Unusable RAM/Unproductive RAM slot, Samsung Series 3 laptop

[eidolon171]

This is a Samsung Series 3, Geeksquad refurbished model NP365E5C-S02UB with an a8-4500m apu. Laptop started running slow a month or two ago. I noticed in ResMon that half the RAM was hardware reserved. I took out one of the memory modules, and sure enough the laptop wouldn't boot. I bought new RAM, installed it, and the hardware reserved issue remained. I tested one module at a time in one slot at a time. I confirmed that both modules are working properly, but one slot won't even post. With both slots occupied Bios and windows recognize the RAM module in the corrupted slot, but will allocate it as hardware reserved. I've checked the contacts on the bad slot, but I don't see anything wrong with them. There are no bent pins, debris, or traces burnt onto the board surrounding the slot. Any ideas? I can upload pictures if that helps.

 

[eidolon171]

Okay I managed to find this,
http/www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/NP355V5C-S01US
Which did have the most recent bios update for my motherboard, but that didn't seem to make any difference as far as the fan goes. Also tried both Synaptics drivers on the off chance, and tried to install the Easy Settings tool, which some people in other forums have used to successfully return functionality to the fan. But Windows won't install it citing "incompatibility". Getting frustrated.

 

[tman1]

Nothing on the hwinfo list is significant, for example:

ISA is an old desktop interface
PCMCIA is not found on laptops anymore
AGP is an old graphics card interface
LS-120 was out around the time of zip drives, but didn't catch on
Zip drives are over
1394 is firewire


Are any drivers missing in device manager?

 

[eidolon171]

Nothing on the hwinfo list is significant, for example:

ISA is an old desktop interface
PCMCIA is not found on laptops anymore
AGP is an old graphics card interface
LS-120 was out around the time of zip drives, but didn't catch on
Zip drives are over
1394 is firewire

Yeah, I went and looked them all up last night to see if there was any connection and I found out for myself what you already knew. Thanks for bringing the info though, if I had waited till this afternoon I could have just read your post and saved myself the time it took to google all that stuff.

Are any drivers missing in device manager?

Well... not as such. No drivers are actually flagged as missing, but the keyboard for instance is just a generic windows "Standard 101/102-Key" driver. A few other drivers are like that. Like I said in my last post I was able to find some of them, like two Synaptics drivers that ended up being for the touchpad. On the plus side I got all the functionalities of that device back to what they used to be (unique gestures and what not). But nothing so far that has returned from that list of drivers in the link of my last post has altered the fan situation.

 

[tman1]

There was something for my Asus laptop I couldn't install at first, citing that it wasn't an Asus laptop (had to do with the webcam), until I installed some other Asus software, like ATKACPI driver and hotkey-related utilities.

Perhaps you need to install something similar from the Samsung site before the Easy Settings tool will install for you.

 

[eidolon171]

Anyone care to comment on the consequences of cutting the tacho-wire on the fan? It's just I figure I can bypass the hall sensor or whatever the motherboard uses to read the fans rpms and it would just throttle at full speed all the time. I mean I've got two fans now, and I'm pretty sure there was never anything wrong with the original fan. I could cut the tacho wire on that sucker give at a shot and if it doesn't work I'm no worse off then when I started right? I guess the only concern I have is making sure that I cut the right wire. If I cut the negative wire by accident I could burn port on the board.

 

[eidolon171]

There was something for my Asus laptop I couldn't install at first, citing that it wasn't an Asus laptop (had to do with the webcam), until I installed some other Asus software, like ATKACPI driver and hotkey-related utilities.

Perhaps you need to install something similar from the Samsung site before the Easy Settings tool will install for you.

I'll finish installing all the other drivers available on that Samsung page and see if anything comes of it.

 

[eidolon171]

Drivers didn't do it. I cut the tacho-wire on the fan, and now it runs flat-out as long as the laptop is powered on. I also got an Onn brand cooling pad for $13 bucks. Temps are now idle at about 40 degrees, and 60-70 degrees at load. What's the takeaway here?

1: Half your RAM is labeled "Hardware Reserved" - check and see if one of the slots is dead, if so you can get a new motherboard.
2: A Samsung Series 3 NP365E5C-S02UB can upgrade to an a10 5750m.
3: Easy solution to Samsung's weird fan controller glitch - cut the tacho wire on your fan and let it run at full speed.

Good night folks!