Windows 8.1 Update Issues and Discussion

so its safe now the upgrade from Win7 to Win8.1 for NP770Z5E models ???

Thanks for your replies

Greetings !!!

 

Hi there- WiDi has been integrated into windows 8.1 at a system level. All you need to do is update your drivers. Intel has provided this handy tool that will do it all for you.
Support for the Intel® Wireless Display (Intel® WiDi)
Once you have done that, restart for good measure, then you should be able to add your wireless display from the devices charm.

 

Hi, thanks. you can't actually update to the latest driver right now cause the swupdate program does something to prevent you from installing non-Samsung authorized graphics drivers. But I was able to do it following the instructions in the below link (though for anyone interested, see warnings in that link).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/745592-miracast-widi-windows-8-1-a.html

Sorry, I didn't mean to post twice. Thought I had deleted my original question here but guess I didn't.

 

well, the flickering is back. It decreases in frequency but it is back. Now I have no idea what to make of this issue.

 

Too bad. But thanks for the update. Let us know if you do find a fix.

 

This is caused by intel's display driver not remembering your preference for power saving mode-- just cycle the setting, and it should hold for awhile. I've installed windows 8 and 8.1 a half dozen times now, sometimes it does this, sometimes it doesn't. It's totally random.

 

I have a weird problem compared to the others who can't find the reverse two-finger scroll. Mine does not seem to even do the two-finger or multi-finger inputs anymore. I can still drag from the left and right of the touchpad for those features, but I used to be able to pinch zoom and scroll. Since 8.1, I did the SWUpdate for everything, but it no longer works. Tried looking at ETDAniConf too but it doesn't show anything different. Anybody else with that problem / issue? The driver that got installed was 11.7.19.9.

Also - I cannot seem to install the bluetooth driver from the SWUpdate. I have no idea what's wrong. Everything else seems to work okay....

edit: never mind, got the touchpad to work after re-installing it twice. weird. bluetooth and the sound driver (of all things) refuse to install still.

 

I realize you already solved it, but a couple of things that may be useful for you or others in general:

1) ETDAniConf allows you to change a number of additional settings and gestures (as you already found). However, many of its settings are hidden by default and require a registry setting before loading ETDAniConf in order to show up. See this post for details on how to find ETDAniConf and reveal those hidden options.

2) Many users report how the touchpad "forgets their settings". What happens is actually the Elan touchpad driver doesn't always wake-up properly from sleep; I don't know if it's the driver that doesn't get loaded properly or it just doesn't properly initialize the touchpad hardware; it may happen more frequently with some driver versions and on some models than others.

When it DOES happen, the touchpad runs using the standard mouse driver (i.e. as if no Elan driver is installed): gestures and multi-touch won't work, and pointer acceleration will be off. The "fix" is to sleep/wake up again or (better) logging out and back in. That will reload the Elan driver and its settings (which weren't really forgotten, they just never loaded).

I have seen it in Win8 as well as 8.1, and it can be quite annoying. Personally I haven't been as bothered by it since I use Shutdown more often than sleep (Win8/8.1 Fast Startup makes Shutdown quite fast because it's really a mini-hibernation).

 

Hi,

I'm new to the forum, sorry for anything not being correct...
I have a NP900X3C, it came with windows 8 and everything was working correctly.
Last October I updated to Windows 8.1 and now once every two times that I boot up the laptop I only get a black screen, I have to press power for 5 sec and then power again so it boots up correctly.
It also happens when the laptop enter stand by, which is more annoying, I lost everything that was opened as I have to force a restart.

Thx for your help

Regards

Tiago Silva

 

Hello Tiago, welcome to NBR.

The issue seems to occur when Windows resumes from hibernation (which it does by default every time you use shutdown, unless the Fast Startup feature is disabled). When forcing it to power off (holding the power button) or when restarting, it boots correctly.

If you look back in this thread (or search for "black screen" ) you will find quite a lot of discussion about this issue. I believe the solution for Series 9 owners is getting the right Intel display driver. But I must apologize, because I do not remember if consensus was to use the latest from Samsung (SW Update), the latest from Windows Update, or the latest from Intel's web site. I seem to recall the sequence of uninstalling and updating drivers was significant in addition to the choice of driver. You will have to read those posts relating to your model.

