Showing posts with label acer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acer. Show all posts

Friday, July 16, 2010

Acer Aspire 4740G on OpenSUSE (Perfect Linux Machine)



As I said AS4740 works well with Linux but you still need to do some tweaking for full functionality.
A lot of things you do with AS4530 is done with AS4740 to achieve full multimedia capability.

Edit: As with the new release openSUSE there are some updates:
1)Multimedia configuration is as shown below still the same manual work due to GPL.
2)Edit Nvidia Driver Repo is up just add the server and install the drivers.
3)You no longer need acpi_vendor commandline...issue resolved
4)Touchpad still jumpy with 2 fingers...
5)Atheros Driver no compiling required since the drivers work pretty well out of box.

In conclusion it is a great release solving some of the issues above just that the nvidia delay is a show stopper. I always like openSUSE elegant way of pushing down Nvidia Driver by server repo too bad they didn't get it out the same time as the distro release.

Lets get started:

First go to OpenSUSE to download their Live CD for 32/64bit according to your needs.
The LiveCD is the size of a Normal CD and just what you need to install OpenSUSE, the DVD format is a waste of bandwidth and a overkill.

Everything works out of box except the display driver.

Things that need tweaking:
  • Nvidia Propriety Drivers.
OpenSUSE is interesting because Nvidia provides the driver updates from their own server.
Other Distro like Ubuntu has a 3rd party maintaining the driver but not OpenSUSE however due to licensing issues they cannnot include it in the default install.

After installing add the Nvidia Server to the repository
SYSTEM,  SYSTEM ,YAST

Software,Software Repo

Add
Protocol:HTTP
Server:download.nvidia.com (See Nvidia provides the direct package)
Directory on Server: /opensuse/11.2
Accept the Server Key (because you trust the server)
From the YAST Menu, Select Software Management search for the Nvidia Driver and install it.
The kicker is that OpenSUSE software updates is IRRITATINGLY SLOW.
So bear with it.

After installing and rebooting it will be automatically activated.


  • Restricted Formats
Due to licensing issues OpenSUSE doesn't have restricted format support out of box but they are downloadable here (Unfortunately the libraries broke the cheese webcam functionality).

Edit: To prevent breaking of the cheese webcam functionality do the following:

Add VLC to the software repository(Use VLC to play all your future videos)
Then use Fluedo Codec for Banshee
After this the webcam functionality will be preserved.

You might also want to do the following configuration of the conf files below.

Edit: /etc/sudoers
Append "DISPLAY" as shown below
Defaults env_keep = "LANG LC_ADDRESS LC_CTYPE LC_COLLATE LC_IDENTIFICATION LC_MEASUREMENT LC_MESSAGES LC_MONETARY LC_NAME LC_NUMERIC LC_PAPER LC_TELEPHONE LC_TIME LC_ALL LANGUAGE LINGUAS XDG_SESSION_COOKIE DISPLAY"

The reason so you can sudo something in GNOME Desktop Mode.

Edit /etc/fstab
Add noatime to the line of your main disk partition so it will not write last access date to your Harddisk (Less unnnessary harddisk operations)

Open YAST select bootloader
Rename the Windows 7 Entry to something you like.
Rename the OpenSUSE Entry to something you like. 
Set the default OS to something you use more often.
Add acpi_osi=Linux to the end of the OpenSUSE boot parameters


Issue #1 Touchpad Multi-Touch (There is still a problem with jumping cursors with multi fingers so it is better to revert to Scroll Bar it should be fixed in the future) :

Create a config file using the data below.
Name it: 11-x11-synaptics.fdi
copy it to the following folder with root permission:/etc/hal/fdi/policy



The synaptics pad may not support true multitouch. However, we emulate multitouch when the width of the touch is greater than 6 units:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
<device>
<match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.touchpad">
<merge key="input.x11_driver" type="string">synaptics</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">On</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.EmulateTwoFingerMinZ" type="string">50</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.EmulateTwoFingerMinW" type="string">5</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.VertTwoFingerScroll" type="string">1</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.HorizTwoFingerScroll" type="string">1</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.TapButton1" type="string">1</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.TapButton2" type="string">3</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.TapButton3" type="string">2</merge>
</match>
</device>
</deviceinfo>
 

Then enable 2 finger scroll as shown below

Issue 2: Brightness Control
Add the follow to the Boot Loader Command Line as shown below
: acpi_backlight=vendor
Issue 3: Weak Wireless Signal
Add Atheros Repository to YAST


Then go to the install software menu it will recommend you to install atheros driver and madwifi.
However this doesn't solve the issue as signal is still weak you must grab the latest driver from source and compile it.
Sounds tough? It is actually quite simple.

