A8JP Owners Lounge

Hi everybody,
I received my laptop a couple of days ago from newegg. Admittedly there is a lot of power under the lid considering the price, but I am really disappointed with the screen to the point where I am wondering whether I have defective unit?
The screen is not evenly lit up. No matter what brightness I set the screen to always a portion of the screen around 30-35% in a horizontal rectangle has unifromly high brightness but it visibly get less and goes to significantly lower towards the edges. This portion moves as I move my head up and down.
Here is a picture.

The digital camera exaggerates the effect quite a bit (lets say 3x) but as I said the effect is visible to the naked eye at any brightness seting. My other experience with a glossy screen has been with a 12.1 inch dell XPS and tha screen was way better. Is my screen normal

 

I'm sorry sanpabloguy, but that website that you gave to me is ridiculously confusing. Would you mind giving me easier to follow instructions? Because I tried to do what they told me to but it was too confusing, especially things like where to download the zipfile to and where to extract it.

 

@ Foruhar

Even if your digital camera exaggerates the screen, that still looks pretty bad looking at it straight on. Try playing with the Spledid settings if you haven't done so already. Otherwise, RMA it. I'm pretty sure it's a lemon LCD.

 

OK that previous pohto makes it look too dramatically bad
Well the problem with taking a photo with a digital camera is that it isn't going to show how the real thing looks like. My screen is a CMO1416. Here is another photo which looks much better:

But notice how much darker the bottom of the program menu is than its top. Also if the top of the program menu is a shining bright white the task bar has a dead color and low contrast. Again I understand that this should be expected with laptop screens to some extent but its significantly worse than what I have come to expect from say dell screens which I don't think are particularly known for their superior quality.
I dont think splendid has an option for modifying brightness or at least I haven't noticed it. Thanks for the reply anyways.

 

@Foruhar,

Sorry to here about your screen woes. I too, received my A8Jp from Newegg and can't say I see any uneven back-lighting. My screen looks very nice, even nicer than my wife's Acer (which I thought was beautiful the first time I laid eyes on it). My only gripe, if you could call it that, is the screen is way too bright for my eyes and I prefer using it at about 80% brightness.

Also, have you checked your firmware? Mine came with A05 and I immediately flashed it with the newest one(A08). I read that one of the more recent FW files actually re-flashed the gpu as well. Not sure that would make a difference, but you could try it and see.

Good luck.

 

@ Foruhar

If you can't fix that in the next couple days with bios flashes or other tips people are offering I'd RMA that immediately. The A8JP has one of the best screens I've ever seen - looks like you may have been stuck with a lemon

 

Foruhar: Have you tried adjusting the brightness manually using the Fn F5 and F6 keys? They operate independently of Power4Gear. Have you tried disabling P4G and seeing if that makes a difference? I'm not really thrilled with P4G and how it works.

You didn't mention themes, but I noticed that XP's native themes are better looking and clearer than a couple of others I've tried out from websites. So, if you're using a theme other than the ones that came with XP, that might make a difference.

Otherwise, I'd also recommend returning it for a replacement.

 

No problems and you're right. I didn't bother to read the website - I do use the info there, but kind of knew what I needed.

You don't need to download and install anything to convert the partitions on the A8JP. Here's what I did and no problems:

1. Convert C: using the Asus conversion tool. It converts the drive and does not mess up any of the programs or the OS.

2. Converting D: is pretty simple. All you need to do are the following steps. Press the Enter button after each command:

Now use the Windows XP convert tool: Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt (or, from a Run box, type CMD) and, assuming you intend to convert D:, type D: and press Enter, then give the command:

VOL D:

Note the name of the disk in the first line, and the Volume Serial Number (for example, 3F4E-2D1B) in the second. Then type (note that the only spaces are before and after D: ):

CONVERT D: /FS:NTFS

It will ask for that name in confirmation (the name is probably DATA, if Asus configured them all the same). Then it will ask two further questions. Reply Y (and press Enter) each time. It may give some message about needing to dismount the disk and reply Y to that too. Let it run. (If you are converting a partition other than the operating system’s partition, you may find that it runs without rebooting.) After returning to Win XP, the hard disk will work for two or three minutes, tidying up. Leave things alone during this time.