You can also Google site:notebookreview.com/samsung 8.1 black screen series 9 since the issue has been discussed in other threads as well.

 

Hi there,

After updating to Windows 8.1 SW Update failed to update the Sound driver:

Sound Driver Essential Installable 463MB Failed(-10)

The sound still seems to work though. JBR48 found a solution, but I don't really know how to make it happen. Could anyone explain it step by step?

Samsung 770Z5E

 

That's the same error I get from the Bluetooth driver, but I don't have the InstallShield folder.

 

OK, I got the solution. In Windows 8.1 64bit version the folder Common Files\InstallShield\Professional is under Program Files (x86) [in my case it's written in Polish - Pliki programów (x86)]. And the above posted solution worked for me. I hope the same goes for you.

 

Shame about WIn 8.1 support still being a bit spotty at best. I am still on Win 8. But maybe an idea of Notebookreview to start writing a monthly or quarterly article review outlining the current state of manufacturer support (software/drivers) for their respective laptop models i.e. win 8 and 8.1 support. Giving an overview of how well manufacturers look after their older to new models and rate them from best to worst. Hopefully, such articles get picked up by other media/news as well the manufacturer reps that lurk about and sort of forces every manufacturer's hand to providing better software/driver support for all their models old and new. Just an idea

 

Hi

Is it safe to upgrade to Win8.1 yet?

Samsung (via their Samsung Internet Service web chat "Consultant Expert52") seem to be saying that it's fine to update.

I am using:
Samsung Series 7 Ultra Notebook 128GB SSD 13.3" (upgraded to 512SSD)
Model: NP740U3E-S04UK

Is anything written down on hints and tips of how best execute the upgrade (and what to do if anything goes wrong!)

Is it best to install Win8.1 using SW Update or via some other route?

Many thanks

J

 

Is anyone else having memory usage issues? I have 8GB of ram but I am consistently at 90% usage. It looks like there's a memory leak issue somewhere...

 

Might you have IntelliMemory installed? If so, uninstall it.

John

 

I would say hold off. Too many issues at the moment with unsupported drivers and the like.

Thanks a million! I just found this solution and it worked like a charm.

 

After reading all the horror stories here on 8.1 update, I think I will forget ever installing it, instead wait for the next update, 8.2 or whatever. My Samsung Ultrabook 13" Series 5 NP540U3C-A03UB is running just fine on 8.0 so why fix something that isn't broke?

Out of curiosity, has anyone updated their "Samsung Ultrabook 13" Series 5 NP540U3C-A03UB"?

 

Why is that John? What is IntelliMemory? Does my notebook have it? "Samsung Ultrabook 13" Series 5 NP540U3C-A03UB"

 

It is a utility from Conduciv Technologies which utilizes free RAM to cache hard disk access. Up until the 2013 models, Samsung provided ExpressCache on their Series 7 and 5 models as a means of speeding up HDD access. ExpressCache relies on a small SSD on the motherboard (so-called iSSD) and a software utility to do the actual caching (also from Conduciv Technologies). However starting with the 2013 models, Samsung stopped providing ExpressCache (presumably because of too many support issues) and began providing IntelliMemory instead (which also seems to have caused a lot of support issues).

The theory of using free RAM to cache HDD files in the background (predicting which files will be read next) is sound and very common -- Windows (and all operating systems) already do this on their own. IntelliMemory just does it more aggressively. The memory is released as soon as it is needed by any programs (or should be) so high memory usage should not be a concern. But again, that's theory: In reality, many users have found that it causes high CPU usage and other problems, and hence choose to uninstall it.

It is discussed extensively in the 2013 Series 7 / Ativ Book 8 Owners Lounge.

I don't know if IntelliMemory comes with your model. You can look in the Windows Programs and Features control panel. If it's there (and you think it is causing problems) you can simply uninstall it.

