Guide On ExpressCache: "I Want My ExpressCache Back!" Edition

Cool, thank you for the update. I agree don't touch anything as long as it works. Then if it acts up again, try those steps.

When I asked about changing BIOS settings or partition layout, I actually meant on the main HDD (not the iSSD used for ExpressCache). Again some users reported that when the system is running off a GPT disk (in UEFI mode) the iSSD must be GPT as well. This only applies to Win8-delivered models, though. So no worries for you there.

Fingers crossed. It just may keep running this time

 

Hey,

i need you help please.
I have a Acer M5 with a 20GB mSATA SSD.(WIndows 7)

First sorry for my bad englisch, i'm from Germany.

I need to configurate my 20GB SSD.(4GB Intel rapid start technology, 16GB Diskeeper expresscache)
I do it like this.

1) Clean the disk with cmd (Diskpart; "clean")
2) Create partition 4GB for IRST, the other 16GB i don't do anything with this.
3) Install EC driver install
4) reboot

is this right? did i make something wrong?
What is HFS partition? I just let the 16GB clean. do it also work?

 

Hey Panda, welcome to the Samsung forum.

What you're listing sounds correct to me: ExpressCache should automatically create its own partition in that empty space after you install it. According to this recent post the Samsung Settings software should also create the hibernation partition on models which support iRST. That may (or may not) be true with Acer's settings software as well.

I just happened to notice your later post here where you ask about downgrading from Win8 to Win7 while staying in UEFI mode. Others in this thread have reported that they could only get ExpressCache working on UEFI/GPT installations if the iSSD/mSATA was GPT as well. If ExpressCache won't "take" after you've installed it, you could try converting your mSATA (using DISKPART CONVERT GPT) then re-install EC.

There is a general Win7 clean install guide here which includes steps (at the end) for downgrading from Win8. But it assumes you're switching to BIOS/MBR mode -- which historically has worked a lot better with Win7 on Samsung laptops.

I hope this is useful. Please let us know how it works for you.

Oh, and don't worry, your English is fine

 

Thanks a lot for the fast response.

How can i see wheather the expresscache is working or not?(2 pictures below)
At the moment i have Windows 7 MBR BIOS mode.

i succeed downgrading windows 8 UEFI GPT mode to windows 7 BIOS MBR.
But i want winodws 7 UEFI. (The "GUIDE: How to install Windows 7 or 8 via USB on NP700Z* " is for the installtion of MBR.)

 

Hey thank a lot for the fast response

How can i know wheather the expresscache is working or not?(see below, 2 picture)
I'm on Windows 7 MBR Bios now. I succeed downgrade from windows 8 UEFI/GPT to Windows 7 BIOS/MBR.

My problem the Windows 7 UEFI/GPT installation. This doen't work for me. Your link is for the installation of Windows 7 MBR/BIOS.

View attachment 97976 View attachment 97977

 

To check the status of ExpressCache, you can use ECCmd -INFO from an Administrator Command Prompt. It's located in the ExpressCache programs folder. Check this post (or the opening post) for details.

It appears that EC created a partition in the empty space on your mSATA -- that's a good sign

I am a little confused because I think you're saying you downgraded from Win8/UEFI/GPT to Win7/BIOS/MBR. That's exactly what the guide I linked describes: The basic install guide assumes you're re-installing Win7 (BIOS/MBR) but there are steps at the end for users coming from Win8/UEFI/GPT on how to convert to BIOS/MBR before installing Win7. But since you already have it installed, you don't really need that guide. Much of it is unique to Samsung laptops anyway.

I think when you run ECCmd -INFO it will say that ExpressCache is active and the cache partition is mounted. If so, I recommend you defrag your C drive, then run BOOTOPT.BAT (also in the ExpressCache programs folder) to pre-populate the cache.

