~ Asus U6 Owners' Lounge ~

R108, could you confirm if there are the complet set of 64bit drivers please?


Also, this computer would work fine with Vista Ultimate 64bits right? I'm using it for graphic and some light gaming to kill time....

 

Assuming you have all the drivers, I don't see why it wouldn't work...

 

Holy moly, I don't believe it. I went to Disc>Software where all of the software and drivers are.

There are 64-bit versions of the drivers on the Drivers disc.

The ASUS software, such as the hot-keys, don't have 64-bit versions, but I suspect that doesn't matter. I went through and checked all of drivers...chipset, video, bluetooth, camera, touchpad, wireless, LAN, etc...all of them have 64 bit versions.

There's even a a folder called Disc>Preload>DRIVERSIN64 with a script in it that's called "setup.cmd". Wow, this sounds like good news. Looks like I'll be switching to 64-bit.

Any other questions?

 

Why not believe it?

At least 3 Montevina ASUS machines are now confirmed to have dual 32/64 bit drivers, so I think all of them have this combo.

Perhaps the utils (ATK Hotkey and the rest) will work in 32-bit compatibility mode (I'm definitely not sure about this though, someone who used the CD in 64bit Vista should say how they did it).

 

OH well....

Then it's bad news for me...Gonna empty my bank tonight ^ ^'

 

Well I intend to install Vista Business 64-bit over the next couple of days. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

BTW, interesting that this laptop includes LightScribe burning software, yet I don't *think* it has a LightScribe-capable drive in it.

 

I'm too lazy right now but I think you can check by going to your device manager and look up the model number for your DVD drive, and see if it's lightscribe capable.

 

The Lightscribe software is part of the default install of (nearly?) all new ASUS notebooks, regardless whether the drive supports Lightscribe or not. Can be confusing.

 

Yeah, google searching for the model number isn't extremely helpful. And the drive isn't even on LG's website.

By the way, I installed Vista Business 64-bit. Used the driver disc's automated install script and it installed all of the correct drivers and software. I haven't had a whole lot of time to test it out yet (I *just* installed it), but all the drivers are installed in Device Manager, and the hotkeys work. No errors!

 

Why won't Asus bring the white U6 to have the same specs..i prefer white...

 

White doesn't sell in the US market for anything except MacBooks, and Asus NA only brings in what they believe will move out the door.

 

Can anyone with a U6V tell me if it will display 2650 x1600 through the HDMI port?

 

Almost every U6 review I've found complains about the stiffness of the buttons on the touchpad. These reviews suggest that it is a serious problem, and that the buttons "may get better over time".

Can anyone comment on this?

 

Orange Robot: The two touchpad keys are indeed on the stiff side. I wouldn't say it bothers me. I've adjusted to it. Right clicking is sometimes a pain, but I have configured my touchpad's right side to right click when tapped; I find this much easier to use. If I knew about this before purchasing my notebook, it would *not* have influenced my decision to buy it.

The constant clicking noise of the HDD in a quiet room still bothers me. But overall, superb notebook.

 

Ok, I ordered a U6v from Newegg. It should arrive on Wednesday. I will report here if I break my fingers.

 

What clicking noise is that? Be aware that if the HDD parks the heads too often, that will diminish its lifetime. Some HDDs have a bug in the firmware that causes them to do this.

 

Yes...this is not a U6 problem but rather potentially a HD problem...check it out.

 

Every few seconds, there's a gentle clicking/scratching noise..basically every time the drive has to read/write...I'm wondering if it's just a particularly noisy drive. I've heard other brand new drives sound louder than this, but usually it's a constant noise.

Perhaps Orange Robot can confirm this sound if his has a Western Digital drive in it too. If you're in a public place, you definitely will not be able to hear it.

 

Mine has a WD hdd. I can't hear the drive at all.

However, this touchpad is driving me nuts.

1. It is "slippery", which makes it seem unresponsive.

2. Scrolling: The touchpad does not detect scrolling at the far-right edge. I have to constantly "guess" where the scrollable area is, instead of using the physical edge as a guide, like my previous laptop.

This scroll functionality is horrible. Sometimes it just stops working until I lift my finger up and put it back down on the pad.