Compiling it yourself using the sources

  • Make sure you have installed those packages: gcc, gcc-g++, make, kernel-source, kernel-XXX-devel (where XXX is the type of your kernel, for example if you use kernel-desktop kernel install kernel-desktop-devel package). If not, please install them using YaST.
  • Download the current drivers directly from MadWifi Project.
  • Unpack the archive in a temporary folder.
  • Open up a terminal window.
  • Switch to the temporary folder, and type in,
$ sudo make 
$ sudo make install
 
To load the new driver modules simply restart if you do not want to load the driver module manually.

Issue 4 Microphone
This is simply just set as shown below

For best Font Display use the following Settings in Appearance:
Select Detail



Select Slight Hinting or None instead of Full

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Acer Aspire 4740G Review

There is 1 confirmed bug on the Acer Aspire 4740/4740G Insyde EFI Firmware.
Bug 1:
DEP is disabled due to firmware bug.
This will have potential security implications on this laptop.
Update: Acer has already fixed it with a firmware update.


Bug 2:
They didn't remap the memory properly resulting in not all 4GB fully utilised. By rights if they are not going to utilise Intel HD Graphics they should have allocated 0MB to the Intel Graphics DVMT(or let user decide by enabling the menu in EFI setup menu).

I got my hands on one of the newer Acer Laptop: Acer Aspire 4740G
This is a rather cheap laptop with rather good specifications.
I won't be posting any picture of this laptop as you can google how it looks yourself.
To me performance is a more vital information source.
The specifications are as follows:

Operating System
Processor & Chipset
  • Intel® Core i3-330M processor (2.26 GHz, DDR3 1066 MHz, 3 MB L3 cache), supporting Intel® 64 architecture, Intel® Smart Cache
  • Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset
Memory
  • Up to 4 GB of DDR3 memory
Optical media drive
  • 8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Storage
  • Up to 640GB hard disk drive
  • Multi-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital™ (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick® (MS), Memory Stick PRO™ (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card™ (xD)
Display
  • 14" HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, Acer CineCrystal™ LED-backlit TFT LCD, supporting simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista™
  • 16:9 aspect ratio
  • 8 ms response time
Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M with 512 MB of dedicated DDR3 VRAM, supporting NVIDIA® CUDA™, PhysX™, PureVideo® HD technology, OpenEXR High Dynamic-Range (HDR) technology, Shader Model 4.0, Microsoft® DirectX® 10.1
  • Dual independent display support
  • 16.7 million colors
  • MPEG-2/DVD decoding
  • WMV9 (VC-1) and H.264 (AVC) decoding
  • HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support
Audio
  • Dolby®-optimized surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakers
  • Optimized 3rd Generation Dolby Home Theater®7 audio enhancement, featuring Dolby® Digital Live, Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx, Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Natural Bass and Dolby® Sound Space Expander, Dolby® Audio Optimization, Dolby® High Frequency Enhancer technologies
  • True5.1-channel surround sound output
  • High-definition audio support
  • S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers
  • MS-Sound compatible
  • Acer PureZone technology with two built-in stereo microphones, featuring beam forming, echo cancellation, dynamic gain control (TBC), and noise suppression technologies
Communication
  • Acer Video Conference1, featuring:
    • Acer Crystal Eye webcam with 640 x 480 resolution
    • Acer PureZone technology
  • Acer InviLink™ Nplify™3 802.11b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology or
  • Intel® Centrino® Advance-N 6200 a/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ network connection with Acer Nplify™, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology, and featuring MIMO technology
  • Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
  • Gigabit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN ready
  • 56K ITU V.92 with PTT approval12, Wake-on-Ring ready
I/O Interfaces
  • Multi-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
  • HDMI™ port with HDCP support
  • Three USB 2.0 ports
  • External display (VGA) port
  • Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
  • Microphone-in jack
  • Line-in jack
  • Ethernet (RJ-45) port
  • Modem (RJ-11) port
  • DC-in jack for AC adapter
Security
  • Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution, featuring Windows® logon, computer protection, FingerLaunch, ProfileLaunch, MusicLaunch, Password Bank, MyLaunch, FingerNav
  • BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords
  • Kensington lock slot
Power supply and battery
  • ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby and Hibernation power-saving modes
  • 48.8 W 4400 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack: • 3-hour battery life
  • 3-pin 65 W AC adapter
  • Energy Star®
Keyboard & Special Controls
  • 86-/87-/91-key keyboard, with inverted "T" cursor layout
  • Multi-gesture touchpad pointing device supporting:
    •Circular-motion scrolling •Pinch-action zoom •Page flip
  • 10 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows® keys, hotkey controls, independent standard numeric keypad, international language support,
  • Easy-launch buttons: WLAN, Bluetooth®, programmable key, file backup, volume up, volume down, touchpad lock
  • Media control keys (printed on keyboard): play/pause, stop, previous, next
Weight and dimensions
  • 342 (W) x 239 (D) x 23/38.6 (H) mm (13.4 x 9.4 x 0.9/1.5 inches)
  • 2.3 kg with 6-cell battery
Software
  • Acer Arcade™ Deluxe featuring Cinema, Album, Music, HomeMedia, Online Media
  • Acer Bio-Protection
  • Acer Crystal Eye
  • Acer GridVista™
  • Acer GameZone
  • Acer Game Console
  • Acer Launch Manager
  • Acer Backup Management
  • Acer ePower Management
  • Acer Recovery Management
  • Adobe® Reader®
  • Adobe Flash® Player
  • Google Toolbar™
  • Google Desktop™
  • McAfee® Internet Security Suite Trial
  • NTI Media Maker™
  • Microsoft® Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial
  • Microsoft® Windows Live™ Essentials
Warranty
  • One-year International Travelers Warranty (ITW)
Here is a more detailed specification from probing the hardware with Everest:

CPU Properties:



CPU Type   2x , 2133 MHz



Instruction Set   x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2



Original Clock   2133 MHz



L2 Cache   256 KB (Asynchronous)
 


Multi CPU (HyperThreading, Actual No. of Cores:2):



CPU #1   Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 330 @ 2.13GHz, 2128 MHz



CPU #2   Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 330 @ 2.13GHz, 2128 MHz



CPU #3   Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 330 @ 2.13GHz, 2128 MHz



CPU #4   Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 330 @ 2.13GHz, 2128 MHz




Video Adapter Properties:



Device Description   NVIDIA GeForce 310M



Adapter String   GeForce 310M



BIOS String   Version 70.18.3f.0.a



Chip Type   GeForce 310M



DAC Type   Integrated RAMDAC



Driver Date   16/3/2010



Driver Version   8.17.11.9716 - nVIDIA ForceWare 197.16



Driver Provider   NVIDIA



Memory Size   512 MB
Monitor Properties:



Monitor Name   Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB]



Monitor ID   AUO183C



Manufacturer   B140XW01 V8



Manufacture Date   Week 1 / 2009



Serial Number   None



Max. Visible Display Size   31 cm x 17 cm (13.9")



Picture Aspect Ratio   17:9



Gamma   2.20



DPMS Mode Support   None
Harddisk Controller:



Driver Description   Intel(R) 5 Series 4 Port SATA AHCI Controller



Driver Date   3/3/2010



Driver Version   9.6.0.1014



Driver Provider   Intel



INF File   oem8.inf
Windows Experience Index

Note: The harddisk is a upgraded WD BEKT 7200RPM 16MB Buffer Drive the default 5K500 Hitachi Drive doesn't give as much performance
3D Mark 06 Scores


CPU
The New Arrandale CPU i330 M330 (the lowest end)
The Throttling States is as follows:
Lowest Frequency: 1200MHZ Multiplier: x9.0  
(In between Multiplier changes from x9.0 to x16.0 depending on CPU Usage thus conserving power,
however sometimes it hits x7.0 Multiplier could be a bug,
QPI is fixed and no more Front Side Bus)
Maximium Frequency: 2100MHZ Multiplier: x16.0

It is Physically a Dual Core CPU with 2 Hyperthreading Cores so 4 Logical Cores in Total

Graphics SubSystem
Note: 
There maybe some errors regarding PhysX. Official Statement about PhysX is only 32 CUDA Cores GPUs are supported however G 310M only has 16 CUDA Cores. But I have tested AS4740G and it DOES support PhysX using the latest Nvidia 257.21 driver but I wouldn't count on the performance.
 
GPU is soldered to the board as VGA BIOS/Firmware cannot be read by GPUZ the normal way. Also Soldered GPUs can reduce the pricing of the laptop therefore this can explain the cheap price of Acer Aspire 4740G.
Below is a picture of the GPU and CPU
Note GPU is soldered onto the mainboard therefore NOT UPGRADEABLE.
CPU is a PGA Socket hence UPGRADEABLE.