 

1) ECCmd -INFO doesn't work at all. (See picture below) license problem. But i know the Acer M5 comes with windows 8 and 20GB msata SSD(4GB IRST and 16GB diskeeper)
After i downgraded Windows 8 UEFI to WIndows 7 Bios i had to configurate the msata again.

2)Yes i downgraded Windows 8 UEFI to WIndows 7 Bios
But i want to install WINDOWS 7 UEFI/GPT and this doen't work



the picture to 1)

 

From where did you download ExpressCache? You may have to get it from Acer to make sure it is allowed to run on your machine. But maybe you already did that.

Also, as I mentioned in my first response, if your mSATA is now MBR (from your last Win7 installation), but you have since re-installed Win7 as UEFI/GPT, you may now have to convert the mSATA back to GPT as well, using DISKPART CONVERT GPT on the mSATA disk.

But first you need to solve that license issue, and I am afraid I don't know the solution to that. I DO know it's come up a few times in this thread. Google site:notebookreview.com/samsung expresscache license to find those posts.

In the end, I would contact Acer if it doesn't resolve soon for you.

 

ok now it works. downloaded some driver from acer. (eccmd -info works)
but if i start BOOTOPT.BAT it says: ???Expresscache failed to Start the Job

is this normal?

 

Excellent, glad to hear you got it working. It makes sense that you would have to download it from Acer. It's always nice when solutions make sense, rather than problems just going away randomly

And yes, that ECCmd INFO display looks normal.

As for BOOTOPT.BAT, did you defrag first? Usually when BOOPTOPT won't run, it's because the drive is fragmented. Otherwise don't worry: BOOTOPT is not necessary, it's just a way to populate the cache. Do note that the first few days ExpressCache may not speed up the disk, it could even slow it down a bit while it loads the cache.

Again, good job getting it working!

 

Hey,

i have to thank you. Without your help i wouln't get it working.

2) Yes i defrag my C: drive. (2 days ago)

 

How do I know guys if my Expresscache working correctly? I see always inactivity in taskmanager;



The system memory in use for sure, so I'm not sure what is boosting my system general performance .

 

Hey,

I was planning to install an SSD and get rid off the optical drive, too. Can you tell me how installing a 2nd drive (HDD + SSD) affected your battery life?

Thanks in advance!

 

Hey Kasanova

That doesn't really belong in this thread. But if you tell us which model you have, we can find a thread that is relevant to your question. You can also locate relevant discussions by Googling site:notebookreview.com/samsung NP700Z5C replace HDD with SDD optical bay. Of course use your actual model number instead of NP700Z5C, and tweak the search string as you like.

 

System memory and CPU activity is not an indication of whether ExpressCache is working. It doesn't use much of either. Use the ECCmd -INFO command as described in the opening post of this thread. That will tell you whether it is working correctly. You can also check the last few posts in this thread for results from panda97 on his use of that command.

 

No problem, I'm just glad we got it working for you.

About the defrag, I am serious, you have to do it JUST BEFORE you run BOOTOPT.BAT. The ExpressCache boot optimizer will not run if some of the files it tries to optimize and pre-cache are fragmented. The very fact that you just installed EC means some startup files are likely to be fragmented.

Of course there could be other reasons why BOOTOPT won't run on your particular system -- and it is not critical to the operation of EC. But please do try with a defrag JUST BEFORE and let us know if that worked.

 

Hey,

no, I tried. But doen't work. Same problem again. "???EC failed to start"

 

OK, got it. So something must be different on your Acer. Not to worry, as long as your ExpressCache is working, it will gradually build the cache with the most frequently read files (or actually LBAs) from your HDD. Admittedly, BOOTOPT is not a documented feature, just one I came across at some point, and which I use whenever my EC cache flushes.

You're done. Once again good job!

 

Thanks a lot for your reply! Actually, my post wasn't supposed to appear hear, I'm sorry!
Anyways now that we're started, my model is: NP700Z5A S07 (bought in Germany).

I will definitely also try and search for myself!

