Cosmos Series: 17.3" touchpad problems

[gary t]

i received my new win 8.1 laptop monday.
when i started using it the mouse was all wrong, i went into mouse settings but it was only the basic settings, i couldnt find synaptics at all.
i phoned pcspecialist and was told too install from the drivers disk supplied which i did and are pretty much ok bar the touch click is just not sensitive enough, most of the time 8/10 it will be fine but other times it just wont click for 2 or 3 taps.
the driver i have installed is 16.5.1.1 and is named as synaptics PS/2 PORT TOUCHPAD.
is this the correct driver or am i missing something else.
whilst looking in device manager there is an error on “other devices” “PCI device and an error on “sound, video and game controllers” there is an error on itel (R) display audio, i dont know what these are but i assume there is not meant to be an error on them.
i have emailed pcspecialist but thought id ask here as well.
i am very pleased with the laptop but this mouse issue is really irritating, i have used the lowest middle and highest settings on sensitivity but it seems the same on all of them.
i also have a bit of an issue with the single finger scroll but im now using 2 finger and thats just fine and seems better too me.
any advice guys, please.

edit: in the mouse properties there is also an elan option although there is nothing in there to use, should i be using elan and not synaptics?.

 

[ubuysa]

You should be using the Elan driver and not the Synaptics one. I have an Elan touchpad and it works just fine with the right driver. I'm assuming the Cosmos is a Clevo chassis(?) if it is visit the Clevo download site at http://clevo.com/en/e-services/download.asp to download the appropriate driver. You'll need your Clevo model number to use that site, it's on a label on the bottom.

Whilst you're at the Clevo download site also download the driver for the audio/video device and install that, it should fix your missing device problem and give you proper sound.

 

[gary t]

You should be using the Elan driver and not the Synaptics one. I have an Elan touchpad and it works just fine with the right driver. I'm assuming the Cosmos is a Clevo chassis(?) if it is visit the Clevo download site at http://clevo.com/en/e-services/download.asp to download the appropriate driver. You'll need your Clevo model number to use that site, it's on a label on the bottom.

Whilst you're at the Clevo download site also download the driver for the audio/video device and install that, it should fix your missing device problem and give you proper sound.

thanks ubuysa,
i dont dispute what you say for one minute but why would they tell me to use the synaptics driver, which was "without double checking" the only one on the drivers disk.
i have managed to get things clicking just fine after messing with the settings again after turning off locking drags and too be honest it is almost perfect.
it did seem odd that elan was in general mouse properties but with no settings or driver if it wasnt for this laptop.
i will check the label and clevo in a short while but things are little hectic here, should i persevere until i get a reply from pcspecialist?.
your reply was very much appreciated but it is a bit annoying firstly that they were not installed and tested, then told to use the wrong driver and be supplied with the wrong one

 

[ubuysa]

It may be that the Synaptics driver works with the Elan touchpad, but the Clevo download site will have the right driver for your model.

 

[gary t]

It may be that the Synaptics driver works with the Elan touchpad, but the Clevo download site will have the right driver for your model.

the clevo one for 8.1 is synaptics although tech support say it should be elan, i downloaded a new one from clevo and its the same as the one on my drivers disk ie: synaptics, i was also sent a link via PCS.
but thats only the beginning of my now issues.
before i could install any of these i was told via PCS TS TO uninstall synaptics and install the one he sent me i tried to uninstall via programmes as instructed but laptop says no admin rights, i check admin rights in users and im admin.
in between all this there was a windows update but ive still not uninstalled or install anything else.
i then get a screen stating windows has encountered a problem and it will fix it.
all this achieved was to power down and stay that way, it wouldn't reboot without holding down power then disconnecting from the mains the restarting from there.
the same thing happened 2 more times so i phoned TS and initiated the windows fix, no joy there so now full reinstall.
i begrudgingly did this as id spent hours getting everything i need back on and many other things sorted how i want them.
so, now have clean install, i install all the drivers from PCS disk, using the file sent by PCS TS for the mouse which was when i ran it synaptics all along despite it is not supposed to be.
reinstalled virus, firewall and firefox 26 and a few other bits.
at this point i noticed in the bottom right of the screen "secure boot isn't configured correctly build 9600" there was then a small windows update and restart and within a minute or so the same windows problem screen and then shutdown, i believe the screen stated something along the lines of "DPC Watchdog Violation"
ive now boxed it up and waiting too call them on monday.
too say im not a happy bunny is an understatement.

my spec is as follows:
Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 17.3" Matte HD+ LED 16:9 Widescreen (1600x900)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-4200M (2.50GHz) 3MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 750M - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD5000BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Cosmos Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
Power Cable
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Keyboard Language
COSMOS 17" SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity

 

[ubuysa]

Wait!

