ASUS N61JQ Driver Thread

This thread is a spinoff from the Asus N61JQ Owners Lounge. I will edit this post to provide links to driver updates for the N61JQ laptop.

Official ASUS drivers can always be found here, but they are not updated frequently.

Another good resource to find new drivers is this page. These are generic driver postings for all ASUS laptop models, not just the N61JQ. As such, use common sense when trying new drivers (check for incremental version increases and similar file sizes to guess if the driver may apply to the N61JQ).

Updates to ASUS software can be found here. In particular, Wireless Console 3, Power4Gear Hybrid, Express Gate, etc. updates can be downloaded from these links.

Finally, some drivers may be found from outside driver websites (I tend to look on Station Drivers, but I'm sure there are other good ones). Some of these are unofficial, so use them at your own risk! That said, I have tested and use most of the drivers I post here.

Assuming you have all the official drivers from ASUS, here are newer ones (by category):

BIOS
FIRMWARE. Do this with care; see my post for instructions
Changelog (thanks marco_silva85!):

Spoiler

Product Model: N61Jq BIOS Kernel: Aptio4 Date: 2010/08/18
System BIOS : 212 VGA BIOS :NA EC BIOS : 202c1E0001
Item. Bug #. Root cause and change description Reference
1 Update CFD MRC to 1.30 and remove some redundant code for factory issue.
Note: Memory test is needed for this bios.
System BIOS : 210
Item. Bug #. Root cause and change description Reference
1 Fix ASUSGPNV data loss when use aflash2 /down parameter or Ctrl-Alt-Del reset without use SWSMI to shutdown the system. AK-KVN0226
2 Update EC firmware to 202c1EF.EC
System BIOS : 209
1 Update VBIOS to solve customer issue.
System BIOS : 208
1 131 Update CFD MRC to 1.3
2 130 Fix using function fn+ESC that system will hang. AK-ALB0083
System BIOS : 207
1 Update EC firmware to 202C1AF.EC for fixing touch-pad can work after install ALL mode. LNS0017f
System BIOS : 206
1 According the ATI APNote to add a workaround for the BSOD 124 issue. AK-DKC5259
System BIOS : 205
1 113 Fix HDD password has no function when selecting SATA mode in IDE mode and enable fancystart after setting HDD passwords in Aptio setup menu AK-HCH0001k
2 Update EC firmware to 202C19F.EC LNS0017e
System BIOS : 204
1 109 Fix system can enter setup utility in s4 resume after setting HDD password. LNS0038

V212 (09/01/2010)
V210

Chipset
V9.3.0.1020 (02/16/2012)
V9.2.3.1022 (10/17/2011)
V9.2.3.1020 (09/14/2011) Thanks Chuck684!
V9.2.3.1017 (07/28/2011)
V9.2.3.1016 (06/14/2011)
V9.2.2.1029 (04/16/2011)
V9.2.2.1015 (02/28/2011)
V9.2.0.1021 (01/07/2011) Thanks sonofcake!
V9.2.0.1016 (12/22/2010)
V9.2.0.1015 (11/08/2010)
V9.1.2.1008 (07/30/2010)
V9.1.1.1027

Graphics
ATI Catalyst 12.1 (02/16/2012)
ATI Catalyst 11.12 (12/13/2011)
ATI Catalyst 11.11 (11/15/2011)
ATI Catalyst 11.10 (11/05/2011)
ATI Catalyst 11.9 (10/02/2011) Thanks sonofcake!
ATI Catalyst 11.8 (08/17/2011)
ATI Catalyst 11.7 (07/28/2011) Thanks sonofcake!
ATI Catalyst 11.6 (06/15/2011) Thanks userno69!
ATI Catalyst 11.5 (05/09/2011) Thanks GarryChow!
ATI Catalyst 11.4 (04/27/2011) Thanks GarryChow!
ATI Catalyst 11.3 (03/29/2011)
ATI Catalyst 11.2 (02/15/2011) Thanks GarryChow!
ATI Catalyst 11.1 (01/26/2011)
ATI Catalyst 10.12 (12/14/2010)
ATI Catalyst 10.11 (11/17/2010)
ATI Catalyst 10.10 (10/22/2010)
ATI Catalyst 10.8 (08/25/2010)
ATI Catalyst 10.7 (07/26/2010)
ATI Catalyst 10.6

