+8 = 12GB? I heard that one should really try to use identical (in size, make, and type) RAM chips for optimal compatibility and using different ones can make a system unstable and/or wear down the motherboard/CPU over time. Can someone with more knowledge comment on this?

I'm assuming Sykton, you don't live in the States? Which model do you have? Did you go from 8 --> 16? or 8--> 12GB?

If someone with more knowledge can chime in, I'd be eternally grateful. Thanks ahead of time.

 

You can replace the 4GB module in the SODIMM socket with an 8GB module, and it will still run in asymmetrical dual channel mode. There is a performance hit compared to symmetrical dual channel, but it is not nearly as bad as dropping to single channel. See the thread linked below for details. In particular check the table linked in John's post.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-channel-2-2-vs-6gb-single-channel-4-2-a.html

Edit: Just read Sykton's post. Appears you have 8GB soldered and an empty socket. Even better!

 

Oh crap that's a typo. I meant because I DIDNT discharge the battery. Definitely do it before opening up the case.

No, I live in the US and got the same
Model from Best Buy. I went from 8 to 16.

 

I get an error when I click on switchable graphics (it says that Catalyst cannot change settings) what should I do?

 

Are you using the stock drivers from SWUpdate or trying the Beta ones from AMD's website? Generaly, reinstalling the AMD drivers THEN Intel Graphics drivers should fix your problems. If still not working, uninstall both and repeat re-installation in that order. If you're trying the Beta ones, and STILL have problems, try going back to those from SWUpdate.

 

Where can I get the very latest touchpad drivers for my np770z5e-s02uk?

 

How do I enable the AMD High Definition Audio via HDMI? I have the Best Buy Chronos (NP8705Ze-S01) and the most recent version of AMD Catalyst. AMD High Definition Audio doesn't show up as an available Sound Device, only Intel Audio.

 

- The Samsung FAQ section confirms that the warranty may be voided since our model does not have a panel that opens to the HD. If there is a panel then swapping the HD does not void warranty, but the Book 8 does not. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any seals, so we can swap the OG back in.

Can I Upgrade The Hard Disk Drive On My Notebook? : Notebooks | Samsung

 

I am experiencing the same problem. Instead of hissing, mine is like clicking sound, feels like a small part broke off and kept bouncing up and down. But since the laptop is fully functional i just ignored the problem.

 

I have the same thing actually! Most of the time I have headphones plugged in though so I don't hear it, but it was annoying the first time I noticed it... I was tempted to really try and get a look inside the laptop but it works fine so I decided against it. It doesn't seem to be the fans as when I turn on silent mode I can still hear it.

 

I'm not sure, but I think I've read many months ago that the sdcard doesn't fit completely inside the laptop, but it stays outside with half its length, just like Asus UX51VZ... Is it true or am I confusing? Because if that's the case, then keeping an sdcard always in the laptop might be a problem

Sent from HTC HD2 with Tapatalk

 

I got this one. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007X4TGXI/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But any 2.5" SATA enclosure should work. Shoot for USB 3.

 

My laptop now goes straight to a black screen after logging in. I did a recovery as per a Samsung tech said and it fixed my problem for a couple days and now this...

Anyone have any insight?

 

First - drivers - new - very often without intel chipset drivers very slow, reinstall it.
Second - look taskmanager - may be some application work very hard, i saw how windows defender (microsoft sequrity essential) took 100% processor time!!! - or reinstall (on windows 7), or swith off and install new one
"3 hours" - what energy mode? what are you doing? (in balanced with wifi, 80% screen brightness, 2 virtual machine, browser - i have 7 hours, but with 4g modem without wifi only 5.30-6.00 hours)

 

Some USB-devices not properly support hibernate Windows. Two main device through which you can get out of sleep mode - is the keyboard and mouse. One you can lock out, in case he needs to do is simply prohibit. Warning: Do not forbid the keyboard and mouse at the same time, otherwise you will not be able to get out of it.

1) Start the Device Manager. To do this, go to Start -> Run (or Win + R) -> devmgmt.msc -> OK
2) In Device Manager, expand Mice and other pointing devices or keyboards
3) Right-click the USB-mouse or USB-keyboard and then click Properties.
4) Click the Power Management tab.
5) Clear the Allow this device to bring the computer out of hibernation, and then click OK.

Sometime changing of video drivers help. Best way - disabling sleep mode

 

I got samsung chat support to confirm that it does NOT void the warranty, then i called and confirmed it there, on that same call i had a manager email me stating the warranty was not voided if I replaced the HD. Should be enough... i would think.

 

Thank you for your reply. But I'm having the issue from a fresh start, not sleep or hibernation..

 

I will begin to find problem from reading Event Viewer and than unistall videodriver and reinstall. Download from Intel and ATI sites. Good idea to look autostart and delete (or temporary switch off) all non system programs and services (if you know what and how)

 

Hey everyone,

I'm now the proud owner of a Samsung Series 7 Chronos and wanna say thanks to everyone for the guides tips and advice that have helped me clean install a fresh Windows 8. Everything works perfectly now except for the brightness which is at the highest and despite my efforts won't adjust.

I tried reinstalling HD4000 drivers over AMD Catalyst 13.8 as mentioned on the 1st page but to no avail. F2 + F3 move the brightness bar but the screen doesn't change, same when II try adjusting from Windows settings.

Any help would be appreciated as this brightness is burning through my retinas!!

 

Ok what the hell seriously, this wireless card is really getting annoying, regular disconnects during gaming, and the worst at times it doesnt even connect for a while, even after restarting.

Should i just replace it with a non Intel model, like the bigfoot smth or what it was called.