Before you send it back go into your BIOS and ensure that Secure Boot (UEFI) is turned off. Your message about "secure boot isn't configured correctly build 9600" was the clue here. It looks like you may have secure boot configured incorrectly and that's the root cause of your Windows problems. Secure boot is designed to protect you from boot sector viruses and trojans but it also causes lots of issues for people if it's not used properly.

Sadly, if you turn Secure Boot off you will have to reinstall Windows (again). You cannot turn Secure Boot on or off without reinstalling Windows I'm afraid. I expect you'll have fewer problems if you reinstall Windows without Secure Boot.

When you do this second reinstall, install all of the PCS supplied drivers immediately after the reinstall and then test the touchpad (before you do anything else). You'll only need PCS's help if it doesn't work properly at that point. If it does then you can reinstall all your other stuff and you should be fine.

 

[gary t]

thanks ubuysa,
to be honest i am not totally confident or happy with going into bios on a new machine.
i have flashed the bios on my old machine so although im nowhere near competent i have followed online instruction in the past and everything has been ok.
the thing is should i really be having this grief on a brand new machine.
it seems to have been sent out without some drivers installed and possibly the wrong drivers as well.
you say turn off the secure boot but should it really be off or would turning it off just mask other issues down the line.
i realise buying from PCS is not like buying from tesco but after spending around 8 hrs then another 2 or 3 yesterday as well as what still has to be done is to say the least a bit irritating.
im not saying i wont do it but i dont think i want too just starting messing with the bios without instruction from PCS which can mean another 30 min wait for them to answer "fifth time" and then more hours getting it back to how i need it and so on.
i did find this link amongst many others http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-1-Error-Secure-Boot-Isn-t-Configured-Correctly-392801.shtml
it goes along with what you say, the thing is this is what ive paid experts to do before it is sent out.
the sending back option would likely mean i would be rejecting the laptop altogether as i dont really think i want a machine thats been backwards and forwards, repaired then too find down the line there are still issues.
im really in a bit of a quandary as too what to do as i dont really have the confidence in PCS or the laptop itself that i was expecting.
im gutted really, i spent many hours looking what and where to buy, getting a spec that suited.
now i am too spend hours on end getting it too work.
i am not saying "i wont" be going to do what is necessary but im still at the very p****d off stage right now.
anymore advise or opinions you or others might have will be very welcome as maybe i just need a bit of reassuring that things will be fine really, i just dont think that it is right to have to do all this.

gary

 

[ubuysa]

I have secure boot turned off on my Windows 8.1 laptop and I get no error message and absolutely no problems. It is disappointing that your laptop arrived with an apparently improperly or incompletely installed OS, you probably should take that issue up with PCS.

Entering and even changing the BIOS settings is absolutely safe until the final screen where you get to choose whether to save changes or cancel changes. It's at that point that any changes you have made are committed. So you will be quite safe entering the BIOS (typically by holding down the F2 key on boot). You will also be quite safe navigating through the BIOS setup screens looking for the secure boot feature. On mine it's simply an Enabled or Disabled choice to be made, mine is set to Disabled. If you are in any doubt about what to do then select the Cancel Changes option on the last BIOS setup screen you see and no changes will be made.

You should probably call PCS (this is a very busy time of course and it probably takes a while to get through) and talk through with them the possibility of turning Secure Boot off or getting it configured properly. I think there is no point in you sending the laptop back at the moment because I'm pretty sure your problems are not hardware related (but I've been wrong before).

I completely understand your feeling gutted and loosing faith in both the laptop and PCS, all I can tell you is that my experience of PCS's after sales service has been very positive, and there are many threads on here with similarly very satisfied customers. The week before Christmas is of course a very hectic time as PCS try to get PCs and laptops built before the holidays, so it's not surprising that their telephone and email support is less than ideal during this time.

At the very least you might seek PCS's agreement for you to enter the BIOS of your laptop, turn Secure Boot off, and then reinstall Windows yourself on the understanding that if you foul up they will take it back and reinstall the OS properly as it should have been in the first place.

Things will be fine, in the five or six months I've been a customer and on these forums I have come to trust PCS. I would buy from them again in a heartbeat. Keep the faith Gary, it may take a bit longer since Christmas and the New Year is upon us, but I am very sure that PCS will sort you out ok.