 

Here is the relevant thread.

John

 

Hi to everyone
I don't find anything in Asus tread and decide to ask here.
So i have new Asus s56cm notebook with mSATA SSD 24GB Kingston and 1TB HDD,how to set up all the things,i dont have "easy setting" only "diskeeper expresscache" in instalation CD that come with the notebook.
2 Can i use "express cache" it with windows 8 (notebook came without OS)
3 how big must the size of drive " C: " in HDD
I will be very pleased if somebody explain all this like for retired

 

Hello shcmeister,

I am sorry, it seems we overlooked your post there. Welcome to to the Samsung forum.

I don't know about the Asus, but on these Samsungs, all you need to do is make sure the iSSD (in your case that 24GB mSATA) is not in use (no partitions on it), then install the ExpressCache software and restart the PC. You can use the steps described in the opening post of this thread to verify that it is actually working.

The Easy Settings software you mention is a Samsung specific control panel that includes a switch for ExpressCache -- but it is not required to make it work.

ExpressCache DOES work with Win8 as well as Win7, but you must have a recent version of ExpressCache. The company changed name from Diskeeper to Conduciv some time ago. If the software on your installation CD says Diskeeper I would look for a newer version before installing it on Win8. The latest version distributed by Samsung is 1.0.94 -- and that one is already pretty old.

Looking on asus.com under your model (s56cm) I didn't see any ExpressCache software listed. I would contact Asus support to get the latest version.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.

 

Hello! to see if anyone speaks Spanish and can help me. I have read all 32 pages but I still do not know what to do.

I have samsung 530U3C and ExpressCache not get it to work, I do not detect the SSD.
I had windows 7 and worked well ExpressCache but BIOS update and install windows 8 formatting and not get it to work or returning to the backup. Right now I have it erased everything.
I have a USB with windows 8 waiting to know what are the correct steps to install everything from the beginning.
Thank you! thanks!

 

Hello pedrogs, welcome to NBR.

I have to ask you to update your post with an English translation as well. If nothing else just a Google translate. NBR is an English language forum, and our forum rules (that was a link) specifically state:

It's a matter of courtesy to other members. We have members from all over the world -- many of them struggling with English. But if everybody simply posted in their native language, the forum would be a mess. I am Danish myself, but I wouldn't just write Danish posts here, knowing that it would mystify other members.

And don't worry, this is not a grammar school, and there is complete understanding and patience when members don't speak (or write) fluent English

 

Sorry sannemand
Windows does not detect the partition of 24 gb samsung 530U3C and therefore I can not do the steps in the initial guide.
After trying many things I no longer appears ExpressCache function or windows 7 or windows 8.
Now I have it all erased,
what steps I have to follow to install windows 8 and I detected the SSD and works ExpressCache?
Thanks and sorry for the English.

 

Thank you for translating!

All recent versions of the ExpressCache software (at least the last year) will automatically create the necessary partition on on the iSSD. The steps in the first post of this thread should not be necessary.

Here is what I suggest:

1) Download and save the latest version 1.0.94 of ExpressCache using SW Update as described in this post.

2) Download and save the latest version 2.0.0.55 of Settings using SW Update as described in this post. It contains both Settings (for Win8) and Easy Settings (for Win7).

3) Re-install both ExpressCache and Settings (or Easy Settings if you use Win7) AND delete the partition currently on the iSSD, using the exact steps in this post.

If you also have Intel Rapid Start installed, it may use part of that iSSD as a Hibernation partition. Leave that partition alone, and only delete the ExpressCache partition (the largest of them).

Please post your results here. And you English is fine, don't worry about it

 

I appreciate a lot your help, step 3) could not do it because I get no partition SSD. Or is that appears after you steps 1) and 2)?

I read a lot and I can not be clear that options enabled in the bios:
UEFI?
Fast boot?
any more?

100000 thanks for everything.

