A8Js - Owner's Lounge

thanks.
how do i dual boot? i tried but i failed. particularly, how can i repair the bootloader for win vista after installling xp? the recovery disc doesnt allow me to repair...

 

Is everyone else's dvd-drive button fine? A couple of days ago it got a bit loose, and then when i was trying to wriggle it into place it just stopped working. I took it apart and the plastic button doesn't interface with the latch mecanism.

And i also have this GIANT black eliptic spot on my touchpad, caused by (over?)usage.

 

guys pls help asap... i wanna reformat my com with xp later... i wanna ask..

it's ok if i delete both the C: and D: partition, then reinstall windows under a single partition rite? Cos i might wanna reinstall vista maybe later, then the vista can still be installed rite? the recovery data is not in c: and D: but in a separate partition, am i right?

 

I can't be sure what you are calling 'C' and 'D', but my a8js came with 2 partitions. The first partition was sort of a recovery partition, I don't think it showed up as C or D. I don't use these (and it wastes space) so I reformatted the whole thing as one big partition, then installed Vista64.

This will work fine and obviously you can reformat again with another OS. Just keep your drivers on a CD or DVD and you shouldn't need a recovery partition.

 

If you want to use Vista and Xp, do this.

Make two partitions, i.e. 40GB's for vista and 3GB's for Xp. Install Vista to the 40GB partition and then Xp on the 3GB one. Then when you startup windows it goes straight to Vista or if you press a button it gives you a choice of going to Xp also. Should work like that.

 

I just went through this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=113162&highlight=dual+boot

 

hey thanks!
so..even if i wiped out the recovery partition on the hdd, i will still be able to reinstall windows vista using my recovery dvd? is tt right?

 

yup.. The recovery partition is just there to serve as a backup incase you need to recover from the HDD...

 

I just ordered an A8Js-4S024C from NCIX. I read all these reviews and others over the last month and finally bit the bullet.

(in $CAD)
A8Js - $1725
Corsair 1G Ram - $69
OCZ Rally 2 4GB stick - $50

total with shipping (to calgary) and taxes came to $2063 CAD.

A bit worried about the screen, hopefully it has the CMO type (if it even matters...). I plan to use it with an external monitor anyways. I'll update when I get it.

 

hmm.. don't worry about the monitor. it's fine even if its auo(mine). just find the sweet spot

 

I've had my a8js for 2 days now and it has been awesome. The screen is an AUO (model 4S024C from NCIX) but it is still pretty damn nice. Viewing angles could be better, but i am still satisfied with it.

My first question: I merged the 2 main partitions to get a 106GB main C drive but there is still the 5GB recovery partition which I have deleted and reformatted several times, but can't figure out how to merge it into the C drive. Has anybody been able to do this without reformatting the entire HD (and reinstalling vista)? I have been using the windows mgmt tool and now paragon partition manager but no luck.

 

I havent done exactly what you are talking about

however i do believe you will have to convert it to ntfs from fat32 before it can merge, if your partition software isnt doing that automatically.

 

If you're using Windows Xp (I don't know how it works with Vista), and if you're using a cd to install the OS, in the instalation process you should get panel where you have to define in which partition you want to install it, delete partitions and so on. If you delete all the partitions, then you get one partition with all the space available. You then select this partition (which will be unformatted) to install the SO. The rest is done by the software.

 

If there is something important on it, you have to use a utility like partition magic. If there's nothing important on the drive, you can do this a number of ways.

Vista is a little easier because it shows you the partitions before installing. You can delete them all and let the OS install. For XP I usually use the old standby (fdisk DOS utility) which you can use to delete all partitions before installing the OS.

 

hi, can anyone who has upgraded to 2 gigs of ram (from 1G) tell me how much of a performance increase it has brought? is it worth it getting the extra 1 gig of ram for the increase in performance? if possible, please include 3dmark 05/06 before and after scores... thanks!

