V1J/P Owner's Lounge

while im on stupid questions, should V1Jp users upgrade to vista 32 or 64?

 

I linked to them a few posts down. #337

 

I ordered the 64-bit one. AFAIK, the upgrade for 64-bit forces a clean install, regardless of the previous OS.

It might not be really useful right now, but I'm keeping XP on until Vista becomes a bit more mainstream. The 64-bit one will run the majority of the 32-bit applications, but the main problem is the lack of drivers (since they interface directly with the system as a 64-bit program). That also means things that use a virtual printer won't work either (ex: Adobe Acrobat Professional has a "printer" which lets you send printed stuff from any application to a PDF... or most fax software have a fax "printer" which fax whatever you print).

I figure by the time the next Windows after Vista comes out, they'll probably be pushing more 64-bit. When 32-bit came out, it took YEARS before everyone (being programmers and developers) moved over from 16-bit.

 

So in the end, does 7.2 fix that intermittent flicker when using dual monitors when docked?

It seems to only happen to me when I'm using dual digital monitors (ie: LCD and DVI). Didn't get a chance to try it off the connector directly, though I suspect the result will be the same.

 

The last time I started over 7.2 installed without any problems. I still see a flicker every now and then when docked with dual monitors. I'm also running through a DVI KVM though.

 

+1 I need a 4 Gb Laptop also (for serious RAM usage, mainly under Linux), only alternatives I find right now are DELL and T60, but I'd prefer a V1JP since all the laptops we bought for now are ASUS and we never got any problem with 15 machines (not that the T60 is lousy, but it's damn too expensive for a similar config)

 

Hrm... so in a nutshell, it doesn't fix it. Unless you have it worse and it fixed it to be a bit better. I also have mine on a KVM, but not for video. I have a VP171 which has a triple input (dual VGA, single DVI). I use the VGA for my old computer and the DVI for the laptop and use the KVM just to switch my USB keyboard and mouse.

In any case, it seems to happen regardless of whether you're docked or not.

The common factor seems to be that you merely have to have any sort of dual monitor configuration enabled.

Thus far, this is what I've tried and still got it:
- LCD + DVI (monitor) on dock,
- LCD + VGA on dock (monitor),
- LCD + VGA not docked (projector).

Experimenting further, it seems to happen regardless of whether:
- the refresh is matched or not (60Hz),
- the resolutions are matched or not (set both to 1280x1024),
- dual display is set to extend desktop or clone (happens on both),

Depending on the situation, it either happens on both or one display, though I tend to think it's more likely that it in the cases that it wasn't apparent on the secondary display, it's more likely that the secondary display has some sort of filtering mechanism. Regardless, it still shows up on the laptop's LCD panel.

It's getting a bit annoying... but after that, the unit is fantastic. But should I really be giving that sort of compliment when it's doing something so annoying and bizzare?

Also, as a note, I'm still using BIOS 0301, didn't get a chance to update to the latest and greatest...

 

I've had v1jp for 3mos, and I wanna buy an extra AC adopter for V1jp.

any body knows where I can buy the adopter?

will be appreciated..

specs...AC Adapter: Output- 19 V DC, 4.7 A, 90W; Input- 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal

 

@AlexF
Well I've been working this thing all night and I haven't seen any flickers so far. I don't know what to tell you.

For anyone that cared about my BSOD problems. It traced down to a very intermittent problem with the hard drive. I've just reinstalled Windows with a 160GB Hitachi. The original Seagate would actually physically get stuck. Two things I should have paid more attention to:
1. It was never able to write a crash dump
2. Every time it BSOD the hard drive light would be stuck on solid.
I finally was 99% sure when it BSODed and I tapped the hard drive area. The hard drive light flashed and it was able to write its first crash dump. Every BSOD since I can tap the hard drive area with two fingers and help it get unstuck. It happens so infrequently I'm not sure if the Asus techs will buy my story.

 

I'd say it's a harddisk failure. I experienced the same symptoms plus a high noise from the drive after a few minutes of operation. Furthermore, the SMART selftest reported read errors when this happened.

