Asus F8VA Montevina Mobile Platform review

if your 3dmark06 is hanging like mine did, there is a fix for the problem, or at least it fixed it for me. You can try googling it, if not, i can upload it for you.

 

For all the owners of the ASUS F8VA, could you please post some input regarding my issues, it would be GREATLY appreciated. I need to know whether these sounds are common within the F8Va model, thanks!!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=317245

 

Does anyone have the actual drivers? I don't have access to the driver DVD so I'm without bluetooth, chipset, and a lot of other things right now. Or is there some update tool that I can use?

Thanks a lot

 

Get the drivers from support.asus.com. They should have all the drivers there. Download may be a bit slow, so be patient.

 

Has anyone figured a way to remap the FN key? The FN is placed where the Ctrl key should be. I've tried a few programs but they cannot identify the FN key.

 

I'm looking into installing the webcam driver for WinXP... then one on the driver disc doesn't work. Anyone possible know what driver to use?

 

on c1 try camera driver D-max GD-5a31 for XP .. v6.21.20.004.

 

Howdi all,

After downgrading to XP it's having problems with standby/resume. If it goes into standby, the screen goes blank, lights stay on .. fan spinning ... it wont come back. only remedy is hard reset. All drivers are appearing to work ok.

Does anybody has this problem? thanx

 

Do you have the ATK drivers properly installed?

 

I just ordered a F8Va-B1, and since it seems the battery doesn't last long enough I would like to buy an additional battery. Can anyone plase provide me with the battery code or p/n?

Thank you.

 

Has anyone tried installing the Windows 7 Beta on the laptop...Wanna see someone elses reports before I attempt it

 

Well no answer about the battery, will have to wait until it arrives.

I'll put Linux and XP on it, also will test the Windows 7 beta.

 

F8VA 6 cell battery part # 90-NF51B1000Y.

 

Well, i just installed Windows 7 Beta 64 bit.

My disc drive tends to lock up on the software DVD (can't eject, but you can hear it spinning loudly), but it did work sometimes.

couldn't find these three drivers on the vista software disc that came with the laptop...will try to look online

ugh...i'll post up the drivers i couldn't find in a bit...dvd drive locked again.

 

These are the three drivers that i could not be installed from the vista disc i received with my laptop.

Ricoh SD/MMC Host Controller
Fingerprint Sensor
ITECIR Infrared Receiver (EC)

Funny WEI Score in W7
Processor - 5.9 (went up from vista (5.2)
Memory - 5.9 (same)
Graphics - 4.7 (went down from vista (5.4)
Gaming Graphics - 5.6 (up from vista (5.5)
Primary Hard Disk - 2.9 (down from vista (5.4)

will post more driver results when i get to them.

 

update:
Ricoh SD/MMC Host Controller + FingerPrint Sensor drivers are found

LifeFrame3 does not work in W7

 

Not sure if anybody else has tried the beta...but i've noticed that under W7, the DVD drive can get locked up and become stuck with the cd/dvd spinning. the only way i could solve this was holding the power and forcing a shut down. i want to try updating the firmware, but can't find any at this point.

 

I've had my F8VA for about a week, and I'm very happy with it.

The first thing I did was get rid of Vista and installed Kubuntu 8.10 64bit. Everything works fine with the 2.6.28 kernel and Catalyst 8.12. There are some small annoyances, like WiFi led and on/off button not working, and PowerPlay seem not to work with current drivers. You have to install in text mode to overcome the "white screen" problem though. I'll make a tutorial soon.

I also installed XP x64, everything works, except for keyboard special keys and wireless led (just like in Kubuntu). So far, I haven't been able to overclock the graphics card; I tried ATI tool, RivaTuner and AMD Set Clock.

Have not tested Fingerprint reader and IR port (I don't use them).

 

Well, it's been 15 days since i've been using Windows 7 Beta 64 Bit

Issues:
1. The only driver that i was not able to get was the "IR Port" which is not much of a big deal.
2. I still have random CD/DVD lockups (the disc is spinning, but i can't eject)...but it occurs very rarely.

Notes:
1. Some software (LifeFrame3, Splendid, P4GE) should be installed by downloading the recent versions from the asus download support page.
2. ATI drivers are still new, so opengl games will not work (or at least i could not get them to work)

 

I own a F8VA-B1

I remember reading that the GPU (ATI 3650) runs at two different clock speeds, idle and gaming (or other strenuous activities). Does anybody know how this happens (for example, what triggers the switch)

I'm currently running Windows 7 64 Bit and i've monitored that clocks stay constant at 297.0 (core) and 198.0 (memory) even when i play games like Dawn of War Soulstorm.

anybody know any reasons why it stays at the idle clocks?

 

This is controlled by the Windows Powersaving or Power4Gear profile. In theory, with AC power, the GPU in clocked down when in 2D mode, and runs at full speed when in 3D mode. With battery power, the GPU is always downclocked.

Also, in CCC there's an option called "Powerplay", if you disable that, your GPU should run a full speed all the time.

 

Thanks for the informative reply Glock24

So I found out that my clock speeds were switching properly, but just at lower speeds:

Plugged In: 297.0 (Core) / 198.0 (Memory)
Battery: 148.0 (Core) / 198.0 (Memory)

I've been monitoring it with GPU-Z (v0.3.1)
On the information page it says that both "GPU Clock" and "Default Clock" are at 600/400...but that isn't the case?

