Windows 10 on Samsung Notebooks

NP300V5A here.

I skipped right over Windows 8 to Windows 10. So far, here's what doesn't work:

Softkeys (Fn+key) for:
Settings menu (F1)
Brightness adjustment (F2 and F3)
Cooling fan regular/quiet mode (F11)
WiFi on/off (F12)

Strangely, the Volume down/up/mute keys (F6-F8) and the Touchpad On/Off key (F5) do work.

update:

This was surprisingly easy to fix. I had a tech support chat with a Samsung agent, who suggested I use their Samsung Update software to download a Settings application.

That didn't work.

It did get me thinking though. On a hunch, I downloaded and installed the Samsung Control Center (Software) ver.1.0.0.16 - Windows 7(32bit,64bit) from the Samsung support website.

Now all the Fn keys work, except the one for toggling WiFi. Not sure why. Also, I get the visual indicators of screen brightness increasing/decreasing, volume going up/down, touchpad on/off etc. that I got under Windows 7, which is helpful.

I wouldn't have assumed the Windows 7 version of the software would still work under Windows 10, but it does.

 

Hi,

You have it way easier than me, if that's all you're missing support.. I miss actual hardware functions.
Anyway..

You should try to install the new version of Samsung Update or Samsung Update patch for Windows 10, and then the new version of Samsung Settings.

 

Actually the Samsung Update was the first thing I installed. I must have had the wrong one, though. It only gave me the choice of Windows 8 as an OS, and then to Settings application it downloaded didn't work.

 

Use the Find Model function in Samsung Update to search for other versions of your notebook or other models (possibly newer ones) with similar hardware and then try the drivers / software offered for them.

John

 

Try these, downloaded from my model (dunno if it'll work but my fn keys are the same as yours):
http://www.filefactory.com/folder/d9a59ad1c5278935
SystemSoftware.rar is the file with settings inside.

 

Thanks. Mine is pretty old, so I wasn't super surprised that Samsung didn't seem to be offering any support for using it with Windows 10.

 

I'm rolling back to 7 myself. 10 is to restricted for me. Good luck.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

Windows 10 updated on Samsung RV520 yesterday and created an awful issue. At boot, a box with Windows Boot Manager appears as the only option. F2 tkes me to BIOS. F4 loops back to the box. Selecting Windows Boot Manager creates a loop so it will not boot. Inside BIOS, Windows Boot Manager is the only option. BIOS will not allow storage.

I have removed HD, battery, AC power. When I connect power and turn on system without HD, the box with Windows Boot Manager appears, and loops when pressing enter. So, this appears to have nothing to do with HD. I should have stayed with WINDOWS 7 Professional? Any solutions come to mind? Should I discharge CMOS? If so, do I have to take it apart and search for jumpers or battery?

 

Work through the threads listed here to see if there was a situation similar to yours.

The simple CMOS reset is to disconnect mains power, remove battery and hold down the power button for a minute or so.

Also check if there has been any BIOS update for your model. This might clear the problem. There is a separate thread about BIOS updates including how to find the updates.

John

 

I'd start with the simplest solution first. If you still have the recovery partition available, boot recovery (usually f4), and roll back to factory image. If not, re-install windows from usb media.

Dunno if your win 7 pro is original or not, rv520 usually comes with home premium and only win 10 home is updated for free.

Good luck.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you for taking time to reply. The Samsung does not recognize HD, optical drive or USB stick. Only Windows Boot Manager shows up as a boot option. F4 just loops the box with Windows Boot Manager.

 

Thank you John. I have been through the 20 pages of bricking issues. I had to fold and post my issue. However, I will keep re-reading. Maybe something is in there. The holding down the power button with everything unplugged did not clear CMOS.

 

Hello again,
I'd like to post this WARNING in how unsafe and ridiculous Win 10 is.

I've upgraded to Windows 10 this November 6th, today (just 9 days later), when I tried to rollback to 7 through Settings - Update & Security - Recovery, I got an error "We're sorry, but you can't go back" "The files we need to take you back to a previous version of Windows were removed from this PC."
This is unacceptable! I still have the windows.old folder and I've only used 9 of the 30 days I had to try the new OS.