 

I would add to Dannemend's explanation that IntelliMemory seems to use the RAM so aggressively (eg the 90% noted above) that Windows makes greater use of virtual memory. This then results in greater disk access as RAM gets dumped to the storage drive when something else gets loaded. So instead of the drive just having to handle a bunch of reads it also has to simultaneously handle some writing. [However, it's possible that this doesn't happen if whatever is being loaded has been cached by IntelliMemory and it instantly relinquishes some RAM).

I don't recommend IntelliMemory for anyone with an SSD, particularly if it is an older / smaller one where writing is slower than reading and read performance is quick anyway. It may provide a performance boost for people using an HDD.

John

 

Does anyones subwoofer work after upgrading to Windows 8.1? On my notebook (700Z7C) the sound is very "gently"... I first had the latest Realtek drivers (v2.73) installed, but even those on SW update doesn't work better.

 

Well, according to Windows Programs and Feature, I don't have IntelliMemory, but do have ExpressCache installed on 10/29/2012.
My notebook was purchased on May 28th, 2013 (in BIOS)
I guess I'm OK then.

 

Yes, you should be fine. ExpressCache really does speed up HDD access when it is working right -- though it too will run in the background at times, loading files into the iSSD cache.

If you ever need to re-install Windows (clean install) make sure you install from a DVD drive if at all possible (as opposed to from a USB stick), otherwise you'll run into a snafu with Windows Setup getting confused by that iSSD. There is a workaround here, but installing from DVD is much easier.

For now, just sit tight until the next Win 8.1 update comes out.

 

Thanks for the input. I do have a USB DVD.
I will wait awhile before updating. The notebook is running great... why fix something that doesn't need fixing?

 

Exactly. Get some work done or play some games!

 

I was hoping that Win 8.1 would come with better handling of high resolution screens.
i.e. That if you increase the text DPI of the screen you don't get so many weirdnesses in Win 8.1.
Or did I only dream that?

 

I think Win 8.1 does improve handling of scaling. There is some discussion of that in the AB9+ Owners Lounge. It also has other minor improvements (revamped Charms menu structure, improved Start Screen layout options, booting straight to Desktop, probably a few others).

Each user will have to decide whether those are worth the potential hassle of updating -- and I do mean "potential", since not everybody has had problems. Users without switchable graphics (Series 9 / AB9) seem to generally have had an easier time updating.

 

However, no amount of improvement of display scaling within Windows itself will compensate for programs which are not scaling-aware and display sizes in pixels are hard coded. The risk of this being the case increases with the age of the software.

John

 

Did not see a delete option? So this will do...

 

Hi everybody.

I did my upgrade in November, I had my issues about the black screen and the drivers not up-to-date, but at the end I managed to solve it (thanks also to the advices found here)
I downloaded the drivers via sw update using the "searching model" function". But they are quite old, for instance now if I go to the intel website and I scan my laptop it gives me more updated version of drivers for wifi which I downloaded and for the graphic.
This one I downloaded but then when I try to install it tells me "not compatible, look for a compatible", but it was an updated found by the scan system of intel itself.

also the amd catalyst mobility, it scans the system, finds this updates but then when I try to install it tells me not compatible, is there something I missing, I have a np 730U3E-s02, did anyone solve the issue?

After upgrading to Win 8.1 now everything seems fine but:

- Chrome seems not working anymore in the windows 8 modality, only on desktop
- Skype crashes in the middle on the converation, sometimes but it does

Did anyone find a solution (apart installing the skype for desktop version?)

Thanks

 

Hey thunderboard,
what seems contradictory at first, makes perfect sense to me: AMD/Intel driver scanners cant find any update for your model because the Series 7 notebook uses a special version of the vga drivers. In theory, depending on your usage the Samsung switches between Intel and AMD chip. Unfortunately, the original drivers from Intel and AMD do not support the Series 7-style switchable graphics.

My advice to you: Install a current SW Update and install everything thats offered there (at least the drivers). A few days ago, there was also a new BIOS update for my 740u3e (your model but with touchscreen).

Uninstall Chrome and reinstall it after a full restart
Uninstall Skype Metro app and reinstall it from Microsoft Store.

Maybe that helps.

