Samsung 15" Series 9 NP900X4C with Ivy Bridge CPU

I like the look. That's the only benefit other than it's a few grams lighter.

 

Hey, i have a question.

I decided to remove the Recovery partition and reinstall Windows 7 from scratch when i got my NP900X4C some few days ago.

But there is one problem. When i try to install the Easy Software Manager, then it says that my modell isn't supported.

Have anyone else experienced this and is there a way to fix that?

EDIT: I realized after i had removed the Windows 7 installation that came with the laptop that i really shouldn't have removed it, because it's not full with bloatware like Acer's, HP's laptops and so on are.

 

It really depends on your definition of lean. I personally don't care for the WinRE partition and the fact it consumes storage I need. So for me it was never an option to leave things the way it comes from the factory. As for the error, people are reporting errors with existing installation of Easy Software Manager so the factory service might be down and causing you grief as well. If you downloaded all of the core driver packages to an external USB drive before blowing away your installation you should still be able to get things back into a perfectly viable state.

A quick check at Support - Notebooks NP900X4C | Samsung Laptops seems to indicate the drivers and server is available.

 

What neoprene sleeve is this - I'm looking for one myself but I don't know which ones will fit.

Thanks,

 

If you are in UK, it's here.

John

 

Hi John and everyone..
Im having wifi problems with mine. Is there a wifi update? I never installed or upgraded anything on it yet since I bought it.
Do you recommend updating some a few things and is there a page with a list of updates for this particular model??
Thanks!!!

 

Use this link to update the wifi drivers,

Intel® Driver Update Utility for wireless networking

 

It's nice to see the X4C appearing in NBR's top 10 most popular laptops.

John

 

Your review at Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C User Review would be higher in the ranking if Samsung had put a PLS screen in that chassis. That would have driven a lot more interest and sales. It's also odd they haven't addressed it yet especially considering the Retina screen on the Mac.

Here's to hoping they have a surprise coming soon. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is probably consuming any chance of them selling the machine in it's current incarnation. And if Apple does start shipping a 13.3" Retina Mac, more money will disappear.

Come on Samsung, get with it.

 

I have another question.

Since i deleted the iFFS partition earlier that holds the suspend technology (Intel Rapid Start Technologies), then i'm trying to reinstall that thing.

I have been searching for this for a long time now without getting any answer on my question.

I know we have to enable 'Intel Rapid Start Technologies' in the BIOS before we can use this. But i can't find any 'Intel Rapid Start Technologies' options in the BIOS as they say i have to enable first.

Is there anything i can do to get that option back in the BIOS?

I also did update my BIOS to the 'P04AAC' version yesterday.

EDIT: In Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) as i use now, it just say this to me after i boot up my laptop: Your system does not appear to have Intel Rapid Start Technology enabled.

That might be the reason it's not enabled in the BIOS?

 

Perhaps the setting is in the BIOS but you enable / disable it using Easy Settings. This thread contains more about IRST and the challenges of getting it working properly.

John

 

I have a Logitech wireless mouse receiver plugged into one of the right hand side USB3.0 ports, works like a treat until I connect an external USB3.0 hard drive into the other USB3.0 port - in fact any external hard drive even USB2.0 causes the same problem which is;

The pointer starts jumping around like its not receiving the signal correctly, kinda of like the second USB3.0 port which is now active is interfering with the other USB3.0 port. Note when I plug the wireless mouse receiver into the left hand side USB2.0 the pointer resumes normal service, that is when the USB3.0 is still active with the external hard drive. I have installed the latest USB3.0 drivers using the Samsung Easy s/w manager.

It's freaking annoying. Anyone else have this problem? Fixes?

 

Ok, but then i can't find it in the Easy Setting either.

But i have another question to. In my Intel Rapid Start v1.0.0.1015 folder, i have a file called 'Inst.exe' and a file called 'setup.exe'.

When i click on the 'Inst.exe' file, it will start an installation process. It will just install something and then just disapear.

But if i press on the 'setup.exe' file, it says this to me: This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software.

So what should i do here?

And my last question for now is this: Is is possible to get an exact copy / backup file of the OS that comes stock with the laptop with all of the Samsung programs and Intel drivers installed and so on?

I would rather install the stock OS that comes with the laptop so i can get away from those problems as i have now.

EDIT: I got the Intel Rapid Start thing to work :thumbsup:

So here is the steps i did to get it to work.

1. Do the things explained here: Re: Intel Rapid Start Technology - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

2. Remove the Intel Rapid Start Technology software completely from the laptop (If you have it installed).

3. Remove the Easy Settings software completely to if you have that installed.

4. Reboot the laptop.

5. Now install the 'Intel Rapid Start v1.0.0.1015 software. I did it by clicking the 'Inst.exe' file.

6. Reboot the laptop.

7. Now install the Easy Settings v1.1.1.4 software.

8. Now reboot the laptop again.

9. Go to 'Start' menu, then go ro run. Then write in Regedit and press enter.

10. Then Navigate to HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Intel\irstrt\Parameters, and change the values for "InvisibleMode" and "HideMessagePrompts" both to zero (0).

