V6V/V6Va/V6J/VX1 Owners' Lounge(Best EoL notebook ever)

I will probably just buy a few spare casings. The other thing is that my warranty goes until March of 2009.

 

I'm about to buy a V6VA from eBay and I was wondering if I could exchange the original 100 GB 4200 RPM HD with the 80 GB 5400 RPM HD one from my V6V,could anybody tell me it is possible and how hard it is to do that? Thanks!

 

It's very easy, you just need to remove the hard drive cover (2 screws) on each notebook, remove the HDDs (with care, pull straight in order not to bend the pins), switch them, plug them back, put the covers, you're done.

 

Great!ThanK You!

 

hey all, just regged, loving this site

i have been using the V6J for more then 20 months now .. BEST ASUS NOTEBOOK EVER period. It's a shame ASUS is going downhill real fast.

About 1 or 2 months ago the backlight of my V6J screen started to flicker when opening the notebook and also when on a angle towards you. then the backlight just turns off. it got worse within days .. rang ASUS.. said a free repair would take just 8 days or so.

this week, about 15 calls and 5.5 weeks later, i FINALLY got my V6J back! I'm an dutch college student and NEED my notebook for notes/word processing/3d drawing/programming etc. They replaced the entire screen and screenbezel. For whatever reason they also replaced the motherboard?

OK great, so I plug back in my extra 1GB DDR2 and my 7200rpm Hitachi and ran memtest just to be sure my DDR2 was comp.with the new motherboard. It has the 304 bios (latest on support.asus.com) and memtest was running great. for a minute i was shocked tough. Memtest+ 86 reported that the chipset was an 965GM with integrated GMA graphics processor. wth happened to my GF7400?

booting into windows and running CPU-Z luckaly confirmed that the notebook was infact the good ol' 945 with an gf7400. damn you memtest .. gave me a heart attack!

all was fine .. however .. upon closing the lid again .. the screen ******* flickers again! the problems hasn't been solved WHAT SO EVER. it's getting worse each day.

Not sure what to do now? Can send it back to ASUS .. wait another 5 weeks and get the EXACT same result back. Not an option IMHO. Can't sell it because it's kinda broken. ASUS won't give me a refund.

What to do? I study higher IT in college and my notebook is essential. Don't have another 2300 bucks (V6J) to buy just any other book. sigh.

Why does ASUS rma suck so much? Don't they check the repairs before shipping them back? My brothers also have major issues with ASUS RMAs. I'm an advisor for e-commerce shops .. see the exact same issue with ASUS RMA every day.

And top of that... my 7200rpm hitachi is dying. Making very strange noises. Now i gotta ghost everything over to the orginal 5400rpm and RMA the 7200 hitachi

Anyone else had some problems with their V6 screen?

 

Nobody had problems AFAIK.

Where are you located? From my experience, here in the Netherlands, the testing that they do after they exchange the parts that they decided are at fault, is about 1.5cm deep. Meaning, I guess they start up the notebook, let it running for a while, if it doesn't shutdown or explode in that time, it's fixed, they send it back. Oh, and when you have battery problems, they discharge once, and recharge. If the yellow light goes on, and then off in 3 hours, you're good to go, they send it back.

In my opinion, this process can be greatly improved.

Well anyway, back to your problem. After a single failed repair, I'm not sure that you can do anything other than send it back again, and explain that they have not fixed the problem. Maybe the problem is not in the screen, given they replaced it. Maybe it's somewhere else in the hardware. Let them try again.

If they don't succeed repairing it the second time, then I think you're OK to ask for a replacement notebook. Anyhow, it's quite old now, almost out of warranty It'd be nice to get a free ,new notebook.

Anyway, given you're 4 months away from the warranty expiration, I'd do all this as quickly as possible.

 

Yeah, I'm from Holland (no not the song ), Eindhovuh de gekste.

The problem is I don't just have another notebook lying around and I really need it for college. The school requires students aquire high-performance notebooks. These last few weeks have been hard .. working on public slow-ass computers in seperate rooms etc. Can't see how I can do this ANOTHER 5 weeks. sigh

i have send it back once already because of battery/charging issues. This would be a third strike and replace it. God knows how long that would take? (With the V6 being EOL and all) For all I know they could send me an cheap ass A8/F8 notebook back...

 

Does anyone here have a disassembly guide for any computer of this series?

 

I was able to get Asus to replace my V6j with a W3j. I had to go without mine for about a week (I'm in a similar situation for school). Look at your warranty and see what all it says. I bought the extended warranty, and it said if they couldn't fix it they would replace it, so I finally got them to do so.

 

Do you plug the notebook straight to the wall or do you use a power surge bar?

 

regarding the flickering of the screen you mean?

does it both on AC and battery. wall and UPS.
it's an loose wire or damaged circuit or something

 

Does it do this at all brightnesses?