 

AlexF,
I have been getting this screen flicker as well. I have only noticed it when I am in the docking station and only on the laptop, not the second display which is hooked up through DVI. I am docked 90% of the time, so I'm not exactly sure if it has been happening when running on battery.

I noticed it on the original 301 BIOS, and I am now on 310 BIOS and still get it.

I did call ASUS, and asked if they knew anything about this issue, and they didn't. Have you contacted them?

Anyway, I'm like you. I love the machine, but this problem is very annoying, and would like to get it resolved.

Jeff

 

The weird part about mine was that neither Seatools or HDTune reported any problems. There were no SMART warnings or bad sectors.

 

Guess it's worth a shot. I'll try that.

Didn't call them, wanted to get as much info as possible before calling them up.

I remember seeing someone on another thread with a Dell who had a similar problem with an X1600. I wonder if it's a graphical chipset issue.

 

I guess I'll try the hacked Catalyst drivers and see where that gets me.

How did you get that again? From the ATI site, then just modified the INF file?

Almost as if the disk just completely disappeared.

That with the 160 or the 120? Maybe it was DOA or something.

Check your event log. Also, since this is a SATA laptop disk, you can directly plug it into a desktop and run it through to see if it drops or craps out.

Another consideration is that this is a 160GB disk. This might sound far out, but maybe this model has one platter more than the other models and isn't as rugged as the others. This isn't 7200rpm, is it?

Also, I haven't dismantled my HDD compartment yet, but if it's anything like most ASUS, there's usually an adapter plug that goes onto the HDD and then interfaces with the laptop. Maybe that part is defective or isn't getting good contact?

I don't really trust SeaTools much. I just trust the drive more than the software.

SMART warnings are usually good for long-term failures. It might sometimes catch DOA ones, but not always. You might want to try Hitachi's testing tools on the Seagate, it might work better. Maxtor's diag tools have a lock for only Maxtor drives, and WD's testing tools have a lock for only WD.

Also, if it's an intermittent problem, it might not catch it either, or not soon enough.

 

All of the problems were with the original 120GB Seagate. The 160GB Hitachi hasn't had any problems so far.

Here's Catalyst 7.2 straight from ATI's website. No INF hack needed.
http://www.ati.com/online/mobilecatalyst/index.html

 

Anyone getting a FTDISK error in event viewer?

My V1 is working perfectly and no BSOD's so far - but I notice that each time I boot, in the Event Viewer there is one error:

Source: FTDISK
Description: "Configuring the Page file for crash dump failed. Make sure there is a page file on the boot partition and that is large enough to contain all physical memory."

I have tried increasing the page file size in the Virtual Memory settings, but that hasn't solved it... Anyone else got this error and if so - anyone fixed it?

 

What size is your page file right now? For 2GB of RAM your pagefile needs to be at least 2048MB (or was it 2047MB) for a full memory dump. This is only relevant if the full memory dump option is selected. By default Windows does a mini dump.

 

I have it set at 3000-4000MB on the C: drive. I've also created the same for the D: drive. And I'm still getting the error...

I don't even know if I need to be worried about this...

Maybe it's a case of a little knowledge is a dangerous (paranoia-inducing) thing...

 

That's really odd. Check your crash dump settings. Is there a reason you need a full crash dump? If not, try setting it to small "Small memory dump" setting.

 

Is your page file on the system disk? IIRC, the dump only counts your system disk paging space, not other disks if you have it split.

 

Have you tried to run any smart tests? Only the long test (about 2 hrs) brought up these errors, the short one was OK. I dont know how to start it in Windows, but in Linux (perhaps from a Live CD), just type

Code:

smartctl -d ata -t long /dev/sda

to initiate the test.
After completion

Code:

smartctl -a -d ata /dev/sda

prints all information gathered during the test routine and in addition some general drive information.
Pls tell us about the results!

Chris

 

Seatools, the Seagate diagnostic tool did its loooooong test. HDTune did its looooooong test. Multiple programs reported that SMART values were normal. What's happening isn't something that SMART picks up on apparently.