I may have to return thus and buy another brand.

 

Step 1: reinstall the latest synaptics touchpad driver.

Step 2: You can adjust the size of the scroll area (both horiz and vert) in the synaptics software - check in the Mouse properties for this.

 

you'd think black would move quickly, and yet there are no black models.

 

so can anyone explain to me what models are available in the states and what is the difference among them? thanks.

I am considering this Vs a X200. The X200 doesn't have HDMI and DVD, but it's much smaller, lighter and MUCH better battery life.

 

mm, it's true that AKG has great hedadphones, but if you compare them with sennheiser's, they're not that great, sennheiser's hd 650 has a better natural sound than akg, more than any AKG, actually the hd 650 and hd 600 are winners of many headphones awards, more than AKG,

BTW, it's a thread about asus u6, so people is talking about portable, and the most PORTABLE option is SHURE'S SE530

 

I have tried in both Vista and XP.

The touchpad hardware just seems to be "dead" around the edges. Are you other U6 owners able to scroll while touching the far-right edge of the touchpad?

A reviewer on Newegg.com seems to have the same problem:

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cach...58+asus+u6+scrolling&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

Cnet says the same thing:

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-u6s-a1/4505-3121_7-32817775.html?tag=untagged

I can't stand this. Precise scrolling is impossible. There is no way to know where the scrollable area is without looking at the touchpad every few seconds. Even once I've figured out where the scrollable area is, I have no way of scrolling up and down while staying "in line". My finger always slides out of the scrollable area, as it is impossible to stay parallel with the side of the touchpad, if you aren't touching the side of the pad.

This is exactly why all other touchpads use the extreme edge of the pad for scrolling.

On top of all this, if you scroll too far up or down, your input will be lost yet again, as the top and bottom edges of the touchpad are dead too.

How do you guys stand it? Can the fingerprint scannner be used as a scroll wheel?

Someone please advise. I do not want to have to return my U6, but it is unusable to me like this.

Update: After a night of use, I think I am getting the hang of scrolling. Perhaps I wigged-out too soon.

 

bump for my question.

 

Sir Punk,

I will give a quick answer: Check out the laptops here: http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=131

Also look at Newegg.com.

The newest U6 line is the "v" (U6V). These have a slightly updated CPU and GPU.

There are two main U6 variants, those with the good GPU (8400 GS/9300 GS), and those with a lesser/standard integrated GPU.

If you are comparing an ASUS U6v and a Lenovo X200, the ASUS has a much better video card for gaming.

If you want the best GPU in a 12" laptop (and a touchpad) get an ASUS U6V. If you want a lesser GPU and a TrackPoint, get the Lenovo X200.

Note: BTOtech.com offers a CPU upgrade for the U6v that most other resellers do not.

 

My wifi connection drops constantly. I have installed the latest drivers for the wifi card: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=2753&DwnldID=16618&lang=eng

I am running Vista Business 32-bit, which came with my U6V from Newegg. My router is a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 with the latest Tomato firmware.

This router has never dropped a connection once in two years on my previous MSI / Windows XP laptop.

Any ideas?

 

my experience with intel wifi cards is that they work better with the old drivers. I had so many problems with my intel card in my f3f. in the end I left the default drivers.

 

Orange Robot,

I actually noticed the wifi connection dropped often with my U6V. In comparison, it never did with my old ASUS A8J. Intel's ProSet (not available on Vista I think) were quite solid. This is just Vista's inherent performance of its wireless connection manager. My router is quite far away and the U6V with Vista just cannot keep a solid connection going with so little signal strength.

What I did was grab my old Linksys WRT54 router from my closet, dusted it off, threw dd-wrt on (firmware), and set it up as a repeater. I stuck it halfway between my router and laptop. Now the connection works flawlessly. It was a bit of work though, I had to Google search for a tutorial on how to set it up.

You might be able to find some type of third party wifi connection management software too.

 

One other thing. I just wanted to inform everyone that I did a little research, and it looks like the Western Digital drive I have in my U6V is not acting abnormally. The number of times the drive parks its read/write heads into the "landing zone" is referred to as the load cycle count. The drive is rated to withstand 600,000 load cycles in its life time. Most people suggest that this is a conservative number. My drive is currently experiencing 16.3 load cycles/hour. Most people see a load cycle/hr rate between 13-30. At that rate, it would take many, many years, depending on use, to cause the drive to fail.