 

there is no difference in 3dmark scores but a large performance difference in everything.

as far as a particular game some would have none but oblivion does.

the ddr2 difference is so small its like 1/10% faster to be in dual channel

 

I'm also interested in a A8JS but it seems that most are coming with Vista Home installed. Is there any online shop selling one with XP Pro and with blutooth. It would be best if they also offer HD upgrade to a 160GB at a reasonable cost (>$100).

 

New owner here; Had one for about 5 days now. Love the performance.

No complaints other than the keyboard feeling a bit loose on the left, but that's fine.

Just wondering, though, is it normal for the hard drive to run pretty hot? Am thinking of getting a Notebook Cooler anyway, but don't want any damage to happen to my system.

 

I dont feel any heat in my hd area

but i have a different hd than you do.

 

hello, great forum for notebooks

i'm interested in the ASUS A8Js, but i have a question about its SPDIF output

from the specifications, it seems like the SPDIF uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (i'm guessing it's dual mode, both analog stereo and digital)

but how to i go about connecting it to my receiver? does it ship with a special cable that does 3.5mm to RCA?

thanks

 

I very recently installed an extra gig of ram. Personally, I've found that tasks in general are noticeably faster. Especially multitasking - fewer little delays here and there... I haven't run any diagnostics or made any objective comparisons, however. I haven't played any games after the upgrade either.
Anyways, I would certainly recommend the extra ram. No need to rush though; wait for a sale/discount. I got Corsair from ncix.com for $65 (before tax, shipping).

Regarding the keyboard: If you are close to a service centre, I would recommend going in to get a new keyboard. I had some annoying issues with my keyboard (nothing serious though - everything was functioning fine), and I went to the Markham centre. They switched my keyboard within 15 min and things are much better (although there is still some flex in the top left area... but much less noticeable).

Regarding the harddrive: At times, my left hand-rest area does get a little warm - certainly not "pretty hot" though.

 

it's optical s/pdif so you can't use coaxial (rca). you need to use a toslink-to-mini cable to connect it to the optical port on you receiver (if you have one).

 

it's optical?!

so i would need one of these?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...cs_id=1022902&p_id=1573&seq=1&format=2&style=

 

That would work just fine

 

Yup, that's what you need

 

ok that's good news! thanks for your help guys!

 

You can find out how hot your hard drive is (& CPU too) using Network Hardware Control (free). It also has an optional transparent desktop graph. With NHC, you can cool the disk a little by setting the disk Acoustic Management to "quiet". I've run NHC for 6 months on my A8JS with no issues. For comparison, my typical disk/CPU temperature is 39c/46c, under light use.

NHC can be found at: http://www.pbus-167.com/

 

well guys i had the tremendous patience to read almost 100 pages of thread!
after such abundent info from these pages, I would like to ask the A8Js owners if the Go7700 advantage is worth having problems with the LCD light, keyboard and DVD noises and sharp edges discomfort .. instead of buying any other 2GHz Core2Duo with no such problems like Asus's ?

 

LCD light problem is only in Vista. Maybe install Windows XP for now? My keyboard is very good. I don't know what problems it should have :s The DVD drive is as loud as in the other laptops. The "sharp edges" have not been a problem to me. They aren't even that sharp!

I like this laptop very much Maybe the worst part is the screen, but it's still good.

 

This forum is great for looking up information on the most mundane things. Things like light leekage (becuase every brand has it), keyboard (becuase every brand has it), dvd noises (becuase almost every single brand of dvd has this complaint), sharp edges discomfort (you gotta be a picky sob to even think that one up. I get the same questions asked every day by average joes who think all the stuff you just mentioned are defects. I tell them all the same thing. Its not a problem with the notebook, the problem is in the people who use it and write about it. To answer your question, a8js over the last half year has been prooved reliable nothing less nothing more. All else is b.s. that dont matter becuase @ 1450$ it is the best bang for the buck with aesthetics and quality that kicks its foot right into the low-mid level. You can find much worse quality out there but you will not find much more bang for the buck

 

Well it seems like A8Js has practically no competition in the 13-14 inch range, being in fact the only lappy with a 7600 or 7700 card right ?