Once it's finished, type Exit in the command window and press Enter and you're done.

 

Thanks a lot sanpabloguy!!!

Do any of you guys know of perfectly fitting notebook sleeves for the a8jp? I've been looking around for one but none of them fit perfectly and are all loose in the front because of the way the laptop is built in the front.

 

So does that mean everything will be still there after conversion? Like all my programs, music, photos etc?

 

yep, i converted and everything is exactly the way it was before.

 

Converting will not make you loose any data. All of your programs, files, music and games will stay normal. Converting just changes basically the file management of the computer.

 

Hey All!
I just got my A8jp from newegg last night, after being so anxious over delivery due to a UPS tracking error. (What a relief!)
I must say I am extremely happy with this laptop. It is my first large electronics (over $1000 USD) purchase, and my first laptop. I, like most of you, booted it up after tearing the packing materials to shreds to make sure it was in working condition, and then did a fresh format and install.

I have a couple questions though:
1) I need a Sleeve for this thing before monday. Any good brick and mortar stores that you guys know of that carry good laptop sleeves? Ive heard good thing about the zeroshock, but I can only find it through online vendors. Any suggestions?

2) The x1700, as most of you have said, does not have new drivers on the site, is there any kind of status update with that?

3) as far as useful apps go, I didnt really check into The bloat-ware apps included in the base install. What are some actually valuable, useful apps that this laptop actually comes with?

Thanks guys! I appreciate this huge thread and this forum.

 

Congrats on your new A8jp!

1) Have a look at threads that others have posted regarding this, you can also use the search function for people that need sleeves for their 14" notebooks. Also have a look at newegg, they have a large listing of sleeves.
Click Here

2) Here's the latest ATI 7.1 Catalyst, many users here have stated this one supports the X1700. Click Here

3) Have a look through the CDs put it into the optical drive and look at programs that may interest you and fidn additional information on the internet. I would suggest Asus Multiframe for a start.

 

A little update on my vista install. The Hotkey driver listed in the vista driver thread doesn't work correctly. Most of the Hotkeys function but 50% of the time vista boots, the hotkey driver is hogging 50% of the total CPU power.

It never changes either, I tried waiting it out, but it stays at 50% CPU. Just a word of warning for those interested about upgrading to Vista. On a side note, some of the Hotkeys are completely functional with vistas generic drivers. The brightness control works, the LCD off works, Monitor our and numlock also works. Only the audio controls fail to operate.

 

Guys who need a sleeve: I strongly recommend the Tucano Guaina medium. It's measures say it's a bit too small for A8JP but as it's made of neopren it stretches over the laptop. Scroll to the first page of this thread for more info.

 

Milestone, thanks for the Catalyst tips.

The problem with getting the sleeve from newegg is that it wont get here before monday.

Pallonaama, I'll look into that. I just need to check out some local stores.
I'll make a list of suggested brands and check out some places.
Thanks guys

Pallonaama I assume this is the sleeve you are talking about?
Does it offer good shock protection?
http://www.amazon.com/Tucano-BFGU-M-141-Neoprene-Sleeve-14-1/dp/B000FJS53K/sr=1-2/qid=1171040842/ref=sr_1_2/105-0990292-6721206?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

 

I just got mine! Ordered a few days ago from newegg. Got here about 4 hours ago. I've been arguing with it ever since. I really wanted to try to use it with the factory OS, but holy bloatware Batman. This thing is just pitiful. It can barely boot. I'm talking 5-8 minutes per reboot. It's slower than my 1000 mhz Gateway to boot. When it works, it's very nice. But ****... all the conflicting drivers. It's driver hell.

Now I'm starting with a fresh OS. I almost wish it had shipped with nothing. Would have saved me 4 hours.

