Samsung 2012 Series 7 Chronos (NP700Z3, NP700Z4 & NP700Z5 series) Owners Lounge

@Matt: If you already formatted the recovery partition, you can delete it. Otherwise I would have suggested you create a USB Admin Tool first, which you will need if you ever want to recreate your recovery partition (with working F4). That admin tool must be created in recovery mode, but that's too late now.

 

Alright thanks, for some reason no delete option is showing up in the disk manager any idea why that could be?

 

I don't have it in front of me right now, but I believe you have to click Advanced (or something) when windows setup displays a list of partitions. But I'm sure you already did that.

Are you able to create, extend, delete other partitions, just not the recovery partition? In that case setup is just trying to protect you; I didn't think it would do that, but I can see the logic.

I can get the DISKPART command for you to fix it (if indeed that is the problem), but I need to get in front of my PC first and boot setup. Later this pm.

 

Yea it gave me the option to delete other partitions, just not the backup partition even though it's completely empty. Also, my east software manager is being a pain now. could that be related? Right now I'm just going to uninstall and re install it and see if that fixes it.

Edit: Yea i tried re installing it and I got a message that said unsupported model: The computers model or operating system is not supported by easy software manager. Please download and install directly from the Samsung Mobile website.

Any idea what that is about?

 

OK, I guess Windows Setup wants to prevent you from deleting a Recovery partition -- makes sense. The solution would be to either (1) Leave the Recovery alone during install and delete it once Windows is running, or (2) Use the DISKPART command during setup to force change the Recovery partition to be an NTFS partition -- or just delete it outright.

And yes, Easy Software Manager relies on the Recovery partition to install drivers and utilities. AFTER they are intalled, it will look for updates online. But since you wiped your Recovery partition, you're going to have to download drivers from the Samsung website and install them individually. That's one reason why I recommend leaving that Recovery partition intact.

Edit: For those who need it, the way to run DISKPART during setup is to hit Shift-F10 to open a command prompt, then type DISKPART. Select disk and partition (using SELECT commands) then SET ID=07 OVERRIDE to force it into becoming an NTFS partition.

 

Alrigh well seems like i have done a few things wrong haha, but yea i already have windows installed and thats where i was tryin to delete the partition but no option would show up for that partition.

And for the easy software manager, i had it backed up on a external drive (I backed up the system software) so i already have all of my drivers installed i would just like the program working normaly as opposed to only when i remove it and then reinstall it off the hardrive. If i close it after that it no longer works. So is there any way for me to fix it?

One option i have that might work is that i have a system image that i made before the install with windows back up. Would reverting to the image recreate the backup partition? Then i could just reformat thhe main partition and go from there?

 

@Matt: Sorry, I didn't realize you had already installed Windows. I understand. I've done my share of messing around and reinstalling, both with my Series 7 and other PCs over the years.

I honestly don't know if Easy Software Manager can work fully without the recovery partition. It uses the SystemSoftware folder on that partition.

You said in an earlier post that you had saved the files from the Recovery partition. If you can restore its content, that's probably your best bet to get Easy Software Manager working correctly. (You have to change it back to ID=27 to make it a Recovery partition).

Once you have that, I would install and run System Recovery Solution 5 (Samsung website). It looks for the partition and re-establishes the connection to it. From within SRS5 you install Easy Software Manager (which it pulls from the SystemSoftware folder on the recovery partition) which in turn installs everything else.

Before spending too much time doing all that, consider whether it's worth it. I never installed Easy Software Manager on my current setup, as I prefer to install the latest drivers right away, and not have all these background tasks running. Admittedly, it's nice to have one place to look for software updates, but I just go to the Samung website every few weeks and looks there.

Again, if you had the Recovery partition intact, the equation would be different because Easy Software Manager makes it SOOO easy to install everything again. But if you have to spend many hours to restore it, I would just forget about it and set up Windows as you like.

Basically, Easy Settings is the only Samsung software you need in order to operate the laptop normally. And I would lose even that in a hearbeat, except I need it for the Fn keys and to turn off Bluetooth/WLAN

Correction: You need ExpressCache too, of course, if you want to use that. And it is controlled by Easy Settings as well.