 

Best solution is not to do the update at all

 

When i updated my NP700Z5C when Windows 8.1 just came out, I had no problem with the usage. However, I had one crucial which was that games kept crashing for no reason
I assume it's because I updated too early, but now i expect Nvidia to have drivers fixing those things. So updating to Windows 8.1 now should not be a problem for most users.

 

Good job getting that working.

Do note that it's only the 2012 Ivy Bridge models (like yours) that use Nvidia. All 2013 Series 7 and Ativ Book 7 and 8 models use AMD switchable graphics, and so does the previous 2011 and 2012 Sandy Bridge models. AMD and Samsung have been terrible at providing updated drivers that support AMD switchable graphics, pretty much since early 2013. That's a main reason (but not the only one) why Win8.1 has been so difficult for many Samsung owners.

I would absolutely NOT recommend anybody to update to 8.1 now, when Win 8.1.1 (or 8.1 Update) is just about to come out. Wait another week or two and see what Microsoft and Samsung have to say.

 

That's pretty sad, in that case people should hold back updating to Windows 8.1. However, as for me I am going to see if any problems arise when I clean install Windows 8.1 tonight.

 

Just be careful: Several members have reported that Win8.1 clean install damaged their Samsung Recovery. I would make a bootable Factory Image backup first (using the first two steps in this post). It will allow you to re-image the drive no matter how messed up it becomes. This feature only exists on models with Samsung Recovery Solution 6 (delivered with Win8.x). Older models (delivered with Win7) need a more complex procedure to backup Recovery. See this post.

Edit:
I just remembered this post from the other day, for another member who wanted to clean install Win8.1. Watch out for those gotchas.

 

Thanks, I made an image backup just in case, but luckily I didn't need to use it. No problems so far, but I haven't run any games or something like that. Some old programs were incompatible, but that's not Samsung's fault so...I wouldn't recommend anyone either to update to 8.1, but giving it a try wouldn't hurt.

One thing I did notice was that my benchmark for Samsung 840 pro SSD was a little off. I installed all the necessary drivers and tweaked the settings as before, but my random write iops is only giving 75% of the advertised. I installed new anti-virus from previous which might be the reason. If that is not, I have absolutely no idea why its lower...not that it would matter on normal laptop usage, but still...T.T

 

As I said before... why fix something that is NOT BROKE???
My Win 8 is running just fine on my Samsung Ultra Series 5 Notebook and I am not taking a chance on mucking up something.
I will wait for the next major update and see if that one is better, usually the second update fixes the first ones problems.

 

I've held off with the BIOS update, has it broken anything for you?

Or better yet, has it improved anything?
Got the AMD card working again but battery life is still poor since the 8.1 update (3h rather than 4.5h)

 

I see no change after the new BIOS update. I got the impression that my CPU fan is more active after the BIOS update but that could also be related to my usage, so no worries.
Today SW Update offered me new versions of Support Center and Settings (2.0.0.72). I'll check it out and see what it does....

PS: My only device that I can report on is the 740U3E. But experience with my friends' notebooks is that 530/540/730/740 models are comparable regarding the compatability to win8.1, at least in European markets.

 

hi i just bought my 730

i decided to stick to win8 and NOT upgrading bios

i heard here and someplace else that bios upgrades changes fan characteristic (louder fan noise) which makes one of best featuers of this machine... an issue.

please share your thoughts about bios upgrading

 

Just a little heads up to everyone installing the newest Settings version, after the first reboot you will have to manually run SW Update to actually get your settings programm and your drivers installed. Atleast that was the case on my NP900X3E.

 

Hi

First of all apols if im posting this at a wrong place, im new to the forum and this thread seems to be linked to the issue im having.

I own a Samsung 7 Series Gamer (700G7A) and after few unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue of extremely slow boot up of windows 7 (and missing express cache after i re-installed W7) i decided to upgrade to SSD (Samsung 840 EVO 2.5' Internal SSD) and Windows 8.1

Now, the installation itself was pretty straight forward and both Windows 8.1 and the new SSD seem to work just fine once the system is up and running, however im surprised (and quite annoyed) by incredibly long start up times..

Now i would expect the Windows 8.1 on SSD to boot within 10-20 sec max given that everything is installed (fresh) on the SSD.