 

Anything is possible. SMART is not fool-proof. It does only figures out a disk is bad based on its "experience". It has a whole bunch of registers which remember how many times the disk did something wrong or didn't react fast enough and tells you if there's a problem when it feels there was a big enough change for the worse, ex: enough times the disk failed to read/write, did not react as fast as it should've from "experience", had to remap spare blocks, etc.

So if the HDD "thinks" everything is okay, SMART will think so too. I've seen desktop disks with SMART where they were acting totally drunk and smashed (for lack of a better term ), writing bad data all over and yet report no errors. It was being used as a temp disk, so you could imagine how fast XP SP2 installation crashed the system on restart when it used that spare drive as extraction temp space... (you'd think it would've caught it, the error checking only happens when it's extracting it from the source... the minute it wrote it to the disk, it didn't bother checking what it wrote ).

 

My FTDISK error has gone now that I increased the page sizes... Thanks for the posts suggesting help.

Also in case anyone is interested - I'm running Battlefield 2 online and with my docking station HD Tune is showing a max temp of 50c. In fact running the disk check utility in HD Tune provoked a higher temp - of 51c...

 

Actually, I'm more interested in what temps you get for your system if you're running BF2.

I never got around to completing the actual benchmark for temps with the fan and without, but from what I remember, the notebook cooler DOES help if you're pushing the system's GPU. I have the Vantec Notebook Cooler 3 and rather than hovering around 80C without it under battery conservation mode, the unit was hovering around 74C with it under battery conservation mode.

My main concern is that 80C is pretty much the safe limit as far as temperature goes. Even if it throttles, it's still kinda not safe.

 

Hrm... guess what? 7.3 just came out today...

 

@ AlexF - I think the docking station is making a difference, but due to the fact that docking and undocking is not a totally smooth procedure, I am reluctant to take the PC off the station and test the temperature without it. However if you want to know any other stats for BF2 then let me know and I'll see if I can get them for you.

The only crashes I've had with this game are when I've forgotten to disable Zone Alarm and AVG... Now all I need to do is get good at it. I tried flying a helicopter and a plane on single player and just gave up. Seems toooooooooooo hard. I'll stick to tanks and my feet...

As for 7.3 - have you tried it yet? Any improvements?

 

Catalyst 7.3 for XP is running fine for me.

This is one of the issues fixed in Catalyst 7.3. Was this what some of you were experiencing?

"Flashing is no longer noticed when hot-plugging a CRT display device and enabling extended desktop mode under the Vista operating system. Further details can be found in topic number 737-26671"

 

Installed this latest version, and still have the flashing problem. I didn't think it was going to fix the problem because I am not using a CRT or Vista, but I was hoping.

 

Guys,

Please post the link to download Catalyst 7.3 for ATI X1700. I didt find X1700 option in AMD site.
Mine is Vista 32 bit. All the thread shows link to XP only. Thanks.

 

There's a whole thread about it on the first page of threads. Please try to search the forums first.

 

Has anyone been able to boot off of an ExpressCard attached device such as ESATA or Firewire 800?

 

I have a different question. I'm going to install Vista Ultimate x64 once my v1jp arrives, but asus doesn't have any 64-bit drivers for it on their website. I don't know if the drivers in the sticky works plus I can't download them because the servers keep timing out.

Can someone show me a list of drivers I need and where I can get them?

 

Fancy that you should ask that question. I just got a SIIG eSATA Expresscard RAID, but I'm having trouble just getting it to detect drives. It blinks occasionally, but it doesn't seem that the BIOS even picks up on it.

I've been doing some reading, some people are saying that you need a BIOS that supports booting from Expresscard (apparently IBMs and some Toshibas can do it at the very least).

 

I was looking at the SIIG but went with the cheaper Bytecc 34mm version. I haven't received it yet so I'll report in when UPS gets it to me. In the old days with SCSI the adapter card would have it's own Bios separate from the system Bios for booting.

I'm trying to boot into a Linux dev environment. May be I can start the bootloader on a USB key and then boot the actual drive. It's been awhile since I've messed with bootloaders. I guess if the bootloader can't find the drive then I'm stuck with the onboard Firewire.

