Samsung Series 9 - Windows 8

Windows 8.1 Driver Update
After a clean installation of Windows 8.1, the only drivers I needed to install were:

• Touchpad Driver_11.7.19.9 (for trackpad gesture support)
• Settings_2.2.0.15 (for Fn key support e.g. brightness)

I found these drivers with SW Update under Windows 8.1 drivers for newer Samsung models. Everything else seems to work just fine!

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Original Post
With Windows 8 RTM released to MSDN today, I thought I would create this thread for people who want to run it on our beautiful ultrabooks.

So I have Windows 8 running pretty well on my 15" (NP900X4C-A01US), here are the drivers I've installed:

Samsung Windows 8 Drivers Installer!
http://orcaservice.samsungmobile.com/SWUpdate.aspx

Touchpad (Version 10.7.17.5)
http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.c...1207/20120714124121110/Touchpad_10.7.17.5.ZIP

Intel HD Graphics 4000
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3498&DwnldID=21180&keyword="4000"eng

Samsung Easy Settings Software (To get Fn keys working)
http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.c...7/20120706162201285/Easy_Settings_1.1.1.4.ZIP
You'll have to rename setup.exe to setup2.exe to install it.

Here's the link to Samsung's official support page for drivers. Windows 8 drivers will be updated here.
Support - Notebooks NP900X4C | Samsung Laptops

Anyone else install Windows 8 and recommend installing other drivers?

On a finally note, enjoy Windows 8 and go internz2012!

-Frank

 

Who's internz2012? I know completely off topic.

 

Why in the world would I install that turd of an OS on my "beautiful ultrabook"?

 

I wouldn't put it quite so bluntly but the Windows development cycle during this century runs as: Me > XP > Vista (aka "Me 2") > 7 > 8 (which I suspect will become known as "Me 3"). It's a version where Microsoft put in a lot of new ideas. I haven't seen any "must have" features on the list so I'm envisaging waiting until Windows 9 wherein the worst of the new features will have got buried and the bugs relating to the useful new features fixed.

John

 

Why is it a turd of an OS? I'm getting 30 extra minutes of battery life and the metro/tablet interface is replaced by a third party start menu program. It's basically a more efficient windows 7 for me.

 

Because it is unsuitable for something like 99.9% of current Windows computers in use, which are laptops or desktops. Sure, I can make it usable using third-party add-ons, but somehow I have this quaint idea that when I get an OS, it should be able to perform the fundamental functions properly and efficiently out of the box, without me having to run out and buy stuff to make it usable. Finally, there is no significant difference in "efficiency" between Win7 and Win8. Switch off all visual effects in Win7, and you'll have exactly the same behavior as in Win8. The difference is, in Win7, I have a choice.

 

While being in danger of completely derailing this thread, have you actually tried the latest releases of Windows 8? Paired with the new Office 2013 preview and the host of new shortcuts built into the operating system, I actually manage to get things done more quickly than I do in Windows 7, and this is on a multi-monitor desktop with just a regular old keyboard and mouse.

Out of curiosity, what shortcomings do you have in mind when you say that Win8 is unable to perform fundamental functions properly?

On topic, to those of you who have installed the Windows 8 RTM on your Samsung Series 9, how are you finding the multitouch gesture support with the regular OEM drivers that are currently available?

 

interz2012 is a community of summer interns that all have this laptop

I disagree with almost all of this.

For most of the mouse and keyboard computers out there currently, people will mainly stay in the Windows 8 Desktop, which is like Windows 7 with enhancements. Although, the Modern Side is definitely aimed at the touch capable market, using it with a trackpad or mouse isn't a bad experience.

Windows 8 is more efficient than Windows 7. It has a faster boot time and uses less system resources, there's no denying that.

A lot of the decisions made with Windows 8 help prepare it for the future. Implementing touch (heck OS X barely has any touch support), promoting sandboxed Metro (fine... Windows 8 UI Style) Apps that do not degrade the Windows experience over time, and more all will help Windows in the long run.

Even having the Start Menu removed has scientific and experimental reasons. Read Evolving the Start menu - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs followed by Designing the Start screen - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs. In fact many of the changes in Windows 8 are discussed in detail here by the Windows Engineering team: Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs.

For me the gesture of swiping from the right end brings up the charms bar, swiping from the left end is equivalent to windows-tab, and swiping down from the top brings up menus in metro apps.

 

I had the same concerns about win8 being too much for touchscreen users and not for regular PCs - until I actually got a hands-on experience on a regular laptop. Basically, the Metro UI comes up instead of your Start Menu, and when it is minimized, you have your regular windows interface. I didn't spend too much time with it, but I can see how the Metro UI can be customized to be more efficient than the Start Menu.

