Guys, I just got my RE-15 today, and I ordered it without Windows because I got my copy of Windows 7 a lot cheaper through my usual seller. I'm having problems installing though, right after it finishes the "Loading files" part and it says "Starting Windows", the Windows logo stops just before it is able to form and start pulsing as per normal.

Any ideas?

Thanks Josh. It was UEFI mode that was being a PITA. Turning it off made booting and installing a cinch.

Got another problem at the moment, which is the annoying hiss from the speakers. Only muting the system gets it to go away. It's there when music is playing, just that you won't hear it over the music.

I have to admit, I'm slowly getting a little disappointed.

Thanks for the advice bro.

The hissing sound is only there with the VIA drivers at the moment. The SBX drivers don't have this, however it has its own problem: the Sound Blaster Cinema software can't detect any interfaces, and at the same time the sound quality is very tinny and unequalized. The result is I can't adjust the EQ like I was able to on my sister's RE-17.

Emailed support to see what they have to say.

As someone who puts together computers and installed fresh operating systems including digging around the internet for the correct drivers and so on, this is not what I expected from a laptop. Looks like my work is cut out for me

Strife's final two sen:

Always get the right drivers for your system. I wasn't aware of it, but apparently the disc that shipped with my machine was carrying Win 8 drivers.

Since illegear doesn't carry Win 7 drivers, you can get 'em at Sager's website.

Hi Prince J,

I can confirm that uninstalling and reinstalling didn't work, for the sound issue i mentioned, as well as for the ethernet driver.

Installing the drivers that I downloaded from the Sager site worked fine, so while for the average user it may not be suggested, anyone with system building experience should be fine.

I love the product and help so far, but I don't think I'd want to send back a laptop that I got just a few days ago just to install drivers. What I might suggest is a simple guide for advanced users, or perhaps all relevant drivers shipped, and labeled.

bro, do you have the speaker problem only in Windows or whenever the power is on (like at the BIOS boot up screen)?

if it's only in windows, then its most likely a driver issue. otherwise you're completely correct, nothing can be done about it. For me i managed to get it done with the correct drivers. it may be that the win 8 drivers are not mature yet, but thats just a guess.

yours definitely sounds like a different problem. since mine only occurred in Windows it was a driver issue. maybe the speakers are not shielded properly? could consider looking up copper isolation shielding as a fix, but i've never done that for a laptop before (only guitars).