A8Js - Owner's Lounge

Guys, is there a way to use the Power4Gear hardware switch with Notebook Hardware Control? Cool little piece of software!!

 

I took the cooler off and changed the thermal pastes to arctic silver. This was actually quite a hard operation, because I also had to take a few screws off from the corner where the cooler is situated and bend the cooler out. I think Asus made some alteration to this model, because I thought the cooler removal to be a lot easier according to the A8J disassembly guide.

Anyhow I finally made it and changed the pastes. I set up a torture test using 2 prime95's running on different cores and also atitool on Scan for artifacts. My processor is undervolted to 1.0125V and the go7700 is overclocked to 520core/480mem.

Now the temperatures after 1 hour of torture are 69C processor and 78C graphics card. I can't say whether they went down or not. What are the temperatures on your computers?

 

Are you sure about those GPU clocks? Stock mine was set to 450 core / 800 mem -and the memory clock is critical to a GPU like the 7700...

 

mine was 400, so whatever you are looking at for the memory clock is calling ddr 2 twice the speed or 800
so his was like 960 on your scale.

 

OK, I'll buy that. The Geforce 7700Go tab in display properties is reporting the stock clock speed as 800Mhz. I ran Coolbits to unlock the clock frequency settings.

What do you have your clock settings set to stamar?

 

Hey guys, have any of you found a car adapter to work with your a8js? If so, what brand/model? Thanks!

Chris

 

in clock frequency settings its says 450 400.

I have it set stock. the only time i overclocked it was when i ran 3d mark tests the frequency is in my signature.

 

Now that I Just this hour recieved my A8Js, I guess I can hang out with you guys here in the "lounge"

I intend to partition the drive and re-install windows and I have a few questions that I don't see clearly defined anywhere in the forum.

1. Will the windows CD give me the typical XP install screens with options for partitions and formatting? And allow me to only install windows?

2. Does the CD labeled Drivers and software allow me to pick only the sofware and drivers I want to install?

3. Anything else I should know?

Thanks,

Mark

 

Hey Mark,
Acutally all your questions have been answered here, but yeah, not in one clean place.

No. It's an OEM install so you won't get the same screens. What you do get is 3 options: Install into first partition, Repartition and install into 1 partition, and Repartition and install into 2 partitions (like the original setup). So if you're using your own fdisk prog to setup the partitions and are happy with having xp sit in your first partition, then option one is for you.

Yes and No. When reinstalling, when it asks you to insert the Drivers disk, it will install everything on the disk (yes, including norton ) So, just skip that, reboot, and then install the drivers as needed once you come back into winxp

It's pretty simple, except when I booted to the CD, it took forever! to get to the "do you want to install" prompt. Once I got to that point though, it was sufficiently fast.

Hope that helps!

Chris

 

Thanks Chris!

I'll just reinstall from another XP disk and use drivers downloaded from the internet or turn off auto start and find the drivers on the CD. I'll play with it for a while and see what software on the machine is really useful.

 

Not a problem, one thing to note, if you install the drivers for the touch pad, don't install any other mouse drivers into the system, if you do, when you adjust the sensitivity of the track pad, everytime you reboot, the sensitivity of the track pad will be reset. Or at least that is what happened to me.

 

And when reinstalling windows from other media than what came with the computer, it is wise to integrate all post-sp2 hotfixes to the cd. The solution is RyanVM's pack here http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/

It can be integrated to the cd with nLite or with the integrator that's on RyanVM's page With nLite it is possible to tweak windows cd and for example remove some not needed programs and other stuff from the cd. You also can integrate some drivers directly to the cd. But it is easy to install them afterwards too with the asus driver cd. The drivers on the asus driver cd are almost the latest versions.

Remember that RyanVM's pack works only for english windows xp although there are some other languages supported on the forums at his website.

 

Where is this option Stamar? I've looked in my bios (version 207) and i cannot find the volume settings.

Chris

 

I finally had some time to play with the A8Js a little. I slicked it and loaded it with a corporate XP Pro disk. I installed the drivers and hot fixes from the driver disk. Now I need to know which utility will give functionality to the buttons accross the top?

Thanks,

Mark

 

I don't know if I am answering your question (I did not install the drivers manually, so I don't know if this will help...), but from my startup programs, I believe the program is called "HControl.exe".

 

jywc - That was it. Thanks!

 

That's what happened to me. I installed drivers for my Logitech MX510 and now my trackpad is super slow and I can't find where to make it faster. Can anyone help me on this?

Also, the trackpad is rather sticky and hard for me to move around. Is there some sort of cover I can buy that makes it smoother? I was thinking something like for PDA, iPod clickwheel, etc. but I don't know if those are compatible with the touchpad.

Another user said something about a protection skin for the lid... does anyone know where to get a transparent one?

 

Hello,

Just a new owner of the A8Js with a couple of questions. I've just reformatted and reinstalled a fresh copy of XP Pro.

