Aspire Gemstone

OpenWRT Built for TP-Link WR1043ND

2011-10-08T16:08:00.006+08:00

As you can see I updated the pages, the new Trunk builds are below
My goal is to create the most functional OpenWRT pre-compiled firmware for the WR1043ND
Since I have problem compiling Backfire, I will use Trunk instead.

The following are the aims:

Reduction of Redundant features
Exclusion of unused features
Performance

So I will revise the features

LuCI GUI
3g USB Modem Support
IPv6 in IPv4 tunneling
Dynamic DNS
Native IPv6
QoS (Quality Of Service) Scripts
Polipo
Privoxy (GUI doesn't exist)
uPnP (Universal Plug & Play)
SAMBA (Windows File Sharing)
MultiWAN
Harddisk Idle
AddUser and Delete User accounts and su function
External Harddisk supporting only EXT FileSystem
VSFTP (File Transfer Protocol Server)
OpenVPN

(The reason I decided to remove NTFS is because
It consumes a lot of CPU power which reduces the Router Performance
Windows File Sharing is slow using NTFS compared to EXT File System
NTFS Modules consumes a lot of space on the available 8MB of Flash

I included the Optimized Default Configuration files in the folder.
You can load them to the router using the Configuration Restore/Backup function in LuCI.

openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd-v1-squashfs-factory.bin - For Routers that are NOT running OpenWRT

openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd-v1-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin - For Routers currently running OpenWRT

Before Flashing please read my previous posts about TP-Link WR1043ND to know what you are getting into. Consult the documentation @ OpenWRT Website or ask if you have any queries.

You can request additional feature or download the packages through the OpenWRT repository (the package installer is built into LuCI)
------------------------------------Old Firmware & New Firmware Below---------------------------------------
You can download the files here.

Realtek Driver Mod

2011-09-26T12:18:00.000+08:00

For a while there has been a Realtek Driver Mod for Realtek Audio Codec Only.
This Mod enables better Audio by utilizing the X-Fi Software.
I find this mod especially effective on laptops with very low power speakers like the Acer Aspire 3810 Timeline Laptops.

Pre-Requesites:

Windows Vista/7 and above
Local Administrative Permission on the System

The Mod requires the use of a Malware Vector to generate the crack that affects only Delphi Files so Delphi Developers should use with caution, it should not affect most other users. It is not a trojan/worm.
If you don't trust the software do not use it.

Step 1:
Download the Files and uninstall existing Realtek Sound Drivers if any.

Step 2:
Extract and Install the Modified Realtek Drivers (they are not WHQL) using the AsusSetup Executable.

Step 3:
Reboot

Step 4:
Extract and Install the X-Fi Software.

Step 5:
Reboot

Step 6:
Right Click on the Sound Blaster Panel icon on the System Tray,
choose Select Audio Device and Select SB-XFi MB2.

Step 7:
Reboot and enter Safe Mode by pressing F8 rapidly during reboot.

Step 8:
Extract the activator, find the .bat file, Right Click on it and Choose Run As Administrator.
Open the Folder C:\ProgramData\Creative\SoftwareLock
Check that the following files below are created:
CTD1JXF23A.kga
CTD5H2W3DK.kga
CTL42SW23M.kga
CTL52C6FE2.kga
CTLD14KLI5.kga
CTLD2JX234.kga
CTLE2C3BA1.kga
CTLP22SV21.kga
CTT78HSK12.kga
CTT92KD23N.kga

Step 9:
Delete all the zip files and folders you don't need(Clean Up), Reboot and Enjoy.

Hacking TP-Link WR1043ND Part 4

2011-07-16T14:36:00.024+08:00

To Tweak the OpenWRT for Pure Performance there is no other way than editing config files from Terminal so I hope you actually read Part 3 before.
There are 4 parts to Tweaking the Performance

Wireless Performance
Wired Performance
Web Performance
QoS (Quality Of Service)

Tweaking Wireless Performance:

Setting to Wireless N with G backward compatibility

The TP-Link WR1043ND Hardware has a 3 Transmit 3 Receive Radio that is only Single Band with 20/40MHZ Frequency. It has Wireless B/G/N Capability.
To fully understand WiFi Standards you need to read up on IEEE 802.11 standards.
We start by tweaking the Radio.