 

Alright thanks! Looks like ill jus do manual updates from now on, could you possibly link me to where there drivers are?

Also is the recovery solutions 5 useful at all or not really needed?

And last when i had the manager workin it was trying to instal basic sp1 patches. Should i mess with the manager again and instal those or just use windows update?

Thank you so much for all the help I apreciate it!

 

Go to the Samsung website, click Support and enter your model number. That'll take you straight to the drivers for your specific model.

You can download the SP1 patches there as well and install them before Windows update. There are two sets of them: Ms_Hotfix_CriticalUpdate and MS_Hotfix_common. I installed them, but I haven't checked if they include anything that isn't installed with Windows Update. Basically, I see them as a way of installing basic security updates before you expose your PC to the internet for the first time.

I don't use Recovery Solution myself, and haven't spent a lot of time with it -- except when I was messing with restoring my Recovery partition. It has some features for saving and restoring (including backing up your System Files, which can be useful). But it works in the context of Samsung's recovery environment -- I am not sure it makes sense when you don't have that Recovery partition.

There have been many useful posts on fresh Windows install (in this thread and others). I would check them out. Below is the driver install sequence I use (with notes -- I copied it from a write-up I wrote for myself).

DRIVER INSTALL SEQUENCE
- Chipset

- Intel Rapid Storage
(Disable RST icon)

- USB3

- Touchpad

- Intel WiFi - includes BT
(Other BT installs not needed)
(Disable Bluetooth AMP under adapter settings)

- VGA 8.940
(Disable Hot keys in both Intel and CCC to prevent conflicts with other apps)

- EasySettings
(No Fast Boot, it delays loading of devices)

- Sound
(Disable tray icon)

- HECI/Intel ME
(Use Update Driver to install driver only. Full install installs .Net 2.0 and other bloat)

- Intel WiDi
(Optional)

 

So, can Easy Settings still be used without the recovery partition?

Bit confused by your (otherwise very helpful!) posts, Dannemand. From what you're saying, Software Manager needs the partition, but it was never made clear if Settings needs it too.

 

Alright thanks so much for the help! Any tips for figuring out which drivers you need to update? I'm thinking of just looking through the device manager and seeing whats outdated, but if you have a good system i'd love to hear it.

 

Easy Settings should work without the recovery partition. Come to think of it, not sure I actually tried that - but I'm 99% sure. I cannot think of any reason why it would need the recovery partition.

 

If you download the ones from my list and install them, that should cover all the devices. That's based on a NP700Z3A. Not sure about other models.

The only thing I didn't mention was ExpressCache. I install that after everything else and enable it using Easy Settings.

 

Where on earth do you get repair parts for these machines? Replacement batteries seem damn near impossible to find online.

Model = Samsung np700z5b-s01ub.

 

@Matt: It occurred to me, maybe your question meant a system for checking driver updates in the future (when not using Easy Software Manager).

What I do is just look at Samsung's software download page for my model (Drivers and Software tabs), then sort the list by release date to see if anything new was released.

It's not as pretty as Easy Software Manager, but I want to minimize background processes - and my PC doesn't need new drivers daily or weekly

 

That is what I meant thanks! any way I can check which drivers I already have installed? And I only would want windows 7 drivers correct?

Oh and can you instruct me how to delete that recovery partition since it's empty and I won't be using it?

 

@Matt: In meetings all pm, this is gonna be brief:

For drivers, once you install the ones I listed, that should take care of any devices in Device Manager. In the future, just look for updates to those by sorting by release date on samsung.com.

All other devices are supported by Win7 directly and should be updated by Windows update.

VGA is a little different because the latest version you may find on Samsung.com still has problems with switchable graphics. Search for VGA_AMD_8.940.0.0000.zip (there are links on this forum). Don't update until you see something newer than that.

Use Disk Management in Windows to delete that partition (Control Panel-Administrative Tools-Computer Management-Disk Management). If it won't delete it (like setup wouldn't) you may have to change the partition type (DISKPART, SET ID=07 OVERRIDE). Let me know if you need that.

