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

Thank John I am using Samsung optimize power option and CPU is around 1- 3% and cpu temperature is around 50C fan blasting loud when I plug it in however when I unplug with same status the fan stop??

 

thanks everyone

 

The best reason for the fans doing different things when plugged in or not is the power profile detailed settings. For every power profile there are separate settings for 'when plugged in' and 'on battery'. Look for the CPU setting that regulates temp. by either reducing the CPU speed, instead of increasing the fan speed, or by increasing the fan speed instead of reducing the CPU speed.

 

I'm just bumping this post to make it visible in the new page, I really need some help.

 

SATA III is normal for recent SSDs. It should work but check through this thread for potential issues when doing the swap.

Thanks for the extra info. It is therefore not a case of CPU usage or badly mounted cooling system causing high CPU temperature.

I would (i) reinstall Samsung's Settings software (which includes the power plans and other configuration) and if this makes no difference then (ii) try resetting the CMOS / EFI by turning off the computer, unplugging the mains power, disconnecting the battery through the hole in the bottom (if in doubt see the User Guide) and then holding down the power button for a minute.

John

 

just wondering what the Samsung NP770Z5E-S01 has been replaced or superseded by here in the uk? it was a model i was close to buying last year from john lewis. unfortunately they don't sell that model now.

 

After reading these posts, I have a plan to install my SSD successfully (hopefully):

1. I will get a NON-Sandisk NON-USB3 32GB USB drive.

2. Since I already have an external 1TB Hard Drive, I will reset my computer to factory settings using the Windows "Reset my PC" tool included in Windows 8. I have already backed up everything I want (data).

3. I will boot pressing F4 and make a Bootable Factory Image on my USB drive.

4. Since I want to install Windows 8 on my SSD, I will leave Fastboot "ON" and the OS MODE SELECTION to "UEFI" and Secure Boot "ON".

5. I will swap in my SSD.

6. I will then plug in my USB drive, boot into BIOS, and select to boot from the USB drive.

* 7. (Although I have never done this step ever, I assume..) I will boot from the USB drive and Windows will automatically (or via me navigating a basic GUI) format my SSD and create all necessary partitions.

** 8. I will have another NON-Sandisk NON-USB3 USB drive which will be 16GB that I will have made into a Windows 8 installation USB drive, and I will boot from it to install Windows 8 64-bit (which is what came installed).

9. I will have the SW Updater and Intel WLAN drivers ready to transfer to the laptop after successful Windows 8 installation, and will install them.

*** 10. I will install all other drivers necessary for the laptop.



* Do I need to do steps 8-10 after this step (step 7)? Will booting from the Bootable Factory Image install Windows 8 for me as well as all the necessary drivers?

** I read the post here that indicates I MAY have a problem if my laptop has an iSSD. I could not find information that states that the NP780Z5E-S01UB model has an iSSD, so I do not think I will have any problems. THIS ASSUMES I NEED TO DO STEP 8.

*** THIS ASSUMES THAT STEP 7 DOES NOT INSTALL WINDOWS 8 AND THE NECESSARY DRIVERS.



AND FINALLY:
How does the plan sound? Any foreseeable problems? Anything I should do differently or that could be done better or more efficiently?

Thanks for the time, man!

 

A DIFFERENT QUESTION:

I was looking online at SSDs and saw a few people in this thread going with the Samsung 840 series. I saw the Samsung 840 EVO and the Samsung 840 Pro Series. I did the comparison on Newegg here. I was wondering if the Samsung 840 EVO for $145 is a better deal than the Samsung 840 Pro Series at $209? Is the extra $60 worth the jump from the EVO to the Pro Series?

Also, a friend of mine has an SSD in his Macbook Pro which has 240GB. I am not sure of the make/model yet, but he would be willing to give me it for $100. Would that be a better deal than both above?

Thanks.

 

That model has been supersed by the NP870X5G which is discussed in this thread. SW Update's database lists an NP870X5G-X02UK although Google can't currently find it on sale. I would if it will be a DSG (or other single retailer)only model and won't get listed until the stock has arrived. Various European versions are listed on Amazon UK but be forewarned that they have non-UK keyboards.