Anyone get any ideas what can be done? It is just insufferable to be stuck with this thing in such an otherwise perfect computer.

cheers guys

 

Did you deactivate adaptive brightness? There should be a how-to in the first post of this thread

Sent from HTC HD2 with Tapatalk

 

I've just seen the following reply from alfling to someone else, for another problem:

But I wonder if it's also the solution to your problem wickettaker. When you say "A black screen", do you litterally mean totally black, or just very dark. If it just darkens a lot, then it's probably this issue. Go to power options, change the power plan and in the advanced settings, turn off adaptive brightness. You may then need to adjust the brightness to a comfortable level.

If you don't have any luck, post back.

 

This is a fairly common issue with this card, and seems to be caused by an incompatibility between Windows drivers and the Wifi card drivers. But there is a fix. Follow my instructions in the post here and all your problems should be resolved.

 

I tried everything and the AMD graphics just wouldn't work so I put my computer back to the day before.

I hate to ask, but what would you recommend for me? My problem is as follows:

When trying to put the laptop into sleep mode/shut it down the fan stays on as well as the keyboard lights and the power button, the only way to fix it is to hold down the power button and restart it.
Other than this issue I love the laptop, so I would appreciate advice no end (I'm not sure which of the things on page one I should do if I'm honest!).
Thanks,
Nick.

 

I really need your help guys... Is this normal for an ativ 8?? You guys going through the same thing?? I'm only on my second month and its battery life has gone down by 50%. Am i missing something?? Hope you guys could give me some tips... Thanks again.

 

Check this thread out for lots of possible solutions: http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/727499-wifi-remedies-samsung-laptops.html

 

Perform battery calibration in the BIOS, I think there's a post somewhere in this thread with guidelines on how to get the best results. If that doesn't help your battery comes with a 1 year warranty, there is always the option of contacting support and requesting a replacement if your battery is indeed faulty.

Although I have never had those issues with this laptop in my experience with others it's usually a driver issue, try what TrafficCone posted above. I can also tell you it's not an intel problem since I replaced the 6235 with a 7260AC and it works surprisingly well considering how young the drivers are, so replacing the intel card with another type won't necessarily yield better results.

On a side note there is an update for Samsung Magician that includes a new feature called "RAPID" but it's only for the 840 EVO.

 

The battery run time depends on what is running and how bright the display is. For good run time you should be trying to get the discharge rate down to around 10W.

Install BatteryBar and you can see the power drain rate, remaining capacity, battery wear, etc.

John

 

Hi guys, maybe you can help me:

I bought the NP880 version, with the 3635QM processor but it won't go above 1,2GHz under any circumstance (tried Intel Burn test, Prime95, games), unless I force it with ThrottleStop with the Set Multiplier setting.
Here are a few things I noticed:
When I set it to any clock with ThrottleStop, it will stay at that frequency, even if I turn off the program;
CPU Temperatures are fine ( don't go above 50 Celsius)
CPU utilization of each Core never goes above 50%, doesn't matter how many threads I run on Intel Burn Test or Prime95 or w/e
I have already tried many settings at the Window's power settings to no avail
I have the last BIOS version, according to SW Update P02ADH, I have no idea if I had this problem before the BIOS update, since it was one the first things I did when I bought it.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you

 

1.2ghz is roughly the "silent mode" limit on the processor speed. It seems far too coincidental that you're experiencing this maximum speed along with your other issues. Which makes me think you're stuck in Silent mode without even knowing it.

Have you tried pressing Fn+F11 to turn Silent mode off? You can also confirm exactly what mode you're in by pressing Fn+F1, going to "General" and selecting the "Silent mode" option at the top, make sure it's set to Off.

Try your tests again. I'm pretty sure this will be what's causing this. Silent mode is designed to limit the systems performance in order to keep heat down and thus stop the fans turning on and creating noise. If you enable this by mistake, you are likely to experience exactly the types of symptoms you describe.

Post back if this doesn't fix your problem!

 

If you're doing restores to previous days, you'd probably benefit from a complete recovery, which will fix your problems (its drastic, but will give better results than just doing a Windows restore point) - it may also delete everything on your machine so back up your files before doing this and make sure you have the ability to re-install any programs you've installed since purchase.
1. Restart your machine and press f4 repeatedly to enter Samsung recovery.
2. Click Recover on the left
3. You now have a couple of options.
a) If you want to recovery to an "out of the box" new computer state, turn "Partition settings" to on (drag the slider so that C: is the full size of the disk). Make sure "Maintain user data" is off.
b) If you want to recover to a snapshot of the laptop, maintain your settings and data, do the reverse of the steps in a).
4. Click Recover.

Option a) will recover to a completely rebuilt operating system without all your programs and files, but should have everything guaranteed to be working correctly.
Option b) is less drastic but may not fix all the problems.

 

I'm looking to purchase the Best Buy version of the Ativ Book 8 and need some help. Does the laptop have any major faults other than the slow Hard Drive? I'm planning on replacing it with a 840 or 840 pro SSD anyway and the specs and build quality of this rig look like the perfect laptop for me. I would also love to have the 8870M but it's not available in the U.S at the moment, so is the 8770M sufficient for some newer games? I can't seem to find any benchmarks or gaming performance of this laptop with the 8770M. Thanks

 

Hey! Thanks, it worked!
Although it was off when opened the Samsung Settings, I clicked on Low and then Off again and now it is working fine. Probably some weird, random, bug.
Thank you a lot, again

 

Was it easy to replace the wireless card in this laptop and would you see the speed increase of ac is worth upgrading?