Wireless N allows backward compatibility with B and G, you need to set it to 802.11g+n.
You can do this by logging into the Router via Putty using vi editor edit the file called "wireless" in /etc/config/, or do it in LuCI Web Interface(Router Config Page).

Adjusting Channel Width:

Next you need to make sure the Router is using 40MHZ Channel Width, this will allow greater throughput.
You can do this by logging into the Router via Putty using vi editor edit the file called "wireless" in /etc/config/

config 'wifi-device' 'radio0'
        option 'type' 'mac80211'
        option 'channel' '7'
        option 'macaddr' 'XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX'
        option 'hwmode' '11ng'
        option 'htmode' 'HT40-'
        option 'noscan' '1'
        option 'country' 'US'
        list 'ht_capab' 'SHORT-GI-40'
        list 'ht_capab' 'DSSS_CCK-40'
        option 'disabled' '0'
        option 'txpower' '24'
        option 'bursting' '1'
        option 'ff' '1'
        option 'compression' '1'

config 'wifi-iface'
        option 'device' 'radio0'
        option 'network' 'lan'
        option 'mode' 'ap'
        option 'ssid' 'Your_SSID_Here'
        option 'frag' '2346'
        option 'rts' '2347'
        option 'encryption' 'psk2'
        option 'key' 'your_secret_key_here'

Note that there are 2 htmodes, HT40+ and HT40- you set them based on the channel available. If you set it wrongly you have to log in to the router via Ethernet Cable and change it back.
By rights 'htmode' is not allowed if there are competing BSSID using that channel (the good neighbor regulation), but you can override that with 'noscan' option. There is also a distance optimization setting which I tested the best values at 20-25.

Below is a graph displaying the difference between 40MHZ Channel Width and 20MHZ Channel Width.
Note that you can define more than 1 Access Point on OpenWRT. You can configure a Second AP as Guest and Fire-walling it from your own LAN.

Higher TXPower (Transmit Power)

There is a catch to set higher transmit power without hacking the source code.
If you set the country to 'US' (United States) or 'CA' Canada, you can increase the Transmit Power to a maximum of 24dbm otherwise you will be limited to 20dbm. However the catch is that these countries have only channel 1-11 while you can set up to channel 13 for countries like Japan.

Tweaking Wired Performance:

Next you need to make sure the Router Ethernet Performance is adjusted by changing the sysctl variable this will allow greater throughput.
You can do this by logging into the Router via Putty using vi editor edit the file called "sysctl.conf" in /etc/

kernel.panic=3
net.ipv4.conf.default.arp_ignore=1
net.ipv4.conf.all.arp_ignore=1
net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_broadcasts=0
net.ipv4.icmp_ignore_bogus_error_responses=1
net.ipv4.tcp_ecn=0
net.ipv4.tcp_fin_timeout=30
net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_time=120
net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies=1
net.ipv4.tcp_timestamps=0
net.core.netdev_max_backlog=30000
net.ipv4.tcp_moderate_rcvbuf=1
net.netfilter.nf_conntrack_checksum=0
net.ipv4.netfilter.ip_conntrack_checksum=0
net.ipv4.netfilter.ip_conntrack_max=16384
net.ipv4.netfilter.ip_conntrack_tcp_timeout_established=3600
net.ipv4.netfilter.ip_conntrack_udp_timeout=120
net.ipv4.netfilter.ip_conntrack_udp_timeout_stream=180
# net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1

# disable bridge firewalling by default
#net.bridge.bridge-nf-call-arptables=0
#net.bridge.bridge-nf-call-ip6tables=0
#net.bridge.bridge-nf-call-iptables=0

# increase TCP max buffer size setable using setsockopt()
# 16 MB with a few parallel streams is recommended for most 10G paths
# 32 MB might be needed for some very long end-to-end 10G or 40G paths
net.core.rmem_max = 16777216
net.core.wmem_max = 16777216
# increase Linux autotuning TCP buffer limits
# min, default, and max number of bytes to use
# (only change the 3rd value, and make it 16 MB or more)
net.ipv4.tcp_rmem = 4096 87380 16777216
net.ipv4.tcp_wmem = 4096 87380 16777216

All the TCP tweaks are derived from ESnet
Note: These tweaks are not found on OpenWRT How Tos.