You need to find out what your friend is selling and then do some research. I'd personally opt for the 840 EVO (I've put the 1TB mSATA version in my Series 9). Some people are a little worried about the long term durability of the memory but I would expect that unless you write terabytes per day then that issue won't be a worry. You may also want to consider digging deeper into your pocket and getting a size bigger. SSDs benefit from having some unallocated space (it's called "over-provisioning" ) which helps to maintain optimum performance.

John

 

Almost, except it's easier than your plan: If you use the Bootable Factory Image backup (on the 32GB USB stick) it will re-image the new SSD to be like the factory-delivered HDD, including Recovery and Windows. In that case there is no need to subsequently install Windows again (steps 8-10).

Alternatively you can install Windows manually (so-called clean install) directly onto the blank SSD (steps 8-10). This will not give you Recovery on the disk, but you still have Recovery handy on the Bootable Factory Backup (if you should ever need it) and on the original HDD (if you swap it back in).

This recent post describes the four different options you have for cloning, re-imaging or installing on the new SSD. It may provide some good overview.

Also see my comments below:

 

Also I have a PNY 16 GB stick now, and I do believe it supports USB 3.0. Even then you still recommend Kingston or PNY but NO USB 3 correct? (I know the 16GB isn't big enough just stating it as an example)

And what is the real difference between factors bootable image and doing the so called clean install? Do they not both install windows 8 with factory defaults?



Wow that ks for all that help. I should be able to get start asap when I order an SSD .

One more question though. Is it possible to install windows 8 in non UEFI mode? I want to be able to boot Linux too, and with many failed attempts with UEFI I just thought to consider installing it in non UEFI mode. How would I go about that? And would I foreseeably run into any problems with drivers and such?

This is not a burning desire to, but if it can be done easily I might as well haha.

 

16GB is not big enough for your model, I believe it's about 20GB. I know it's frustrating when you already have a USB stick. But again, getting a non-USB3 is a good way to ensure it's a classic removable flash drive that is compatible with Samsung Recovery.

Alternatively, you can use one of the other options described in that post I linked (again here) so you don't need the 32GB stick: Cloning (using 3rd party utility or Recovery) or clean install (as you already mentioned). That post also describes the difference in the resulting Windows installations.

Yes, you can clean install in non-UEFI mode (so-called CSM / Legacy BIOS mode) though I generally recommend UEFI mode on Win8-models and non-UEFI on Win7-models (or when downgrading to Win7). Although I have no firsthand experience with it, it is my belief that installing Linux in UEFI mode is safe on 2013 and later Samsung models -- whereas there was risk of bricking on earlier models, as described in this thread.

If you switch to non-UEFI, you will have to wipe the disk and convert it to MBR layout; but if you are installing on a new SSD, that is not an issue. Of course there will be no Recovery on that disk after wiping and converting it -- and if you want to run Recovery from the Bootable Factory Image backup, you will have to enable UEFI first (which in turn will wipe the disk and convert it back to GPT before re-imaging it). Also, if you swap the original HDD back in, you will have to switch back to UEFI mode.

This post has a detailed guide for clean installing Windows in non-UEFI mode, including steps for BIOS settings and converting the disk. It is primarily for Win7 installations (including downgrading from Win8) but contains notes for Win8 installers as well.

 

So I guess it's just best to stay with UEFI haha. Well, I think I've learned all I need to know! Thanks!

 

what about following following steps? I had same problems as you.
so checked these are written on the manual.
1. Right-click on the Desktop and select Configure Switchable Graphics from the popup menu.
2. click the Browse button and register the software and click the Apply button.
3. some of the functions of the registered program that require a high graphics performance will
run with the external graphics chipset without additional configuration.
hope it would work out

 

Well, I'm trying right now, and as soon as I click on "Configure Switchable Graphics" the same popup is displayed: "Catalyst Control Center: Host Application has stopped working".

Now it looks like I can't even open that configuration window.... =/

 

Hello everyone!

I've been religiously following this thread for about 3 months, ever since I bought an Ativ Book 8 with windows8, which I imediatelly updated to 8.1.
I have two big problems: my gfx arent switching and I keep getting lagspikes for no reason (only when I use wireless instead of an ethernet cable, which is a pain in the since I online game a lot).
I tried many of your suggestions and none of them seemed to work... probably because I tried way too many things and ended up ruining everything...