Although the laptop has Intel HD Graphics onboard the CPU (see the 2 die above?), it is not activated or detected, you can pray that Acer will release a BIOS, no sorry EFI Firmware that will unlock Optimus or Switchable Graphics BUT from my past experience with Acer chances are as good as striking lottery...
New:
IRONLAKE-MOBILEd.0.Ä.C.0...................BIOS_DATA_BLOCK ˜...”.þê..d....1914Intel(R)Ironlake Mobile PCI Accelerated SVGA BIOS..Build Number: 1914 PC 14.34  10/15/2009  11:37:51..DECOMPILATION OR DISASSEMBLY PROHIBITED..............Co
I found the above VGA ROM (IRONLAKE is the Intel Code Name for Intel HD Graphics onboard the Intel Core iX CPU) data inside the BIOS dump which indicate Acer Aspire 4740G CAN ACTUALLY SUPPORT switchable except Acer disabled the ability in the EFI/BIOS.

Temperature Dissipation Test
This is a new Test I devised to measure how well the unit dissipate heat it can produce at maximium performance:

My opinion on this result is that this Acer Aspire 4740G handles heat pretty decently.
Considering that Acer uses Thermal pad on the GPU this is a very good result.
I estimate if the thermal pad is replaced by a Copper Shim temperature will fall by a good 10 degrees.
Only real Tests like the one I conducted can accurately determine if a particular model potentially has thermal issues, not old grandmother stories like how my Acer from 10 years ago overheat therefore all Acer overheat(This is a flawed argument by the way).
Anyway a computer that cannot dissipate the heat it produces is as good as a man who can't wipe his own backside (Acer Aspire 4530), so this laptop does pretty well.


Kombustor rate of temperature rise graph:


3 PowerMizer States are as shown below:

CUDA Capabilities as shown below:
It seems to indicates a decent CUDA Device.

So there you go all the information you need to consider this laptop for usage.

If you know how to reinstall an Operating System, always do a clean install for better performance.
Why, because if you go Windows Hardware Developer Central there is a report that stated over 80% of OEM Imaged Computers has lousier performance than a Clean Windows Installation. 
I believe this is due to OEM Crap pre-installed in the computers.
Remember to run idle task and defragment the harddisk so AFTER installing all drivers to ensure optimal performance.
If you want to do a clean install you can use the list below as a driver checklist.
Or click here for links to latest greatest driver. 
  1. Intel Chipset Driver
  2. Intel Rapid Storage Driver
  3. Intel Management Engine
  4. Nvidia Graphics Driver
  5. Nvidia High Definition Audio Driver
  6. Realtek High Definition Audio Driver
  7. Acer Launch Manager
  8. BroadCom Bluetooth Driver
  9. Finger Print Driver (Available from Windows Updates)
  10. SuYin/Chicony WebCam Driver
  11. Conexant Modem Driver
  12. Synaptics/ALP Touchpad Driver
  13. Intel Management Engine Controller
  14. BroadCom NetLink LAN Driver
  15. Atheros/Intel Wireless Driver
  16. Realtek Card Reader Driver
  17. Acer Smart Power Manager & Optical Driver Power Manager
Conclusion about whats great and what sucks
What's Great:
1)This laptop although armed with the lowest end Core i3 Processor can even outmuscle any AMD Turion II Mobile Processor so you might want to reconsider buying any Turion II laptops.
It says something when you find a Turion II M 660 Flagship Processor can't beat the lowest end Intel Core i3 330M Processor. It says even more when the Turion II equiped laptop (4540G) cost more than this laptop (4740G).
2)The Audio is fantastic: Subwoofer + Bass on a 14 inch laptop (5.1 Surround Sound See Below)


3)Solid hinge from older Gemstone.
4)Cheap price for a Intel/Nvidia combo laptop.
Remember Nvidia Always has better drivers than ATi on both Linux and Windows.
5)Awesome heat vent much better than previous designs.
6)Easy to access bottom panel for fast component upgrades
7)Ultra Slient Exhaust Fan even when spinning at Full Speed.

What Sucks
1)The touchpad looks silly because when you use 2 finger scroll, the etches for the Touchpad 1 Finger slide seems pointless
2)Sound is not so good maybe because the drivers have not yet been stably corrected.
3)Fingerprint Magnet Monitor bezel.
4)WebCam driver image quality not quite there, needs better drivers.

