Samsung 15" Series 9 NP900X4C with Ivy Bridge CPU

I think that the Intel Rapid Start is not switching to hibernation. Samsung's implementation is not properly configured. Work through this thread to try and find a fix that works for you until you can get the Rapid Start Config control panel working.

John

 

Thanks John! I'll find out if it worked in the morning.

 

@ John...hi there once again!
I was ready to try out the link you posted in post#850, but I thought Id ask you this first.

Would it be easier just to install an English language pack, rather than make a back-up of everything etc. from this site I found:
Windows 7 SP1 Language Packs (Original MUI Download) « My Digital Life

Being a newbie, Im looking for the simplest soulution Thanks!

 

Ok guys, a need a big help of you, cause I'm getting lunatic because of this issue...

It's about Intel My Wifi, the software from intel that is part of the Intel PROset Wireless tools and allow our laptop to be use as a ap wifi device, to share internet to other devices...

Well, after I bought the laptop, I knew that it came pre-installed with the Intel Proset Wireless tools, but didn't notice if in fact My Wifi was also installed...
After I upgraded all drivers from the laptop, including the new Intel Proset 15.2 official, I notice that Intel My Wifi was no were near installed on the laptop, no shortcut on start menu, no exe on the intel folder, no nothing, I tried to reinstall several times (I always install in custom mode to enable My Wifi) but nothing, also removed totally the wireless drivers and software package but still nothing... I also goggled for an answer, found some similarities but can fix my issue...

By the way, there's a Intel My Wifi package that can be downloaded from Intel site, but it's only the lite version, that doesn't include the part that allow our laptop to share the internet signal...

What is happening?!? Does anyone can tell me if Intel My Wifi is installed on yours systems?!?! What can I do to install it?!?
I tried some versions of the Intel PROset Wireless, 15.1 and 15.2, but no luck...

I'm going to install the version of wireless drivers that it's on Samsung site, but don't have a lot of hopes...

 

I haven't a clue about this one. I've never needed to try a language change. I was under the impression that one needed Win 7 Ultimate to change the language of an installed version of Windows but maybe there's a work-around.

Go into Control Panel, Programs and features, right-click on the Intel Proset entry and select change. Does it offer My WiFi? (Mine has it installed). Alternatively, uninstall what you have and reinstall the package supplied by Samsung (using, if necessary, the driver/ software backup disc you made with Samsung Recovery Solution) and then install the driver only update from the Intel website.

John

 

Hey John, thanks for that one! I am having some odd troubles again though and I was hoping someone could help me out on this...sometimes when I close the lid and I come back a while later and open open the computer, it didn't go to sleep but rather it shut down...and whenever it does that this comes on the screen.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bio46s86pvovnwc/2012-07-29 21.11.08.jpg?m

and also, sometimes whenever the computer comes out of sleep mode, it doesn't connect to the internet at all. It doesn't even recognize the network. I had previously bought another series 9 and it was having the same problems so i just returned it and bought another one.

Can anyone help me please?

Thank you!

 

All this started occurring after you removed all the programs you had listed in your previous post?

 

I would wonder if you haven't got the Intel Rapid Start Technology working properly. Samsung did a poor job of getting it set up. If you haven't read this thread then do so. If IRST is working properly then sleep and hibernation are handled outside of Windows. If you have IRST working then you should have a blue icon in the notification area that allows you to set the time delay before sleep transitions to hibernation. The first place to check is that IRST is enabled at the bottom of the General page of Easy Settings.

I've not had networking problems except that the signal on the X4C is below par. I would start with a driver update using the latest driver for the 6235 from Intel.

John

 

Thanks for this! I checked to make sure that the IRST is on and it is. however, there is not blue icon i the notification area...does that mean that I need to reinstall? And also, how do I update the latest wifi driver?

Thanks.

 

Hey guys, I am planning on buying the x4c coming from a new dell xps 15. I am most interested in the wifi performance: is it bad but still reasonable or bad and unusable? If there's anything else you think I should know before making my purchase let me know. Thanks.

 

I think the wifi on it on par with other systems out there. I have no complaints with it. I would update the touchpad driver as soon as you get it, it will greatly improve the experience.

 

If you haven't removed any components of IRST, I'd follow what John wrote in the IRST thread first to enable the blue icon.

However, in my case, the blue icon does not auto-start because the UAC prompt won't let start. Manually starting the control (via a shortcut) whenever I reboot is my work-around.

 

Which of the steps in this thread have you tried? Does Task Manager show that RapidStartConfig.exe is running?

Go to Intel. The second on the list is the X64 driver-only package.

I would describe it reasonable rather than good. As mentioned in my X4C review, it is not as good as the WiFi in my X3B or the T420s (which had a 3x3 card). The antennae are along the back edge of the chassis between the hinges (where the casing is plastic) so orientation with respect to the router may affect signal quality. Nonetheless, the WiFi performance has not caused me problems in everyday usage.