 

Umm.. you must be talking about a different laptop, because the a8jp dosen't take very long at all to load. Mine stays the way it came from Asus until I get the Vista cd; then I'll go ahead and do a clean install.

 

I had similar problems as revlimiter. Reboot took a long time (esp. after removing Norton!), the USB ports didn't work, etc.

After reinstalling the OS, things were much, much better.

 

Anyone know where these puppies are made in?

 

I'm looking at reformating or reinstalling Windows MC on my A8JP. Basically I just want to clean up my C:\ drive, as well as I've been getting alot of Windows Explorer crashes. I've never done this before, so if I just reboot using the Windows CD I have, will that work if I go through with the installation? Also, will my D:\ drive retain all its data?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Since I didn't have an XP cd with me, I decided to reset to factory defaults with the recovery cd. In 15 years of support work, I've never used a recovery cd. It actually helped. The laptop boots at a good speed now.

I'm thinking my error was letting windows update itself. That's one of the few things I let the new lappy do last time that I didn't do this time. It's running quite well with most of the bloatwear removed and the Asus disc image present. I still plan to give XP a fresh install, but this is much nicer than a few hours ago.

I assure you, I'm running an A8JP. I like it. I just don't like the ASUS software.

 

I've been running with the recovery CD version of the OS and the factory drivers all day and **** if it's not night-and-day from the same version that came on my poor little A8. After thinking about it, I'm nearly convinced that I had a bad image on this computer from the factory. Same OS, same software, 500% better. Boot time is quick, the wireless works by default, etc etc.

I think I'm gonna see how long this lasts till putting a fresh copy of XP on. It's really quite good. I'm much happier with my ASUS purchase now.

So what's the deal with Net4Gear and Power4Phone? I understand Net4 is a network switcher sort of thing, but that comes with the intel software. No idea about the Phone software. I uninstalled both and it seems quite happy.

 

In this thread charlotte explains many of the Asus programs running.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=103896

Good to see everything is working well for you!

 

maybe im just going mental. ive been using this laptop for a few days now(loving it immensely) however MCE has recently started acting up. When i try to play a DVD it says I am missing a DVD Decoder. This only started happening after i used the recovery cd to get a clean install. any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Missing decorders and encoders and audio files and etc for Video/DVDs is all software related.

Download the following programs to play everything.
VLC - an awesome all around player, and has excelllent treble output.
Click Here

Media Player Classics - This player is better than Windows Media Player, because this plays basically everything without problems.
Click Here

Hope this gets everything to work, should any problems arise post here and we can further help you with this.

 

Hey All,

You can add one more to the owners lounge. Well, in brief: I have been looking for a laptop for 2 years. I am very picky and although I have come close to buying one I never went through with it. I actualy came very close to buying the Acer AMD, with a X1600 card but the reviews were 50/50.

So I prurchased my lappy on Monday from Newegg, and it arrived on Friday. I was on my way to Canada for teh weekend so I could not do a complete setup (format, tune-up, etc..) So in my limited use, I love this thing, it very sexy, and very fast.

Ok, here are my nit picks: 1. The screen is super sharp and clear, however, at the brightest setting its not as bright as teh HP DV1000 screen that my girl friend has. But its much clearer so no biggy.
2. The touchpad scrollling is very buggy for me, it seems as though some sites scroll better than others. I am downloading version 9.2 from Synaptics website so maybe that will do the job.

Thats it for now... I will post later when I get back and do some real testing on this thing. G

 

For me, the current weirdness is the bluetooth monitor/driver. On first boot, it's off and sitting idle just like I want it to. When I put it to sleep and bring it back, the driver is active and bluetooth is searching. I can easily turn it off with the keyboard button, but this is a mystery so far.

Touchpad scrolling: got it to work once. It hasn't worked since. Sigh. Not that I'd use it really. The page down is well located on this keyboard. I'm mostly using that.

Defrag: I booted into safe mode and defragged. Got it down to 5% of the drive and 9% of files. This was from 17% and 30% previously. The whole thing is way snappier than before. Well worth the 20 minutes to do this.