Sorry, really have to go now...

Edit: just to clarify: VGA 8.940 is the one you want right now. In the future, don't update unless you get something newer than that.

I hope this all makes sense, otherwise let me know.

 

Hello!
I recently ordered an NP700Z3A-SO3US (full specs linked; 14" last year model series 7 chronos) at a very decent price for its overall quality (especially the screen and build quality (i care less about its problems than not having a 768p, which is all there is for my budget)) and i'll have my hands on it in about a week. While im not bad with computers, i've read a lot about people doing clean installs and such which i have never done before, so if it really is that important, if someone could be as kind to link me to a decent guide to do this including how to backup drivers and whatnot, it would be greatly appreciated I have a link to the direct downloads for windows 7 for a clean install, but do i need a product key for this and does it matter what version i choose?
Also if someone else has had this model for some time, could they tell me how it is in the long run? I've read plenty of reviews but it would be nice to have a prolonged opinions.
And before someone tells me i should've bought the newer models, they arent in my budget, and the specs/build quality for what i paid imo is very suitable for me, and i can deal with whatever little problems come up (switchable graphics, etc.).
Thanks in advance! ^_^
Ashvin

 

Alright sounds good forgot about the list! and VGA is not a big deal I wont be using that anyhow.

And the partition will not delete in the disk manager so if you could walk me through the work-around that'd be great!

 

@Ashvio: I have exactly the same model and like it a lot: I bought it for my wife, and she likes it too. Only $600 on walmart.com didn't hurt either

I think you got a good model there: 750GB 7200rpm HDD; Core i5-2450; 8GB RAM; Intel WiFi/BT/WiDi. Some of the other NP700Z3A models have 5400rpm HDD, Broadcom WiFi (no WiDi), only 6GB RAM.

The newer Ivy Bridge model NP700Z3C is still not available in USA (to my knowledge) although it has been for several months in Europe. And surely you will have to pay a lot more when it does come.

The downsides of this laptop (in my opinion):

1) Wi-Fi range is weak compared to other brands/models. Discussed extensively in this forum, including tips for how to improve it (mainly change settings in the Power profile). Probably an antenna design issue. Some people have no problems, others found it useless and returned it. I had a model with Broadcom WiFi first and returned it. This one is better, but still not great. Wireless-N seems to work better than G.

2) The screen, while having great resolution for its size and being very bright (usable in sunlight) lacks contrast. Partly due to a VERY matte surface, partly because it's a fairly cheap TN panel. It's fine for work, not so much for movies and games.

3) Only two USB ports (1xUSB2, 1xUSB3). During OS installation or command prompt (with no USB3 drivers) only one is usable. Both are on the left side, so mouse cable has to run around the laptop. The two ports are so closely spaced that most USB sticks will prevent the other port from being used.

4) Heat management can be an issue. The laptop is very quiet and doesn't seem to use the fan much. Tests have shown that TurboBoost doesn't kick in much because of the high temps, and during games or other hot action, the CPU may be throttled due to temp.

5) Samsung's software is pretty terrible (in my opinion): It leaves a very heavy footprint, and weaves itself far too deep into the OS. Fortunately most of it can be uninstalled. The worst is Easy Settings, which is needed in order for Fn keys, WiFi/BT power and other basic functions to work. It overrides the loading of devices and Windows modules, slowing down effective load times tremendously, both after boot and after resume. The login screen comes up literally in a few secs, but it can take minutes after login before screen brightness and keyboard backlight can be controlled. WiFi is also delayed by a minute of so after login.

What makes up for these shortcomings are an excellent design and build; great screen size and resolution in a small package; a wonderful touchpad; fantastic keyboard (excellent backlight); and generally good performance. After using it for awhile, Easy Settings is actually my biggest issue, the other ones not a big deal. I am investigating a way to load just the keyboard module, so I can get rid of the rest.