However what happens, is that once i start from "cold" and press the power button the BIOS Samsung Screen stays inactive for around 2mins!! and the eventually it goes into the windows 8 logo after which it takes additional 1minute to show the log on screen.

This is 3 mins boot time in total every time i start the laptop - there must be something wrong, but i cant figure out what it is. Even with Windows 7 and Samsung default settings (with Express Cache working properly) the boot time was around 30-40 secs all in, which was actually quite all right.

Any ideas what the issue might be?
I tried all sorts of BIOS settings but nothing seems to help.
Could it be wrong BIOS for Windows 8.1? (I got the latest version available through SW update.)

Do you reckon resetting BIOS by removing CMOS battery could help?

 

Two thoughts:

1. The BIOS is struggling to find the boot files for Windows. The ExpressCache can cause confusion if you installed Windows from USB as explained in this thread.

2. The BIOS is having problems detecting the hardware. You should be able to check this by tapping the F2 key a few times immediately after pressing the power button to enter the BIOS setup. This should happen in very few seconds and if it does then I think the problem is related to the BIOS finding the Windows boot files.

John

 

Hi John - thanks very much for your reply. It sounds ExpressCache might be a part of the issue.
I tried pressing F2 after pressing the power button and i can easily enter the BIOS setup.

However - i wouldn't rule out hardware issue: could it be a faulty iSSD ?
it seems that 8gb ExpressCache iSSD is not recognised by my system at all.
Please see the screenshot of the allocated drives. I installed Windows 8.1 from the DVD and the main drive (SSD) looks ok to me.

However the iSSD seems to be missing

 

Take a look in Device Manager if the small iSSD used for ExpressCache shows up there. If not, it could be a sign that the iSSD has become faulty -- which will cause exactly what you are seeing, with Windows hanging during boot while looking for a disk that doesn't quite work (but still announces itself as present). We have had some reports of this (not many, but a few) and unfortunately there is no solution short of replacing the motherboard, since the iSSD cannot be disabled in BIOS.

Fortunately, there is another possibility: If you installed Win 8.1 in UEFI mode on the new SSD, AND if you also installed the ExpressCache software, it will have problems unless the iSSD is converted to GPT layout, and ExpressCache is re-installed. See this discussion for more on that. The latest ExpressCache version 1.0.94 should be used (it's pretty old already).

In your case you should NOT install ExpressCache at all, since it will just slow down your main SSD. If you DID install the ExpressCache software, just uninstall it using the Windows Programs and Featues control panel. Restart Windows after this (don't Shutdown, it merely hibernates and doesn't properly reload the system).

If you DON'T have the ExpressCache software installed, and Windows STILL hangs during boot, you can try and install Minitool Partition Wizard (Google it) and see if it detects the iSSD. If so, use Minitool to wipe the iSSD and -- if you installed Win8.1 in UEFI mode, but ONLY in that case -- convert the iSSD to GPT. There is a chance this will fix it.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Thanks again for the prompt reply.
Unfortunately it looks as it might be the faulty iSSD.
Its not showing in either Device Manager or the Minitool Partition Wizard.
Express Cache is not installed.

Boot up and shut down times are ~5mins now, so i guess im looking at replacing a motherboard.
You wouldnt by any chance know what MBs are compatible with 700G7A and whats roughly the cost?

 

I am sorry to hear that. I suggest you scan through the thread linked below first. Despite the thread title, most of the discussion there is about software related issues. But again, we DID have some reports of disappearing iSSD, and in a few cases members were able to revive it. Unfortunately I didn't note down the exact posts where that is discussed.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...ache-i-want-my-expresscache-back-edition.html

I looked at samsungparts.com (our usual reference for part numbers) but they don't list the NP700G7A at all. Googling NP700G7A motherboard brought up this on PChub.com which does indeed list G7A parts, including mainboards at surprisingly affordable prices. I have no experience with that company. They could be the best in the world or a complete scam, I just don't know. Maybe others have suggestions. Google gave other hits as well.

It would be easy to say that this is a fairly old computer and not to spend too much money on it. But it's a great machine, and Samsung don't make them anymore, so I can understand why you want to pursue repair options.