 

Just to clarify, I decided that the particular discussion on the merits or lack thereof of Win8 is off-topic for this thread and this forum, so I will refrain from responding any further here, despite the fact that I disagree with the points the OP brought up above.

 

Many thanks for the tip renaming the setup.exe to setup2.exe to get the Samsung Easy Settings Software installed. I bought a 900X3C this weekend and the missing F-key stuff was quite tricky. Can you tell me if the "Open Lid" to restart from sleep is working for you? In my case nothing happens and I need to start it manually via the Power button.
Cheers,
Stefan

 

The X3C is probably expecting the Intel Rapid Start Technology to be installed and working. This replaces the Windows sleep and hibernation. Did you try installing it?

John

 

That's probably a valid point

So far I only installed the touch pad drivers and the easy settings software. I will create a new restore point later and give the drivers a shot. Are we talking about the Rapid Start Technology driver only or is there anything else required?

Update:
I downloaded the Windows 7 driver and tried to install it but it failed because my computer does not meet the minimum requirement. I found a pdf file from Microsoft describing the steps to setup another partition required for the Rapid Start stuff but one of the last steps failed (set id).

What makes you believe that the Rapid Start Technology is actually the one responsible for the lid open action? The Lid Open action is (for me) correctly setup in the Easy Settings menu... but still not working ;-(

Stefan

 

See the separate thread about the Intel Rapid Start Technology. Yesterday I found the program that creates the hibernation partition. I'm less sure what makes it run but it may be enabling IRST in Easy Settings.

My hypothesis about lid opening action being linked to IRST is speculation, but IRST clearly includes support at the system firmware level because part of the process works outside of Windows.

John

 

Are you able to provide me/us the link to the program that creates the hibernation partition? I tried the manual approach and failed (due to the GRT partition type)....
Do you know the program providing the files you mentioned? In this case I would try to install it...

 

Did you read this post? I think that folder is created during the Easy Settings installation.

John

 

Found your post... The folder is not located on my machine (Win 8 Pro 64Bit) and I installed the Windows 7 version of the Easy Settings application via the setup2.exe trick. I read a number of posts and my understanding is actually that the Rapid Start app is responsible for a more efficient sleep but not necessary for the open lid part. I could be wrong, who knows. Best guess, the problem will be fixed with the upcoming Win 8 driver / probably a new BIOS. I would really like to know if somebody already managed to get the open lid feature working on a start from scratch Windows 8 install for a 900x3/4c laptop...

 

Just a general comment about Windows 8. I installed it on my desktop with a 30" monitor attached to it and the 900X3A laptop and I am quite happy so far. It takes a while to learn all the useful shortcuts and get adopted to the changes they made. As soon you start to understand the concept behind the modified interface you will realize it is quite an improvement compared to Windows 95 to 7. The metro starting page is more like an upgraded start menu with additional functionality attached to it. Some of the tiles are actually quite useful and I hope that the store will provide even more (free) apps in the future. I can't understand the hype about the missing option to start the desktop directly after startup. Who the heck is viewing the desktop without using applications??? As soon you start a typical app like Internet Explorer (changed the behavior to display it on the desktop via Internet Options) or Outlook you are back on the desktop. Personally I would recommend to tidy-up the Startmenu providing access to apps not listed on the metro screen or attached to the taskbar. The fact that you can easily start programs via typing in the name of it in the metro interface without selecting anything and hit enter makes it much faster to use than the old style start menu. Again, just my opinion. I can't imagine going back to Windows 7 at this stage (still in use on my company machine). I agree there are no huge highlights convincing people to upgrade but I always prefer to have something new from time to time and Windows 7 looks quite old fashioned to me right now. I would really like to see some more support from Samsung regarding Windows 8 drivers at this stage. The Windows 7 drivers seems to be more or less working but some small issues still needs to be sorted out (open lid resume from sleep feature not working for me, also cannot install Intel Quick Start app (because of the GRT formatted SSD?)) but none of them are showstopper. There is still one device unknown to the device manager but I wasn't able to figure out the impact so far. The only driver I would actually recommend to install is the one for the touchpad plus the Samsung Easy Settings software to get full access to the FN-keys.

 

What's really not working?... I've installed Windows 8 yesterday and if I close the lid the computer sleeps and when I open it it doesn't resume alone, but just a push on the power button and it resumes just where I've left it...

 

Running Win 8 Enterprise x64 RTM on NP900X4B-A02US.

* Install runs with setup2.exe trick, cool, thanks!
* Icon for Easy Settings appears on Win 8 Start menu, great
* Click icon, get UAC prompt, typical annoying Win behavior, fine, click OK
* App never launches. Nothing happens after UAC.
* Easy Display Manager (32 bit) and Easy Speed Up Manager (32 bit) show up in Task Manager Processes, but I can't interact with them or any of their friends.