 

Steps (1) and (2) are just to save the latest ExpressCache and Settings software, NOT installing them yet.

In step (3) follow the exact steps in the post I linked in that step. That will guide you through uninstalling the current ExpressCache and Settings software, deleting the partition, and re-installing ExpressCache and Settings. If you don't have any partitions currently on the SSD that's fine, it shouldn't be a problem. ExpressCache creates a new partition for you when you install it.

Fast Boot should not affect this.

About UEFI: Your PC came with Win7 originally, right? If so, UEFI should remain disabled. If you have enabled UEFI at any point and then installed Windows, then we may have a mess which CAN affect ExpressCache.

Is UEFI currently enabled in your BIOS? Does your main disk have an EFI System Partition?

 

Thanks dannemand,

I have now set the default bios with UEFI disabled.
I followed the steps and still does not appear ExpressCache on easy settings.

I may need to reinstall windows 7 and format the HD?
thanks

 

I need to know if Windows was previously installed while UEFI was enabled, since it affects what your next step is. If you look in Windows Disk Management, is there an EFI System Partition on your disk (not the iSSD, on your main disk)? This will tell me whether Windows was installed in UEFI mode.

If Windows is installed in UEFI mode, you have to keep UEFI enabled -- and vice versa.

Edit: If you're prepared to re-install Windows anyway, then just go ahead and re-install using the exact steps in this guide. It includes everything, drivers, ExpressCache, Easy Settings, everything.

But if possible, PLEASE install from a DVD, not from USB. Otherwise you will run into another problem.

If you still cannot see ExpressCache after that, I have some things we can try.

 

I do not remember if I installed windows 7 with UEFI enabled,
I put a screenshot of what I get after following the steps:



i do now then install windows 8 with UEFI disabled?

for install clear windows 8 use this guide?:

Win7 Clean Install on Win7/8-delivered Samsung PCs

Win7-delivered model: BIOS mode (non-UEFI) with MBR disk

Note: If your PC was delivered with Win8, do NOT follow the steps in this guide before reading the section further down and following the conversion steps there.

If your PC was factory-delivered with Win7, that means your HDD is partitioned using good old MBR, and UEFI is already disabled in your BIOS (assuming you or others didn't change it). This makes installation easy:

1) Download and save a copy of Samsung SW Update from here and the latest Driver Only WiFi driver from Intel Download Center. The latest WiFi driver as of July 4, 2013 is version 15.8.0 and the file is Wireless_15.8.0_Ds64.exe for Win7 (Wireless_15.8.0_De64.exe for Win8). Keep looking till you find that one.

2) In BIOS, disable Fast Boot (if you have that, you can re-enable it afterwards) and enable Legacy USB Boot (if you have that, you can re-disable it afterwards).
....
....
...


10000000 thanks!

 

Thank you for the update. It seems like this Windows was already installed with UEFI disabled, so you should not have to re-install Windows -- unless you want to. (But again, IF you DO re-install Windows, please install from DVD, not from USB. And DO keep UEFI disabled.)

But I think I understand your problem better now: Your iSSD does not show up at all in Disk Management. Is that what you meant when you said the partition didn't show? If so I apologize for being so slow

Either your iSSD has gone broken or Windows just cannot see it. Until that is solved we can forget about ExpressCache.

If you look under Disk drives in Device Manager do you see the iSSD there?

If you boot Windows Setup (from your Windows DVD) does the iSSD show up when you get to the part where you select partitions?

Edit: Yes, if you DO clean install, that is the guide you should follow. But if there is something wrong with your iSSD, re-installing may not help. I have some ideas, but please let me know first if you can see the iSSD in Device Manager and from Window Setup (without completing the installation).

 

no, ISSD not appear in the device manager.

iSSD recognized him and worked until I update BIOS, formatted and installed windows 8.
in windows 8 did not recognize the ISSD and recovery back to windows 7 and not reappear.