I don't think you have to do a clean install, particularly if you are not experienced in these things. You WILL need to uninstall a lot of the bloatware, but once you stripped it down, you'll be good to go. If you find you messed it up, you can always restore it back to factory.

DO make sure you partition the HDD so you have a separate Data drive, and put all your data there. You can move your Documents, Favorites and other folders to it so they are always separate from the Windows drive. It will ask you after the first boot (and ONLY then). Make the OS partition as small as possible (about 50GB, unless you plan to install something huge). That's the most important advice I can give you!

Good luck, enjoy your new laptop!

 

LOL, you WILL need VGA: it's the driver for your video cards (Intel and AMD).

You'll have to wait until tomorrow with the DISKPART. My wife has been waiting for me to join her for the last hour.

 

Okay got most of this no idea what the HECI/Intel ME is, I couldn't find where to turn the Bluetooth thing off or where the intel wifi download is, and where can i disable the rst icon, got everything else though. Sorry for all the questions

 

HECI=Host Embedded Controller Interface, which is part of Intel ME=Management Engine. You'll probably never need this (mostly for IT departments), but there is an Unknown Device in device Manager until you install the driver.

It's right there under drivers on samsung.com, called HECI Driver. Install the entire package (like all the other driver packages) OR, if you want to be picky like me, install just the driver. You do this by unzipping the HECI zip, right-click the Unknown device in Device Manager, and select update Driver, then point it to the DRIVERS folder in the unzipped HECI zip folder.

I should probably have deleted that comment about disabling Bluetooth AMP. I don't use Bluetooth myself, and it seemed like it improved my WiFi a bit -- maybe just placebo. If you want to do it, it's in Device Manager, properties for the WiFi adapter (under Network adapters), Advanced tab. You may not even have Bluetooth AMP there, depending on your specific model and driver version.

Now, as for deleting that Recovery partition: Before you proceed, be absolutely sure you want to do this. I cannot take responsibility if something goes wrong and you lose data. I give the best advice I can, but mistakes happen.

With that disclaimer out of the way, open a Command Prompt as Administrator (right-click Command Prompt) and type DISKPART.

Type LIST DISK and note the Disk # of your HDD, probably Disk 1.
Type SELECT DISK 1 (assuming it was Disk 1)
Type LIST PARTITION and note the partition # of your Recovery partition
Type SELECT PARTITION # (using the partition # you found)
Type SET ID=07 OVERRIDE to force change it to an NTFS partition
Type EXIT to leave DISKPART

You should now be able to use Disk Manager to delete the partition. We could have deleted it right there in DISKPART, but I want to give you a last chance to see the partition in Disk Manager and make sure you delete the right one. Just in case something went wrong.

Also, I want you to consider one last time before deleting it. If indeed you backed up the files from your Recovery partition (there are a few ways to do that, and I'm curious how you did it) we could still attempt to restore your Recovery partition, so that you can go the Easy Software Manager route instead. Once this partition is gone, it's kind of hard to recreate it properly without a USB Admin Tool -- which you don't have.

Don't stay up too late (like me )

Update: Sorry, I overlooked some of your questions:

Yes, you only need Windows 7 drivers. On samsung.com, the filter works funny, so you have to check Windows 7(64bit) as well as Windows 7(32bit, 64bit).

Look for WLAN or Wireless LAN for your WiFi & Bluetooth. Mine has the Intel 6230 card, so I use the Intel driver. If yours have the Broadcom card, download that one instead. With Broadcom, I am not sure if you need to install separate Bluetooth driver as well.

You don't have to disable the RST icon, it's just what I do. Open Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Start Menu or click the tray icon) and go to Preferences.

Finally, you probably want to update your BIOS if you haven't already. The Firmware tab on samsung.com has the BIOS Update utility.

 

Alright well I deleted the partition, and thanks for the help on the other things too, i found almost all of them now I have a Np700Z5C-SO1US so i if thats a diferent system than what you ahve that might be why.

For the back up of the partition what I have is a system image I created with windows back up. Not sure if this actually does have it but it would make sense to me that if I restored the system to that point that it would recreate the partition.

Once again thank you for all the help i really appreciate it!