Adjusting the Transmit Queue Length.

You can do this by logging into the Router via Putty using vi editor edit the file called "rc.local" in /etc/

    # Put your custom commands here that should be executed once
    # the system init finished. By default this file does nothing.
    ifconfig eth0 txqueuelen 10500
    ifconfig wlan0 txqueuelen 7935
    exit 0

Add the 3 lines above to increase the txqueuelen on Ethernet Interface.
eth0.1 is the LAN Port while eth0.2 is the WAN Port.

Also if you have a Windows File Share you want to tell the Router firewall not to monitor SAMBA Packets.
Windows Share also known as SAMBA in Linux uses the Port 445 so you need to tell OpenWRT to stop monitoring Packet Originating from LAN using Port 445.

Tweaking Web Performance:
Web Peformance typically require a lot of DNS Look up so you want to tell OpenWRT to use the Fastest DNS Server available.
You can do this by logging into the Router via Putty using vi editor edit the file called "dnsmasq.conf" in /etc/
and add the fastest DNS Server closest to you.
Add the Line Below and change the IP of the server to YOUR fastest DNS Server. My Fastest DNS Servers may not be your Fastest DNS Server.

dhcp-option=6,165.21.83.88,8.8.8.8,208.67.222.222

Blue is a Singapore ISP DNS Server, Green is Google DNS Server, Red is OpenDNS Server.
There is no limit of the number of DNS Server you can set on OpenWRT

Install packages that boost performance.
You can do this by logging into the Router via Putty.

opkg update

opkg install pepsal kmod-ipt-nathelper-extra

Quality of Service

What is Quality of Service?
Quality of Service makes it so that during torrenting, your webpages doesn't take a long time to load even though you are on a 1Mbps Connection.
It does this by prioritizing network traffic, putting webpage network packets in higher importance than torrent packets.
The step to installing QoS is logging into the Router via Putty then

opkg install luci-app-qos

You set the QoS by setting the Port the Network Originate from and the Priority.

Hopefully you learn a lot from this series of blog post and enjoy the high performance of your Modified Router running on OpenSource Software.
If you run a Windows Share Server when you place the laptop beside the router and do a copy you should be getting insane WiFi Speeds @ 150Mbps at 5m line of sight
Let the numbers speak for themselves!

In case you modified the wrong config files and got lock out the fail safe mode is here

Hacking TP-Link WR1043ND Part 3

2011-07-16T12:26:00.000+08:00

I will only be posting HOW-TO not found in OpenWRT Pages, if you need to config a particular setting please refer to the Well-Documented OpenWRT HOW-TOs here.
Useful Wiki on OpenWRT include

Getting 3G Modem working
VPN (not complete)
Files and Settings
NFS Network FileSharing

It is troublesome/pointless to rewrite well-documented resources.
Reading the How-To is a must have for all OpenWRT newbies!

First you need to set a Router Config Page Login Password.
Otherwise the SSH ports will not be open for you to configure and upload files to it.
Open Web Browser, Enter "192.168.1.1" in URL Bar.
Then follow the picture below:

From here onward is to demostrate how to login and use the Router like a Linux Terminal Computer.
It makes little sense not to leverage on the Compute Capabilities of Linux after using a more powerful third party firmware.
OpenWRT assumes users know Linux Terminal KungFu hence it is intimidating to those who don't.
Hopefully after reading this you will pick up some Terminal KungFu.
_______________________________________________
Upload Files to Router using SCP

______________________________
SSH (Login) into Router

Basic Linux Commands in OpenWRT

"ls" - List Files in Existing Folder
"dmesg" - Display System(Router) diagnostic message
"pwd" - Display Present Working Directory
"opkg" - OpenWRT Package Installer

"opkg install package" to install a software call "package"
"opkg remove package" to uninstall a software call "package"
"opkg list-install" to list all installed software"
"opkg update" to update list of package available in the OpenWRT Repository the router needs to be connected to the internet before you can update
"opkg" to display all possible commands