11. Reboot.

12. After reboot, there should be an icon that looks like a blue power button in the bottom right task tray. When you open, there will be an error message, but after you change one of the the timer settings to anything and press "save", you'll get a notification saying " Status: Intel Rapid Start Technology Turned On", and that's when you know it's working.

And after this, it's working for me

EDIT 2: The next thing is to find out how to get the 'Easy Software Manager' program to work.

All i get is 'Unsupported model' message when i try to start the program.

Any solutions on how to get it to work yet?

 

​

Can these updates be appled to non-u.s. X4C models?
Mine was bought in Asia

 

Did you try the latest USB 3.0 firmware update (2.0.1.7 released 13th August). It killed support for one of my USB 3.0 flash drives that the previous firmware update had made accessible but maybe there's a reason for this update to be released quite soon after the previous one.

Did you make a drivers / software backup disk using Samsung Recovery Solution? If so, run the ESM on that.

I can't see why not. The Intel update utility looks for compatible products and finds if there is a newer driver.

John

 

Using Samsung Easy s/w Manager I updated the USB3.0 controller but not to the ver. you mention. It's now 3.0.20.0. The pointer/mouse lag was also not functioning correctly before the latest update as I was also hoping the update would be the fix.

My first USB3.0 experience and it's not pleasant. Admittedly I only plug in the external HDD occasionally but that shouldn't be the point.

 

3.0.20.0 is the driver version. There's a separate firmware update listed on the downloads site. It is not offered by ESM. In Device Manager, USB 3.0 Host Controller > Properties > Advanced will tell you its firmware version. Also, FWIW, I see that my USB 3.0 power management is disabled.

John

 

JR you've done it again - Word up!

I didn't realise the Sam.EasySwMgr update of the USB3 was only for the driver and not the firmware which I have since upgraded. Works muchos muchos better now. Not 100% but still a vast improvement.

 

Has anyone ever changed their WIFI card in the X4C? Id like to install the best possible WIFI card in my Samsung if possible or just figure out whats wrong currently?

For the past two days, my wireless connection on my laptop has been acting strange. It will identify and connect to wireless networks, but will then display an error with the network itself, saying it isn't connected to the Internet. However, all my other wireless devices connect to these networks just fine.

Thanks

 

USB 3.0 is still an immature technology. I'm annoyed by all the manufacturers who dumped the USB / eSATA combo port once USB 3.0 appeared. Transfers via eSATA to external storage are much faster then with USB 3.0 (two extra controllers in the data path - one in the computer and one in the device).

The X4C (and many other notebooks) uses a combo WiFi - Bluetooth card. That limits your alternatives. I've currently got an Intel 6230 card coming my way from the other side of the globe. The 6230 in my X3B has better performnce than the newer 6235 in my X4C. If a different card doesn't improve things then I will blame the antenna module. You can see if your problem is fixed by the latest Intel driver. Use the driver update tool here.

John

 

John, could you keep us posted on the performance of the new wireless module, when it arrives? I am interested in seeing whether it makes a difference, and maybe exchange the one on my machine in such a case.

Thanks a lot, as usual

 

I didn't make a backup of anything on the SSD drive before i deleted the whole SSD.

And secondly, i can't get ESM to run though.

So i have to get it to work in another way then.

 

Well I am not sure this information is all that relevant to anyone, but now that I've had the X4C for a week this is how my power consumption seems to break down, with the battery power setting set to power saver and the WiFi adapter set to Maximum battery saving. The update to the wireless driver seems to have settled the link speed with the router down, although an actual speed test comes in well under acceptable download speeds at the lowest power consumption setting, but it is sufficient for surfing an online dictionary or email or whatever. Once Word 2013 settles down it is responsible for about 1 watt. Zune is responsible for 3 to 4 watts. At 5/8 brightness I think the screen is pulling 3 to 4watts, and the WiFi on low power consumption pulls 2 or 3.

Just one tab open in chrome has my current power consumption at a mostly stable 8.8 watts.

With everything off, in other words with just the desktop background, I could probably get down to 5 W of power consumption. That, of course, is just pointless. The screen could be cranked down too, but any setting lower that 4/8 is really too dim for extended use. I am content with the 9-11 W range with wifi, word, zune, and a webpage. It seems reasonable. I don't know if I will get 10 hours out of this battery ever, but I am seeing close to 7 hours with several programs running the entire time.

 

I'm interested as well. I'll report on what happens.

Send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you what seems to be the ESM executable (on the root of the backup disc).

Thanks for the update. For your usage pattern you would need a big 9 cell battery to get to 10 hours. Zune seems a but power-hungry but maybe not if you are using the speakers with generous volume -that could be 1W each.

John

 

Ok i got the files. But it just quits / disapear after it starts to install from 0%. Then nothing more happens after that. The same happens on my main computer.

I also removed the ESM software i had installed before i tried the files i got from you.

 

Out of curiosity, has anyone seen battery drain or battery health issues with the 15" SS9 like people have been seeing/reporting with the 13" SS9?

The 13" SS9 thread is full of that discussion.

 

Thanks for the update. I'll search the disc again but when I previously checked there was no other ESM installer. When I run that file I sent then ESM loads (perhaps because it is already installed).