 

Yes .. it's an pure hardware connection defect.
it's like when you close the lid of an notebook almost all the way. at one point the screen turns off. but it's like there is no connection to the screen (the backlight that is)

what strange is .. when opening the notebook real quick, gives just a quick flicker where as slowly gives more flickering. also when tilting the screen a bit forward .. it tends to flicker but not so much when you tilt rather quick.

i'll see if i can shoot an video with my phone tomorrow (crap quality, sorry no 100 megapixel nokia whatever hiphop bling bling)

 

My screen also flickers...it is so bad that as I type it flickers with each key stroke. I am on my 3rd battery in a year. I will not be buying Asus again I can tell you!

 

video of the problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aTZX6P6Y1M

(chair makes that noise, not the nb)

 

could it be a program that is affecting the screen?

 

It seems unlikely, but there is a (relatively) quick way to check. Do a fresh install of your OS and do what would normally cause the flickering. If it happens, it is at least at the OS level. If it doesn't, there is some software causing the problem.

 

My V6V did/does this, on top of it having lost 2 entire columns of pixels - it's one of the reasons I changed it.

 

No it surely isn't an program because I get the exact same result when in the BIOS. I used windows for the demo because the bios screen wasn't as visible as Vista.

The nvidia driver does in fact blink/flicker the screen once when logging into Vista. Some bug I gues but that's an pure software/driver problem.

My problem is 100% hardware related.

My brother had an theory that the "button" that checks wether the lid is closed or not is attached to the axis of the hinge of the lid. This way you don't have a little button on the notebook detecting wether the lid is closed or not.

My "axis-sensor" could be broken and the notebook makes a mistake wether it's closed or not. But there is a problem with the theory ... Only the backlight turns off and not the LCD itself. But when you close the lid of a notebook, the LCD turns off ... not just the backlight .. the entire LCD.

Personally I believe it's an damaged circuit/loose wire or damaged wire causing the glitch. Driving me nuts.

Ringing ASUS in a few hours. Hear what they have to say about this *@^&%@$#.

 

MMaster: there isn't no difference between EOL warranty and non-EOL warranty -- they don't store anything here in the NL anyway so they have to wait for all the parts to come from Taiwan. So I'm afraid you're looking at another few weeks w/o the notebook, indeed.

Also, they cannot (or at least, should not) exchange it with a budget, crappy build quality notebook like the A8. They have to offer something at least equal in quality, i.e. business-series notebook. My guess is they would offer the V1S -- and I think it's a good option, given that the battery issues have changed into non-critical for that notebook.

rahasyavadi: AFAIK there was no manual posted for this thing. You might ask for it on the Disassembly thread (look for it in the Info Booth sticky) since the notebook is EOL and almost out of warranty for everybody at this point.

 

EBE .. i know about EOL, non-EOL. I work at an e-commerce company.

It's just that they should test the repair before shipping it back.

 

Yeah well, that's life. Personally I think that the greatness of these older notebooks (V6J, W3J, M6N) is making it worth dealing with all these shortcomings (bad testing after RMA, bugs in BIOSes and the such). The newer models are rather average or below... so I don't think I'll be buying another ASUS, unfortunately. But there is still some time until I will want a new computer, so, I will wait and see, maybe things change for the better.

 

Just called them .. they are really giving me hell. I finally got them to understand that this problem is taking way to long to resolve.

They are evaluating options for replacement or credit right now. Hopefully I either I can get a fully functional V6J, an credit or V1 or something.

Will update. Sigh@asus :\

 

Good luck! Depending on how much you like your V6J, you might try to push for the V1S (less durable, bigger but not so much heavier).

I don't think they will credit back but who knows. If they will, maybe it's the best option ,the V6 was hellishly expensive here in the NL. You're free to choose a new system then, and you'll get a top-notch current system with those money.

 

i fancy the V2S but the V1S is also nice. they aren't replying to my emails anymore :\

 

Hopefully they will help you out. They said they would give me a W3j, then all of the sudden it wasn't an option anymore and they said my only replacement option was a V6v. Finally, I got the W3j back after they realized I was in warranty.

 

Take it easy, give them a day or two, they need to contact superiors etc.

The V2S has no real advantages besides the surface area. It's not much lighter, it's not thinner, it has a poorer GPU while offering the same crappy battery life.

Oh and also, no battery bay, so you're stuck with the crappy battery life, as well.

 

Anyone knows if V6VA in Europe had IPS screen and also is it a very big difference between Intel Pentium M 740 (1,73 GHz) and Intel Pentium M 750 (1,86) in terms of performance? Thanks!

 

Answers, no (no IPS screen AFAIK), and no, almost no practical difference unless you do CPU-intensive tasks on a regular basis (e.g., encoding, mathematical simulations).

 

I was thinking the same,but i find a V6VA review at hardwareluxx.com (a german site) and they say it has greater viewing angles.

 

I don't know... maybe the regular matte or glossy screen is better on that particular model.

In any case, I suppose you can get the screen and CPU from the ASUS store and install them in your V6V (but check compatibility before ordering,please). I think shipping from the estore to EU is a problem, however.

 

I got my 1st V6Va back from ASUS very promptly: I took it to FedEx on a Saturday night for shipping the next Monday, and it got back to me that Wednesday.