Should I format my laptop to windows 8 again and later update it to 8.1? Get Windows 7? What would you guys suggest?

Heeeelp!

PS: are the tuts in the first page updated?

 

The installation related guides in the opening post should be up-to-date. Pranktank has been doing a great job a steward of this owners lounge.

I would just go back to Win8 for now (clean install or factory restore). Hopefully Win8.2 (or whatever the update will be called, due next month) will be more backwards compatible and better supported by Samsung.

But that's just me

 

Lag spikes are because of the crappy wireless adapter installed on the machine. You have to live with that, or stick with the ethernet cable (what I'm currently doing)

 

So, I go back to win8 without updating it to 8.1, then?

Not everyone seems to be having this problem and apparently can be solved. Going around with ethernet cables kind of sucks for me, since my router is in a room other than mine. :/
Can the adapter be switched or should I buy an external adapter?

 

That's would I would do, because Win8 runs so well and 8.1 doesn't have anything I cannot get better with a 3rd party Start Menu.

But again, that's just me. Several users (of different models) have managed to get Win 8.1 working smoothly for them. Admittedly, I did too (and still have it on my 2nd OS partition) except I had to disable Driver Signature Enforcement and use LeeKM graphics driver.

Check the Win8.1 update thread if you do want to give it another chance.

 

Yes, the solution is swapping the wireless adapter... There are a few people that have successfully done that. In my situation, I'm more than happy to use ethernet cable at home and wifi when i'm out..ping is fine while gaming this way

 

I know that thread and some more. I have tried everything to get things working with 8.1. Back in Windows 8 I was having trouble switching graphics but, honestely, I didn't update my drivers so that was probably the problem
I guess I'll rollback to 8 and wait until 8.2 is out or Samsung actually does something about the driver issues.

 

thats some pretty wishful thinking that Samsung gets on board with 8.2 whenever that is

does anyone else feel that Samsung kind of released this laptop, and then kind of just moved on to other things, and no longer care about support?

 

Well, I agree with you. Still, one can still hope.
Samsung is being dumb, especially because tons of people own these series.

 

So I updated to win 8.1 and everything went well. But then I some how decided to update the trackpad driver and unfortunately the trackpad stopped working.

 

AFAIK there won't be an 8.2. There will be "Windows 8.1 Update 1" which has already hit RTM and is expected to be made generally available during the Build conference in April. After that they're talking Windows 9.

 

Yes, I think you're right they won't call it 8.2 (even though that's what it is). And I also agree with other comments that it may be just a fools hope that Samsung will do any better with that version.

Still, I just have a feeling that the 8.1 debacle was the result of a big clash between Microsoft and their hardware partners: Microsoft decided to break backwards compatibility, thus forcing partners to redo drivers again (after having done so just a year earlier for Win8); and Samsung and other vendors said enough is enough, hoping that users would blame Microsoft for the fallout. It just didn't work out that way: Users updated anyway (lacking a clear warning) and blamed the hardware vendors for not providing new drivers.

The reason I dare have any hopes that 8.2 (or 8.11 or 8.1 Update or whatever) might be be better is that both parties have had some time to reconsider and work on a do-over: Microsoft has changed management and clearly realized (finally) that their recent Windows strategy has been a disaster. Maybe they will address some of the backwards compatibility that was lost. And maybe Samsung will finally be able to catch up by more or less skipping 8.1 -- they pretty much did so already by dropping the ball.

At least one can hope

In any case does 8.1 not represent enough improvement that I consider it a necessary update. As I wrote, its Start Screen improvements (which I acknowledge) are still no match for 3rd party Start Menu products. So waiting for 8.2 (or 8.11 or whatever) is not a big deal for me.

Edit: I mused about this in this post in the 8.1 thread back in October. Maybe it better explains my thoughts.

 

Those with 8.1 might want to try out the 8.1 drivers / software being offered for the NP930X5J which is the latest model (along with the NP910S5J) to come down the Samsung notebook production line. It's possible that they include some further fixes.