 

Some monitoring programs have issues reading clocks from recent GPU models (although I think GPU-Z is among the more reliable ones). Make sure that is not the case here; run a 3DMark and see if you get a typical score (which would indicate clocks are actually higher) or lower. (Apologies if you already tried that)

 

Should have mentioned it, but yes, I have run 3dMark06 and the score seems consistent with what I saw in Vista. I saved the report from 3DMark, but it couldn't detect my Memory Clocks and Core Clocks. I guess if the scores are similar, then it must be working alright.

Thanks E.B.E. and Glock24 for the useful information.

Now I have to figure out why Windows 7 is reporting that 2+GB ram is being used. It use to only report ~1.3GBish. This is during idle times with barely anything running.



I've checked the processes and resource monitor and nothing seems odd.

 

It's SuperFetch: Windows caches programs likely to be used in the future in the memory. It comes at little performance penalty and the memory is released immediately if needed by running applications. (at least that's the theory, but I think in this case it's borne out in practice to a good extent)

 

Hi guys, I'm new here so please bear with me. I have an F8VA-B1, and after a few hiccups I managed to downgrade it to XP. I do have a few issues with it though...

In the XP downgrade guide there is an IR driver listed that is supposed to work, however the link is broken. I've tried a few other drivers that should have been compatible with the hardware ID listed in the Control Panel, but none worked. Each one ended up giving different errors on load. Does anyone have an actual working IR driver for the F8VA-B1?

My second problem relates to the video card drivers. I've tried modding several versions of ATI's Catalyst drivers (8.12, 8.11, 8.10 and finally 8.6) using Mobility Modder. Each time the process completed successfully, and the drivers installed fine. However WolfET could not load the OpenGL subsystem with any of them EXCEPT Catalyst 8.6.

Also, each of these Catalyst drivers (including 8.6) give an event log error. "Application popup: : \SystemRoot\System32\ativvaxx.dll failed to load" EventID:26.

Any ideas as to what may be going on? Thanks for your time...

 

W.r.t. XP downgrade, I think Ken (GenTechPC) wrote the downgrade guide. So, you could either wait until he reads this, or else try to PM him and ask him about the IR driver.

As to the modded drivers, isn't there another way to get modded ATI drivers besides mobility modder?

 

Did you download and install .Net Framework 2.0? it's required for XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...cb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en

I found another driver for IR port, try it and see if it works:

http://dl.okglb.com/consumerdl.leno...Downloads and Drivers/Y530/XP/IN1CIR12WW1.exe

 

Thank you very much, the IR driver works like a charm. I'm just curious what Lenovo laptop contains this same chipset? It would make finding driver updates much easier in the future.

Yes, I installed the .Net Framework. All drivers work just fine with Fallout3, and Oblivion, just not WolfET. And except the event viewer error message I am not getting any negative effects. I think I'll just live with it, I'm glad to be able to run XP instead of Vista...

 

I just updated the BIOS to version 209, they removed the options that could brick the computer (something related to TPM), and they added something called "ASUS FancyStart". Any ideas what that is?

On a side note, seems like the driver above also works for XP x64.

 

Glock24

If you enable FancyStart in BIOS 209, you can change the image that shows up when you turn on your laptop. The default is the ASUS logo. Just install "FancyStart" software and you'll see how to change it.

...my question...after BIOS 208 and now 209, there is no option that i can find to disable the initial Asus Logo...it was possible in 205, but not now. Any suggestions.

EDIT: nevermind, the option is still there, they just moved it to another section of BIOS.

 

Cant get the audio drivers to install for f8va-b1 and it seems the modem drivers, well at least that is what i suspect there are 2 pci drivers missing. arent installing i will send a screenshot if you want. Im having a heck of a time getting all my drivers to install can some1 lend a hand???

 

LoL, Im so proud of myself i figured it out... ok heres the scoop if anyone else has problems with the sound drivers not getting installed. Apparantly the microsoft UAA audio bus driver had to be installed b4 i could get my modem and sound device working properly. the link to the UAA audio bus is here. http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/SOUND-CARD/OTHER-SOUNDCARDS/Microsoft-UAA-Bus-Driver-for-High-Definition-Audio.shtml

 

reignofdragons,

I never saw that option in the BIOS. My computer came with v206. I think the only way to get that option back is to downgrade to v205 or hack the BIOS with a BIOS editor.

 

Glock24

The option still exists, but it's been moved.

To show normal POST messages, enter BIOS

Select "Boot" Tab
Select "Boot Settings Configurations"
Disable Quiet Boot

well...this is how you do it in 209, might be there in 206.

 

this is not a big deal, but i seem to have lost one of my rubber feet (top near the optical drive)...how would i go about replacing it. It bugs me that it's gone XD

 

Check the ASUS eStore for the rubber feet. Rather than being sold separately, they may be included in a "miscellaneous set".

Otherwise, call the ASUS service, David said on another thread that they may send you the rubber feet for free. Use a strong adhesive.

 

E.B.E - thanks for the information

another question...anybody who went back to XP, is there a better profile monitor than the generic p4g posted on page one of this thread. The one posted doesn't allow me to change my brightness when plugged in (i'm having a weird problem where using AC lowers the brightness automatically).

nevermind...i just used the ATK keys to raise my brightness.

 

is anybody using Windows 7 x64 and installed the new 9.3 catalyst drivers for W7?

I can't seem to install them. Tried (1) regular install (2) mobility modder modded it (3) tried to manually find it (in this case, i couldn't even find 3650).

 

Hi there,

I bought an F8va last year and put Win Xp on it. Everything is working, except for the IR port (not that big of a deal) and the e-sata port.

I have been looking for an E-sata driver, but the only ones I could find were for a "JMicron_JMB360" controller. So when I try to install these, a message appears stating that such hardware has not been found.

Does anyone else's e-sata port work in Win xp?

Thank you very much. Any help is greatly appreciated .