They did all of the performance fixes perfectly and beyond expectations, but did none of the cosmetic fixes.

They replaced both RAM chips, not just the definitely bad one. They replaced the 4200 RPM 100 GB Fujitsu hard drive with a 5400 RPM 100 GB Hitachi hard drive, and cloned the entire drive contents. They replaced the battery with one with 0 % wear and maximum charge of 72,372 mWh; the battery I have had for a year shows 0 % wear and maximum charge of 69,249 mWh.

As for the cosmetic stuff, they said that they did not have any of the relevant parts in stock; they are separate from the e-store, it turns out. I have not had time to communicate fully with ASUS on how to continue on that track.

I am very happy with the experience.

 

Yep, very nice service (Especially the time they took cloning the HDD).

 

Which bios version works best on V6VA?

 

I suppose the last, unless there are some fan speed settings that you don't like. (or bugs)

Maybe V6Va owners can add some more info, but all other things being equal, probably the last BIOS version is the best (most bugfixes).

 

In the thread "Asus Warranty ???" I already posted the following, but this thread is the home for such information:

Yeah, count me in too for the V6Va party (I know that is no surprise for the V6/Vx1 lounge frequenters)!

I am indebted to Justin of PROPortable for convincing me to go with the V6Va instead of the Lenovo T60. I just now bought from PROPortable one of the two last $225 yellow VX1 lids they had in stock. The link for the final lid is http://www.proportable.com/detail.aspx?ID=224.

 

An ASUS support rep emailed me the V6 disassembly manual!

Also, I backordered cosmetic parts from the ASUS e-store. The store is supposed to get all the parts in about two weeks. I hope the time estimate is accurate.

 

Great. Would it be too much to ask to forward the manual via email or upload it somewhere? Please PM for email address if you're willing to do so.

 

No problem, E.B.E. Check your message.

 

Would you be so kind to send it to me too? Thanks!

 

Yes, Matisse, PM me your address.

Lately, from meditating on the state of the notebook-computer industry, I have come disgustedly/sadly to consider that there may not be another package quite the likes of the IPS V6Va in the foreseeable future. Yuck/sniff.

 

I agree,after days and months of searching stores,web stores,etc, for something,at least,similar with the V6 series, I´ve ended up buying another one ,this time V6Va which should arrive in couple of days.

 

Congratulations! Did you buy it used or new, and IPS or non-IPS?

 

Thanks! It´s used,as for IPS i really don´t know what to say;it´s a french edition,I guess :V6Va-8017p which has an Pentium M 740 1,73ghz ,ATI X700,100gb and for what I read in some french forums it came in two versions: IPS (with a better cpu M 760) and non-IPS (M740), but the owner didn´t know if it is or not when I asked him. Anyway I will let you know when it arrive. PS:here is a quote from a french forum-
V6VA-8017P:Intel Pentium M 740 1.73 Ghz ;1024 Mo DDR-2; mais avec 100 Go (4200trm) ecran mat
V6VA-X023P:Intel Pentium M 760 2.0 Ghz - 1024 Mo DDR-2 - 100 Go (5400trm) ecran color shine

 

Matisse, did you get your V6Va yet, and if so, is it IPS?

I got my yellow Lamborghini VX1 lid, and the color (a rich, mellow yellow) and the grilling look better than I thought, really good. The lid looks a little plastic (I thought it would look totally metallic). Shawn of PROPortable (who was *very* helpful all-around) told me that the Lambo lid uses the V6 lid as its base, and that he thinks the raised section is plastic. The raised section does not look to me any more plastic than the rest of the lid; it seems that the paint itself makes the whole lid look a little plastic, and it is not as glossy as I expected. Regardless, it *will* look really good on one of my V6Va's when I mod it. Once again, I have to credit Justin of PROPortable with having a well-considered opinion: he said that the yellow lid is the better choice over the black. I imagine that the slightly plastic appearance in black would not go as well with the various brown tones of the VX1/V6 body as does the yellow. By the way, ASUS never sent PROPortable any of the black lids, and, as I have mentioned in another post, ASUS will not supply a VX1 lid to anyone but a VX1 owner sending a VX1 in on RMA. Edit: Ever since opening their e-store, ASUS has had the policy of not supplying V6/VX1 parts to retailers for resale; the Lambo lids at PROPortable were supplied before the e-store opened.

 

God I wan't my V6 casing back. The aluminum was a god send!

 

CalebSchmerge, maybe if its technology level is OK for you, you should search for a used IPS V6Va!

 

Two problems with that - 1. I am spoiled on the higher tech level of the W3j. 2. I have no money.

 

[QUOTE:Matisse, did you get your V6Va yet, and if so, is it IPS?

Yes and no ;it was a V6V and I have to send it back,seller was wrong in description ,maybe I will get a IPS screen from estore now that I have the manual

 

Are you sure you want to keep spending money on an old computer? I know it's a great one and all, but still, it might make more sense to invest into something that performs better with today's applications.

Although, I might get the Merom CPU in order to make my V6 perform within 90 to 95% of the Santa Rosa speed, with the V6 build quality...