What's Controversial
1)The new 14 inch form factor has lower height but broader breath, personally I like it as this gives it a more compact look like a 13 inch which give better mobility but the total screen area is conserved.
2)Keyboard needs some getting use to (Sort of VAIO/Macbook style keyboard I am too used to the old Acer Style)
3)Battery life is around 3 hrs on the default battery but I know it is possible to buy 12 Cell Batteries on Ebay to equip this laptop.
4)RW-Everything reported this laptop can support up to 16GB after BIOS data analysis but only 2 Physical Slots are available so it should take a Max of 8GB only.

Bottomline:
I don't think anyone can find an Arrandale Based Laptop with decent Nvidia Graphics for the same price Acer placed on this laptop so yea this is it.

If you already own this laptop you might be interested in Optimizing the System Disk & Touchpad Configuration and installing OpenSUSE on AS4740

Changing the BackUp Button to open other applications (Using Zune as an Example)
Note: This will only work if you install the LauchManager from Acer Aspire 4540G.
<------------------(Start Copying after this Line)------------------>

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Compal\LManager\Settings\Buttons\Backup]
"Command"="C:\\Program Files\\Zune\\Zune.exe"
"Command Type"="1"
"Label"="Zune"
"Remote Code"="C008"
"Description"="Zune Media Player"
"Configable"="1"
<---------------------(Stop Copying Before this line)------------------------->


Friday, June 4, 2010

Acer Aspire 4551G

The new update to the Acer Aspire 4540 is out.
It runs the first Mobile Phenom Quad Core N930 in the highest SKU version.


How hot it might get when coupled with the Radeon 5650HD I don't know, but personally I feel it will get really hot and power hungry so decide carefully what are your needs before purchasing it.

More Information about the new Processors here.

Users who bought this laptop might want to undervolt the processor to conserve power and reduce thermal output.

Expect the new Acer Aspire 45XX series which are emerging to have the same characteristics.

Simple Way To Improve Laptop Battery Life For Arrandale CPU

There is actually a simple way to improve Mobility Life on Laptop with the Mobile Core i3/5/7 CPU.
Windows Vista/7 Power Plans have often been overlooked.
If you checked the new Arrandale CPUS they have unique characteristics.
They have multiple Power-States that varies by multiplier so any Power State you set will be available instead of only having 3 fixed discrete Power States.
So 1 advantage you can take of this is to limit the Maximum Processor state in Windows 7 Advance Power plan.

I am sure many of you don't game on a battery supply therefore on Mobile usage on Battery usually all work that is done is usually Office Typing and WebSurfing that do not require the processor to run at maximum capability.
The good part about Arrandale is you gain what you set.


Meaning when you set 40% Maximium Processor state on battery the CPU clocks exactly at 40% of Max Processor state instead of a lower Power State thus making this a viable solution to power saving.


Formula: Core Speed = Bus Speed X Multiplier

On older Processors like the Core 2 Duo and the Turion II and Turion I this is not a good solution because when you set at X% the processor will lock its maximum at the Power State rounded of to the nearest Power state so you encounter more performance penalty. For the Core i3 330M this is not an issue because the multiplier scales very well as show below the frequency varies linearly.

Refer to the scaling comparison below to see the difference

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Acer Aspire 4740G EFI and Memory Bug

SOLVED:
Acer sent me a EFI/BIOS Version 1.07 which fixed the DEP issue however no ability to activate switch able graphics was provided and 256MB is still being mysteriously eaten up by Intel HD Graphics.
It is officially out now in Acer Support Site so download from there directly.
Found a bug in Acer Aspire 4740G EFI Bug
From Intel Spec Site
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=47663
The i3 330M Processor supports
Execute Disable Bit Yes

To verify this on your own Acer Aspire 4740/4740G
Download Securable here.
To access the Windows Advance Menu, Go to Control Panel >> System >> Advance System Settings >> Advance >> Performance Settings >> Data Execution Prevention.
Why is this vital?
Data Execution Prevention improves system security by flagging non executable code as non executable so malicious code cannot buffer overrun into execution hence if Acer really screwed this up Acer Aspire 4740G security could be potentially at risk.


I took a look into the EFI Firmware this is the feature which is not enabled:
Use XD Capability [Enable/Disable Processor XD Capability]
XD refers to Intel eXecute bit Disable Bit.