:santa:

 

[gary t]

thanks again,
i like to buy from who i consider too be among the best and if im truthful too myself i still think i have after reading dozens of good and not so good reviews, crap can happen "normally to me"
i will ring them monday and as you say get them to agree and maybe even walk me through it.
but why oh why are these things not checked grrrr.
i dont believe it is anything other than as you say but im sure if i was too waste 10 or so hrs of PCS time they wouldnt be too impressed, lets just see what they have too say tomorrow.
thanks for taking the time to help out, very much appreciated.
gary...........

 

[gary t]

ok, i spent all day on the 23rd sending and receiving emails after spending an hour or so on the phone.
before i bore you to death at present all is great with the laptop.
i sent some mini dumps and was told they were indicating a graphics error causing the "DPC Watchdog Violation" we/i removed the software, driver and reinstalled etc etc with no joy so a full install was advised but with a deletion of all partitions.
i got it all back running around 4pm from 9am,
the "secure boot isn't configured correctly build 9600" was fixed after the reinstall by going to bios and changing from ???? to custom.
7pm "DPC Watchdog Violation" returned this seemed to coincide with a windows update i believe containing nvidia updates ( the next day i noticed 2 of these had failed).
i done a system restore to the point where 3 of the drivers from disk were installed, then added the other drivers and just left off other security stuff including comodo, but i did install avast ( i dont know why but get a feeling that comodo had some bearing on the dpc violations)
all was fine all that night and around midday there was an nvidia update direct from nvidia which i allowed and installed.
i then installed a few other bits, bearing in mind im now paranoid about installing till i find if one of these was the cause.
all has been fine since, ive still left of the comodo firewall off for now.
i am wondering "with very little knowledge" if because i straight away i installed avast and comodo on previous occasions without receiving the initial windows updates first if this could/would have caused the "DPC Watchdog Violation" errors because ie comodo would be expecting my windows to be fully up to date which it wasnt.
i am still more than a little concerned that this will happen again but have no real reasoning behind this.
what i must say is PCS TS were really great with my troubles although most was done over the day by email it probably could have been achieved a lot quicker if we had stayed on the phone but i assume there not supposed to tie up one op on one person which is understandable.
i can upload my mini dumps if anyone has the ability or interest to read them and give an opinion, i used bluescreen viewer and i didnt think they pointed solely too graphics but then i dont know what im reading really.
i would find any input very helpful from any of you guys even just opinions.

gary..............

 

[ubuysa]

Installing both Avast and Comodo will give you problems. You should never have more than one real-time anti-virus tool running nor more than one firewall running at the same time. So choose either Avast or Comodo and stick with that alone. I've been a Comodo user for years and highly recommend CIS but whatever security tool you choose run only one.

 

[gary t]

Installing both Avast and Comodo will give you problems. You should never have more than one real-time anti-virus tool running nor more than one firewall running at the same time. So choose either Avast or Comodo and stick with that alone. I've been a Comodo user for years and highly recommend CIS but whatever security tool you choose run only one.

comodo was firewall only, i used the avast AV comodo FW combination after asking for advice on the computer active forum for 8.1.
others i use are now "current" malwarebytes, spyware blaster, ccleaner "to be added" hitmanpro and hitmanpro alert.

gary...........

 

[moosEh]

Hello there Gary t, sorry to hear of your issues. Might have spoken to you at the very beginning but not 100%. If you still have issues feel free to drop your .dmp files through to my work email address (PM if you need it).

 

[gary t]

Hello there Gary t, sorry to hear of your issues. Might have spoken to you at the very beginning but not 100%. If you still have issues feel free to drop your .dmp files through to my work email address (PM if you need it).

hi moosEh,
thanks for the offer, wayne robinson looked at 3 or 4 of them and i believe had another of you guys go over them.
i have them on available so if you have a few minutes at some point to go over them would be great.

i also noticed this morning 2 errors in device manager, one of which i had when the laptop was delivered along with a few others (there were a few drivers that were not installed when it arrived).
this disappeared with a restart earlier today but has appeared again on checking whilst typing this, the error thats there now is sound, video and game controllers: intel display audio: properties-general "states" STATUS_DEVICE_POWER_FAILURE.
i think the chap your end said it was something to do with HDMI.
the other error was a usb port power error but may have been by me removing a stick without ejecting it, both cleared earlier on reboot but the intel display audio has returned, if i try to update driver via the drivers disk it just states up to date, search automatically states the same.
there not causing other issues but im fairly sure they shouldnt be there.

edit: again on full shutdown and restart the intel display audio error in device manager goes away again.


gary.........

 

[gary t]

no issues since last post.