 

Err... Bytecc had a eSATA Expresscard? Damnit, I could've saved 50$. -_-

The problem seems to be that the Expresscard doesn't seem to affect the bootup process one bit. Normally for a bootable PCI/ISA card, you'd have a message from the actual card's boot ROM stating something. I didn't get anything, though I'm not sure that this thing even supports bootstrap!

Correct. If GRUB or whatever you plan on using doesn't see the device, it isn't going anywhere fast. There's also the issue as to whether the unit can operate independent of drivers.

 

@ AlexF

I received my Bytecc BT-ECES2 today from NewEgg. I've got good news and bad news.

Bad News:
The way Asus implemented the 54mm ExpressCard slot is less than ideal for using a 34mm card. The 34mm card sits crooked and very loose after you insert it. There isn't anything you can do about it beside sticking filler to the right of the card (probably a bad idea lol). The push-click spring is way too soft. I have to be extremely careful when attaching the eSATA cable, that or attach the cable to the card before inserting the card into the system. I would much rather see them implement the system where you push a little rod to pop the card out rather than this double push spring loaded system.

The box and website for the BT-ECES2 states RAID 0 and 1 supported. However, the manual and actual drivers used don't say anything about RAID. There are RAID drivers on the CD but it won't load it and the instructions point to a different folder.

Good News:
The Bytecc 34mm does have its own bios and attached drives are recognized by the V1Jp bios. So yes I can boot off of this thing. I checked the Silicon Image website and the included bios version is actually newer than the download. The driver for this thing is pretty clever, the bios update program is embedded in the driver properties window.

 

So here's my super high tech paper wad fix for the looseness.

 

Could someone explain me or show me with pictures how to install a 2nd module of memory? I'd like to buy an additional module, but have no clue on how I am supposed to install it.

Thank in advance

 

Just open the RAM-Cover and plug it in !

 

It's quite simple, though a bit nerve-wracking for someone who just spend 2k$ and is really edgy about ruining the really really really nice finish ...

- REMOVE THE BATTERY AND AC.
- Undo all the screws that appear to be screwing down the large compartment (should be about 5).
- Find the notch/groove on the edge of the cover of the large compartment and gently pry/bend the compartment door open. You might need to help somewhat warp the panel from the sides to get it off.
- Find the groove on the edge of the cover of the small compartment and gently pry/bend the small compartment door open. This one is a bit tighter. Check for a screw, I can't remember if there was one inside. Once the cover is off, you should see a single stick of memory in the lower slot.
- Line up the notch on your RAM with the upper slot and insert the module at 45 degrees, making sure it's making proper contact with the pins, then rotate it down so that it clips into the metal clips, DO NOT FORCE IT.
- Reverse the procedure.

I'd show you a picture of how to do it, but those pictures are on my desktop at home (ironically enough) and I won't be able to get to it for a few days.

 

Many thanks, Alex.

I'll have a look at it.

 

So here's the pictures. Don't forget to REMOVE AC AND BATTERIES.

Step 1:

Red circles = screws that need to be removed. Keep them in a safe place. The deeper ones hold the keyboard in place.
Blue square = notch for prying off main CPU compartment cover. Might need to warp the ends a bit to get the cover off (use care, don't want to snap the cover).

Step 2:

Blue square = notch for prying off RAM compartment cover. Use care, this one is a bit tight.

Step 3:

Red rectangle = RAM slot, put RAM in at 30-45 degrees and turn downward to clip into retention clips. SODIMM has a notch, make sure it properly lines up.
Blue rectangles = RAM retention clips. When lowering RAM in, should clip snugly into place on both sides.

Edit: Oh, PS, don't do the installation on a carpet. Static discharge is a pain, especially on smaller components.

 

On motherboards that I've seen with the Silicon Image with RAID, there's usually a motherboard BIOS setting which you would switch to enable/disable the RAID functionality. I doubt such a setting exists on the Bytecc one.

Well, I guess I'll be going with the Bytecc one after all, this SIIG one hangs on startup.

On an off note, I just updated my BIOS from 0301 (!!!) to 0310. When I did a load manufacturer defaults, the scrolling band on the top changed from blue/black to red/green. And it seems permanent! Did anyone else get that? I'm so used to seeing ASUS BIOSes with the black/blue that it was a bit surprising to see a red/green...