So no worries, the drive is fine, and after a subjective comparison test with the 5400 rpm 100 GB Hitachi from my old laptop, it sounds a lot quieter.

Oh, and one more thing. ASUS North America support is incredible. I live in Canada, and had to send my old ASUS A8J in to have its hinges replaced under extended warranty coverage. Called them last Monday late afternoon. FedEx came Tuesday afternoon the next day to my house to pick it up. I had it delivered back to me during Friday afternoon. I can't believe how fast that was! They even replaced both hinges and the front/back case and bezel around the LCD screen. looks practically brand new!

 

I have the U6S-A1, can I pop in T8300 processor to replace T7500?? since my sister laptop has slower processor and it is compatible with T7500, am gonna give her T7500 and buy a newer T8300. I know intel PM965 chipset supports Penryn 45nm processor but dont know if the bios in Asus U6S version 204 supports T8300 or not?? Any1 knows??

Or even the T series processor like T9300. I know T9300 is 1066 FSB. Will the U6S-A1 supports T8300 or T9300???

Or even the P series such as P8400 and P9500. Please lemme know the compatibility. I kinda lean towards the 25W P series more if it is compatable, but if not, then T8300 since it is affordable.

 

Hi guys,

I'm new to the lounge... since mine just came through the post yesterday. So firstly, "Hi y'all!".

Apologies upfront for changing the current subject thread, but I've run out of ideas as to where to get some help and views - so I've turned to this lounge.

To cut a long story short, I ordered a U6Sg-A1 (open box) from an online vendor in the US... I'm from the UK.

Its my first time I've ordered anything overseas, and to make a maiden purchase of +$1400USD (incl p&p and custom charges) was nerve wracking to say the least. So I chose very carefully with which vendor I was gonna make my purchase from.

Finally I found one which had great reviews and highly regarded across many forums, including this one (hence why I joined in the first place).

Their service was great, emails were answered swiftly, hell, even a live msn chat for any matters that needed immediate reply. Great! I thought, that is until the unit came through the post.

To my utter disappointment, it wasn't the U6Sg-A1 that I ordered, instead it was the U6S model with upgraded CPU, memory and HDD, etc to match the specs of that of the newer U6Sg model:

- T8100 2.1 Ghz
- 3gig ram 667
- 250gb hdd

With that, I can live with since essentially that was what differ the two models. However, I noticed the GPU was still that of the older U6S model, nVidia 8400M G 128mb (NOT the GS card!) as opposed to the 9300M G 256mb. Obviously, I contacted the vendor immediately (on the live msn chat) to inform him of the situation.

The response wasn't one that I had hoped for, instead, after 1 hour of chatting to-and-fro, the bottom line from him was that I DID get the U6Sg model, same CPU, same RAM, same HDD, 2xbatteries, etc, the only difference was the GPU. BUT... according to him, I've got myself a bargain here, since the 8400M G 128mb card is "actually slightly faster" than the 9300M G 256mb. I'm not a very tech savvy person, but somewhere at the back on my mind says what he claims isn't correct. Even after 30 mins on google I couldnt find anything that proved his claim, much to the contrary in fact - hence why I am here.

Ultimately, I was left with one of two choices:

1 - Keep the unit I got and take a $40USD store credit for future purchases which he offered for my headache (but can I trust him ever again to order from his site once more?)

or,

2 - Send the unit back and get a full refund, but P&P, custom charges, etc will be at my own expense since, "in your case you were sent something where the performance is identical, or actually a bit less with 9300".

So that's the situation I'm in... am I really making a mountain out of a molehill (as he also claims)? Should I just "be happy" with what I got? And be happy to know that the +$1400USD is well spent, since I wouldnt get anything near that price in the UK (which he also patronisingly advised)?

On a final note, one of the primary reasons as to why I chose to get the U6Sg-A1 when I was hunting for a portable laptop was the great review by Wishmaker ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=260371). I did a 3DMark06 test on the unit I've got and it scored 1145 compared to the 1674 score on Wishmaker's screengrab. Even on a video review that the vendor made himself of the U6Sg-A1, he got a score of 1656.