 

I agree that the aforementioned complaints are not outstanding, but they're worth considering as a prudent consumer.
I would like to add that the touchpad is a low point of the A8Js. The tactile feel is 'sticky' for lack of a better description, the buttons are hard to press, and the scroll function is not always properly responsive. Personally, it's not such a big deal for me since I stick to a wireless mouse... but there are still times when you want to use the trackpad for the sake of convenience.

Having said that, I'm certainly happy with my purchase, although I regret not considering HP more before making my final decision.
and yes, the small size with big power is essentially what makes the A8Js unique and great IMHO.

 

Yea, i don't know of any machine out there right now under 17inches with a better card. Just got mine yesterday from someone on this forum.

 

I use my a8js a lot and only find the touchpad to be a continual problem. There are some design flaws (the hard to reach button to open the laptop, etc) but you get used to them. The touchpad is simply a bad design. Getting used to it includes my thumb remembering to provide enough force to ring a circus bell.

 

You could always just tap the touchpad to get left button fuctionality

But yeah, the touchpad is pretty bad..

 

my left touchpad button has broken off.

i can only say in retrospect that it is a bad design to even be possible to break.

 

the only issue i have with my touchpad is the finish wearing off. i now have a big, oval black spot in the middle of the touchpad. It comes from using it, and while it shouldn't be like this after 3½ months (the spot actually started to appear after about one month), the only thing that's changed is the look. But i don't like the finish, it fills sticky...

 

Broken off??? That's pretty disturbing...
How did that happen, though? I'm confused because the button is flush with the rest of the touchpad... or are you referring to the actual button mechanism underneath?

 

my touch pad has the middle part protruding..... is it not normal? damn...

 

Same with me, but for me it's slightly protruding making a slight "bump formation" on the mouse pad between left and right button. The button part of the pad aren't flushed with the palm rest but the rest are.

 

I have the same problem with the touch pad button(s). The corners are actually flush but in the middle it curves up and I can almost get my fingernail under it. It wasn't like this new and seems to have warped over the past several months. I don't use it much, but it still happened.

 

I seem to recall that the touchpad bump you guys are describing has been there from the beginning for me... I can't say for certain if it has worsened over time though...

While we're on the topic of the touchpad, is it possible (and practical / reasonable) to replace it? (By practical / reasonable, I mean that I realize that it's probably technically possible to do just about any modification... but is touchpad replacement a somewhat 'normal' thing to do?)

 

is there any other 7600/7700 in the 13"-14" range ?

 

There are, Compal HGL30 with a 7600 and 14" screen, and a Fugitsu laptop.

The only other competition to the A8js in terms of performance is the A8JP and W3J.

 

well thats a good question because it doesnt look like it has any part that can break.

but the whole button part of the pad is actually only touching a button in the middle 2 cm of the pad. the outer part has about 3 mm clearance where it flexes.

So I would say press the button as close to the center as you can because the thing can just break off. It still works but its even harder to press now.

There is no purpose to this design but to break it may even be an asus patent on touchpads buttons that can break.

 

just wondering... what do you guys use to prop up your a8js, you know, to 'balance' it out when you take out the battery and plug in, cos one feet is missing...

 

Nothing, 'cause even when the battery is out, the other 5 feet and the weight of the rest of the lappy balances it out. Even if i put some force on it, it's fairly stable and when i rest my wrist there, i never put enough force on it for it to balance toward that corner. I can't actually make it lean forward at all, at most it wriggles a bit.

 

Yes, I've noticed the uneven response along the button area of the touchpad, and I totally agree that it is an awful design. They unreasonably sacrificed function for aesthetics (although I'm personally not really too fond of the look of it either - I think they were trying for sleek but it looks cheap instead IMHO).

 

Well, I'm almost ready to give up on Vaio FE series, which is anyway 15" and has only a 7600/256Mb but costs the same as A8Js ! Does it really worth the trade ?

 

can i ask another 2gb upgrade question?

what is the windows experience point on your a8js after upgrading? thanks!