 

has anyone seen this problem before?

 

Cool, thanks for the feedback, Matt. And you're welcome

I don't think that system image will contain your recovery partition unless you made it with Samsung tools. But I could be wrong. There are ways to rebuild that recovery partition with a new windows image, but it's a lot of work. And you still don't have the SystemSoftware folder.

Given everything, I think you're on the right path getting that "manual" installation working smoothly and set up the way you like.

You'll be fine

 

Actualy i do have the system software all backed up and thats what i used to reinstall all of my drivers initialy. Its just the software manager wont work unless i boot it off of the external. I think that got all of the initial drivers but i used your quick guide to go through and check manualy.

But your righ ill be fine doing it manually!

 

Oh you have that, good job!

I haven't studied how SRS5 uses that System Software backup (I only saw the option was there). I wonder if there's a way to get a functional Easy Software Manager by restoring that backup - but without a fullblown Recovery partition. I can't really test it without wiping my own recovery partition, which I'd prefer to avoid.

Anybody else have experience with SRS5, please fill us in?

 

Hi everyone-- I have had my NP700Z5C-S04US for about a month now, and I love it, it is by far the best laptop I have ever owned. I noticed, however, that my hard-drive has a maximum capacity of 678 GB when it was advertised as having 750. Is this typical, are there some hidden partitions taking up the other space or is this just manufacturing allowances?
Thanks!

 

@Xenon yes there is a recovery partition that takes up about 20gb (DO NOT DELETE IT)

@Dannemand My experience so far has been that when you run the application it installs east software manager and then installs all of your drives for you. However if you have no recovery partition like me then once you close the software manager after that first time it will not reopen. You can however uninstall it and then run the application again off of the backup and it will open which is what i just did to make sure i'm not missing any drivers.

It turns out I don't have the wireless lan driver or the bluetooth driver and both keep failing when I try to install them (manualy or with the software manager).

Samsung recovery manager 5 will also not install, but that is definitely linked to the recovery partition.

Edit: also my securegaurd driver under system devices is showing up as missing

Hope that helped a little, if you have anything you want me to play around with let me know.

 

Ordered the Series 7 np700z5C should be here tomorrow. (THANK YOU AMAZON PRIME). Coming from a HP lappy.
Is there a definitive guide on clean installing Windows 7? And partitioning the hard disk?

 

Learning from my mistakes of doing a fresh install here is what I would say you should do.

1. Back up your system software with the Samsung recovery solutions on to a dvd or external drive, this will make re-installing all of your drivers much easier
2.Put in the the system recovery media (Might have to switch your BIOS to boot off of the CD press F10 to access this on startup)
3.Custom Install
4.Select the main partition and reformat it (Do not touch any of the others)
5.Install Windows on the main partition
6.Run the back up of your system software and let Samsung easy software manager re-install all of your drivers
7.Windows updates

And that's about it.

 

Hey all, I've been reading through this thread happily awaiting the delivery of my 14" model which I received yesterday. I am quite pleased with the laptop which should be more than portable enough to take to classes if I so choose. I do have one question however.

The model I have has the i5 2450m w/ hd 3000 and the 6490m. I know this is not going to be good for playing games at anything but the lowest settings which is fine, my other laptop can take care of that. I may however play GW2 now and then on this when I'm on the go. I know the game is not finished and it is still being optimized for it's release on the 25th(28th w/o pre-order) but I noticed while playing in the stress test today that the hd 3000 is giving me a better fps with higher resolution and settings. The hd 3000 also experiences much less significant drops in fps durring more intense moments of action. At 1600x900 with textures on medium and everything else on low my fps is around 25-35 with hd 3000 and around 10-20 with the 6490m.

I guess I am just wondering if this is something that should be cleared up when the game is complete, is it just the hd 3000 is better for this game, or is it something else? I just was under the assumption the 6490m was slightly faster than the hd 3000 from notebookcheck.

-thanks for any input

 

Thanks for this! Doing this right now...

Question. When restoring the drivers/software from the samsung recovery disk, which programs can i leave off?