After this I requested help in MS community, asking why did Win 10 deleted the files, and the answer I got was mind blowing!
There are several reasons why you cannot go back. Apart from the Windows .old folder you need the hidden folders $WINDOWS.~BT and $Windows.~ws to remain intact. Certain operation, such as creating media using the Media Creation Tool overwrite the contents of one or both of these hidden folders and prevent you from rolling back.

So, in sum, by using Media Creation Tool to create a USB drive for another laptop, I lost the ability to roll back.
A simple operation that should be completely separate from our OS files, isn't, and creates severe consequences in our OS, such as changing system files.

Just thought everyone should know, and I hope this share helps someone avoiding the same mistakes in the future.

 

Now you tell me...

I have moved my Samsung notebook PC HD to another PC (Windows 7 Professional). It is unclear that Windows 10 was the issue, but I ran this Samsung notebook (Windows 7) for years without an issue. I do suspect Windows 10. I am spending many hours to recover. Back to Windows 7.

 

Your question was unclear, sorry.

 

Never trust the W7 roll back, use the recovery instead. I already would have been one of those burnt without my original image.

 

I much agree with TANWare and skor on that. While I haven't made the jump to Win10 myself, I would never make Windows update without assuming I might lose everything and have to go back -- and NOT relying on Microsoft to do it, we've seen enough problems with that.

That means partitions images, data backups, and (if relevant) factory image backup before starting the update.

 

Hey guys, anyone installed Win_10 with this new big pack (Threshold 2) recently released?

I have NP 300 05A which have problems with Win 7 (had to freeze Win 7 services). I am willing to try Win 10 and infamous Settings.

 

I don't know your laptop specs but it seems very weird that your problems are related to the laptop hardware.. My bet is on Windows installation or driver conflict.

 

Well, from time to time I hear clicks from HDD, but SMART didn't show anything extreme.
Anyway I am very disappointed in Samsung's driver side. I know it will be my last Sammy laptop ever because of just poor support and tons of bloatware.
Settings are crucial but they are screwed, usually I am not an idiot if it comes to IT, but this was the first laptop which made me angry and forced me to waste 3 days to find drivers.
Of course first I had to read threads here otherwise I would be more screwed.
I had to disable some Windows services because from time to time laptop got shutters, microlags, enormous latencies. After I disabled some (quite a few!) services it is better now.

This is why I am a bit worried about Win 10 but also hope to bring better things.... and working settings (I mean less bloatware).

I had Asus laptop before, much better side of the software IMHO. One hour and everything was installed, working, without tons of bloat. No lags, shutters, latencies.
Low level drivers were just OK.

 

I believe you're mixing everything and losing clarity in the process..
A faulty HDD is first thing you need to solve. That alone can cause all the above.
After the HDD, USE Samsung Update for drivers, no bloatware is installed unless you want and it will be solved in less than a couple of hours. No 3 days required for anything.
Windows 10 (in my own experience) is well known for its lags and latencies, it has nothing to do with Samsung. I rolled back to 7 because my i5/8gb laptop was behaving like a netbook instead of the true laptop it is..


Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

That can have allot to do with W10 trying to stretch the power.

 

I have Samsung ATIV Book 8, model number = np700z5b-s01ub

I installed Windows 10, everything is fine. But I have issues with battery life. My laptop came with Windows 8.1 & I was easily getting 7+ hrs of battery with WIFI & 50% brightness. I installed Windows 10 & battery life reduced dramatically to 4hrs only. I blocked all background running apps, enabled battery saving mode but no help, just 4hrs battery.

Another thing, after November update (Called Threshold 2), Brightness fix is also not working. Brightness stays 100%.

I tried to fix but nothing worked. So, I moved back to Windows 8.1 again

 

I suspect you may be having the same issues as being discussed in the NP700Z5E thread. You will find a fix for the brightness problem there (start at the end) but there doesn't appear to be a good fix for the power consumption. My own suspicion (although I don't have this notebook) is that the power management for the AMD/ATI graphics isn't working properly so it isn't being powered down when not needed. I suggest that you follow the discussion in the Z5E thread in case Samsung / AMD eventually fix this problem. Perhaps if enough people complain to Microsoft about Windows 10 shortening the battery life then they might be able to push for some action.

John

 

Hi everybody,
I want to ask you if this notebook: Samsung NP700G7A-S01IT is compatible with Windows 7, I mean not only drivers but also Samsung software (ModeShift, Settings, etc.).
If your answer is NO I wonder what kind of drivers/software I could try in Windows 10: Windows 7 or Windows 8?
Thank you all.