John

 

Hey guys, to those living in Germany, has any of you sent your computer in for warranty repair? I bought my laptop in the US but I sent it for repair in Germany over a month ago and it's still at the workshop (LetMeRepair is the partner in charge). I've asked what's going on but all they tell me is that the current status is "Needs clarification", no idea what about, and no one gives me a time estimate. Any idea about what can I do?

 

Two thoughts:
(i) They are still trying to diagnose the problem and solution

(ii) They are waiting for clarification from Korea whether the parts for the German versions and the US versions are the same.

Replacement of my NP900X3B's battery got delayed when the service centre discovered that the original battery was no longer available and then had to obtain clarification that the NP900X3C's battery was compatible and should be used (we in this forum already knew that).

John

 

Dan - it appears that the 780Z5Ee and related series are the last to have switchable graphics (I don't see any of the newer generation Samsung notebooks with ATI/Intel switchable graphics). Is that your understanding as well? Just wondering in terms of updates (everything is working fine right now for me in Windows 8.1 with the Spring Update so I am inclined to leave well enough alone when it comes to updating apps or drivers based on newer models). Thanks!

 

Honestly, I was shocked to find out that driver updates were even required when going from 8 to 8.1. Microsoft marketed 8.1 as essentially a "service pack +", and who expected it to break the old drivers?

Anyway, now that we have working 8.1 drivers I would expect (maybe optimistic here) that there won't be driver changes required to support 8.1 Update 1. I've been wrong before though...

That's interesting considering the very real benefits in performance and battery life available from having switchable graphics. AFAIK, nVidia hasn't backed off from their Optimus technology so it would be odd to see AMD do so. On the other hand, it seems like Samsung has had an especially difficult time managing this with an AMD/Intel hybrid solution. I wonder if it wouldn't work better with a 100% AMD system (CPU w/integrated graphics + discrete graphics) or in an nVidia/Intel setup.

 

Samsung have alternated between nVidia and AMD switchable graphics (Z5A = AMD, Z5C = nVidia, Z5E = AMD and NP770Z5G = nVidia). I suspect there are financial, more than technical reasons for the switching - keep both the main GPU companies alive and competitive.

John

 

John - are you aware of any 2014 Samsung models featuring switchable graphics (AMD and Intel)?

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

 

The NP870Z5G (I got the wrong number in my previous post) has Intel / nVidia.

More details in http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/742671-np870z5g-ativ-book-8-2014-refresh.html

John

 

Hi Shrink, good to hear from you again.

As John already pointed out, the new Haswell AB8 has discrete GPU, with Nvidia this time round. And as goibhniu pointed out, Nvidia's Optimus switcheroo has generally had better driver support than AMD's PowerXpress/Enduro (as most members in this thread are acutely aware).

I think Samsung will continue to have discrete GPUs as long as they keep the AB8 line, since even the latest and greatest of Intel's integrated GPUs are much slower than AMD/Nvidia's offerings.

 

I have a very annoying problem...

Using the 13.10 beta drivers i have an error if i try to access the profile switching : Catalyst Control Center cannot be started. There are currently no settings that can be configured using Catalyst Control Center. This is how i try to install them :

1) Uninstall from windows the AMD drivers
2) Reboot in safe mode and use DDU + CCleaner to clean the drivers
3) Install the 13.10b drivers

I already used SW Update to update the latest intel graphics to version 9.17.10.2963

By the way why i can't install the driver using the intel website? if i try it will simply says my computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements.

 

Hey everyone,

I recently swapped my HDD with an Samsung EVO 840 750 GB and everything has worked just fine. I cloned the HDD with the Samsung Software and have been experiencing no software problems whatsoever... However, the laptop seems awfully quiet now and eventhough I like that a lot, I am a little worried that fan control got a little damaged somehow. If I start a game or something that requires more resources the fans will still start as usual but when I'm simply surfing or using MS Office the fans are as quiet as they are in silent mode. Is this all normal due to the installation of the SSD or is something wrong with the cooling system of my laptop?

I enclosed a screenshot of SpeedFan taken while I'm writing this post (though I don't now why it doesn't show any temperature for GPU). I can't really make anything of the temperatures shown so I would really like your professional opinion on whether this is normal or not. Curiously enogh I can't control the fans via SpeedFan since it doesn't recognize any. Is this normal, too and how can I manually regulate the fan speed in a Samsung laptop?