Ex: Cyberlink YouCam
Cyberlink MediaSuite
Samsung Recovery Solution
Easy Settings ??
Easy File share
Easy Support Center
Easy Migration
Software Launcher ??
Fast browsing ???
User Guide?

is it okay to not install some of these

 

You definitely want easy settings, and probably also recovery solution and any of the other Samsung software as it is all quite good.

The Cyberlink stuff you don't need and not sure about the other stuff

 

Found something weird while updating my drivers:

The intel wireless lan driver on Samsung's site is version 15.0.0.75, and would not install. So, I checked what was installed and it was the 15.1.0.21 which works fine. That brought me to the the conclusion that the one listed on Samsung's site is wrong.

After further poking around I found that the 15.0.0.75 is the driver for the Intel(R) Centrino(R) Wireless-N 1030, and the 15.1.0.21 is the driver for the Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6235, which I believe is the card that the laptop has (At least Intel's auto-detect and my device manager tells me so).

Pretty much just wanted to confirm that 15.1.0.21 is the correct driver, and that the laptop uses the Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6235 card (I have a Series 7 NP700Z5C-S01US).

 

To anyone reinstalling: The only stuff you really need is Easy Settings, and, if you want it, Software Manager. Nothing else is necessary.

 

I've had my new laptop for a little over a week and have been going through the threads as much as possible. I ran across the advice above and have a question regarding the partitioning...

Unfortunately, as I was setting up my laptop for the first time, I had not yet plugged in my usb mouse, and with the quirky trackpad, I ended up with a C and D partition, each approx the same size.

Now that I'm starting to install programs and move my data, is it better to install all programs on C (where windows is installed) and data only on D, or should I put my programs and data on D, and somehow try to shrink the C partition for only windows.

Thanks.

 

Can the optical drive in the 14" version be removed for a caddy to hold a hard drive?? Also how easy is it to replace the lcd with another one, such as the lcd from the lenovo x1 carbon??

 

I might pull the plug on getting this one..soon ..although i dont know if i can get used to to the screen...even though its not glossy ..poor viewing angles annoy me...

I do like the battery life...its way longer than my asus ..only getting a meesly..1.30 on a good day..

 

There are several ways you can repartition your drive:

1) If you haven't already added too many programs and data, the fastest way is probably to use F4 Recovery, then select Restore-Complete Restore-Advanced. That should allow you to repartition. It's very fast, but your Data partition will be wiped, and your Windows partition restored to Factory startup.

2) Use linux Gparted or similar tool to adjust partition sizes. PartedMagic Live CD is a good tool to keep handy. Google PartedMagic live CD, download the ISO, burn it to a CD. (Right-click the ISO to burn, it's a built-in Windows feature -- though you may have to uninstall some Samsung bloatware that blocks it). After you boot the CD, open Gparted, shrink the size of the Windows partition, then Grow the size of the Data partition (the Extended partition AND the Drive Volume). Click Apply. This will probable take many hours. Elevate the Chronos and/or put a fan next to it as it may run very hot.

3) Windows Disk Manager MAY be able to help (right-click Computer in the Start Menu and select Manage). Right-click your Windows partition and you should be able to select Shrink Volume. After that, even though you CAN Extend your Data partition in Disk Manager, I don't think you can extend it "to the left". Not sure though.

Whichever solution you choose, DO backup any valuable data before messing with partitions. Always!

Let me know how it goes. And enjoy your new Chronos!

 

@mattwd6: Sorry, I was gone for a few days and never got to respond to your posts.

Thanks again for feedback -- and for the offer to test things on your "Recovery partition free" Chronos. I realize it's a week later now ;-) So when you have a backup of the SystemSoftware folder (copied straight from the Recovery partition or using the SRS5 backup feature), how do you direct Easy Software Manager to use that backup instead of the Recovery partition? Does it prompt for that automatically? Still, odd that it won't load again after that.


Also, saw your note about WiFi drivers. Mine is the Intel Advanced-N 6230. THe latest driver on samsung.com (for my model) is ver. 15.0.0.75. There is a later version on intel.com (Intel_Wireless_15.1.1_s64.exe) which I tried, and it works. I use the one from Samsung, though, in case they tweaked it to improve the antenna/range issue of these laptops.