 

The NP700g7a and c both should be fine with W7. Now according to what was originally loaded, you may end up having to do some digging for both the Samsung software and related drivers.

 

I can add that if you download and install Samsung's SW Update program then you can see what drivers / software Samsung provide for each model of their notebooks. You can run this program on any notebook (not just Samsung) using the Find Model facility to look access the database. I see that Mode Shift is listed for this notebook under Windows 8 but not Windows 7 while Windows 10 is not officially supported.

John

 

My computer is born with Windows 7 and Mode Shift is not present in SWU so I had to download on their website.
Windows 8.1 is not appearing in SWU like Windows 10.
I think the the driver on SWU are only for Windows 7 (8 is not suitable because if you have 8 you go to 8.1 and there are not driver for it).

But I don't trust on SWU that's why I asked you.

Windows 10 should be run very good on my PC but I am afraid about for that stuff like Settings and ModeShift.

Do you advice me to totally forget about Windows 10?

I could create a partition and install it as test but really I don't have so much spare time that's why I want your definitive advice because I trust more in this forum as in the past you solve all my issues.

 

One potential problem with the G7A and Windows 10 is the driver for the AMD graphics. It's an ongoing headache for the NP700Z5E owners and, I suspect, the cause of reduced battery time. Start reading this thread from the end. There may also be relevant material in the G7C thread.

You have until July 2016 to exercise your free upgrade to Windows 10. Perhaps, by then, some of the current problems may have been fixed and Microsoft's current torrent of updates will have reduced to a trickle.

John

 

Other than the AMD headache you need to run the touchpad driver from SWU. As far as software and 8.1 from SWU should be fine once W10 is on the system.

 

There's no drivers for 8.1 in my SWU, just 8.

 

Change the model number too NP700G7C-T01CN

 

Hi everyone! Just a quick question. The latest drivers available for my laptop (NP530U4E-K01RO) are for Windows 8.1. This applies to all K01 models, some are even stuck at Windows 7. I see frequent mentions of downloading drivers for other models which have been updated to Windows 10, but how does one know which models are compatible and which aren't? Could you help me with an example of what would be compatible with my model? Thank you so much!

 

I would expect the basic hardware in all versions of the NP530U4E to be very similar. Other differences between versions include CPU model, storage capacity and RAM. The K01RO is a unique code. RO is Romania while K01 is a configuration code (but K01 in one country may not be the same as K01 in another country). The info here lists some key differences and shows that some versions have an AMD GPU. If you have that GPU then I would forwarn you that Series 7 / 8 owners with an AMD GPU have observed a significant drop in battery time after upgrading to Windows 10.

John

 

Thanks so much for replying, John! It makes sense, I'll just ignore what my model doesn't have, such as the AMD GPU (my model only has integrated graphics), as well as the Settings app which doesn't play nice with my ExpressCache unless it's the version specifically meant for my laptop. Thanks again!

 

The Windows 8.1 Settings may work OK. Otherwise try a version for the Series 7 or 8 which has ExpressCache (eg NP700Z5C). I thought Samsung has dropped the ExpressCache by the time the E models came off the production line due to reliability problems. If your notebook is good for another year or two then upgrading to a proper SSD will give a performance boost and you can stop using the ExpressCache before it starts to die and cause problems (there's no switch in the BIOS to disable it so the computer can spend a long time during boot up trying to talk to the ExpressCache before conculding that it is dead).

John

 

Hmmm, interesting point. I knew the ExpressCache was problematic (it took quite a bit of tinkering to get it working again after the first clean install), but not to this extent. How would I go about upgrading to a full SSD? Wouldn't the small cache drive still exist if I switched my HDD to an SSD, therefore still causing problems at boot up?

 

I would expect that the notebook has a standard 7mm (probably) thick mechanical hard drive (look up the model in Device Manager and then check the specs on the www). ExpressCache (a chip soldered on the mainboard) won't be used by Windows unless the ExpressCache software is installed. However, it appears from problems with other notebooks with this chip, that the BIOS tries to interrogate the chip when the computer boots beofe eventually timing out and continuing. There are recent threads discussing these problems.