All in all, this is a fine computer. Standard new-pc issues are to be expected and have been quite minor once I got rid of that bad factory MCE image. I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

A newb question. I was on Synaptic's website looking at the drivers. Is the Media Center edition of XP that comes with the A8JP considered the 64 bit version or the normal version?

Windows XP 64-bit edition v8.3.4
Windows 2000/XP v8.3.4

 

I believe that it is considered the normal edition, otherwise they would've advertised the 64 bit part of it clearly. But I may be mistaken, of course.

 

I did a clean install with an OEM version of XP PRO. WOW, this is cookin now. I am very impressed with this lappy. I am happy I waited so long looking for the right one. Now all we need is some good ATI Drivers and we will be set.

Regarding sketchy Touch-pad usability. After I did my clean install, I did not install any Mouse or Touch-pad drivers. I let Windows decide what to do with it and it works so much better. I can now vertical scroll much smoother than before.

 

Looking for a fix for this problem.

It just begun yesterday, but when I close my computer lid, it appears to hibernate for about a second, then reload to my log-on screen, where it appears to have just switched users. I haven't changed any of my settings in the power options, so I'm not sure what's going on. I've never had a problem with it just hibernating after I've shut the lid. This also occurs when I choose hibernate in the shut down options.

Any suggestions?

 

do you have 2 gb ram?

If so its a problem you can fix with a patch from microsoft.com just go there and search for hibernate problem.


It doesnt start right when you install the ram either its weird it takes a few times

 

Another update on my Vista 32-bit install.

I updated to all the newest asus drivers (acpi, media, and OSD2) and the laptop seems to work much smoother. The only driver that still doesn't work correctly is the Hotkey driver. It still hogs 100% of one of the core's resources.

Also, I am using a modified version of ATI's catalyst drivers for the x1700 that seem to work well. I can't get the control panel to install, but the driver is correct and working. I'm not a gamer, so I can't comment on the performance, but I do do a lot of photoshop/digital photography work and haven't had any problems.

For anyone who uses Kaspersky Antivirus, make sure you download the newest version. The previous versions are incompatible with Vista.

One last thing. The Google bar seems to have some difficulties with IE7. I've had the IE lock-up twice and it seems to happen while typing in the Google search box (as Google is trying to populate the common search helper).

That's all for now.

 

Anyone know the full name of each of the component in the Asus A8jp? like for example, I know the card reader is by Ricoh but which model/type?

I will need the component names as i'm doing a google for Windows XP x64 Drivers for my crippled x64 installation on the A8jp ; so kind of need the drivers urgently. ^_^

 

Hi A8JP folks , I'm liking mine for the most part , removed a lot of start up items via msconfig but i still got about 42 processes running , I havent even begun with the MS services yet . I'd like to see what a healthy number of processes running would be if anyone feels good about theirs . Also please I want to reformat and load the O.S. from recovery CD , if anyone has reloaded the OS from the recovery disk and not loaded the drivers/utilities disk when prompted and selected only the drivers you want later .
1. when prompted to insert the driver disk how do you back out ( ctrl alt delete ) ?

2. how do you get the NTFS converter utility back if you add only the drivers and utilities you want later, I dont see it on the driver utility disk .

also whats up with the CLI.exe does the ATI utility really need so many of these running? at times I have 3 or more running and they all want access permission from the firewall . Does that mean that if you dont have internet access your video wont run properly ? if not why does this exe constantly use you connection .

 

Psychlone - Congrats and welcome.

There's a link to instructions on a clean install in message #1 of this thread.

You should convert both drives to NTFS before doing a clean install. Instructions are in post #98 on this thread.

I currently have 49 processes running with no hit on performance. CLI.exe is the Catalyst Control Center. If you don't need/want Catalyst, you can disable it in start up and they will go away.