Hope you're enjoying your laptop

Edit: Also saw that your are sharing your lessons with others. That's great!

 

Couldn't agree more.

If I may add, I chose to also install ExpressCache. There are other ways to make use of the iSSD (Windows swap file, relocating Program Files etc) but ExpressCache is an easy one. The slower your HDD, the more you will benefit.

Of course some Samsung drivers need to be installed too.

As previously discussed, Easy Software Manager makes it VERY fast and easy to re-install drivers and software after a fresh install (assuming your Recovery partition is intact or you have a System Software backup). After that, you can uninstall Easy Software Manager (for a cleaner PC) or keep it running to help check for updates down the road.

 

Thanks for the reply. I tried to shrink the C partition, but ended up with unallocated space that I couldn't grow to "join" the D partition, so I tried to restore the pc to original settings, using the Recovery Solution, but it maintained the partitions.

I decided not to mess with it anymore. Right now I'm fighting with iTunes to get my library and playlists copied. It's so much fun.

Thanks again.

 

@Dannemand

To use the software manager I have been uninstalling the manager and then booting it and re installing it off of my back up every time i want to use it. Otherwise I haven't really found any other ways to direct the manager to use the backup. If you have any ideas let me know!

Thanks for the info on the Intel driver, I can't get the Samsung one to install and the new one works fine for me so not a problem

The only driver I appear to be missing is the SecureGaurd Driver under system devices. Any idea what this is or how to fix it?

 

Thank you, Matt.

My NP700Z3A doesn't have a SecureGuard device, but I do remember seeing it mentioned earlier in this thread. (Do a Google search with site:notebookreview.com to find those posts.) Maybe it's a new feature in the Ivy bridge models. Easy Software Manager doesn't give you a clue to which driver is missing?

Sounds to me like either HECI or TPM. Did you install HECI already? Downloading the HECI driver for your model, I notice it contains a lot more than mine. I think you should install the full HECI package and see if it takes care of it.

As for TPM, my sammy doesn't have that, buy maybe yours does. The samsung download page for your NP700Z5C-S01US does list a TPM device driver, but only for XP (oddly). Start with HECI, though.

And no, I am afraid I have no idea how to make Easy Software Manager behave -- other than to recreate your recovery partition and restore the System Software to it.

Keep me posted. I am curious

 

When you restored, did you chose the Advanced option? If so, I am surprised it didn't give you the option to re-partition.

You can simply delete your Data partition using Disk Manager and create a new one that fills the entire space. You have to back up data first, of course!!! It is an Extended partition containing a Logical Drive, so you have to delete both -- and re-create both. If you don't have much data, the whole thing will only take a few minutes.

Alternatively, I think you should download and burn a PartedMagic Live CD. It will allow you to grow your Data partition to fill out the space. It really is a great tool for this and many other things. You don't have to know anything about linux to use it, it's a complete standalone set of GUI tool.

Let me know how it goes, please...

 

Hey guys, just bought the 14" chronos 7 from john lewis in the UK. I'll be very happy if you guys could help me with a couple questions.

1) Firstly, I want to purchase the Samsung SSD 830 which is 7mm in height. Would that fit this laptop without the use of spacers or anything of such.

2) I want to move the 1TB hard drive to the ODD drive bay. Could someone point me to a caddy (preferably in the uk) that would fit the 14" chassis.

3) When i eventually do a clean install, what do I need to install and how do I get UEFI on the laptop.

Thanks in advance

 

@dp3000

2. I moved the 1TB to the ODD drive bay with a newmodeus drive fine. no problems.

3. I'm doing a clean install now... and I've encountered a few problems with UEFI.

At the moment I've got windows running UEFI on my sandisk SSD. But everytime I try to install the VGA ATI drivers, I get a BSOD on windows startup with the following error message "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"


Anyone encountered such a problem?

 

I'm also getting a problem from the screen dimming randomly???