I have only tried to install from USB because it has no DVD drive.
boot windows setup only show HD and 100MB reserved for OS.

thanks!

 

Got it, thanks. I see two possible explanations:

A) The iSSD has actually become defect. If that is the case, you either need Samsung repair -- or you use the machine without ExpressCache.

B) You enabled UEFI before installing Win8, which caused the iSSD to be partitioned using GPT standard (instead of the good old MBR standard). Since you are now running a non-UEFI OS (and UEFI is disabled), it cannot see that GPT disk. I think that is what happened.

Here is what I suggest:

1) Temporarily enable UEFI in BIOS (disable Fast Boot and enable Legacy USB if you have it).

2) Reboot into Windows Setup and see if the iSSD shows up.

3) If the iSSD does not show up, it is probably defect. In that case, set UEFI back to disabled and call Samsung Service -- or accept that you won't have ExpressCache.

4) If the iSSD does show up: Hit Shift-F10 to open Command Prompt, then use the following commands:

DISKPART (to start the Disk Partition manager)
LIST DISK (to show all your disks. Notice which one is your iSSD)
SELECT DISK 0 (assuming 0 was the number of your iSSD)
DETAIL DISK (just to verify that you selected the right disk - MAKE SURE)
CLEAN (to wipe the disk)
CONVERT MBR (to convert the disk from GPT to MBR)
EXIT (to close DISKPART)
EXIT (to close Command Prompt)

5) Close Windows Setup; reboot into to BIOS and disable UEFI.

6) Boot Windows 7 (currently installed) and see if the iSSD now shows up in Device Manager. If it does, you should be able to install ExpressCache and Easy Settings following the original instructions.

7) When everything is working, you can enable Fast Boot and disable Legacy USB in your BIOS.

Let me know how this goes for you.

 

Well then everyone seems to have no solution.
I will install clean windows 8 without iSSD.
Do I use UEFI enable? or leave default bios?
thanks for everything, from my heart.

 

Oh, I am sorry to hear that. You're saying the iSSD didn't show up in Windows Setup even with UEFI enabled in BIOS, right? Which Windows version was the Setup you used?

But yes, in that case I am afraid I cannot think of a solution. I think the iSSD may be broken -- although I suppose the BIOS update could have caused this as well.

If you don't want to contact Samsung for repair, you can either continue using your current Win7 installation (without ExpressCache) or re-install (Win7 or Win8, still without ExpressCache.)

In either case, definitely disable UEFI before re-installing.

 

Oh, I am sorry to hear that. You're saying the iSSD didn't show up in Windows Setup even with UEFI enabled in BIOS, right?
Which Windows version was the Setup you used?

Yes, i used uefi with windows 7 setup.

But yes, in that case I am afraid I cannot think of a solution. I think the iSSD may be broken -- although I suppose the BIOS update could have caused this as well.

If you don't want to contact Samsung for repair, you can either continue using your current Win7 installation (without ExpressCache) or re-install (Win7 or Win8, still without ExpressCache.)

In either case, definitely disable UEFI before re-installing.

Ok, i will install clean windows 8 with uefi disable and without ExpressCache.


thanks thanks 1000 thanks!!

 

No problem, you're welcome. I am just sorry we didn't get it working.

Listen, one last thing you could try is to (again) temporarily enable UEFI and boot Win8 Setup, just to see if it can detect the iSSD. Maybe it's different from Win7 Setup. If Win8 Setup can see the iSSD, convert it to MBR (using the previously posted steps), then disable UEFI and check if it's still there. It's worth a try.

I hate giving up on these things

 

Seems I haven't learned my lesson. Jumped out of one problem right into the next.

I got windows 7 on the machine and everything worked fine, followed the guide in the ExpressCache thread(only difference is that I used PartedMagic to partition the iSSD to HFS+, which went well, drive was still alive and kicking, showed up in windows etc.), and after multiple attempts I still couldn't get ExpressCache to work so I just gave up on it and figured I'd just purchase a SSD.

