Samsung 15" Series 9 NP900X4C with Ivy Bridge CPU

Aaaaaarghhh. It's so annoying that I can't update it to P10ABK. Everytime I ran it, it just ignore the BIOS Update. I then tried to update it with BIOS rollback technique, it seems it doesn't require restart. I can't find the WinFlash.exe in the temp folder, perhaps that is the reason as to why it won't update the BIOS prior restart. :/ This is hard...

 

Have you tried updating the BIOS through the Samsung's SW Update program? That's what I've been doing, and it works perfectly through that software. Maybe try resetting the BIOS to default settings, then running the program you're using if the SW Update method doesn't work.

 

Where enable it?

 

Press Fn+F1 to enter Settings, or go into the BIOS.

John

 

In new settings I can't find it in Settings application, I will try find it in BIOS

 

The latest version of Settings does have an issue or two when run on the X4C. I get a pop-up box in an unknown language:

View attachment 104954

As long as I don't press the OK button then Settings works OK and has the BLE tab. If I press OK then a further copy of Settings opens that does not have the BLE tab. However, it does have an adaptive brightness section on the Display tab.

Maybe the next version of Settings will get it right. Or maybe not.

John

 

before update Settings I had enabled Battery, after update it, I don't see this option, but still power charge to 80% even I updated BIOS to P10 still charge to 80%, but now I checked if in BIOS it sets, but it is disable, so I decied to change it on enable (but I don't know why was disabled despite of working)

 

I updated to P10ABK, and still have the wake up from sleep/hibernate problem. If sleep converts to hibernate, then the laptop doesn't wake up - get stuck at the samsung screen, circle stops animating and I'm stuck. Hard reboot holding down power key is needed.

Sleep alone is ok. Hibernate whether from sleep or directly crashes 4 out of 5 times on wake-up. Still on windows 8, samsung optimized power settings and silent mode set to off.

Any ideas please?

 

My X4C's hibernation is very reliable, sleep less so (there has been the occasional black screen but I haven't seen it recently).
1. Do you have hybrid sleep enabled? Power Plan > Advanced Settings > Sleep. If it is enabled then disable it.

2. Disable hibernation, reboot then re-enable it. See here for some guidance.

John

PS: New subject: SW Update just offered touchpad driver 11.7.19.9. It's not obvious what it has fixed but the default settings do silly things such as enabling reverse scroll. It's necessary to get ETDAniConf.exe out of the installation package to turn this off.

 

Thanks John, I disabled hybrid sleep, (actually reset samsung power settings back to default), and it seems to be ok now. Funny, I was using hybrid sleep without any problems for a long time.

Guess it makes no difference with an SSD - my startup is very fast anyway. Still haven't had time to upgrade to 8.1

 

I've never tried hybrid sleep. It's one of those clever things that's meant to work in the background but can evidently trip up. However, I liked the Intel Rapid Start Technology which shipped on the Windows 7 X4Cs. It also did a sleep-hibernation switch without turning on the computer but it worked at the BIOS level.

John

 

Anyone know where I might buy a replacement key for my series 9 (NP900X4D-A03CA ) keyboard? I bought a used one that is missing the letter "K".

Does anyone know what the keyboard part number is?

Thanks

 

Hi guys, no news about official Samsung support yet? Can't find nothing online.

My SWUpdate still show me only Win7 and 8 drivers

My Serie9 was shipped with Win7, august 2012

 

The complete keyboard / keyboard surround / palmrest unit is called the "Unit Housing -Top" (see here for the X4C but I can't find the X4D in the list).

I don't think that supporting Windows 8.1 on the Windows 7 versions of the Series 9 notebooks is on Samsung's list of priorities.

You might be successful in the upgrade by using the 8.1 drivers and software provided for the later (Windows 8 versions) of the X4C. This thread might reveal some of the potential problems.

John

 

Thanks again John for your help. Any idea if the keys would be the same on the X4C vs X4D?

 

If you're just looking for a "K" key then I brought mine from laptopreplacementkeys.com when I broke my CTRL key-hinge. from these guys (l ink to NP900X4D)

 

Both models use black keys but the X4D usually has a silver (unpainted) keyboard surround / palm rest. (I say usually because there are a few black versions of the X4D).

John

 

Thanks raaaabert, I ordered one from them!

 

Have tried digging in this huge thread but not finding my answer.

Is the hard disk easily replaceable in these laptops? There are lots of 500gb and larger drives available for good prices now. Would like to swap if I could.

 

Hi willrun4fun, welcome to NBR.

All Series 9 models (NP900) use mSATA SSD instead of hard disks. They are much faster, but more compact, and significantly more expensive per GB than hard disks. Many users have replaced the factory SSD with larger and/or faster ones, as discussed in this thread as well as the one linked below.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/672173-series-9-owners-third-party-msata-upgrades.html

 

Has anyone noticed that waking up the machine from sleep on P10ABK requires pressing the power button, rather than just opening the lid? This is when closing the lid of course, not pressing the power button, to put it into sleep.

Edit: Seemed to work ok just now. Maybe the timer to go into hibernation is much less than I was expecting.

 

Hey everyone!

Few months back I bought a Series 9 NP900X4D. It is a beautiful machine, and generally I've been happy with it. Some problems though are a bit sluggish performance. Chrome is fairly slow with scrolling lagging even with adblock on. Same with for example opening folders with a lot of pictures. I ran PCMark 7, and got only 2200, I have 12gb of ram installed. Windos defender didnt find any viruses either. What could be the problem? To my understanding it should have enough juice to run Chrome fluently!

 

My NP900X4C has a PCMark 7 of 4500. Something is slowing your performance to a crawl.

I would do a diagnostic check and also check for viruses and malware.