Here I post the ASUS-specific graphics driver in case you don't want to use the generic driver from ATI/AMD:
ATI V8.760.0.0 (09/17/2010)
ATI V8.752.0.0 (08/21/2010)
ATI V8.692.1.0

Hard Drive
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V11.0.0.1032 (02/16/2012) To install, move the contents of the "Intel⌐RapidStorageTechnology11.0.0.1032_PV-Kit40942" folder one level up
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.8.0.1003 (12/13/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.6.2.1001 (11/05/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.6.0.1022 (07/28/2011) Thanks sonofcake!
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.6.0.1002 (06/25/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.5.1.1001 (06/09/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.5.0.1027 (05/12/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.5.0.1026 (05/07/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.5.0.1022 (04/20/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.5.0.1015 (04/16/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.1.2.1004 (02/07/2011)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.1.0.1008 (12/09/2010)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V10.0.0.1046 (10/15/2010)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V9.6.5.1001 (09/13/2010)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V9.6.4.1002 (06/29/2010) (link fixed 09/03/2010)
Intel Rapid Storage Technology V9.6.3.1001
Intel Management Engine Interface V6.1L02 (08/09/2010)
Intel Management Engine Interface V6.1.1.1045 (EDIT: Broken link at the moment. Use this slow one instead)

Audio
Realtek V6.0.1.6413 (08/11/2011) Thanks Dzjang!
Realtek V6.0.1.6383 (06/11/2011)
Realtek V6.0.1.6282 (02/20/2011)
Realtek V6.0.1.6257 (01/17/2011) Thanks Risco!
Realtek V6.0.1.6235 (12/06/2010)
Realtek V6.0.1.6176 (09/06/2010)
Realtek V6.0.1.6141 (08/08/2010)
Realtek V6.0.1.6136 (08/02/2010)
Realtek V6.0.1.6122 (run the installer to uninstall current driver, reboot, close SRS error box and let Windows install generic driver, run the installer again to install new driver)

Hotkeys
(If you don't like any of the following features, delete them from their corresponding subdirectories in "C:\Program Files (x86)\ASUS\ATK Package" (you need to kill the process first in Task Manager): ATKOSD2: 3D hotkey effects, ATK Media: link media buttons to Windows Media Center)
ATK Package V1.0.0014 (10/17/2011)
ATK Package V1.0.0013 (10/05/2011) Thanks Dzjang!
ATK Package V1.0.0010 (06/11/2011)
ATK Package V1.0.0008 (03/12/2011)
ATK Package V1.0.0007 (11/06/2010)
ATK Package V1.0.0006 (09/12/2010; this version does not seem to allow disabling of ATKOSD2 in msconfig. I disabled it by deleting the ATKOSD2.exe file located in C:\Program Files (x86)\ASUS\ATK Package\ATKOSD2.)
ATK Package V1.0.0005 (08/02/2010)
ATK Package V1.0.0004

USB 3.0 Controller
USB 3.0 V2.1.28.1 (02/16/2012)
USB 3.0 V2.1.27.0 (10/17/2011)
USB 3.0 V2.1.25.0 (09/26/2011) Thanks JoaoVr!
USB 3.0 V2.1.19.0 (08/03/2011) Thanks JoaoVr!
USB 3.0 V2.1.16.0 (05/23/2011)
USB 3.0 V2.0.34.0 driver (03/05/2011)
USB 3.0 V2.0.32.0 driver (12/26/2010) Thanks JoaoVr!
USB 3.0 V2.0.30.0 driver and V3.0.2.7 firmware (12/18/2010) Thanks JoaoVr!
NEC USB 3.0 V2.0.26.0 (11/06/2010; does not include firmware. If you haven't already, install V3.0.2.5 separately, either by the below driver package or by the firmware update by itself, a few links down. I recommend just installing "V2.0.4.0_V3.0.2.5" below, and then this update on top of it.)
V2.0.4.0_V3.0.2.5 (06/28/2010; replaces below two external links)
NEC USB 3.0 V1.0.20.0
USB 3.0 firmware 3.0.2.5 ( FIRMWARE. Unzip the file, go into the "\64" directory in an elevated command prompt, and run "FWupdate64.bat" to flash)