John

 

Hello all, I just got my NP900X4C-AO3US about a week ago and love it. The touchpad definitely feels weird sometimes. Occasionally the L click doesnt work or it randomly highlights parts of the screen. When I right click the ELAN PS/2 Port Smart-Pad under device manager it says its driver is up to date? Should I still download the driver released on July 6th from Samsung website? Anything else I should update on the laptop? any input would be appreciated, thanks!

 

Look in the folder c:\Program Files\Elantech\. If the newest files are older than 7th June 2012 then there is a newer version available. My Easy Software Manager says it is version 10.7.17.5.

John

 

I just checked Task Manager and RapidStartConfig.exe is not running in the processes section...does this mean that I have to reinstall it using the steps that you mentioned?

Thanks.

 

The report here suggests that RapidStartConfig needs to be running for the timer to work.

John

 

For those of us in Canada, the NP900X4C-A01CA is on for $1299 until tomorrow.

Samsung Series 9 15" Ultrabook featuring 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Processor (NP900X4C-A01CA) - Black : Ultrabooks - Best Buy Canada

 

Thanks! With this I was able to price match Staples for a refund of $190.

 

That's awesome! Nice surprise.

I am still not sure if I can handle the Bilingual keyboard. Weak reason I know, especially given this sale...

Can I ask people what their gaming experience is like with COD MW3 and Mass Effect 3 please?

 

Hello, on my X4C, having some trackpad issues, need advice. It keeps jumping around when i type and my palm hits the trackpad. Any recommendations to turn down the sensitivity? I opened the Samsung Pointing Device app, don't see any trackpad sensitivity options. Looked at control panel / device / mouse / touchpad, it opens up the same samsung (elan touchpad) app. Any suggestions appreciated?

 

Has anyone here tried to upgrade the screen to a better panel? Does a 15" matte PLS screen even exist yet?

 

What driver version are you using? Did you upgrade to the newest version from Samsung's website? This has improved the trackpad for me. You can extract a little settings application from the driver archive (the zip file you download from Samsung), which does have sensitivity settings in it, but for me those did not make any positive difference.

 

version, 10.7.17.5. July 6, 2012. Will try the settings application you mention, thanks for that tip.

 

My x4d is extremely prone to scratches and chipping, I've been using it for barely a month now just for the office on my docking station and it already has a chip and a deep scratch. I know this thing is a little smaller than the 15 inch mbp, so ideally should I buy a 14inch laptop sleeve or stick to the regular 15.6 inch laptop sleeve?

Planning on getting the neoprene ones from amazon.

Thanks!

 

There are some suggestions in this thread. You may find a stretch 14" sleeve will just fit although Samsung's claim about the 14" form factor must have used bigger 14" notebooks for comparison. Alternatively for a sleeve designed for an old 15" notebook. The best strategy, if you can't check in a store, is to look for dimensions very close to the X4's size.

John

 

I found Tucano' sleeve for the macbook pro 15 ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001MHN110/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00) to be satisfactory. It perfectly matches the laptop width, and it is just slightly too high (the macbook doesn't have a widescreen display) and thick.

I'll see if I can post some pictures later today, in the case somebody is interested.

 

John,

does your Spyder give you a measurement of the contrast ratio? I'm just curious, I have seen contrast ratios as low as 100:1 being thrown around for this screen, but I have never seen any "official" numbers. Do you know more about this?

 

No. Notebookcheck uses a Gossen Mavo meter which I think is a light meter. While I would consider that the 15" display doesn't have as much contrast as the 13.3" Samsung IPS panel, it's very usable. For working with text on any TN panel I have the display slightly pushed back which helps make the blacks blacker. Also, reviews with contrast measurements usually don't indicate the brightness level used during the test: Displays tend to wash out at high brightness levels which is likely to reduce the measured contrast.

John

 

Yes, that might explain the very low reading. Like you say, my display produces perfectly good blacks, but I never use it at max brightness.

 

Hello,

I've bought a Series 9 15" X4C-A02DE one week ago in Germany. That's the model with a Samsung 256 GB SSD. Having checked the SMART values of the SSD, I'm a bit afraid if the values are normal for a brand-new one:



Only 92 % in the sections "Benutzte reservierte Blöcke" & "Unbenutzte reservierte Blöcke" (which could be translated to "used reserved blocks"/"unused reserved blocks" approximately) is strange, isn't it? If I change to the decimal system, it shows the number of 486 used blocks.

As it is very difficult to find 900X4C-256GB-owners, it would be great if some owners here could run Crytal Disk Info on their own model in order to compare the results.

I do not really know how serious the SMART values are and which results are just normal. Likewise, the (german) Samsung Support is a complete failure concerning this issue...

Thanks an best regards,
me.

P. S.: You can download CrystalDiskInfo here (for free):

CrystalDiskInfo - CNET Download.com
CrystalDiskInfo - Download - CHIP Online

 

It always offer My Wifi and as normal it's always selected...

I already uninstalled it, install the drivers packaged from samsung itself, but no luck... no matter what I do, I can't get My Wifi to be installed...