Add 1 more bug to the mix:




Acer if you are reading this and is sorry about the surprises you sprang please enable the Intel HD Switchable Graphics in the BIOS as an Apology to all AS4740 owners. I know it is there.
Either you remove Intel HD Graphics Memory reserve or you enable Switchable.
The Switchable Graphics Capability is as shown in the EFI firmware:
Set Display Mode Configure Type Integrated Graphics Discrete Graphcis Switchable Graphics

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Dissemble Acer Aspire 4740G

I have dissembled the Acer Aspire 4740G and clean up the internal crap from Acer.
Here is the preview of the temperature improvements
Dissembled Picture:

Look at the shody application of thermal paste it is a total mess

Close up view of the mess Acer Made (Too much thermal gunk inhibits thermal transfer)


After I cleaned up all the thermal crap.The chip surface is mirror shine.

I used Brasso to remove the tarnish Copper Stain on the heatsink and made it mirror shine as well.
(After using Brasso I used Isopropyl Alcohol to clear up all traces of Brasso)


Temperatures Before Clean Up


Temperatures After Clean Up:


The famous MSI Kombuster Temperature Graph 

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Acer Aspire 4530 Drivers

**New
WebCam Driver:
I found new WebCam Drivers for Aspire 4530.
It can be found here: http://www.station-drivers.com/page/camera.htm
Download the
SuYin 0.3MP WebCam driver.
It will produce better images without Flickering can add a new Video Record Function.

For Windows 7 (Install 64bit Driver Version whenever applicable to a 64bit Windows OS, some drivers include a 2 in 1 installer to detect what OS you are using)

Chipset Driver:
Go for Nvidia NForce Driver 15.45 at Guru3d Site or ASUS Download Site(For their Mainboards)
Make sure 3 things are installed
  • SMU Driver
  • SMBus Driver
  • Nvidia Storage Driver
Audio Driver:
Go for Realtek Website or Mirrors at Guru3d/laptopvideo2go
Any Version will do preferably latest.

VGA Driver:
Go for Nvidia Download Site Version 195.62 at the moment.


Launch Manager:
Acer Download site

Wireless Driver:
Just do a Windows Update from the OS the latest driver will be pushed down to the system if you included optional updates.

Card Reader Driver (Look for Card Reader Driver Download Section in Realtek Site):
Realtek Website (Not Available on Acer Site because it can work using Windows 7 Generic Driver however a Driver is recommended to maximize USB power savings.

Modem Driver:
Acer Download site since Foxconn don't provide 3rd Party Driver Support

Bluetooth Driver(Look for Bluetooth Driver Download Section in BroadCom Site):
From BroadCom Site or Acer Download site

Touchpad Driver:
LaptopVideo2go Site (For Extra MultiTouch function) or Acer Download site (No MultiTouch)

FingerPrint Driver (For Selected Models):
Acer Download site

Ethernet Driver(Look for BroadCom NetXtreme for Mobile Driver Download Section in BroadCom Site):
From BroadCom(Update Manual Via Windows Device Manager there is no installer) Site or Acer Download site

For Windows Xp users you need to install AMD Processor Driver from AMD Sites otherwise 'Quiet n Cool' wouldn't work.
Anyway I don't recommend Windows Xp when Windows 7 is out.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Acer Smart Power Manager

Finally some useful software from Acer
Please note: Different Power Smart Manager is meant for different configuration.
Some Power Smart Manager supports Radeon Switchable meant for laptops with ATi Radeon Specification.
So to get the best fit, look for the latest Acer Laptop with specification as close to yours as possible.

Acer Smart PowerManager

Download here
Conserve Power On the Go.
Installable on most Acer/Packard Bell/Gateway/Emachine Laptops (Even on Laptops that doesn't came with this originally).
When you install it on a (eg. Packard Bell) Computer the software calls itself Packard Bell Power Save!

Optical Drive PowerManager

Download here
Conserve Power On the Go.
Installable on most Acer Laptops (Even on Laptops that doesn't came with this originally).
Software originally meant for Acer Aspire Timelines but work on Non Timelines as well.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Issue For Aspire 4530 Owners on Windows 7

Please take note when installing NForce Drivers
Make sure your Add/Remove Nvidia Driver has the entries below:

Use the 15.45 NForce Drivers I advised (Can be downloaded on Guru3d.com) DO NOT USE 15.37 NForce Drivers from Nvidia except for the AHCI Storage Driver from 15.37.
Note you get SMU Driver and PCI System Management Drivers, otherwise you get a Fatal Machine Check error occasionally in Windows 7 Event Log, you won't see any BSOD but the error log will be there .
In conclusion use the Storage Drivers from 15.37 and SMU and PCI System drivers from 15.45.

