**OFFICIAL M860TU/ETU Owners Lounge**

Hard drive fix, since 8.5 have show good improvements for temps, from ~60 to mid 50 or lower.

 

Is there a thread with a driver/patch/fix package for the m860tu? I mean like one .rar file with all you need after installing vista?

 

Are theese temps kinda high? Anything I can do to lower them? I played GRID for 2 hours. I have flashed my 9800m gt to 600/1500/900. p9500. m860. Im using 180.70. Im using a cooler too, nc1000. I feel all of them are a little too high, maybe not cpu.

TZ0_ - 78c
core1 - 69c
core2 - 74c
GPU - 87c
HDD - 60c

I havent cleaned it since I got it in september. How often should I clean it?

 

At least once a month with compressed air bursts is good.

 

Ok, thx. I havent cleaned a laptop before, so where should I blow? Is there a guide out there with some pics or?

 

1) remove battery
2) remove/unscrew the panel(s) on the bottom of the notebook to get to fans and vents ( if possible, if not its okay.. skip step 5)
3) use flashlight to look through vents for the dust (if you cant see the light on the other end, then the vents are clogged up)
4) go outside, get some compressed air (cans or compressor @ 50 PSI) and give the vents a good airing out all directions ( concentrating on the vents)
.... you might want to brace the fan blade(s) when airing it out (with a toothpick or paperclip to prevent it from spinning out too much)
.... or use short bursts (1-2 secs) of air instead of bracing the fans.
5) go get some Q-tips and swab the fan blades and the area around it
6) then go do a second airing with compressed air (all directions again focusing on the fans and vents) to push out the dust that was dislodged from the Q-tips

7*) Now go use the flashlight again and look through the vents (shine the flashlight from the fan, you look through the other end) for anymore dust clogs.

8) Then start up the notebook... and let the fans cycle up (use the Fan Toggle at max speed if your system has it) to push out any other dust that might have been stuck.

If all goes well you should be able to close up the notebook and...

you're done.

*repeat this step until its cleaned out.

Thats pretty much it.

 

On step 4 of that, does that mean take the laptop outside (without the panel on it) and clean out the laptop itself? Or the bottom panel vents? (leaving the notebook itself in the house)?

 

Leave the notebook in the house, you're cleaning the vents remember ?

I also shoot a few bursts of air through the rear vent (the one connected to the heat sink) because dust gets in there sometimes.

 

it means bring the notebook outside with the panels removed... exposing the vents and fans better.

you do not have to bring it outside if you do not mind the dust flying around in your home.

 

Alright.
Well I didn't know if you meant the holes in the bottom panel (vents) lol

 

Hmm... So I just recently installed a 500gb drive onto my m860tu, and I decided to switch over to 32 bit vista (been having issues with a few things on 64 bit that are just not worth the hassle).

One of my major concerns is that my OS is now only recognizing 2.5gb of my RAM... which is a pretty significant chunk of missing RAM. I had expected somewhere around the 3gb-3.5gb because of the 4gb total cap on 32 bit operating systems (factoring in Vram and others), but not 2.5gb.

Anyone out there with similar experiences? The PAE fix did not work for me, so I'm kind of annoyed.

 

Is it a Sager NP8660?

 

Yep, it is.

 

The NP8660 (actually all M860TUs) has a glitch that enables Turbocache (the technology that allows lower-end GPUs to use some of the system memory). Of course a GPU with 512 MB really doesn’t need Turbocache. There is a BIOS update available to fix this, but Sager will only release it directly to Sager owners.

If you have a Sager NP8660 email [email protected] with your serial number and request them to email you the BIOS update.

 

Wow seriously? Thanks a lot! I'll mail them right away.

 

here is the latest kbc/bios direct from clevo.

Create a bootable usb stick using the guide in my sig, then copy all the files from the zip file to a folder on that drive. Now boot to dos and run step1.bat, restart into dos again and run step2.bat. Reboot and check all bios settings are correct (especially sata ahci mode) and you're done

 

Hmm.. That takes me to a blank page with no links, or I get an instantaneous download of an empty zip file.

 

Clevos ftp servers might be busy, try this alternate link, or wait and try again later

 

I believe its preferable to email your reseller for the BIOS file. At least, if something go wrong, they will be able to support you.

 

Hmm.. now, I've never flashed a motherboard, only a video card, but I have a question. When booting with my usb stick with the files on it, what am I typing exactly into the prompt.

I was under the impression that with .bat files if I simply type 'flash' its pretty much automated. By doing so though, I'm not choosing which .bat file its flashing, so I'm a bit confused.

Some clarification would help, just so I don't brick my board.

 

Anyone has any suggestions where i can find Mini PCI TV tuners ? Looked over the web few times and found nothing :S

 

If the files are in the root of the usb drive, just type "step1.bat", then after reboot, type "step2.bat" (without the quotes).

If the files are in a folder eg. "sysbios", type "cd sysbios" then the step1&2 bit.

the bat files are in fact text files that contain more complex commands.

step1.bat

Code:

ecflash ecm86tu.08

step2.bat

Code:

ph1689 m86tu.08 /x /c /v /bbl /mode=3 /force

You can in fact just type "step1" and "step2", I just leave the .bat in as lots of dos commands require the file extension (such as vga flashing with nvflash)

 

Thanks for the suggestion.
Why december, trying to get the money together or is it a X-mas gift
Mine is still not here, just called them and now they said friday so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

Welcome.
Both, 16years old and christmas money should put me to the price needed

 

Hey guys,
i can't make up my mind so i figured that i would go an ask you guys.
I'm thinking of buyng a SSD for christmas, either the 64gb Crucial SSD(100mb/s read and 35mb/s write) or the 80gb intel x25(250mb/s read and 75mb/s write). I'm going to college next year and i'm parranoid that the HDD is going to fail if i am in a warmer room and i am using silent mode to help save battery life. Right now i can get the crucial ssd for about $400.00 and the Intel ssd for $619.00.