I would really appreciate you helping me in this matter.

 

Those temperatures are cool - if the fan is running then it should be very slow. If the cooling system had a problem then the temperatures would be higher.

HWiNFO might be able to get the GPU temperature.

No one has figured out how to override the fan control settings in a Samsung notebook.

John

 

Thanks for the quick and reassuring answer. Now I can finally enjoy my upgraded notebook

 

Just an update to those interested. I applied the Windows 8.1 Spring Update that leaked earlier this week from MS servers to my 780Z5E (all stock Samsung supplied drivers) and there are no problems at all. The update doesn't break anything... this time. ;-)

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

 

Some days/weeks ago I reported that Titanfall (beta) runs fine on our loved Notebook. So today I played the retail version and it's awful. You have to play it on lowest settings to get a playable result. Many doods are reporting that the beta was running much smoother than retail. There are some troubleshoot ideas on reddit, none could help me.
AFAIK there is generally something wrong with titanfall performance (nvidia as well as ati). Some folks reported that 14.2 ATI driver helped. So I installed that latest 14.2 driver from LeeKM. Sadly Titanfall was crashing on launch with that.

Now I'm frustrated I don't have a serious gaming machine :-(

I hope ATI and/or LeeKM will get us some glorious new driver in near future.

Update: I tried the official beta driver downloaded from ATI. Game still crashs on startup. :/

 

Samsung change GPU manufacturer only six months after a refresh, but do so just before the new Nvidia GPU's come out... The other OEMs appear to have had access to it in advance and Haswell has only just reached the mainstream so it seems like an odd choice.

I take it that cloning to an SSD is fine then and that the guide at the beginning is for a clean install?

 

Up! No one that can help me with this issue?

 

I bought a refurbished Samsung 7 Chronos NP280Z5E from Cowboom. I want to swap out the hard drive for an old Crucial M4 SSD that I have. I see the help guide for making a system restore backup on a USB drive on the first page ("USB Recovery backup and re-imaging an SSD").

However when I boot up the Recovery program, the Factory Image tab is not present. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Is there someplace I can download that image and make a bootable USB stick?

 

Careful: Cloning will lose Recovery unless you use Samsung Recovery itself to do it. See this post for a summary of your four different options for getting Windows on the SSD.

Member thatoneguy247 recently reported that the latest version of Samsung Data Migration (included with EVOs) worked to clone Samsung Recovery. But we still need confirmation that Recovery actually works after cloning. Just cloning the partitions was never an issue with any of the cloning tools, but it doesn't guarantee working Recovery.

If anyone can confirm that their Recovery actually works (they are able to boot it with F4) after cloning with Samsung Data Migration (or any other cloning tool) it would be great information to share. Until then, use the cloning feature in Recovery, or any of the other options described in that post I linked.

 

Did you load Recovery using F4 (immediately after power on) or with the Samsung Recovery Windows app? Whichever you used, try the other.

I wonder if the previous user wiped the disk, and whoever refurbished it (could be that same user) only managed to install Recovery, but didn't have the original Factory Image.

Please use Minitool Partition Wizard to check which partitions you have. Does your disk have two Samsung Recovery partitions (SAMSUNG_REC and SAMSUNG_REC2)? If you do not have a SAMSUNG_REC2 partition, then you don't have a Factory Image. If that is the case, you could complain to Cowboom, maybe get a price break. You can also use it to request a Recovery disc from Samsung -- which is just a standard Win8 OEM disc you can use for clean install (nice to have).

If you don't have a Factory Image (SAMSUNG_REC2 partition), you obviously cannot create a Factory Image backup. But you can still use Recovery to clone the HDD to the SSD, or you can clean install Windows. Check this post for other options to get Windows on that SSD (the same I just linked for member Tams).

Edit: In Samsung Recovery, the Factory Image backup feature should be in the lower left corner. See this Samsung guide. Sorry, I just want to make sure.

 

Much thanks for the help, Dannemand. It is very appreciated.