I then noticed the laptop would hang at the splash screen both when waking up from hibernation(like 5+ Mins at the Samsung splash/system resume screen and a another 5+ minutes on a blank screen before it actually begins resuming Windows) and randomly hang after a normal restart. The BIOS also lags when trying to switch between menus/options.

I decided it was due to upgrading to a new BIOS(P14AAJ), so I followed the BIOS rollback guide and got it rolled back to P10AAJ. I then noticed that the iSSD stopped showing up in Windows/Windows Setup/Parted Magic. I'm guess it's damaged/dead? This doesn't bother me as much since I've already decided on purchasing a SSD, but the BIOS lag and the splash screen hang is an issue. It seems as though the laptop is trying to access the iSSD during bootup and is causing it to hang(I could be totally wrong here, but that's the best I can come up with at the moment). Is there any way to permanently disable the iSSD?

 

@Sl0: LOL

Do you know if it would also hang immediately after the clean install, before you touched the iSSD? I would suggest you try wiping the iSSD again, the same way you did last time using DISKPART CLEAN. You can run DISKPART from Win8 Setup or by opening an Administrator Command Prompt in Windows. Note that the Disk number in DISKPART may not be the same as first time you ran it, so make sure you select the correct Disk number, so you don't wipe the wrong disk.

When you have it right, Windows Disk Management should see a blank iSSD with no partitions. It will NOT show up in the list of drives in Computer (no drive letter). That's how it should be. Now you can install the ExpressCache software which should create a cache partition on the iSSD (reboot a few times if needed). Of course if you intend to install a "real" SSD instead, you shouldn't install ExpressCache.

Once you have it working, I have to recommend you upgrade your BIOS, one version at time, making sure everything is still working after each version. Please use John's advice in this thread when updating.

 

It was fine just after the clean install, no hanging. I also wiped it with DISKPART and left it untouched as you suggested, but i still couldn't get EC to work. Now the iSSD doesn't show up period. Windows/PartedMagic/Windows Installation/Disk Management.. all of these are a no go.

 

I am afraid this is sounding more and more like member pedrogs problem with the iSSD on his 530U3C, which we discussed starting here over in the ExpressCache thread.

 

Well this is interesting..







Seems like it could be a driver issue. Are there stand alone drivers for the iSSD?

 

Yes, clearly Windows DID see the iSSD device originally (that's why the device is there) but is no longer able to initialize it. Here are some things you can try (in no particular order):

* Delete the iSSD in Device Manager and Restart Windows ( not Shutdown). Windows should re-detect it and (hopefully) load it correctly. If it still cannot see the iSSD, it could either mean that the iSSD has become defect, or (more likely) that is has once again been turned into a GPT disk (probably when your used PartitionMagic to create the HFS+ partition).

* Uninstall Samsung Settings, Samsung Easy Settings (shouldn't be installed in Win8 anyway), Intel Rapid Start and Intel Rapid Storage and Restart. Keep these uninstalled until the iSSD is working. You could try and re-install Intel Rapid Storage as it replaces the disk driver.

* Try PartitionMagic again and use it to initialize the disk, see if you can select MBR somewhere.

* Try the steps in this post again, making sure you first enable UEFI, then boot Win8 Setup, then use DISKPART to CLEAN and CONVERT. But this time, FIRST convert to to GPT (CONVERT GPT), then convert it back to MBR (CONVERT MBR). Now close Setup, disable UEFI (important!), restart and see if Windows can see the iSSD.

* Go back to your original BIOS version (which worked before).

* If none of this works, I have to suggest you re-install Windows again (UEFI disabled), since you had it working originally, when you did that.

Once you (hopefully) have a Windows installation that can see the iSSD, just leave it alone, then install ExpressCache and Restart. Make sure you have ExpressCache v1.0.94 (or newer) before you install it. If SW Update offers anything older, use Find Model to look up my model NP700Z3A-S03US, download ExpressCache from the list of Win8 drivers.