I guess I'm going to restore the laptop to the 0 day... bad luck...

 

I am having a major issue with degrading network speeds with the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 network/Bluetooth card. I am running a clean installation (having upgraded the dismal 128Gb with a Crucial M4 256Gb) using only the drivers provided by Samsung and all other system aspects of the laptop are working to specification. My issue is that on a sustained download (either being pulled down from the local network or the internet), over the period of 20-40 seconds, the download speed, after commencing at 1000-1400kb/s drops to the point of a mere trickle at 40-80kb/s. I have duplicated this degradation on 3 separate networks/Access Points, all with very similar results. If I disconnect and reconnect to the access point, download speeds again start at 1000-1400kb/s, only to degrade shortly there after.

Note I have no issue connecting to an access point, that part is, thankfully, "as per the book".

I have tried uninstalling the Samsung provided 6235 drivers and installing the latest drivers V15.2.0.19 (as well as the Bluetooth driver V2.2.16.30255) from Intel and tried adjusting the power management settings, but no change. I have even ordered a replacement Centrino Advanced-N 6235 (should arrive after 13-Aug), as I'm having difficultly in understanding how this can be a software only issue.

At this point, any thoughts and/or suggestions would be most welcome & appreciated.

Thanks

David

 

My 128GB says that too. I didn't think too much of it.

 

Please don't cross-post. I already put some suggestions against your post here.

John

 

Ok, thanks for your help.

But is there anyone using a Series 9 with the 256 Samsung SSD who can check his SMART values for me? Would be very, very helpful.

 

Hi John and fellow members...sorry if this has been posted but is there a list of programs, malware etc. that can be safely deleted from this model??

Thanks

 

I'll take the silence on these questions as a resounding "No." Heh.

 

I apologise for not directly answering your question, but I would like to pass on my settings for the screen. I was quite disapointed with the quality of the screen out of the box, but with a little tweaking, I think it looks great!

Right click on the desktop and click "Graphics Properties". Select "Advanced mode" and click "OK"

Select "Color Enhancement" under "Display"

Here are my settings (note: I think you need to do "All Colors" before the individual ones:

Under Color "All Colors"
Brightness -10
Contrast 51
Gamma 1.0
Hue 0
Saturation 5

Color "Red"
Brightness -12
Contrast 49
Gamma 1.0

Color "Green"
Brightness -12
Contrast 51
Gamma 1.2

Color "Blue"
Brightness -12
Contrast 46
Gamma 1.1


Click okay. (Do not go back to check "All Colors" because this resets the individual color values)

Give it a try. Let me know what you think. My screen has gone from washed out to bright and vibrant.

 

First make a backup of all the supplied software and drivers using the Backup option in Samsung Recovery Solution. Then use Easy Software Manager to add / remove programs. Norton is usually the first thing to go (to be replaced by your favorite AV program). I recall seeing some games thing which I also removed. Software Launcher, Easy Migration, Easy File Share and Multimedia POP are among the things I live without. Note that Samsung's Implementation of the Intel Rapid Start Technology is incomplete. Read this thread to find out how to get it working properly.

There is currently no PLS panel in the 15" size and little choice of other panels in this size given that 15" is about mid-way between the standard 14" and the 15.6" sizes.

Alternatively, use my calibrated profile generated by my Spyder 4 Express.

John

 

@CliveJay...under All Colors is the gamma setting 1.04 or 1.4 ???
I dont see any 1.04

thx

 

If anybody in Canada thinking about getting the x4c, staples now selling this for $1330.
STAPLES | BUREAU EN GROS

 

Definitely 1.04.

But I notice that when I move the slider it is impossible to set it to that! So I am guessing the configuration tool must do some "conversion" when you save the settings.



Just set it to 1.0 and it will be fine.

Did you like the colours?

 

Hi guys, I bought the 900x4c a couple of days ago.

I wonder if anyone have noticed a metallic noise in some occasion. It's like a "clack / tac" from the speakers I guess...

It's really annoying

 

That is not normal. I would start by setting the Windows Sounds Scheme to "No sounds" in case it is some software thinking it is being helpful. If that doesn't fix it then you'll have to listen more carefully and try to figure out what circumstances create the noise.

John

 

Hey John, quick question...sometimes my computer takes like 7 seconds to boot up from sleep mode and sometimes its almost instant...do you think the fact that the IRST isn't set up properly might have anything to do with this? and would following the steps in the thread that you made fix this?

Thanks.

 

Yes: Near instant means sleep while 7 seconds means resume from hibernation. I think it worthwhile trying to get IRST behaving properly (but should add that I haven't 100% succeeded on my X4C, unlike on the X3B).

John

 

Hi John..would you happen to know where you posted the steps for IRST ? Thanks!

 

The relevant thread is the next to last entry for Series 9 in the sticky list at the top of this forum. I made that list for my own convenience but hoped that others would also use it (and make suggestions for additions).

John

 

I notice the same problem - can't figure out the cause to date..