 

No malware or viruses found. How would I do a diagnostic check? One other thing where things are slow is running ubuntu on vmware, even with 5gb of dedicated memory for the virtual machine, its almost unusable.

 

Try RAM diagnostics: Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Also what are your WEI (Windows Experience Index) scores? This would help narrow it down.

 

I would also check out the SSD. Is it the Sandisk U100?

You can run CrystaldiskMark and compare the result with that in my Crucial m4 review. If the SSD has writing problems it can drastically slow up the whole system.

And HWiNFO's dynamic CPU speed indicator will show whether the CPU speed is varying throughout its operating range. If it is not then check (i) Silent mode or Eco mode is not enabled (ii)the CPU temperatures and whether it is thermally throttling.

John

 

Im running win 8.1 so there is no WEI anymore My SSD is the following: samsung mzmtd128hafv-000

I will run the memory diagnostics as soon as i get home.

 

The Samsung SSD should cause no problem unless it is almost full and can't do its housekeeping. It may be useful to empty the recycle bin and do a disk cleanup.

This thread encountered a similar slow performance problem with Windows 8.1. It is totally different hardware but it may be worthwhile trying the fix.

And check the CPU speed is varying properly.

John

 

It seems like this is still happening to me, even just a few minutes after closing the lid. Anyone else?

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

 

When I upgraded to W8.1 I also lost the ability to wake from hibernation (via intel rapid start). I went back to W7 and all was fine, so not sure it is a bios issue, windows, or settings. I think I'm on 09 though.

 

Could you explain the CPU speed thing? I have the program installed but I'm not sure what am I supposed to look for

 

Intel HD Graphics 4000 Mobile video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-3317U Processor,SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. NP900X4D-A04SE

Did the memory diagnostic, no problems there. Tried the solution from the other thread by removing the graphics driver. Result: Pcmark score of 396.

 

I suggest you compare the detailed sub-scores your old score of 2400 with the new score of 396 and find out in which area the sub-scores became less.

 

Atleast the version i have only shows the total score

 

Now reinstall the graphics driver. In fact, try several. Perhaps starting with the newest offered by Samsung for Windows 8. Some of the Windows 8.1 drivers are a step backwards.

John

 

Ok I found the problem, my computer was on silent mode in the Samsung settings. Definitely something I miss from Mac's is the lack of complicated settings and options that are sprinkled across the system

 

It's a trap that has caught out many people. Silent mode (or Eco mode) locks the CPU down to minimum speed and may drop the computer into the Power Saver power plan. Hence my advice to check that the CPU speed is varying properly.

I have also found that turning off Silent mode doesn't reliably move the computer out of the Power Saver power plan so this may need to be done manually.

John

 

Does anyone happen to know the size of the screws in the bottom of the laptop? I rounded some of the heads, and am looking for replacements...

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

 

See http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/716220-samsung-series-9-900x3d-a01uk-rear-cover-screws.html

John

 

I'm still struggling. After restoring full disk backup to get out of disfunctional 8.1 installation (too many apps didn't work, like Paperport. Acronis, ...)
1) Brightness function keys not working - all adaptive stuff disabled (I can't find it in Bios though)
2) FN/F12 doesn't work
3) Closing lid doesn't put machine to sleep, just turns of display

I have tried:
1) 3 different versions of settings, uninstalling and rebooting between each.
2) Installing two different version of aeroplane mode driver
3) I have Intel HD4000 - driver 9.17.10.2963

Any suggestions please?

 

Have you tried a battery reset?
This workaround at least helps on my linux driven 900X3E when ACPI functions are messed up.

 

Interesting idea - are there any risks associated with a CMOS reset? I have secure boot turned on. I am a little hesitant to do it without understanding...

 

It shouldn't be dangerous. The CMOS data are kept separately from UEFI. I tried a CMOS reset when a BIOS update appeared to brick my computer (I eventually figured out that the BIOS no longer supported 1.35V RAM).

John

 

I'm not sure if you got me right.
I was talking about a simple battery reset. While turned off hold the button in the pinhole on the bottom of the laptop for a while to disconnect the battery. You then have to use AC to be able to start the machine once again.

 

I would clarify that procedure:
1. Unplug the AC adaptor
2. Poke something firmly into the battery disconnect hole on the bottom (there should be a small click)
3. Try turning the computer on (it shouldn't start) but then hold down the power button for a minute.
4. Then plug the AC adaptor back in and press the power button ( the computer should start and the battery is automatically reconnected).

John

 

Haha... good on ya!

What's that good for?

For whatever reason my laptop doesn't turn on when the power button is pressed straight after a power down. However holding it will eventually turn it on.
Is that what you want to make sure is not happening?

 

Yeah ! It worked. After the battery reset, brightness, sleep on lid close, and airport mode all work again ! Thanks a lot. Makes sense in retrospect that ACPI parameters were wrongly updated at some stage (perhaps by 8.1).

As others have reported, after sleep requires power button to wake, but i can live with that.

thanks again oled and John!

 

The reason for holding down the power button is to drain any residual power. (But a minute is probably excessively generous).

My X4C starts with a quick poke of the power button. Yours sounds as if it has got another glitch. I've seen a few reports of similar problems. Have you played with the startup options hidden away on the Charms bar? Change PC Settings > General > Advanced Start-up.

Good news.

Thanks for the update.

John

 

Thanks for feedback!

That bug mostly gets triggered when supending to RAM (sleep mode). Good to know that bug doesn't only occur on linux.

Hope Samsung will fix this!

 

Maybe the power led just goes off before the system has completely shut down. If I wait 2 seconds a quick poke is enough to start again.
It doesn't really bother me though, I was just curious if that is what you were trying to work around.