 

Hi Sanpabloguy , thanks for the info , I converted my D: DATA drive also with the converter utility , at the prompt i just typed (DATA) then hit enter . The converter utility is in the windows folder on the C: drive , I copied the file to a disk , I dont know if I could run it after a reinstall . I ran the recovery disk and at the prompt to insert the driver disk i tried to exit by holding down the power button , it didnt exit, maybe I didnt hold it down long enough . It wouldnt let me continue so i just inserted the driver disk . I read on the ASUS site to ctrl alt del when you get the prompt for the driver disk and it will reboot to windows .

My media center wont launch , i get and error message and it wantS to run a debugger which doesnt fix it, so I'm gonna run the recovery again. I'm just on the fence weather or not to to do a manual driver install or run the disk auto install at recovery . I thought I could get a cleaner install by only installing what i want rather than going back later and removing what i dont want but maybe its not much difference ?

 

What kind of battery life are you guys getting out of you A8jp? I can get about 2 hours on a dim screen, WiFi, and taking notes in class. Not great, does anyone have tips on how to increase battery by turning down some cpu, and gpu power?

 

Hi everyone, just got my A8JP last week and I am loving this machine. It offers performance and portability in a well balanced way. I did a clean install of windows vista ultimate 32 bit. The sidebar is useful for the notebook but I turned it off for my desktop. does anybody know about the catalyst drivers for windows vista 32bit? my vista scores my graphics as 1.0 so i know somethings not right there. i installed this.. 7-1_vista32_dd_ccc_enu_4124.exe but i dont have that catalyst icon in my task bar. Hopefully that's just ati drivers and that will be coming shortly for our video card. does anybody else have similar experiences?

goddo: i have my brightness at about 35-40%? with wifi off and note taking in class and i can get about 2.5 hours according to my battery meter. class is only 1 hour 45 min so I still have like 45 min. of juice left.

 

jaewon223 - what do you think of the lid, in terms of durability? does it seem prone to scratches and the like?

 

If anyone is doing a custom install with the drivers/utility disc instead of auto run after the recovery disc process and you want to use the NTFS converter . Before you start the recover disc copy the NTFS converter from the windows folder to removable media . After the recovery has run you can run the converter utility . It may safe a little time . I ran the recovery disc then backed out when prompted for the drv/utl disc . then loaded the converter back onto C : and formated both C: and D: to NTFS with the utility.

I havent had an ATI adpter for a few yrs (9800 pro) so I'm not to familar with the drv settings . What is making the Fonts so sharp and thin . Nvidia had a setting called sharpness which would do this. I've tried changing the size but they are still very thin light color and super sharp ,any idea on how to thicken/darken them up ? Also speaking of fonts did the default font size increase on this forum ? Mine are huge now compared to last night .
thanks

 

Hey,

Can any of you with nhc installed see what the capacity of your battery is?

Just go to battery it says right there.

Im asking this because I see on the official specs that the a8js has a 48000 mwh battery,
and i just got a new one and thats what it was.
Only the one that came with my a8js was a 52000 mwh battery. And if thats the case maybe some of you with 48000 mwh batteries can get 52000 mwh batteries.

So please say when you bought your machine and what the battery capacity is using nhc

 

Fixed the fonts, apparently when I reinstalled the DPI went from 96 to 120 , funny the Font on this forum was huge but not on other forums . I never realized there where so many subtle differences between a desktop and notebook. I'm getting there .

 

According to my NHC, I've got 51546 mWh of battery life at full capacity.

 

need help!!

my A8JP touchpad not working!! i have to use mouse. Can somebody tell me why? is it because of i have accidently disable the touchpad or wat? cheers

 

function-F9? Uninstall that aweful Setpoint software?

 

I've honestly reached 3 hours and still had about 15% charge remaining. I'm just using NHC with some of the power saver stuff activated. I swear having it turn the fan on and off has given me an extra 20 minutes of juice, even though a tiny fan shouldn't make much difference.

 

Kennyy there should be a touchpad button near the power button that turns it on and off. You will see a little popup in the top left corner when you press it.