Samsung Series 5 NP540U3C-A03UB HD / Express-Cache problem?

Got the Samsung series 5 ULTRA NP540U3C 13.3" i5 1.70Ghz 4GB 500GB laptop last week off eBay. PROBLEM!!! It only has 16.6 GB free of 39.9GB for Windows C drive and 384GB of 384GB in Temp_Part01 D??? Not able to use Partition D? Tried to download Win 10 after installing about 10GB of photo's and it said it didn't have enough space needed? That means it was trying to load where it was suppose to, Window C drive. Then I checked the properties then went to Documents "Computer", no ExpressCache. One pic attached. Express-cache shows up in Device Manager, but not in the "Computer" folder? My last two Series 5 laptops were not like that.

When I asked the guy who I got it from about this, he said:
This is Samsung's factory setting. They've set this so that you can create different partitions or even combine them as you wish. The first partition is for software use. The Temporary partition is for you to designate the amount of storage. You have to create them before you can use them. Here's a website that shows you how: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/co...n-your-hard-drive-keep-your-data-safe-1213797. If you were to go to the store and buy a new laptop, this is exactly what you'll get.

Am I right or wrong? Should I sen this laptop back or try to correct it?
It didn't come with a recovery cd like the new ones do.

 

Could I get some help here please. I have a short window to send this back. A friend of mine that has a large computer store in Delaware just told me this:

This is setup wrong. Should be C drive with 2 partitions. The guy is lying.
I always see 2 partitions on the same drive (C & that's the way we always set them up. He's a jerk. If you have the windows 8 disc you can delete the partitions & set up 2 new ones ...I would send it back & demand all your monies back & ***** to PayPal.
Alan

 

What does Minitool Partition Wizard find? It should be able to delete the current D: and then expand C:

John

 

Never used Minitool before, I'll have to check it out. I put in another hard drive that I had in my last Series 5 when I put in a new SSD. It's working fine, minus the ExpressCache. I had upgraded to Win 8.1 on that one. I'll take it out and put in the hard drive that came with this one and check it out. My main question is should I return it even though it is working now as I feel the guy was lying and my friend back east that has been in the computer business for over 30 years told me to return it because if he lied about on thing, there could be something else... plus the principal of it. What do you think John.

 

I guess what I'm trying to ask, (sure I can make it work, I have by putting in another HD that I had in another Series 5) is this normal, ie, come from the factory the way I got it like he claims. I know my last two didn't. I'm trying to get some money back for the hassle or just return it.

 

I recall that there was a time when Samsung split hard drives in two main partitions but I think they stopped doing that by the time the NP540 was produced.

What you have decide is whether the seller misrepresented the information because of ignorance or did so intentionally. I would run a set of demanding benchmarks and see if everything runs OK.

John

 

But is it normal for the main drive, Windows C, that everything automatically gets saved to to only have 39.9GB of space while the other partition one has 384GB's? I don't think that's normal and this guy insist that it came from the factory that way... I had two exact models like this one, (check my history here on this forum, especially in the paint department) and they were not like this. This guy says he has been in the computer business for 11 years so that's not ignorance.

What benchmarks do you suggest?

 

It's not normal for the Windows partition to be so small, but if that's the only problem and can be fixed in a couple of minutes using Minitool Partition Wizard, then I wouldn't bother getting into arguments.

Regarding benchmarks, the SiSoftware Sandra benchmark suite is quite demanding while PCMark 8 is quick. Also check the SMART data for the hard drive, preferably using the drive manufacturer's diagnostics, alternatively HWiNFO.

John

 

What bothered me is he kept insisting that was the way it came from the factory when in fact it was not. He even said this:
"If you were to go to the store and buy a new laptop, this is exactly what you'll get."
Not true!!! I've bought many notebooks since 1985 and never once had a laptop come with 39.9GB on the main HD. (well, maybe not the one I bought in 1985) Maybe the partition, but not the main one.

 

Results of PCMARK8 Home Conventional 3.0
http://www.3dmark.com/pcm8/12162405
Score:
2 205 with Intel HD Graphics 4000 Mobile(1x) and Intel Core i5-3317U Processor

 

Sorry I got to this thread a somewhat late.

@jack53: The partition layout you are seeing is actually not unusual for Samsung laptops (some models). Upon first boot, it will have that split disk layout, with the second partition called TEMP_PART01. The user is then asked whether he/she wants one big partition or a split partition layout -- and if the latter, where to split it. As I recall, the second partition is then renamed DATA (or something) after the first boot is finished.

Strangely, some Samsung laptops give users this option on first boot, while others don't. Mine did, but other users here reported they didn't get that option.

You will only ever see that TEMP_PART01 partition if you create an image backup of the partitions BEFORE first boot -- which I did on mine. I am guessing that the original owner of your laptop did a similar image backup before first use, and then restored it before selling the laptop. But you probably never got that prompt because this wasn't the "real" first boot.

As for the small size of the Windows partition, that is probably the minimum size offered to users who choose the split layout. As John wrote, you can simply adjust the size with Minitool and rename the 2nd partition and you will have a standard installation.

We need to see a complete partition layout (such as from Minitool Partition Wizard) in order to determine if all partitions were properly restored, including Recovery. This post (that was a link) shows the standard partition layout for Samsung laptops delivered with Win8/8.1.

The small ExpressCache iSSD (probably 16 or 24GB on your model) will NOT show up in Windows drive lists if the cache is working correctly. Use ECCmd (as described in this post) to verify that it is working. Many users have found that ExpressCache stopped worked after updating to Win10.

Edit: I keep my Windows partition to 48GB and all data on a separate DATA partition. But this only works if you change the location of user folders to the DATA partition. I have a post about that somewhere here, I'l try to find it.

Edit2: Check this post.