Touchpad
(This resets your touchpad settings, so double-click the touchpad taskbar icon and write them down before updating.)
Elantech V8.0.7.0 (10/07/2010; this one removes the magnify option and Smart Area features, but it adds edge scrolling (drag the edges to scroll up/down and left/right) and sensitivity setting. The Fn+F9 hotkey works to disable the touchpad with this one. EDIT: THIS DRIVER IS BUGGY!)
Elantech V7.0.5.12 (09/12/2010; the version number is lower than the last driver I posted, but this one has a newer date in the INF file and includes a Smart Area feature that helps mitigate accidental touchpad movement while typing. Also, on my system, this driver properly allows Fn+F9 to disable the touchpad, whereas V7.0.7.0 did not. Thanks to Risco for making me aware of this version. According to Risco, the Smart Area feature conflicts with multitouch zoom in Firefox.)
Elantech V7.0.7.0 (07/25/2010; this one removed my taskbar icon. You can re-enable it by going into "Change Mouse Settings" in Control Panel, and choosing the desired taskbar icon in the ELAN tab. It also doesn't seem to let you disable "Magnifying Glass" in the options; I had to do it through the registry, setting HKCU\Software\Elantech\MainOption\Mag_Enable to 0)
Elantech V7.0.6.4

Webcam
V5.8.55133.208 (01/14/2011)
V5.8.55133.207 (01/07/2010). This one flipped my camera; I had to change HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{6BDD1FC6-810F-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F}\0000\Settings\Flip from 0 to 1
V5.8.54000.207 (your webcam may be different; update only if you have the same webcam as me. My Hardware ID in device manager is USB\VID_13D3&PID_5122&REV_1118&MI_00)

Bluetooth
Before installing, uninstall any Broadcom drivers you may have installed via Windows Update. You can leave the WIDCOMM software, as this will overwrite it
Broadcom WIDCOMM V6.4.0.1201 (04/12/2011)
Broadcom WIDCOMM V6.3.0.4700 (06/28/2010)
Broadcom WIDCOMM V6.3.0.4010

LAN
If you messed with the "shut down wakeup" option in this driver or otherwise have random BSODs/freezing at login, I recommend completely removing the driver before updating: uninstall the network card in device manager and check the box to delete driver software. Repeat until the box no longer appears (all previous driver versions are removed).
Atheros 2.0.8.8 (11/05/2011)
Atheros V2.0.4.4 (08/27/2011)
Atheros V1.0.2.43 (04/12/2011)
Atheros V1.0.0.36 (11/11/2010)
Atheros V1.0.0.35 (09/14/2010)
Atheros V1.0.0.33 (07/16/2010)
Atheros V1.0.0.31

WLAN
(I have not tested this because I replaced my Atheros WLAN card.)
Atheros V9.2.1.470 (02/16/2012)
Atheros V9.2.1.459 (11/05/2011)
Atheros V9.2.1.432 (10/17/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.439 (10/02/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.427 (08/27/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.419 (08/03/2011) Thanks JoaoVr!
Atheros V9.2.0.412 (06/04/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.316 (05/23/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.310 (03/12/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.206 (01/17/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.113 (01/07/2011)
Atheros V9.2.0.105 (11/20/2010)
Atheros V9.1.0.314 (10/18/2010)
Atheros V9.1.0.100 (07/31/2010)
Atheros V9.0.0.202

ASUS-specific wireless drivers can be found at the link below (look for "Azurewave Wireless Lan Driver" or similar).
ASUS WLAN Drivers

Card Reader
Alcor V1.8.1217.36096

Optical Drive
HLDS GT30N ODD Firmware VASS2 ( FIRMWARE. Make sure you have the HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GT30N drive in device manager)


Some of the links above do not come from the ASUS support site but are from Station Drivers. For those who wish to check for updates on their own, here are the links I check:

For the non-ASUS links, I look on Station Drivers, checking the following pages for updates:

Check here for Intel RST updates
Check here for Intel chipset and MEI updates
Check here for LAN and WLAN updates
Check here for bluetooth updates
Check here for touchpad updates




SOFTWARE
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.25 (02/16/2012)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.24 (11/05/2011)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.23 (10/17/2011)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.21 (06/30/2011)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.19 (10/24/2010)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.18 (09/26/2010)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.17 (07/23/2010)
Wireless Console 3 V3.0.16
Power4Gear Hybrid V1.1.43 (01/18/2011) Thanks marco_silva85!
Power4Gear Hybrid V1.1.42 (12/22/2010) Thanks marco_silva85!
Power4Gear Hybrid V1.1.41 (11/29/2010) Thanks marco_silva85!
Power4Gear Hybrid V1.1.40 (09/27/2010) Thanks Turbogear!
Power4Gear Hybrid V1.1.37 (mislabeled on the page. I don't use this app, so I probably won't be updating this link)
Express Gate V1.4.10.1 (I don't really use this either, so don't expect updates. I think this installer creates and clears out the directory C:\Temp, so don't put anything important in there when you run the installer. Don't be tempted by the download speed of the China server; the files are often corrupted and won't unzip)

 

Thanks a lot stevedogg.
This is a very good idea to have a separate thread for all the drivers.

