Razer Blade 14 screen not waking after sleep.

Hey guys...

I have a few questions. Not sure if this is a windows 8 issue of a Razer issue. Often, when my Razer Blade 14 screen goes into sleep mode, I am not able to wake it back. It will stay black until I force shut down by holding the power button and turn it back on. Is this a known issue? is there a fix or work around?

 

I remember having this issue once....I think it was when I updated to 8.1 and because I did not follow the exact steps razer provides. I restored the blade and then followed the upgrade instructions step by step and had no problems afterwards.

Not sure if you are still on 8 or on 8.1, but either way I think a restore might be necessary.

 

Pretty sure that isn't it because mine came with 8.1 when I got it. Unless they did not follow the exact directions.

 

hmm...OK, then I don't really know what to say. Do you use the game booster? Sometimes after using it and closing a game, it doesn't restore the power management and leaves it in game booster mode and sometimes it goes weird. Probably reinstall it?

I would also try restoring Windows and see if it still doing this on a clean installation.

 

WIFI /BLUETOOTH Killer Wireless-N 1202, Qualcomm Atheros Bluetooth Driver Package

That update should fix this.

 

I tested that driver in the past and it did not do solve the issue. I did, however, very recently get a windows update and it seems to have solved the issue.

Chris

 

I had this same issue and got in touch with Razer so I could get the restore drive, and they suggested this..

If you really require GeForce Experience, try this version Drivers | GeForce
On install select to custom install, then check the clean install box.


This is apparently the last "stable" version of the nvidia drivers for the 2014 razer.. I did this today, and it seems to be working so far.
Will keep you posted!

 

Huh.. I'm using the latest version of all the nvidia apps and drivers and it seems to be working great.

 

I had this issue as well. Someone in the Owner's Thread mentioned it as well. It got to the point where it was a chore just to get the screen to turn on. I RMA'd it to Razer, and it shipped to me back today. They said they replaced the LCD because of a bad connection between it and the motherboard. I will test when I get home from work today and let you know if it was a success or not. If it matters, I have the 256GB version bought from NewEgg and, according to the motherboard, it has a build date in May.

I too thought it was a driver/software issue, but if Razer is correct after their repair, this could be something else entirely.

 

Put it through the paces. Sleep, boot, restart, closing lid, etc. So far so good. So this appears to be a hardware issue. Good to know since I was going insane trying every different combination of drivers and settings under the sun! #sanity

 

Have you any updates about this?

Mine started doing it just this week and it does it in nearly all situations; from rebooting, from sleeping, from closing and opening the lid, etc..
I tried reverting to the old 870m driver but that didn't fix it.

I just had the ing upper assembly in mine replaced a couple weeks ago (this is my fourth Blade) and now it's this; I called and the Razer rep said I [may] have an old iteration of the Bios that isn't interacting well with the drivers for the gpus?
I had version 2.27, which he didn't sound 100% sure at first was old but the end-solution is that I am once again mailing my damn laptop back to Razer and the fellow I spoke with is going to update the BIOS since they apparently don't let the end-user do them anymore? Something about people trying it on their own and bricking the computer?

I'm concerned that it's a hardware problem, though the guy said it's not as likely since I just got a new LCD harness/etc but still.

I love all of my Razer stuff and I have YET to have a problem with any of it but owning this laptop has been a damn nightmare.

 

Yikes! I have had absolutely no issues with mine since they replaced the LCD. I have updated to the latest NVIDIA drivers two or three times now with no problems. How do you check the BIOS version? Is it in the BIOS? You said this is your fourth Blade now, you mind telling your story? Just curious, and sorry to hear about your troubles

 

It's been pretty much all screen-related.

I bought one in late August, I got it around August 30th from the Razer store and it had three separate "quadrants" of the screen with clusters of black, dead pixels.

I called Razer and sent it back; I got another one around five days later and it seemed fine; then I noticed it had a spot on the right side of the screen that was just too bright compared to the area around it and when I looked at it from above, I noticed that it looked like a beam of light was coming through. Lo and behold, there was an actual hole in the panel, so the backlight was coming through.

I sent my second one back and got a third, this one was great for around two or three weeks; I'm in Law school so I mostly use it for taking notes, playing games on it is rarer, relatively speaking. I scrutinized the screen as much as I could when I got it and I don't know how, but a line of red pixels appeared near the top and I had no idea why - I tried the usual "stuck" fixing methods but it just wouldn't go, so I called and sent it back.

I've had the current one since October 26th and it was perfectly fine, not a single problem, none of this no-screen-on-wake nonsense until yesterday, and I did update the video drivers that day and the Geforce experience, though I'm not sure if that helped.

Anyway, so I thought I'd fixed it by going to old ones and then poof, it did it twice in a row, once when I forced it to sleep without closing the lid and once when I just shut the lid and re-opened it. So I called and the guy asked me to go into the bios (hit Delete on start-up) and then check the first screen of the bios to see the version (it's one of the first 8 lines I think? it's just a number across from the word Version) and mine said 2.27 I believe.