1) Disabling the LCD Dim option in the BIOS when running on batteries apparently has no effect. I still notice that the LCD continues to dim when I unplug from the AC adapter, even when High Performance is enabled through Power4Gear. Has anyone else noticed this unfortunate quirk?

2) What's the directionality of air flow for the fans, are the vents on the bottom for intake or exhaust? I was thinking of using Vantec's Lapcool4 and wanted to know if it be appropriate for this notebook. The fan's on the Lapcool4 are specifically intended to blow fresh air upward, underneath the notebook.

Many thanks for your responses, chaps!

 

1) The screen definately dims when you unplug the computer :/ The bios setting has no effect. This is rather annoying thing..

2) The computer takes fresh air from bottom and blows it out from right side. So your cooler is ideal for this computer Although A8Js runs rather cool. It's much cooler than any laptop I've used.

 

ok well its too difficult to look in bios and type to you.

I promise you its in one of the menus, takes a few clicks to see it. it says speaker volume 4, and it goes up to 8.

At 8 and at full volume i still dote hear too much distortion so i recomend setting them to 7 or 8

 

Anyone have problems with the computer forgetting that hibernate mode is enabled? Every now and then hibernate becomes disabled and the entire hibernate tab in power settings goes away, forcing a restart to get it back. I'm not sure what seems to cause it is.

 

I have a logitech mediaplay... my understanding is that there are two locations to adjust cursor speed: the usual "Mouse" in Control Panel, and SetPoint (assuming you installed that for the mouse). Strange thing is that I would expect your cursor to get faster since supposedly those two settings "add"... Hope that helps

I haven't touched the BIOS setting, but I have adjusted Power4Gear's configuration with success. However, it does seem to dim a certain amount even if brightness is set to 100%

does this affect headphone volume as well?

 

I believe its under the advanged tab. its one or 2 tabs over from the main screen.

 

Im pretty sure it affects headphone volume.

 

hello all,
ive been using my A8Js for quite some time now, but recently its been getting a little loud

the fan vent on the right side has a pretty loud humming noise...i dont remember it being this loud before

what i DID do, was apply the microsoft hotfix for windows xp to "utilize" the core duos more efficiently..along with adding something to the registry

there's a thread on it somewhere here..i cant find it right now

but i DO remember reading that some ppl noticed the fans to be louder?
=S

does anyone have a recommendation on how to calm down my fans?
any programs that would do teh trick?
im kinda new to laptops (this is my first one), and im using Notebook Hardware control (but i dont know how to use it..its more like a monitor for me, the "Acoustic management" for my HD is greyed out for some reason"

thanks again!

 

I have a question about the "Portable One MX" from portableone. It's obviously a modded A8Js. The screen that they are listing the "14.1" Ultra Viewing Angle (UVA) 160° WXGA+ LCD (1440x900)" is that the same as the original A8Js screen or is it swapped? Anybody knows? Cheers.

 

I believe it is the same OEM display from Asus. However, PortableOne does allow you, which i believe, to upgrade your display to supposedly one that is more attuned for use outdoors "Optional TrioView Transflective (UVA) 160° WXGA LCD for optimum viewing under direct sunlight."

I also went with PortableOne for the A8Js and hopefully you'll be fortunate enough to have your inquiries answered by an individual by the name of Ivan Gospich (sp?). He was awfully quick and helpful in responding to some of the questions I had before committing to the purchase.

And BTW........thanks again chaps for the bit of replies from previously.

 

I bought mine through Portable One -excellent customer service!!!

 

I think this is hardware limitation. The battery does not have enough juice to power the screen at high brightness. Ive seen this before in my sony

 

****, i Must be blind. I have bios 207 (the latest one) and on the Advanced tab, it only lists "play startup sound" I've gone through every single option in the bios and cant find a single thing related to sound volume

Hmmm, maybe you guys have a different bios version then me...

 

There is NO volume adjust option in BIOS!!!

The only volume adjustment that you can do there is the startup sound!

Stamar has understood that one wrong You can test this by disabling the POST sound in the bios. That way the volume adjust option dissappears

 

Ahhhhh, i've disabled my startup sound, that's why I didn't see it It all makes sense now, I though I was going insane!

Thanks guys, and man, that's a shame we can't kick the volume up a notch, Looks like I may need to get either a FM transmitter or some external speakers so my wife can watch movies when we go for a road trip (the road noise is louder then the speakers at full volume )

 

So far so good, i bought my A8jS today and it is just a wonderful experience. . I have a few questions. I noticed some "Sticker marks" in the space where the battery is placed. Another thing that came into my mind is that on the protection foil of the display there was No C2D sticker on the top corner. Also, the initial Core Duo sticker on the laptop does not have the new logo of C2D but the old Core duo logo. How come? should i worry ? greetings

 

Yes there is a volume adust option in bios.