 

Thanks a lot, stevedogg. Would be very helpful for all of us.
You are awesome !!

 

Thanks a lot SteveDogg. Excellent thread. Keep up the good work!

 

Great job stevedogg, your're too fast for us!

 

I just found out that the USB 3.0 firmware 3.0.2.5 package that stevedogg provided not only contains a firmware, but there is also a new driver in this same package.

If you double click RENESAS-USB3-Host-Driver-2040-setup.exe then it will updates the driver to v2.0.4.0.

By the way, USB3.0 firmware is now also present on the ASUS website in the driver download section under notebook section.

 

great work stevedogg !!! it would be nice if you could briefly describe what each update does.

again, thanks for this thread.

 

The Renesas.com site shows USB3 as a "former NEC product". Once installed the device manager changes the USB3 device and hub from NEC Electronics to Renesas.

Chris

 

Basically, NEC and Renesas is the same company. The two companies merged back in April.
It could be that NEC gave Renesas the USB3.0 development business.

 

? where ? I don't see it on asus site

 

Here it is:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

 

Thanks. this is not specifically for N61JQ-xxx or I don't understand why when I go straight to the site I don't found the same things here ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

 

This is always the case.
ASUS usually don't update the notebook specific pages.
On the N71JQ page there are also only very old drivers.

To get to this place where you can download the latest stuff from asus go to:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

There are three field there saying Please select the product.
1- In the first field select Notebook
2- In the second field either select Drivers or select Apps. That depends if you want to search for latest drivers or latest applications.
3- The third field leave it at defualt value or you can select there which specific application or hardware driver you are looking for.

Hit the Search button and you will get a list of the ASUS drivers or Applications.

 

@ Turbogear -->> Thanks for that.
About hidden partition and recovery dvd disk I just received this from asus:

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting ASUS Customer Service.
Sorry for the delay and any inconvenience.
The recovery discs created by AI Recovery could restore the hidden partition if this partition was lost.
If you continue to experience issues in the future, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
Best Regards,
Lathan
ASUS Customer Service

 

Added new bluetooth driver and Turbogear's link. Turbogear: how do you create links that highlight the specific download like that?

 

Well basically I go to the particular driver page on ASUS site where there are a number of drivers for a device.
If you look to the very right where it gives the date like this 2010/06/21 update . On the second line below this there is a small icon which looks like two windows on top of each other (top one with green bar and bottom one with gray bar).
If you press this then a shortcut for a particular link will be copied to the clipboard.

When you past this link in the browser you will get the specific download highlighted.

 

I figured, but it doesn't seem to work for me in Firefox . Doesn't copy anything.

 

Good job Steve, this should help us a lot! rep++

 

I am using mostly IE8, but you are right that this does not seem to work with firefox.

 

Added new Intel RST driver.

 

They are using an IE only function. Doesn't seem to work in any alternative browsers.

Developing a site with IE only features these days tells volumes about the quality of their web developers.

 

thanks for that Turbogear, but i have a question, if i download drivers from there and not from the n61jq page, well will the driver be compatible with my laptop?

and the same question goes for the application section.

 

hi, stevedogg

i have a question , how do you get hold of drivers that are not even on the ASUS site. e.g. WIDCOMM V6.3.0. 4700, when the N61jq drivers are listed as V6.3.0. 2600.

could you direct me?
thanks

 

Most of the applications that ASUS releases are same for all the notebooks.

For the drivers, you should look for the ones that match the Hardware ID of your device. Not all the drivers on that page are compatible with the hardware in your notebook.

 

I think many of the drivers that stevedogg post here and which are not from the ASUS comes from this website:
station-drivers.com

 

sorry, but this might be an awfully dull question, but how do i find my hardware ID?

++ rep to you !, but i will have to wait, i have given out too many in the last 24 hours, too many people helping me out !

 

You are welcome.
Thanks for reps.

