Windows 8 - Power Led not blinking in sleep mode

I have a series 5 notebook (NP530U4C), and since I've installed Windows 8, the power led, that kind of blinks when in sleep mode, doesn't blink anymore. I've stopped using Rapid Start, in order to use Windows 8 hibernation and hybdrid start ,so it's not a rapid start issue.
The problem is that if the computer is in sleep mode (discharging the battery), I have no way to see that. It just looks like it's powered off.
It doesn't happen from the begging of the windows instalation. In the beginning, the led works. But as I start to download updates (samsung's) it eventually stops to work. Sleep mode works, but the led doesn't blink. I'm 99% sure that is from the point I installed Express Cache drivers.
Does anyone have noticed this? Do you know where to look (registry, etc) to search for the problem?

Thank you

 

I've got the same experience as you. The LED blink was there during sleep and disappeared sometime during the installations via Samsung Update. I don't really care since I let it go from sleep to hibernate after one minute. So I'm not dependent of the visual confirmation. I've got a 530U3C.

 

How do you let it go from sleep to hibernate...? Only with Rapid Start installed, correct? With normal windows sleep and hibernate you can't do that...

 

Yes, with Rapid Start. See the NP530 thread for details.

 

Ok, but I don't want to use rapid start, at least not the way it's working now... I think the new Windows 8 Hybdrid Start and Hybdrid Suspend is very good. Booting up from completely off is much improved, and entering hibernation and exiting from it is very fast. It would be perfect if Windows could Hibernate directly to the Hibernate partition in iSSD, and setting a timer to pass from Suspend to hibernate. For now, I think I won't install Rapid Start...

 

I wrote with samsung support about drivers for Windows 8 and here is the answer:
"At this time, despite the official release of Windows 8 on October 26th, drivers compatible with this new OS have not yet been made available for your model ( NP700Z5). We encourage to visit the product support page to check for added drivers. "

so we need to wait some time till they release drivers for W8

 

The same thing happens in Win7 if you enable Samsung Fast Start mode under Lid Open Action in Easy Settings: The LED will cease to blink during sleep (and I, too, like it doing that).

See if you have a Lid Open Action in the new Win8 Settings and whether it affects the LED blinking.

The Fast Start setting merely controls whether closing and opening the lid sleeps and awakes the PC. It is often confused with Fast Boot (which tweaks the loading order of devices and services at boot or restart) and with Rapid Start (which uses the iSSD for hibernation). Fast Start has no effect on booting, hibernation or resuming, it only affects the lid action.

 

All of these options and settings only exist (for now) in windows 7. The Samsung Settings Software for windows 8 doesn't have all these options. Hopefully, it will have in a later time.

Received today the anser from Samsung to this problem. I really never thought Samsung customer Suppport would be this bad... They begin the mail by saying that if I reply to their mail, It won't be received nor read. I have to start another thread if I wan't to reply to them. And the only answer they gave me was to contact Microsoft!!! A very stupid answer, I explained to them all that happened, and that ONLY when I install samsung software, mainly the Express Cache, the led spots blinking. As I install windows 8, it all works ok.

I really wasn't expecting this kind of treatment...

 

@Mata_Ratos: OK, I see. Thanks for the update.

I will say though, I would be very surprised if this is indeed caused by ExpressCache. That's a third party app (not written by Samsung) that wouldn't (or shouldn't) have any knowledge of Samsung-specific features such as a blinking LED. My suspect would definitely be Easy Settings.

Question: When you open the lid, does the PC wake up from sleep? If so, Samsung Fast Start mode is enabled, even if Easy Settings doesn't have a visible setting in Win8 to disable it. In Win7, you have to actively disable this setting (or uninstall Easy Settings) in order to get the blinking LED back.

I apologize: This is all speculation on my part, as I haven't spent time with Win8 yet.

 

I think I will try to uninstall settings, install de previous version of settings, and see if I can change from the Samsung suspend method to the windows one, and see if it changes anything. Although now I'm using the power button the enter directly into hibernate, maybe I wont use suspend anymore untill I have news for the Rapid Start integration with Windows 8 (if there will ever be one...).

 

Thanks Dannemand for your help. You were right: it's Samsung Settings that's turning on the Samsung Fast Start (and stoping the blinking led when in Suspend). I found out also, as you said, that even when turning the pc off, just by opening the lid, it would start on instantly.

After some search, I found a solution: just search for Samsung Fast Start. You will find a link to a general software download site, to download fast start 2.2.0.1. Extract it, run one of the instalation software in the x64/x32 or 64bit/32bit folder to install Fast Start.

Then, in Windows, search for Fast Start. A program icon will appear. Open it. Fast Start will be enabled (default setting). Turn if off, and go to suspend mode. Led blinking again!

SOLVED

 

After all, it's not yet solved. The led only blinks the first time I put it into suspension. After that, it returns to fast start mode...

Well, gess I'll have to stick to hibernation, so I don't have to keep remembering if I put my notebook in suspend mode, turned off or hibernated...

 

@Mata_Ratos: Thanks a lot for the feedback. Too bad, for a moment it really sounded as if you got it there.

If nothing else, I'm sure Samsung will get it right with Win8 once they've had a little more time.