That's roughly 1/3 off both scores. Is this significant enough to prove that there is indeed a degrade in performance in the unit I have to warrant a full refund + all necessary expenses?

Sorry for the long post, despite my claim at the beginning to make this long story short.

Thanks for reading,

K.

 

@Kenneth, I would recommend you to speak to the "manager" or somesort of authority from that store and get a compromise since it's their fault. I might want to get an extra freebie out of it. Like I would send back the unit and make them send in the proper one ( taking in mind that you MIGHT have to pay the custom AGAIN ) so I'll make them like give me an extra battery? upgrade it to 4gb ram? or some sort. It's their fault and u're suppose to lose money? No way...

 

Hi,
I just bought a U6V and what a beautiful laptop!
Anyway I would like to try 64 bit Vista and read that the Vista CDs usually include 32 and 64 bit versions. I know that we don't really get a windows CD with the laptop but does the recovery CD include a way of installing 64 bit? I know that there are 64 bit drivers on the driver CD but I also noticed that there is a "Windows" folder on that cd that contains a VISTA64 folder....

If there is no way of installing 64 bit with the recovery CD is there any way of obtaining a copy from Microsoft without paying the full price? upgrade perhaps? This:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/1033/ordermedia/default.mspx
doesn't seem to be working - I guess because I have the OEM version?
thanks

 

the answer is NO, the recovery disc will install Vista Business 32BIT only. Vista 64 bits is much faster, but not so many drivers are out that supports Vista 64 Bit. I have the older U6S-A1, upgraded to 4gig of RAM, 7200RPM HDD and running Vista 64bit Ultimate version with SP1. It is so much faster than the business 32bit that came with the laptop, it is like night and day, that big of a difference. To get Vista 64bit, pay attention to Frys Electronics, sometimes they have Vista 64bit OEM on sale, full version for around $80. You dont really need the business or ultimate version, they are such a waste of money.

Back to my previous question, will U6S-A1 support T8300 processor since the PM965 supports 800mhz fsb. And go beyond the T8300, will it support the T9300 processor or the P8400 processors since those are 1066mhz FSB. Will the firmware 204 supports those processors???

 

hey guys, i just recently purchased a u6v(yesterday, in fact) after trying to choose between u6v and vaio SR. i haven't gotten my machine yet as i won't get it until next tuesday, but i kind of regret my purchase already. it seems there's a bargain deal on vaio Z series on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CNYF3M

i'm sure u6v is a pretty good laptop but i just think Z series is in a different class(carbon fiber, slim sexy design, mere 3.3lbs weight, beautiful xbrite monitor with thin frames, etc). and I did not know that u6v requires a 64bit OS in order to use all 4 gigs of ram. had i known, i definitely would not have bought it. its CPU unfortunately is the older T9400 and not P9400, and GPU NVIDIA 9300 isn't necessarily better than 8400(the higher resolution isn't noticeable on 12' screen and it's actually slower). as if the touchpad and glary screen weren't big enough detractors. overall i regret my purchase already and i wish i had been to these forums sooner and read some of the comments here. it feels like i paid a premium for a rather mediocre product at best. there seems to be a lot of laptops these days which have better value(vaio SR, Z, ideapad U330).

 

Hi all

I had the U6Sg which í was very pleased with. Unfortunately my girlfriend threw a drink into it, by mistake. Fortunately it was insured for this, and now 2 months later i just got the ASUS U6V-2P005A.

All is great with this one, as it isn't really that different from the old U6Sg. However there is one difference. This one has the Azurewave BT-253 bluetooth chip with the WIDCOMM bluetooth stack - and by some reason, that poses a problem. No matter what bluetooth enabled mouse i use with this computer, even the old logitech from my U6Sg, there is a horrible lag.

Whenever the CPU usage pops to over 10% it starts lagging. If i move it too fast around for a longer period of time (4 sec) while it's lagging, it will lock up, and i will have to reconnect the mouse, in order for it to work again.

I tried the ASUS download section, in search of a never bluetooth stack as it is from march this year, but with no luck. I tried updating the WIDCOMM stack at the Broadcom website, but the updater can't find my device.

