Asus G73JW Freezes after Windows 8.1 Update - Network Related

Anonymous

Quick background. I had trouble installing the Windows 8.1 update - it continually crashed on installation. I contacted Microsoft Support and they directed me to this site: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/1e1adbc5-b78e-4b2a-9661-4139d13cc7d3/0xc1900101-0x30018-error-during-update-restore-win8?forum=w8itproinstall

In the end, I was able to install Windows 8.1 by disabling all of my onboard devices (audio, networking, etc). When I re-enabled them, I found that the computer would crash anywhere between 0 - 2 minutes after logging in. I assumed a driver issue and, in those 2 minutes, was able to update each driver via Device Manager (requiring several reboots).

Everything worked fine for a few days. Now, the computer has started to freeze again. Disabling the built-in networking solves the problem, but I would obviously like to access the internet. On top of that, it's inconsistent. Once the freezing starts, I *must* disable networking via BIOS. But then if I re-enable networking, it doesn't automatically lead to a freeze - I'm writing this post from the troubled computer right now.

I've confirmed that it's related to the network card because I tried a dozen things, but it kept on freezing. Disabled the network and boom - freezing is gone.

I don't know how long I'll have a grace period. If I only need to disable the networking once a week, I can live with that.

Thoughts? Drivers are updated. The install is as clean as possible since doing the update required me to wipe my system.

I'm certain that going back to 8.0 will solve the problem, but I like to keep my system current.

Hardware: Asus G73JW Laptop with Qualcomm Atheros AR9285 Wireless (as reported by Device Manager)

Thanks!

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52 answers

Anonymous

2014-03-17T03:22:38+00:00

I had a ton of problems with my G73JH and upgraded to win 8.1. It has been running solid for a month now... without the battery installed...

As soon as I removed the battery and kept the laptop plugged in, the incompatibility / freezing had stopped. I can have my LAN / Wireless / Bluetooth all on, but as soon as I plug the battery back in and reboot, the system grinds to a halt.

Give it a try and let others know if it worked or not. If it works, then we have narrowed the problem down substantially.
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Anonymous

2014-03-18T03:55:30+00:00

I had a ton of problems with my G73JH and upgraded to win 8.1. It has been running solid for a month now... without the battery installed...

As soon as I removed the battery and kept the laptop plugged in, the incompatibility / freezing had stopped. I can have my LAN / Wireless / Bluetooth all on, but as soon as I plug the battery back in and reboot, the system grinds to a halt.

Give it a try and let others know if it worked or not. If it works, then we have narrowed the problem down substantially.

Thank you for sharing with the community what worked for you -- I might just try your suggestion some time.

I still get the occasional lock up on my G73JW-3DE DTR running Windows 8.1. My quick fix is to temporarily connect via an ethernet cable and reboot -- this seems to aid Windows to perform whatever it needs to do. I then shut down, disconnect the ethernet cable, and power it back up. WiFi then works again for a decent amount of time (e.g. I have not had a lock-up since my last posting on 1/31/2014)... until the next WiFi lockup comes along. *EYE ROLL*
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Anonymous

2014-03-18T04:32:14+00:00

I'm just checking in to say that I haven't had a problem in several months - not since whenever I last posted about an issue popping up.

I have not grabbed the specific drivers John posted earlier - I've just been leaving default updates to do their thing. Bluetooth is still disabled in the BIOS. So, some combination of Bluetooth being disabled and/or an unrealized Windows Update has me, seemingly, in the clear.

I've never taken my battery out and frankly, that seems like the weirdest fix for the issue we've had. It sounds like you said you had problems....and then upgraded to Win 8.1. All of the people in this thread had troubles *after* (or during) the upgrade to 8.1. Still, weirder things have happened in my experience.
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Anonymous

2014-03-19T02:10:13+00:00
Finally got this figured out and it's the intel chipset drivers! I'm able to reboot with wifi / bluetooth and battery plugged in no problem. No more hard drive lag either.

Steps for full Chipset Install:
1. Navigate to https://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx
2. Choose "Embedded Components" -> "Embedded Chipsets" -> "Mobile Intel HM55 Express Chipset"
3. Download "INF Update Utility 9.2.0.1030" ZIP FORMAT!
4. Extract all files from the INF Update Utility to C:\intel_auto (you'll need to create the folder)
5. Open command prompt
6. Navigate to C:\intel_auto (cd c:\intel_auto <enter>)
7. Setup.exe -a <enter> (This copies the setup files to C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\INFINST)
8. Setup.exe -overall <enter> (This opens the intel installer and forces installation of the chipset drivers. The screen will go blank / flash and then at the end, it'll ask you to reboot).
DONE!
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Anonymous

2014-03-23T17:18:33+00:00

Thank you for the detailed instructions. I've updated the Intel Chipset drivers before with a newer version (v9.4.0.1027), but the notebook would still have the occasional lock-up. Perhaps the version number does makes a difference? We'll see.
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