One thought: Did you try the right-click > Run as administrator?

John

 

Yeah i did, and the same thing happens on both the laptop and main computer.

 

OK. I've found something else. Check your email.

John

 

Now i got the 'Unsupported model' message on the file you sent me

I really wonder on what Samsung have done to make it so damn hard to install.

EDIT: Can someone post the link with the calibrated color profile that soneone did earlier in this topic?

 

My X4C is still on 0% wear although the battery hasn't had a lot of use. Regarding the 13" battery problems, do you mean X3A, X3B or X3C? IIRC is't a few X3Bs that have had abnormal wear and Samsung have replaced the batteries. There seems to be both 4 and 6 cell batteries of the same nominal capacity in circulation.

One last thought in email. Try running that first file again (now with XML file) in a folder containing the folder I sent. Perhaps the first will run the main installer. It can't be that you need to install something else first because ESM is the first thing to run on the backup disc. There is a small chance that the bundled ESM isn't the right version. I've never done a clean install to find out.

John

 

I got the new file with the XML file now, but the same happens when i opens the program and accept the things there and when the download is gonna start, then it just quits.

 

So is it installing and then doing nothing? There are issues with the ESM server connectivity but if it's running then you should have an icon in the notification. It's possible that it won't run properly because it can't find all the folders listed in the XML file (4GB's worth of multi-language installers).

John

 

Yeah. I don't have / get the icon in the tray either. So it's not installing it at all. It doesn't even start to download the app from the internet.

My question is though, is it possible that someone can make a backup of the stock Windows 7 that comes with the laptop. Also an image that is with just the default applications and that (also without any other user installations)?

It have to support Norwegian language though.

I know that backup might be pretty big, but i think that's the only way to get the ESM to work atm.

 

The 14MB file should be the full ESM installer and SWDesc.txt indicates it is innumerable language including Norwegian. It shouldn't need to download anything to install but once installed then it will try to check the database on the internet. I'm as puzzled as you are why it won't install.

John

 

I'm referring to the latest Ivy Bridge SS9's in the US. I forget the model numbers.

 

Hi John, could you help me?

Should I check or uncheck "Disable 3.0 usb power management functions"?
Also I tried to update to 3.0.20 but mine is 3.0.8.0 and when I click automatic update it says that is the latest firmware ???

 

Hi not John here but the poster responsible for John's advice. I upgraded the USB3.0 firmware as you did and got the same response and thought the same thing. But it's not that the upgrade wasn't successful, rather the "latest firmware has just been installed" and not "the latest firmware is already installed so we wont install this one for you".

Did you check the firmware version again after the install, it should be 3.0.20.0 now. Mine is upgraded and the USB3.0 port works a lot better than before.

No comment on the power management, I'd say just leave it as it is.

 

Ok ill check again.
Oh and what about the check box. Do I check or uncheck it?
thx a lot

 

Power management is disabled (ie the box is checked) on mine. I haven't tried to see the effect of unchecking.

Is that in Easy Software Manager? I don't think its database got updated yet. The USB 3.0 firmware update is in the drivers section of the X4C downloads. Download it and run it.

John

 

John Ratsey. Do you have a link to the calibrated color profile to the NP900X4C that was posted somewhere in this topic?

EDIT: I still haven't figured out how to install ESM yet.

 

Oh no I went into device manager then properties under USB 3.0 and checked the driver etc. It lists 3.0.8.0 even after clicking on "update"

 

It's somewhere in this thread but there's also a link on this page of my X4C review. I haven't had any further brainwaves about how to beat ESM into submission.

Device Manager can look for newer drivers but it can't handle a firmware upgrade (firmware is the USB 3.0 hub's equivalent of the computer's BIOS) so you have to manually download and run the firmware update.

John

 

Hey, I've been using my Series 9 for a few days now and really like it. But, I just wondered if somebody could help me out with a problem I've been having with the trackpad... Basically on the whole it works fine; but, there are sometimes where the cursor just stops - sometimes the whole thing will stop working no scrolling or anything... sometimes scrolling will work but the cursor will be stuck. I know the computer isn't stuck at that point because I can still cycle through the open windows. It only hangs for a few seconds but when it happens its still annoying. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

 

Check using Easy Software Manager that you have the latest touchpad driver (version 10.7.17.5). Also run the BIOS update utility to check if you have the newest BIOS.

John

 

Does anyone know how to make the gestures on the trackpad work better? I find that they barely work. It takes a few tries to do everything and sometimes I have to press esc to get out of it rather than using the gestures to get out of it.

Thanks!

 

Try using ETDAniConf.exe to adjust the sensitivity (that program is in the driver download zipfile).

John

 

Anyone notice on their keyboard keys, the keys pickup oil easily and it does not seem to come off. My space bar has a grease spot from my thumb.. does not remove, also a few other keys?

 

I've got a shiny patch on my space bar but I think it's a bit of wear on the matte surface. I give everything a periodic wipe with a damp (no excess water) cloth with a hint of washing-up liquid detergent.

John

 

Sorry, but how can I find out the battery wear% on my X4C ?