In order to find out the device Hardware ID go to:
1- Press Windows+Pause keys together.
2- In the Window that opens up click Device Manager shown as link on the left menu.
3- Now in the Device Manager go to the hardware device you want to look up the ID for. Right click on device name for example Atheros AR8131 LAN card and select Properties.
4- In the window that opens go to the Details tab.
5- There is a pull down menu there called property.
6- Select Hardware ids in the pull down menu.
7- In the Value field below you will get the HW ID for your device.

 

some drivers have multiple hardware ids, which one do i chose? or are they all relevant ?

 

For the non-ASUS links, I look on Station Drivers, checking the following pages for updates:

intel drivers pour Raid/Sata/Ata/Ahci
intel drivers pour chipsets
Atheros & Zidas drivers
Broadcom drivers
ELANTECH Drivers

I will paste these into the first post for those who wish to check for updates on their own.

Regarding the N71JQ: don't hold me to this, but I think all of the drivers I posted should work for the N71JQ, except possibly the optical drive firmware and webcam driver. Edit: add BIOS to the list of N61JQ updates that will NOT work on the N71JQ. This is obvious, but I thought I'd clarify just in case

 

Except for the bios file and possibly optical drive, all the drivers from this thread are the same for N71JQ.

My N71JQ has the same webcam as your N61JQ.
Regarding the optical drive, it could be that the N71JQ that comes without blu-ray has also the same optical drive as on N61JQ.

 

On my N61Jq the optical drive is MATA_DVD-RAM_UJ890AS

 

looks like the ATI Catalyst 10.6 is from this ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver website.

isn't there compatibility issues?

 

Not to my knowledge.

 

Sorry this is probably a dumb question (forgive me I'm a newbie), for all of the updates on the first page, is the bios the only update you can't just run the .exe file for? I am not going to attempt to update my bios until I need to or I notice something is not working on my pc that the bios firmware fixes, but I wanted to keep the other devices updated. Thanks in advance.

 

Unless there is an explicit note by the download link, running the EXE should work fine (except for BIOS, as you mentioned). For LAN and WLAN drivers, however, I prefer to update using device manager (go into the driver tab of the properties of the device). Since these drivers come from an external site, they sometimes have other stuff than just the driver (e.g. wireless network profile managers, etc.).

I tried to add notes for cases where it's not so simple (e.g. audio driver, which requires two runs, or touchpad, which resets all your settings).

 

Awesome, thanks for your help.

 

Updated Winflash utility:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

for those who use this method of updating BIOS.

Chris

 

Added new LAN driver.

 

thanks for letting us know,

 

stevedogg hi !

i would like it if you could suggest the order in which to install the updates, especially those who have done a fresh install. thanks

 

I really don't think it matters, but I tend to install what I view as the most "system critical" updates first: BIOS, chipset, graphics. Things like webcam and card reader are usually last for me, but again, it doesn't matter.

 

Quick question, I have successfully installed my new ssd and my old hd into the obhd caddy. I was testing everything out and my webcam now only shows me upside down? Any suggestions? The driver on the driver thread says to make sure my hardware id is the same as yours and mine is different then the one you posted. Thanks in advance! SSDs are AWESOME! Less than 8 seconds to boot and surf the net!

 

Mine shows this id USB\VID_13D3&PID_5122&REV_0202&MI_00
USB\VID_13D3&PID_5122&MI_00

 

got it fixed, mine is on the list, sorry for the stupid question

 

Added Wireless Console 3 app update.

 

Thanks stevedogg.

 

Added new touchpad driver.

 

Added ATI Catalyst 10.7 driver and another bug note for the touchpad driver.

 

"This resets your touchpad settings, so double-click the touchpad taskbar icon and write them down before updating" sorry i don't follow. what are we supposed to do?

i reinstalled my computer with a fresh copy of windows , the touchpad works fine, but no way to disable it, i install the ELAN drivers, but there seems to be a problem. the mouse is not responding correctly. now i know its not a problem with just my laptop, other have reported it too. how do i fix this problem with the elan drivers, and if thats not possible then how do i disable the trackpad without the drivers installed. please help, cant work on my assignments with the trackpad enabled.

thanks

 

The touchpad-specific settings can be accessed by double-clicking the little touchpad icon in the taskbar (bottom-right of your screen). You can recognize which icon it is by touching the touchpad; the default driver will show little blue dots on the icon as you touch it. Alternatively, you can go to Control Panel => Change mouse settings => ELAN tab => Options to view or set these options.

If you are using a USB mouse, you can disable the touchpad by checking "Disable when USB mouse plug in" on the same ELAN tab where you find the "Options..." button (in mouse settings).