Update:
Please update the Storage Driver from 15.51 (from Guru3D) the driver from 15.37 causes occasional freezing issue.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Acer Harddisk Failure

Firstly, if the Harddisk came from an integrated OEM System, the warranty is honored by the OEM.
The warranty is not going to be the responsibility of the Disk Manufacturer unless the Harddisk is bought separately in a retail store, so if you run out of warranty you will have to buy a separate harddisk replacement by yourself.

Symptoms of Harddisk Failure:
  • Windows hangs while Booting or takes a unusually long time.
  • Windows hangs while shutting down.
  • BIOS hangs while booting. (To restore normal booting from a normal harddrive simply enter BIOS and set Clear NVRAM to yes, Save and exit)
  • Windows Event log report S.M.A.R.T(Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) Failure. (A S.M.A.R.T Failure report definitely predicts a drive failure while not all drive failure will definitely be detected by S.M.A.R.T)

  • Linux Desktop suddenly colour corrupts and doesn't respond at all.
How to resolve:
  1. Boot from a Linux Live CD and copy all your important data to an external harddisk. (Do not attempt to boot from the failing harddisk, it only makes thing worse)

  2. If you have a desktop and the notebook harddrive uses a SATA connector you can simply plug your notebook harddrive to a connector, boot from the desktop harddrive and copy the data off the notebook harddrive.

  3. If the notebook harddrive uses a PATA connector then you need a bridge.

  4. If the harddisk has failed totally it is impossible to retrieve any data unless you go to a specialized data retrieval centre which usually cost a bomb.

  5. Do not go to those small computer shops that claims they can retrieve data, because they do not have the actually tools to do a platter swap to retrieve the data or recondition the harddisk, they are only out to cheat your money)
Yes I was unlucky enough to encounter a harddisk failure however I managed to salvage all the data I needed to a new Laptop Harddisk.
The new harddisk is considered a upgrade from WD BEVT Scorpio Blue to WD BEKT Scorpio Black.

The new harddisk spins at 7200RPM instead of 5400RPM and has a 16MB Disk Buffer instead of a 8MB disk buffer.
It also comes with a 5year warranty instead of a 3 year warranty.
The slight price difference justified the upgrade purchase.
Oh, and by the way the BEKT reports a 5.9 score in Windows Experience Index.

WD 320GB BEVT


WD 320GB BEKT

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Acer Aspire 3810TZ Quick Review

I got my hands on one of the new Timeline Series Laptop 3810TZ costing only 899 SGD (around 618 USD)
Firstly you should run Empowering BackUp to backup the 13GB factory image and Software driver to 3 DVDs altogether.
As you know Acer loads their laptop with useless software so I before I used it, I reloaded Vista over the factory default partition.
You can decide to destroy the 13GB Recovery Partition if you are short on Disc Space.

The full specification are as follows.
  • Intel Pentium Processor SU2700 (1.3GHZ,800FSB)
  • **Note the newer 3810TZ comes with a Dual Core SU4100
  • Intel GMA 4500MHD(Up to 732MB shared)
  • 13.3" HD LED LCD
  • 2GB DDR3 Memory (Single Stick) Elpida
  • 160GB HDD Seagate ST9160310AS
  • Atheros AR5B93 b/g/n Wireless Network Adapter

More details:

It uses the new GS45 Intel Chipset together with a Ultra Low Voltage Processor U2700 the power savings are tremedous.

Thermal Temperatures are also very low as can be seen.

The red box is the max temperature after I stressed the CPU with Intel Burn In utility.
As you can see the temperature are extremely low thanks to the ULV Processor plus the Laminar Wall Jet Cooling.

As you can see CPUZ has yet to detect this new CPU Correctly.
The Screenshot also shows why this laptop is desirable than most Netbooks.
Firstly it has 64bit support unlike most Atoms.

VT is locked? Meaning there is a way around it? Further Investigation pending.
After investigation VT is not present on SU2700 however SU3500 supports VT as well as SU9400 .
To unlock VT a simple guide is available here















It is interesting to note the particular machine only has a single stick of RAM installed meaning upgrading is NOT problematic at all.




















As you can see the low score is due to some incomplete tests like Anti-Aliasing not available on this machine.