He told me that if it were a band or LCD harness problem, it's more likely you'd have flickering and whatnot when you open and close the lid and it'd happen much more frequently on closing and opening; I'm not sure about it but it is a little odd to me that a BIOS thing could cause this kind of problem - I've never seen that be a problem with desktop computers - my wife's is six years old this year and I've never flashed/updated the BIOS but I've used numerous video cards (that is, upgraded)

So I'm a bit at a loss and a bit bummed, I spent so much money on this thing and I can't even get thirty days of continuous, uninterrupted use out of one. I really like the look and the general build of it, but this is getting nuts. I'm not one of those people who can instantly go into raging lunatic mode when I speak to CSR though so I wish I'd have went nuts and just demanded a refund because this is too much trouble by now, but I couldn't do it; it isn't that guy's fault and I just couldn't go berserk on him but I do wish that's the solution they'd offered because I'm hugely bummed/disappointed in the quality of the Blade vs. the 12 other Razer things I use daily - my wife and I both have a full suite of Razer stuff and none of it has gone bad - my Naga is almost six years old, my Lycosa is old, my Charcarias IS six years old, etc...

On a parting note, if you wouldn't mind checking your own BIOS and telling if you've got the latest GeForce Experience, 870M Driver and the driver for the Intel on-board that was in Windows Update, that'd be cool - I'd like to see if this sending it off AGAIN is going to be remotely worthwhile or if I should just call them and negotiate something else.

 

I have had no screen defects or problems waking from sleep, though I almost always power down rather than sleep or hibernate. Versions are:

BIOS: 2.27
EC FW: 2.292
Geforce driver: 344.65 (11/10/2014)
Intel gfx driver: 10.18.10.3412 (1/29/2014) (There is an optional newer driver on Windows Update that I have not accepted)

Good luck. If they're sending you refurbs, demand a new unit.

 

They're planning to send back the one I currently own so far as I know - assuming they do this bios thing and it fixes it; though I'm not sure why that would be the problem when the same condition can exist without that problem - I have a newer version of the Intel driver than you do, but I've had it for a while and this whole thing only started a couple days ago.

My concern is that they'll do it, test it for a short period during which it won't get stuck so they'll conclude it's fixed and then I'll be stuck with this thing, sent back to me with the defect. I honestly wish I'd have just gotten a refund; I've never spent this kind of money on something and had it be a gamble akin to throwing that money away at a craps table.

I seriously love my Razer peripherals but owning one of their laptops has been the worst experience I've ever had buying something, especially something that's touted as "premium" and "best in its class" by the manufacturer and a few publications - Razer seems to love addressing press that makes them look great "Oh, sorry we don't have Chroma Keyboards, the DEMAND IS SO HIGH that we ran out." But they won't come near "hey, I've had five Razer laptops and your CSRs are not exactly always understanding of that."

 

Just an update for the curious/other blade owners:

I got mine back yesterday with 2.30 BIOS and I've been running it through the same battery of tests Blueblurr mentions above (lid close->open, sleep waking, shut-down, restart) and so far it's not locked up and the screen actually comes on very quickly - I've also got the current Nvidia drivers for my 870M so let's hope this was it.

If anyone needs to contact Razer for help, I suggest asking for Zach - he was a very kind employee and he called me twice to update me and explain exactly what he was doing to fix my laptop; he tested it over two days after doing the BIOS and let me know why and when I'd get it back. So after one more day or so of testing it, I think I'll be ready to call it fixed. Seems like it was indeed a BIOS problem, as I used to have 2.27, so the update must've fixed something (I also found through some googling that in 2013 Dell fixed an identical problem with their XPS laptops by way of a BIOS update so there's some precedent from another jurisdiction at least)

 

I've tried finding updated bios on razer's site to no avail. I figured the Synapse app was responsible for finding updates. I guess they don't want anyone updating their bios unless they are having an issue and send the unit in with an RMA.

 

That is correct. Certain updates we have internally only apply to a particular unit range. We work with these on a case by case basis. We've had too many past cases where users have forced an update that was not meant for their unit.

 

Welp, I spoke too soon. I just closed it, turned in an assignment, walked downstairs to my next class, opened it up and poof - my backlight was on, but my display wasn't. The BIOS update did not fix this problem.

Will update with ultimate resolution but I think it's safe to say that I'll continue to buy keyboards, mice and sound things from Razer but owning a Razer laptop has been the most miserable experience I've ever had owning something.

 

For those who the Windows update, bios tweak, etc... didn't work here's what I discovered as a workaround for this issue and an alternative permanent solution:

Workaround:

1. When the screen has gone black / blank close the lid.
2. Wait for the white light that fades in and out to come on and fade in and out once.
3. Then open the screen.
4. Then press the Windows key as quickly as possible.

This should cause the Windows login screen to appear and it will operate as normal.

If the issue occurs when booting, simple allow enough time for the computer to boot completely (I recommend 60+ seconds), then follow the steps above.

Permanent Solution:

• Send it to Razer for a warrantied repair. This is a known issue and they warrantied mine without any questions.

 

I also have this issue on Blade 14" 2014 and fond out that connecting monitor/TV via HDMI while in black screen immediately helps. This is most likely an NV Optimus issue.