When I run the Recovery from F4 at boot, I only have the Disk Copy and Help at the bottom left. When I run the Recovery from inside Windows after boot I have Disk Copy, Run Backup Server and Help. Neither has that Factory Image button. I wouldn't think Samsung has it setup such that once the Factory Image is performed it is removed. I do recall other laptops only being able to burn a backup image disk once, but I thought that was a Windows function, not the manufacturer.

I did just noticed I'm using a SanDisk Extreme 3.0 64 GB USB stick and it does only show up as a drive, not removable media. Not sure that would affect what options the software displays. I'll try and get my hands on a slower/different model, though.

The Disk Copy function in the Recovery app teases a bit with this description:
"A function for copying the disk from factory image or current settings"
For the Source it shows a 40GB C:. Oddly when I plug in the SanDisk USB stick it sees it as E: and lists it as the Target with 58GB free. However the only option enabled is "Recovery Disk to current settings". The other option "Recovery disk to factory settings" is disabled. And when I try and do the copy, an error messaage says the size of the target disk is too small. I realize the entire disk is 1TB but it seems odd the app shows only the 40GB C: partition as the source and says a 58GB destination is too small. I would just pick up a USB-SATA cable for the SSD and see if it works that way, but since Recover disk to Factory Settings is disabled, I'm guessing that won't work.

I don't see the Minitool Partition Wizard
The hard drive does appear to have some Recovery Partitions, but I don't see one named "SAMSUNG_REC", just "SAMSUNG_REC2". Do you think my refurb was botched?
http://i.imgur.com/2fXCEoR.png

I did use the SW Update app on the laptop to copy all the drivers to a USB stick just in case I can secure a copy of the OEM install disk.

/edit
Quick follow-up: I just used the Samsung online chat and they are sending me an install disk. That will hopefully yield a slimmer Windows install in the long run.

 

@sigpop: Excellent, thank you for that update.

I should have been clearer that Minitool is a free 3rd party utility (minitool.com), not one that comes with the PC. It's a great tool, though, and it doesn't do anything behind your back (such as EaseUS, which loads on every login).

And yes, from that partition list you included, somebody definitely made a mess with that refurb: They managed to re-create a working Recovery (which can be difficult); but they didn't restore the Factory Image correctly and the partition sizes are wrong: The Recovery Boot partition (the last one, labeled SAMSUNG_REC or RECOVERY) should be just 1GB in size. The Recovery Data partition (SAMSUNG_REC2) should contain the Factory Image; but they didn't get it linked correctly when they set it up. You can open SAMSUNG_REC2 with Minitool and see what it contains.

(I am guessing the refurbers found a so-called Admin Took on the internet, which can be used to partition a new disk and create a working Recovery. But you need to provide a Factory Image as part of this process in order for it to be properly detected, and it appears they missed this part).

I do like how they set it up with a 40GB Windows partition and the rest as a Data partition. It would appear they generally knew what they were doing, except for the proprietary Samsung Recovery bit -- which, frankly, is understandable.

The Disk Copy function in Recovery is used to clone the entire disk with all partitions to an external disk. If you shrink the Data partition (or even delete it if it's still empty) so that all partitions fit on the SSD, you can use Disk Copy to clone the entire HDD to your SSD. If you want, you can delete the Recovery partitions from the SSD (the two last ones, NOT the first 500MB one) in order to gain more space.

OR you can just preform a clean install, as you said, now that you will be getting a Windows disc from Samsung. That's what I would do as well. I don't like inheriting a Windows installation on a used or refurb'ed computer. Unless it is a true factory refurb, you don't know what's hiding in the depths of that installation.

On this model I recommend staying in UEFI mode for a clean install (OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS). But you need to temporarily disable Fast Boot in order to boot a DVD or USB. If you install from USB, make sure you format it as FAT32 (not NTFS) as described in this post. And this post has guidance on SW Update and drivers.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Not here, but in general I would try clonezilla. It worked for me WITH intact recovery. I don't have W8/uefi so that could throw a wrench in the works though. Still, it's free and worth a shot on a simple drive swap (clone old drive to usb hard drive, swap drives, restore to new drive). Then just make sure recovery works. But in this case, just do a clean install and create your own recovery image with possibly clonezilla.