Do anyone have any idea, what causes this, and what can be done to solve it?

I have also tried uninstalling and installing several times. Using the standard Vista stack doesn't work either.

I really do hope that someone knows what to do, as this is really annoying.

Thanks in advance - SJ

 

I'm experiencing the same thing... Using the Asus supplied Bluetooth mouse is a very laggy experience so I have returned to using my old RF mouse.

I have also tried updating my BIOS to 209 and 212 (from the original 207) but both these BIOS result in my CPU fan staying at 100% even if the CPU is cool and not being used.

 

Wait, if the CPU was upgraded, then doesn't that mean you have NO warranty at all? The only way to find out is if it was upgraded by ASUS or not (open up the bottom panel of the machine to see if the yellow warranty sticker is perfectly intact on the CPU).

 

Correct. However, Asus does not ever upgrade units directly, that is customizing and only happens at the retail end.

Distribution deals with resellers are that if they offer a customization option that will void warranty, then they (reseller) are responsible for offering any and all warranty work for the unit. Some resellers (BTOTech, GenTechPC) are better in this regard than others.

 

maybe you should buy a logitech vx nano, laser mouse, very fast, smallest receiver, very nice mouse

 

Would upgrading the HD in my U6V void the warranty?

Im considering replacing the current 5400rpm one with a 7200rpm. Is this likely to make much difference to battery life?

 

HDD upgrades do NOT void the Asus warranty.

Power demands between the current 5400 and 7200 are similar, so battery life is unlikely to be affected much. The 7200 will generate more heat, however.

You might consider replacement with one of the current 320gb 5400 drives, or wait until the new 500gb drives come out in the next month or so - you'll get nearly the same performance due to higher data density compared to the 7200 drives, and reap the benefits of reduced heat output.

 

Hello fellow U6 owner, I was wondering if you have a symptom of the blue-ish screen out of the box? And I assume you corrected this by using the Splendid Utility, correct?

If so, what are your settings to correct the problem?

Mine is custom profile: gamma correction and RGB at 2.

Thanks in advance.

 

Just got my U6V today
I have XP with mine and haven't really noticed a bluish screen. So far everything is working perfectly

 

I have U6SG, what will the batterytime be with a 9cell battery?

thx..

 

Figure 50% beyond the 6 cell, which puts it at around 4-4.5 hours. That 9 cell is going to stick out pretty far, however, which in some respects negates the point of having a smaller portable 12" notebook.

 

Ummm....quick question guys, I repartitioned and formatted everything so I could dual boot vista and linux. Booted up Vista and looked for Nero only to realize that I hadn't installed it. Went looking for the cd and can't seem to find it in my box of cds that came with the laptop. Did I just loose it or is it bundled with some other software? I don't see anything that would be nero. So basically is this my fault or did Asus not include a product cd that has nero on it?

Pall

 

From Asus I got a separate cd for Nero....keeping looking...

 

First hello to all !

Congratulations! Could you please tell me what is the recommended order to install XP drivers for the U6V, and more importantly the different links to these drivers?

I had problem installing Bluetooth and sound (taken from U6SG), no Bluetooth device found and ATK0100 ACPI Utility not installed....
I am new here and trying to read existing posts so maybe there is an answer already (not found yet). Thank you.

====================

U6V: there is a BIOS bug. If you disable the sound after POST in the BIOS (Play POST sound = No), then you get no sound under Vista, although all drivers are OK. No problem with Express Gate though.

Re-activating POST sound (Play POST sound = Yes) fixes the sound problem with Vista.

==========================

U6V: BIOS setup is invoked with F2 at boot time (F9 to start recovery). Is there a key to change the boot order (so to avoid going to BIOS and change boot priority order)? On some laptops with AMI BIOS, the key is F11.

Edit: I find the answer after experimenting a while. It is the ESC key! Very useful to dynamically change the boot order. The function is called "Boot selection popup". Note that the SD card is not presented although present in the card reader.

Internal HDD and external eSATA hard disks are presented with "HDD:" prefix followed by the manufacturer model, while the USB external hard disks are presented with "USB:" prefix. Excellent!