John

 

Hello,
I have just done refresh installation of Win 10 1511 and now I cannot install IRST which I downloaded from intel.com. When I start setup, I got notification that it is not supported.

 

Do you mean Intel Rapid Start Technology or Intel Rapid Storage Technology?

If the former then first check about compatibility with Windows 10 and then read through the Intel Rapid Start thread.

John

 

Hello

I have NP-300-V5A-S04PL laptop and I want to install Windows 10.
In the BIOS I have UEFI option, thus I have some questions regarding it:

1. Can I switch to the graphical BIOS with mouse cursor? Is UEFI for this or just faster boot?
2. I have GT 520MX GPU and HD3000 integrated GPU (i5 2410m) - I have read that during Windows 10 installation some cards have problems with display, aren't compatible with GOP. Is my card compatible? On nVidia page is none about this.
3. As far I know before installing Windows 10 with UEFI mode I need to prepare some kind of USB boot because UEFI won't recognize NTFS. Is that correct?
4. I know there is an BIOS update for my laptop. Should I do that before or after Win10 installation?
   1. How can I be sure that the BIOS version found by SW Update is the correct one?
   2. Where can I get my old BIOS version in case of failure?
   3. I have read some people had problems after BIOS update. Is there easy way to revert changes if so?
5. I understand that tips and tricks regarding massive Samsung's bloatware are still valid? I mean especially Settings app, latencies ect.

 

UEFI uses the GPT partitioning system so it will wipe you HDD. Unless the notebook was shipped with windows 8 and UEFI enabled then I would leave UEFI disabled. That way, you will still have your original recovery partition to use (unless you have already deleted it). Enabling UEFI will not change your BIOS interface but will increase your risk of a bricked notebook because it took Samsung several attempts to sort out UEFI compatibility.

Any BIOS update is best installed before Windows 10. We have threads about BIOS updates and rolling back.

Unless you have a Windows 10 licence, you need to do an in-place upgrade in order to get the free upgrade. This means that your current partitioning system will not be changed and, in theory, you can revert back to your previous Windows (but this doesn't always work). It's best to make a backup image before trying the upgrade. After you have done an in-place upgrade then you can extract and save the Windows 10 key and try a clean installation (including enabling UEFI if you want to take the risk) if you want.

John

 

I meant that: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/22036/IRST-Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-
This thread which you send it other IRST

 

Thank you John.
You have just given me next reason not to buy Samsung laptop again.
How stupid I was I haven't gone to Asus...
Starting from total chaos in firmware, underdone drivers, incomplete info on Sammy's web pages and ending on high probability of bricking laptop.
I read this is mostly on newer laptops, I have NP-300 series from 2011 but I am not gonna risk it anyway.

 

Before we spend time trying to troubleshoot the compatibility issue, do you have a reason for believing that the default storage driver in Windows 10 is affecting performance?

Samsung also learnt the same lesson: They stopped selling notebooks in Europe in 2014.

However, if you refrain from enabling UEFI then Windows 10 should work if Samsung claim it is supported on your model. However, a quick look in Samsung's database using SWupdate shows that Windows 10 is not listed for your model so you may encounter some incompatibilities.

John

 

I always use IRST, because SSD works faster with this driver

 

What speeds are you getting with the Windows 10 default driver? It might be better than you used to get with IRST.

IRST is intended to be used for RAID systems, which you won't have.

John

 

To my understanding, Microsoft changed this starting with the November 2015 Win10 update, so that it can clean install and activate directly using a Win7 or Win8.x Product Key.

I haven't done it myself yet, though, and could be wrong. Confirmation from others would be great.

 

I found my old setup and it worked

 

So the saga of Windows 10 on my NP350VC has taken a disturbing turn. haven't been able to boot up properly for 2 days after the last update; couldn't get into the RE in any way; not even holding F2 or F4 down after switching on worked. Fortunately, something called Samsung Advanced Repair eventually kicked in to give the option of a system restore. don't even want to shut the laptop down in case it never boots up again! don't know what to do if it happens again :/

[Edit:] This has taken a turn for the worse. HDD dead on boot and I've tried everything, including booting from a USB with an .iso. While pressing pretty much every function key. I don't think its the battery this time, as the charging lights are working normally this time. Really can't give this to anyone else to service due to company files on the HDD, and need to restore it completely as I'll lose an expensive software license. Can anyone help?