Speaker volume. It starts at 4, and you can make it go to 8


ok well I just went to bios for you guys.

hit f2 to enter bios. hit right arrow once. In advanced the last option is speaker volume. It has the value 4.

Ive never updated my bios so if you dont have that then bios update gets rid of speaker volume control.

 

i was just wondering what everyone thinks aout the noise level that the fans make on the A8Js.

as in..when the computer is idle, when playing a game, or loading a cd

ive never owned a laptop before, so i dont know how loud it should be

i guess im being kinda paranoid..cause when my laptop is idle, the fans just seem kinda loud..kinda like a higher pitched humming sound

unless the A8Js is supposed to be like that..
any feedback?

 

normal, aswer my question bro

 

Stamar...you are wrong.

Look again in the bios. Only volume adjust option is for the bootup sound. You know the little sound when you open your computer. The option doesn't make the maximum volume in windows go up at all.

Try to disable the bootup sound option and you can see that the volume adjust option goes away! That way you can find out that the volume adjustment only works for the bootup sound Or compare the volume by setting the volume option 1st to 0 and then to 8. You can't change the maximum volume in windows that way.

 

again

on advanced

the last option is speaker volume.

If you dont have that option, with a 4 after it, then the bios you updated to disables speaker volume.

Mine has it right there I never updated bios. Im not wrong. You are mistaken.


SPEAKER VOLUME

not hidden its right there, last option on the list under advanced. Not disable start up sound. Goes from 1-8

 

Again, you are wrong. I do have excatly the same option as you do in the bios. But it only affects to the power-up sound. Try to disable the option above it and the volume adjust option goes away.

I admit that the option can be pretty confusing, because it doesn't tell you what volume it is. But you can find out that it, in fact, is just for the boot sound by disabling the option above it.

Hope these two picture solves this:

 

Oh my mistake you are right. That option seems to only change the volume of the start up sound.

Doesnt seem to change speaker volume.

 

Hehe, it really is confusing and asus should clarify the text :/

 

thanks

well i definitely convinced myself my speakers had gotten louder but they havent.

 

I have this problem also. Mine came with BIOS ver. 207 and I'm thinking that this may be a BIOS issue. I did a clean install and didn't install Instant Fun, but i hit the button to see what it did and it turned on the LED. Had to do a complete shut down to get rid of it. It also disabled the caps lock LED and this caused me no end of grief as I was trying to enter a case sensitive password and didn't believe that the caps lock was on.

I hope some one/ASUS comes up with a fix besides "don't touch the instant fun button"

 

Look at what just in



also, what bloat should i keep? i wanna keep the system as clean/minimal as possible

whats this ATK media, Net4Swich, Power4Gear stuff.

 

Nice demenion. Are the 3 screens running off the laptop? Is that possible? (thought only 2 could be done).

Net4switch, managing network profiles, can be removed if you dont change location.
Power4Gear, power management, some people like it, some report bugs. Use Notebook Hardware Control instead.

 

I have one question guys, I noticed that If i have the AC plugged in the maximum brightness of the screen is higher than if I am on batteries and have it set on max brightness. Whats the deal here, how can I get the same brightness when I am running on battery??

 

no those two displays are hooked up to my desktop pc...

im not sure if you could run dvi and vga at the same time to external monitors. (doubt it)

 

In my opinion the A8js is louder than I was hoping for. I've heard worse but it's not dead silent like a MacBookPro. Or it's just me being picky, I don't know? I've written about this in earlier posts but the guys hanging here doesn't seem to think this is an issue. To me the fan noise is quite audlible and disturbing. I don't know if my A8 is worse than others I haven't had the chance to compare. It's always hard to describe sound but I'll try and put it down in words.
After starting up, the laptop will be totally silent for maybe 2 or 3 minutes. Then cpu and gpu temperature will reach such levels that the fan will kick in. This is the fan speed that my laptop will have almost all of the time. It's a humming sound that is quite audible and will cut through when for example listening to a DVD using the internal speakers. Let's say it's such a sound that I wouldn't want to have the latop in the same room that I was sleeping in.
If doing something cpu intensive I think the fan can spin even faster and of course causing more noise. But this is not very often and probably because I'm not pressing it that hard.
Most of the time when browsing and even idling, the the fan will spin at the first audible (to me disturbing) level. Only once or twice and I think it was when running on battery (probably to try and save juice) the fan went down to totally silent but only for half minute or so, then it's back again.
I've tried "power4gear" and "NotebookHardwareControl" and bios from 204 up to the latest 207 but found nothing that will have an audible impact on my machine, it's all the same.
I realize this is a very powerful laptop and that it needs cooling. But still I was a bit disappointed. It could also be that my ears are very very large?

Cheers,
Redrum

 

the noise is really bad with mine, its more like a high pitched frequency noise that gives me a headache, what should I do with this notebook?

 

Thats a cool set up.

I want a monitor just like that.

The new widescreens are really great.