First, do you think there is a major real time difference between the two SSD's (for example i dont mean that some programs would load 2 seconds faster with the intel ssd, that wouldnt matter to me).

Second, The Crucial Review that Notebookreview.com posted saying that the SSD runs warm. do you think that the ssd would run close to the suggested maximum temperature just like my current HDD, bringing me back to square one?

Third, what do you think the price and size of SSD's would be about next september? i might wait till then to get one if you guys think that the price would cut in half and the size would double.
-Octagoncow

 

1. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=208242
2. SSD doesn't run a lot cooler than HDD but they have a higher heat tolerance.
3. Its obvious technology is going to improve over time and price will drop. I don't know in few months but I'm pretty sure there will be some changes in 10 months

 

+1 np8660 owner

waiting to get my hands on it, from 19th dec... can't wait

in the end i've decided to go with WSXGA display, i am using company's 15,4 toshiba with 1650x1050 resolution... and it is hurting my eyes. i could imagine 1080p effect on my vision...

anyway lookin' fwd playing on my new pet

 

Congrats.
Have you placed your order or waiting to get the money?

 

placed it... now it's "just" waiting game... my brother bringin' it from the states...

 

Please ensure that DarkSmiley carves his initials into it for added coolness.

'Love the circlE'

 

imo that could actually be a sweet catch phrase for dss.. design a sweet logo and use that on the systems i actually think it could be sweet

 

Oh I see. The waiting must suck the most

 

well when i try to make a bootable usb i get this error

"There are no valid DOS system files at the specified location"

I extracted 86TU0808.rar to a folder named "bootme" in the c directory and gave the location of bootme directory as the target for DOS system file location when asked for in the hp usb disk storage program that i was told to use.

I am followin the first post in this thread and downloaded the files from the rapidshare links provided there.

So some one please help me out

 

ummm My battery adapter makes a buzzing noise. When I try to sleep I hear a buzzing noise, first I though it might be the laptop that hurt my ears all day so it was normal to hear buzzing while I sleep lol. Then I search in my room for the buzzing noise then I ended up picking the brick and put my ear close to it and it was it!!! a rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sound from it. small sound but annoying, les annoying then the laptop buzzing...

does your adapter make a noise?

 

Was it plugged in or unplugged when you heard the noise?

 

plugged, its always plugged

 

It's actually fairly normal for adapters to make a buzzing or hissing noise, especially if the demands placed on the adapter are particularly high. If you can't hear it without having to put your ear beside it, you'll be fine.

 

That's probably not the best thing to do IMO.
No rules on it, but personally I hibernate my computers at night and unplug them.
Unless I'm downloading something overnight, rarely though.

 

Does anyone have a 200GB 7200RPM HDD, specifically from Eurocom? I'm not sure what brand they use, but I want to know if it gets hot... I save $50 going with the 200GB 72K rather than the 320 54K, either of which I will replace after four months...

opinions?

 

Gang:

I am on the verge (the next few days or so) of becomming an official member of this lounge.

I have pretty much settled on the following specs and will be ordering from either xoticpc or powernotebooks.

Sager NP8660 (Built on Clevo M860TU)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Intel® P9500 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10
- 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive
- 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Telephone Tech Support

I just have a few questions before taking the plunge:

1. Any potential issue with those specs?

2. I am still torn between which OS I want. I am very comfortable with XP and have no experience with Vista at the moment. That said, I am certainly open to trying it. I have also heard that there are some compatibility issues with the Vista 64 bit. So, I guess this question has multiple parts:

a. For this system, any preference between XP or Vista?

b. Have owners experienced any issues with the 64 bit Vista?

c. Is it possible to have the 32-bit version installed instead? If not, how difficult is it install the 32-bit version once you receive the machine with the 64-bit version installed?

Thanks!

(Once I get these questions answered, it's just a matter of getting Mrs. Ajax19 comfortable with the idea of spending $1,700 on a computer!)

 

1. Those specs look good to me
2a. I use vista, it feels like xp with a new theme to me
2b. I have found a few drivers and some software that doesn't work with x64 but most of the major stuff should work
2c. I don't know about powernotebooks, but xoticpc sends a recovery disk for x64 and x86 with the 8660 so you can try both and stick with the one you prefer.

 

Another question.

Can anyone recommend a docking station to use with a NP 8660?

I would like to be able to use my 19" monitor (not at the same time as my laptop monitor) and my desktop's keyboard and mouse with the laptop.

Thanks again!

 

!!!
It's here, complete with no strange sounds, no high temps, it's just good!
The only thing that is missing is 2 GB of RAM, they forgot about that
But !!!

 

what do you guys use to clean fingerprint and stains? also on the left side palmrest there is a stain of my hand there lol ive been gaming too much I guess and it wont come off.

and product or suggestion?

 

Maybe a KVM switch? I don't really see the point of a docking station. I have 1 monitor, 1 mouse and 1 keyboad and a desktop. I just unplug that stuff each time I need it.

Humid cloth? I tried one of those microfiber cleaning cloth and it didn't remove anything except fingerprints and dust on glossy surfaces (eg screen).

 

I just use baby wipes XD, then I dry it with one of those cloths made for eyeglass lenses.

 

Microfiber and lens cleaners work for me also..

 

I use microfiber cloth as well.

when there is a smudge that is stubborn, I use a bit of moisture like a drop of water, then use the cloth on it... works fine.

 

Ajax19, welcome to the forums!

Great questions. I hope I answered them in my email

 

You did! Thanks again!