 

The red/green scrolly thing did catch my eye but I can't remember in what version it changed.

I've spent much of the weekend trying out Ubuntu and Fedora on the external drive. If you boot of of the internal drive or CD then the internal drive is sda. If you boot of of the external drive then the external is sda and the internal becomes sdb. If you boot off of the CD it ignores the HD list order and the internal is always sda. If you want to run Grub on the external and then boot Windows, NTLDR seems to mess up the external's partition list. Grub's hide didn't help. I couldn't get order swapping (map) to work. Booting straight to hd1,0 works but then it would screw up the external's partition table. All this trouble because I didn't want to put grub on my internal drive

I couldn't get the Fedora 7 test 3 disc to boot (tried multiple burns and SHA1 check and burn verify), Fedora 6 worked okay. Ubuntu 6.10 and 7.04 both work. The Realtek 8168 driver either from Realtek or buillt into the kernel doesn't work. It recognizes both cards (dock) but can't even get a link up. It doesn't even light up my router. I can't set the link speed, duplex... so there's some thing screwed up deep down. The Intel WIFI driver works okay. The ATI driver works sort of okay. I get some artifacting and corruption on the external monitor.

 

Arrgh,I thought the internal one would be sda always...so you have to use two configurations for the OS'es , I guess.
But why not have GRUB on the internal drive?

What kernel version is that? The Realtek driver in 2.6.19 (vanilla) worked for me. It is actually called "8169 support", but work with 8168 as well.
Have you tried connecting without the dock? Perhaps it was just the wrong card you tried to set up.

 

Yeah installing Grub on the internal is best. I just wanted to see if I could do it the other way. It's not a huge deal.

It might be the dock messing it up. No I haven't tried it without the dock. When I bring both cards up I should at least see the light come on on the router, but I don't. Neither card would let me set parameters. Again, it's not a huge deal since WIFI works.

 

I guess it's to be expected from that sort of a jump.

Must be some automatic translation going on here which is intended to "help", much like how some other BIOSes have a compatibility mode to treat SATA devices as if they were EIDE devices.

I doubt Grub would be able to deal with it. But why not just have the Windows installed on the internal one, Linux installed on the external, and then simply plug in the external when you want Linux and leave it detached when not using Linux?

Problem is, if you put Grub on the internal, there isn't necessarily a guarantee that it'll pick up on the Expresscard if it's jumping hoops with the Expresscard's BIOS.

Did you try undocked? Not sure if those two "adapters" can actually work together or whether they're really both active at the same time since you can't actually physically plug anything into that port when the dock is attached because the "wings" are in the way (I can't remember if I was able to completely take it off when readjusting the thing).

Would be surprising if it didn't. 3945 drivers are common to every other Yonah/Merom laptop.

That would probably be the bugfixes they had on their website not making it into the current version of the Linux drivers. Man, it's going to be quite some time before it becomes remotely usable as a Windows replacement for this thing...

I'd go and try the Knoppix ISO I downloaded the other day, but my hot-swap bay is currently being in use by my new (but expensive ) secondary battery. This thing only has like half the capacity of the main battery, but I suppose it's expected. Thus far, 0% wear. Then again, I might've jinxed myself by saying that...

Anyone notice a bug in NHC where it writes battery 0's values on top of battery 1's values after a few seconds in 2.0RPR4 (that thing hasn't been updated in like 7 months!)?

 

Hey, Did you manage to get any programs running on ubuntu. If so what programs have you installed.

Also on ubuntu, i have sound only emitting from one speaker. Haven't installed any drivers, which ALSA driver do i need?
Oh and did you get the biometric finger scanner to work?

 

I was trying Ubuntu only to see if it'll run the Cell processor SDK. I come from Slackware servers without GUIs so I have no clue on any desktop apps. Audio on Ubuntu seemed to work, but I didn't mess with it. I don't like the finger print scanner so I didn't even try to set it up. Your finger prints are all over the laptop so unless you use your laptop with gloves it's pretty simple for someone with technical knowledge to get past it. My network security friend tells me most cheap finger print scanners don't use enough points so brute force is also feasible.