Any ideas?

 

What I mean is that open the lid itself is not triggering the resume from sleep action. Pressing the power button to resume is working fine... The FN + 1 command to start the easy settings application takes quite some time for me before the program shows up. All other FN actions are reacting quickly.

 

Following the announcements at IFA Samsung has released a page dedicated to upgrading various machines to Windows 8, it includes access to an upgrade guide and a software download which apparently accesses the Windows 8 drivers. The page is here for the UK: SAMSUNG UK Windows 8 Upgrade and here for the US: SAMSUNG US Windows 8 Upgrade.

Samsung specifically referred to the Series 9 during their Windows 8 presentation which bodes well for good support and updated drivers to utilise the multi-touch trackpad etc to it's fullest, hopefully it means we'll get an optimised Windows 8 experience on our machines.

Cheers,

Stefan

 

The software install but when I run it, it says my computer is not supported, although the NP900X3C is listed in the supported models...

 

I am having the exact same problem. I noticed the new software last night. I have an NP900X3C-A01US and downloaded the 'SWUpdate_1.2.22.15.zip' file and once it installs and I run that application I got that error.

 

Regarding the lid open action problem, have you checked the Lid Open Action option on the Easy Settings Display page?

John

 

I'm having the same problem. I was tweeting w/ Samsung Support and they told me that there was a BIOS update (P04AAC) that needed to be installed before it would work.

After updating the BIOS I still had the same issue. After that, they gave up and told me to contact Microsoft.

-j

 

How did you install the new BIOS and where did you get it. I already have Windows 8 installed and since I cannot get the new software manager to install due to that error, how am I supposed to update the BIOS?

 

Support - Notebooks NP900X4C | Samsung Laptops



Download the BIOS tool. It will look for the updated BIOS and download/install if it is not already installed.

-j

 

Yup, still not working after the BIOS update...

 

Couple of things. First, I've just spoken to Samsung US tech support who say that the Win8 update page shouldn't be live yet. That Software Updater won't work and in any case there's nothing yet for it to download! That apparently will change on September 10th, so mark your diaries. Next, to clarify the Easy Start instructions, indeed you have to rename setup to install but in my case at least (np900x3b, clean instal) to access the control panel itself, I had to set the program to run in Win7 compat mode. Otherwise the f keys worked but the panel was a no-show. Re Easy Start, it works for the most part but seems to forget a few settings. The lid open setting is a case in point, ditto the KB backlighting auto function. It seems to respond either to resetting (ie turning off then reenabling) whichever function is problematic, or to directly editing the registry (which fixed my KB lighting issue. In any case, let's not forget that Easy Settings is officially incompatible so I'd expect these idiosyncracies to disappear with a new release. For the rest, I'm extremely pleased with the upgrade. The Series 9 running Win 8 is a real convergence product.
UPDATE
After more testing, I'm still having issues with the lid open function (aka fast start) and the KB backlighting turning itself off when laptop is not used for x mins(it doesn't). Lid open function responds to resetting but seems to revert after a full restart. KB issue seems intransigent. Roll on September 10th.

 

+1 for internz2012! haha. Such a great computer, but I am too looking for an update to solve the lid open issue. I downloaded the SW update package that Samsung posted on their website, but that gave back an error as well trying to start.

 

The lid issue really isn't an issue, unless you are regularly rebooting your machine. Simply turn off fast start, then turn it back on. That setting will stick until the next reboot.

 

It's the 11/09 right now. Have anyone heard anything regarding updated Windows 8 drivers? Someone mentioned the 10/09 as a release date...

 

I wrote Samsung Customer Support and received a broken-English response yesterday (10 Sept):

"We are sorry to hear that as of now there are no drivers available for Windows 8 operating system and Windows 7 OS drivers are not compatible with Windows 8 OS. "

bert

 

I updated the front post with Samsung's Windows 8 Software Update Software http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/DR/201209/20120906135532728/SWUpdate_2.0.17.44.ZIP

But under All Software it only shows drivers for USB3.0, whereas in the past the older version showed additional items such as a BIOS update.

What's everyone else experiencing?

 

I downloaded the SWupdate file from samsung, but I recieve an error!

Do you have the same problem?

 

Guys all reffering to all your problems,

First of , You have to install windows 8 rtm clean, then make sure you delete all partitions make one big one and save 5gb for hibernation partition(rapid start intel) look on google "how rabid start dell" you see a link to a pdf document.