That's just about all I can think of

 

I've been staying up all night to fix this D: and it is 4:30AM here. I installed Windows 8 today, and noticed my PC became much slower than before because of the ExpressCache not working properly. Thanks to Dannemand and others' valuable suggestions, I was able to do what's necessary to see the anticipated logs from "eccmd -info". Booting time has improved, and "Boot Management" tab is finally showing on my "Settings" (former easy settings).

One thing that really bugs me is that while "eccmd -info" seems to be normal, the [Performance] tab of Task Manager shows no activity of iSSD at all. If anybody could offer some info regarding this, I would be finally able to sleep sound again. Is this normal? Is my expresscache working correctly?

 

Hello letsplaay. Good job getting it working! And thank you for sharing your findings.

ExpressCache operates on a level below regular Windows file access (it caches on Logical Block Addressing level rather than file level) which is why you don't see its activity reflected on the Performance tab in Task Manager.

If your ECCmd -INFO screen looks similar to mine (below) then your ExpressCache is working fine.

 

I think there is a lot more failures of these SanDisk iSSD P4 chips.

My Samsung NP700Z5A-S01UK failed to boot up one morning. Windows 8 reported it could not boot and attempted a repair but this failed. In the end a Windows 8 refresh, which completely removes all installed software allowed the PC to boot again. I then noticed, after the installation of the Samsung software had problems, in device manager the Sandisk iSSD P4 8GB was missing. After removing all drivers and re-loading Windows again, still noting appeared in device manager. Then after I had left the machine in standby for 15 minutes a few seconds after it resumed the found new hardware wizard popped up saying it had found the iSSD P4! But this only made a fleeting appearance in device manager before disappearing again. This trick of getting it to make a fleeting appearance can be repeated about 50% of the time, as long as the machine enters standby for at least 15-30 minutes.

Clearly there is a defect in the SanDisk iSSD silicon. Of course my laptop is just a few months out of warranty so I will have to live without the 8GB SSD!

 

Hello XMB, welcome to NBR.

I think you may be right there. We have certainly had some cases of vanishing iSSD, where an actual failure would be the best explanation. Some of the cases were caused by UEFI being disabled in BIOS while the iSSD was still GPT, and converting the iSSD to MBR brought it back to life. But others still lack explanation.

I would still give Samsung a call if I were you. I know it's a long shot, but I have had positive experiences, where a manufacturer took responsibility outside warranty. One example was a Mitsubishi DLP TV with a broken Light Engine, where my extended warranty company bailed on me (DTV Express and Bankers Warranty Group -- I cannot recommend them!). Mitsubishi stepped in an provided a replacement Light Engine, even though it was 18 months after my Mitsubishi warranty expired. I had to pay labor (they insisted on a certified tech) but I still saved a ton.

I'd say it's definitely worth a phone call.

 

Do any of the 2013 models include the iSSD?

If not, perhaps there's a reason for Samsung dropping it. However, it might be difficult to get them to admit that repair costs might be involved.

John

 

I think you are spot on in what Samsung was thinking.

I believe they took it away on all the new models -- at least the Series 7 models. Even on the 17 inch NP770Z7E (which is much closer to its NP700Z7C predecessor than the new 15 inch models are to their predecessors). I am not sure about the Series 5 models.

As I see it, it is a real step backwards in performance, since ExpressCache really DOES speed up access on a HDD. That is true even on my 7200rpm (which is faster than the 5400rpm provided with the 2013 models). I wish they had gone the other way and increased the size of the iSSD to 64GB. That way Windows and most apps could run directly from the iSSD, without the support hassles and license costs of the ExpressCache software. And if they made it mSATA (instead of iSSD) it could be replaced separately in case of failure.

I'll be looking for a configuration like that before making a new purchase.