Few things to note:
  • Acer isn't lying about the 8hr operating life by tapping the shortcut button on the top right corner battery life can reach approximately 8hrs.
  • No bluetooth is installed on this system but adding it is possible.
  • The Processor on Paper seems pretty weak low frequency,Single Core etc, but in actual fact it will suffice for most applications.
  • A clean vista install will make the entire system quicker and more responsive, there is no need to revert to Windows Xp.
  • The notebook never overheats.
  • It is not likely to encounter hardware issues, however problematic Acer software is a possibility although I didn't encounter both.
  • The acoustics is low fan, spin hardly audible but is efficient at thermal removal.
  • It is cheap and value for money.
  • If you don't need Processor Power this laptop is the way to go.
  • It is light and sleek. At 1.6Kg and 1" thin it is highly portable plus the design look pleasant and professional.
  • Not recommended if you require a more powerful processor or you want to play games on the laptop.
  • For Acer to achieve this thinness the lid was slightly compromised if you press on the lid you could see the temporary color change effect on the Monitor so just be gentle with the lid.
  • The Processor is non-upgradable it is soldered to the motherboard using BGA Soldering (Ball Grid Array)
I really recommend this laptop because of the unique features it possess not found in laptops from other vendors (How many laptops do you know of that cost less than 700USD yet has 8hr battery life?).
As of yet no overclocking tools is available to "value add" the processor however in the future when more GS 45 platform based laptop appear the support might be added.

Customize the Aspire Timeline buttons
It is possible to undervolt it using RMClock and overclock using SetFSB.
For the SU 3500 and SU9400 but not the SU2700.
Acer Timeline Fan Control
0x1F for fan off.
0x1A for fan low mode.
0x1C for fan mid mode.

So far I was not able to find the high mode setting. But therefor the auto mode (0x00) is a good alternative untill the correct value is found.

Now enjoy your silent notebook!

Here are the important code lines from my "options.ini":

[Modes]
Auto=0x00
Stop=0x1F
Slow=0x1A
Medium=0x1C

[Schemes]
Auto="Auto"
Example_scheme="Stop, Slow, 40, Slow, 45, Medium, 50, Auto, 53"

Edit: Unfortunately these values are not correct for the battery mode! For Example 0x1F becomes medium mode.
Tweaks
OverClock

Update:
To fully utilise the touchpad please update the drivers at laptopvideo2go.
The Acer Shipped Drivers does not come with 3 finger gesture which the new Drivers at laptopvideo2go enables.

If you happen to encounter a bad BIOS/EFI flash do the following:
  1. Put Flashit.exe (DOS) on a Thumbdrive
  2. Rename the BIOS/EFI Image file to JM31X64.fd and put it in the thumbdrive as well
  3. Plug in the thumbdrive to the powered down machine
  4. Press and hold 3 buttons Fn + Esc + Power Button (With AC Adapter + Battery plugged in)
  5. Release when it reads the thumbdrive.
  6. After a while you should hear fan spinning furiously after it is done it should boot fine
  7. All the above will work provided you didn't screw up the bootblock.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Streaming Video Using VLC

Edit:

There is a new solution. Simply go to adobe labs and install the new Flash Plugins 10.1 instead of 10.0.
The new plugin promises to offload video processing to the GPU reducing the CPU load.
Please remember to uninstall the old plugin before installing the new plugin.

If you installed it correctly and ran GPU-Z while watching youtube you should see this.


Here is a alternative solution for people having problems streaming youtube.
As you know youtube uses CPU to render the video hence if your CPU is not powerful enough you may experience playback issues (eg. Aspire Timeline with SU2700 Processor).
All laptop comes with good enough Graphics Processor to handle flash videos actually however to make use of the GPU to render flash you need VLC to convert the flash to utilise Video Codecs so the GPU can decode it here is a step by step guide.

Firstly download and install VLC

Next set VLC to DirectX so GPU will be utilised by VLC for playback


Next Launch VLC and select "Open Network Stream"


Enter the URL Containing the Video

Select Play and you are done!

To prove that CPU utilisation is lower using VLC playback:



Note the CPU utilisation averages at about 30-40%

While using VLC (Note: using GPU rendering forces the computer to turn off Aero Glass)

CPU utilisation averages between 10-20%.
The initial CPU spike is due to launching VLC and Setting it to URL Stream Mode.

However I have yet to figure out how to change the URL to High Quality Mode.
Suggestion anybody?

Edit: I found out how just append &fmt=22 to the end of the URL