So you are ready for the rapid fast stuff,you can download rapid storage intel instaltion from the internet irst1028)

But there is a big but do we need this?, (windows 8 has page file system already configed look in device management), do you need fast boot? hibernate is 3 sec, sleep wake up is instantly.

then the point of whitch touch pad driver, ofc the one that supports swipe gesture for the ultimate win8 expierence 2-x64 11.13.0.2_WHQL from elan smart-pad not the one from samsug support site so google it

then your problems with easy settings, rename to setup2.exe then at easy settings shortcut run with windows7 compitabilty and it works open lid, etc all works

Regarding SW-Update you dont need it all drivers build-in windows 8 except for 1 device download Heci_8.0.0 from samsung webstie and after this all works i hope it helps cu

 

There is an Intel Windows 8 driver for WLAN v15.5.0.42 on Stationdrivers, it will be beta, but is working fine for me. I didn't install the whole package, instead I manually installed the driver by updating the driver from device manager and navigating to driver folder from this download.

So far I'm not having problems, too soon to tell about anything else, though we have few more options in the Advance settings that may be useful.

Edited to update link.

Actually I just had my first W8 BSOD when sleeping, so I'm reverting back from these drivers. Not recommending them now!

 

After the problems listed above I did a clean installation and the newest W8 Intel WLAN drivers are installed without problems.

Also to note came the first 'proper' W8 update form MS today...

How is everyone getting on with W8? I have it as a boot option, though I haven't booted to W7 for some time now. After a clean install and doing away with all the Samsung 'Easy' software things are running well. Its (easy) to find all needed/updated drivers straight from the various manufacturers, though W8 natively supports most of our Samsung devices.

 

I only have Windows 8 on my NP900X3C (no dual boot). It's been great. The only things that I can't get working are the Samsung software update and the Intel Rapid Start - but I couldn't get the Intel Rapid Start working under Windows 7 either. FWIW, Intel Rapid Start isn't really needed with Windows 8 - it boots so fast and shuts down so fast, that it's unecessary, IMHO.

bert

p.s., I also have Windows 8 running on 2 other laptops - both Lenovo. Win 8 is running perfectly on all 3 laptops. FWIW, Lenovo has already started rolling out Windows 8 drivers - nothing from Samsung yet, though.

 

I was able to get Easy Settings to work by copying C:\Program Files (x86)\Samsung\Easy Settings\Sabi3.dll AS C:\Program Files (x86)\Samsung\Easy Settings\ Sabi2.dll

That seemed to do the trick for me. (Thanks ProcMon)

 

Hi guys,

Has anyone gotten keyboard backlight to work on their Series 9? I have a NP900X3C and installed Windows 8 today. Everything worked fine except that the keys don't light up (and the FN-combo for that doesn't work either).

Now I only need to find out why the notebook's making that funny buzzing noise near the power plug on the left side :-/

 

My backlighting works fine. I have an NP900X3C and have Windows 8 installed. I had to install Samsungs Easy Settings program. The Fn keys work as expected for everything.

I don't have any noise - if I put my ear right up to the power plug, I can barely hear the fan.

bert

 

I don't always have the noise - it seems to appear when the notebook's very hot, after prolonged use.

Anyway - the backlight doesn't work (it did in Windows 7). No idea what's the issue here.

 

To get the backlight and other features, Fn keys for example, working follow these instructions from this threadl and you should be able to get it working.

 

The other features work well - I have Easy Settings up and running. It's just the backlight toggle that doesn't seem to work.

 

The answers to these issues are to be found earlier in this thread. Let's not play Groundhog Day!
Let me restate for anyone new to Win 8...
(These instructions work with x3b and x3c models) Easy Settings is installed by renaming Setup to Setup2 and then running the installation. Once it's installed, you need the app to run in Win 7 compat mode. Simplest way is to go to the icon that the installation placed on your desktop, right click and select troubleshoot compatibility, then troubleshoot program, then select top option (the one that says it worked with earlier version of Windows) pick Win 7. You'll now be asked to test the setting. This will start Easy Settings (it takes longer to open in nWin 8 than previously). Now, SAVE THE COMPATIBILITY SETTING. Easy to overlook. You now have Easy Settings installed and working. All the functions work, with two exceptions. First, the "open lid" setting reverts to "off" whenever you reboot. Simply run Easy Settings and turn the setting "off"" (it'll still be showing "on") then back on and close Easy Settings. Keyboard backlighting does work. You need to turn it on and turn up the level. The only issue is that the auto off timer doesn't work. Once the ambient level's dropped and the backlighting's come on, it'll ignore your auto off setting and stay on. That's it.

 

my back light keyboard works well after the m18x installation as well. I don't think that will be a common problem on this situation.

 

Samsung pushed out a new update to this software (2.1.0.11). It exposes a number of Windows 8 updates to download and install. I am looking through them/installing now.

http://orcaservice.samsungmobile.com/SWUpdate.aspx

 

Running Easy Software Manager results in it automatically offering to update to this new version of ESM which includes the reference to Windows 8 as well as some other changes in the user interface.

John