"wifi" to restart Wireless Radio
"ifup/down" to start or stop a Particular Interface

"ifup wan" to start WAN interface
"ifdown wan" to stop WAN interface
"ifup lan" to start LAN interface
"ifdown lan" to stop LAN interface

"cd" to change directory

"cd .." to go up 1 level (Exit the folder)
"cd /" to go to Root Directory
"cd /tmp/ to go to tmp directory (If you want to go to a specific directory type "cd /tm" then press Tab to auto complete the name of the folder useful if the name of the folder is very very long

"vi" Text Editor

eg. to Edit a file call "network" in folder "/etc/config/" type "vi /etc/config/network"
The default mode in VI is view mode to display text files
To enter/delete Text in vi press "i" to Enter insert mode and type to enter backspace to delete
To delete a particular line of text in vi Press "Esc" go to the line using arrow then enter "dd" twice and the line disappears
To save a file press "Esc" then ":w" (w stands for write)
To exit VI press "Esc" then ":q" (q stands for quit)
To exit without saving press "Esc" then ":q!" (! stands for "I don't care just do it !)
To exit with saving press "Esc" then ":wq"

"reboot" to restart Router
"cp" - copy eg to copy a file called "network" from inside /tmp/ to /etc/config"

"cp /tmp/network /etc/config/network"

Syntax as follows: cp <source> <destination>

"rm" - Delete a particular file
"wget" -Download file from Internet (Must be connected to Internet first, make sure the file size doesn't exceed the the total memory of the router)

The list of commands is actually quite a chunk, you should read up on Linux Shell if you are interested.

Hacking TP-Link WR1043ND Part 2

2011-07-16T12:25:00.018+08:00

Part 2: Upgrading to OpenWRT

First of all what is OpenWRT?

It is a niche Linux Distribution meant for Routers.
Which means after installing it you can add packages onto the Operating System to expand its capabilities.
Much like any Linux Distribution it maintains a package repository for end-users.

It will help alot if you have prior knowledge on Linux Terminal Commands because OpenWRT run Linux.

Why OpenWRT out of so many Third Party Firmware?

OpenWRT provides its own Repository brimming with numerous packages.
It is very much like Debian is for Routers.

Hardware Required:

Working Ethernet Cable to connect the PC to the Router (You should have 1 in the Box where you bought the Router).

Software Required:
The Software Required is for controlling the Router Via a PC otherwise you can't interact with it.

SSH Terminal (For Windows Download Putty, Most GNU\Linux should have SSH Terminals by Default) This Program is for Accessing the router like logging in to a server.
WinSCP (For Windows Download WinSCP, Most GNU\Linux should have SCP Terminals by Default) This Program is for Uploading and Downloading Packages to the Router.
Fairly Advance Web Browser ( Either Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome will do) This is for accessing the LuCI Web Interface installed into the router.

a)Download the Firmware from OpenWRT Download Site.

For TP-Link WR1043ND we access the Backfire Stable Repository.
Go to the Folder for the latest release of Backfire then go into the /ar71xx/ subfolder.
This folder is meant for Atheros MIPS Processor based routers.
Scroll until you find files with the name "openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd-v1-"

Look carefully and you should see 2 matching files:
The first ends with
openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd-v1-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
The second one ends with
openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd-v1-squashfs-factory.bin

Sysupgrade is for Upgrading Routers already installed with OpenWRT of the older versions while factory is for Upgrading Routers on Original Firmware.

Assuming the Router is runnning Original Stock Firmware from TP-Link, download
openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd-v1-squashfs-factory.bin

b)Flashing the Firmware

Disconnect all Internet Connections on the PC and Router.
Ensure the Router/PC is on Stable Power Source.
Connect the PC use to upload the file to the Router using the Ethernet Cable.
Open Internet Browser on the PC
Type "192.168.1.1" in the URL Bar of the Internet Browser to access the TP-Link Router Configuration Page if you did not touch any ip configuration the default is usually 192.168.1.1.
Default Login name and Password is written under the Router.
Go to the Firmware Upgrade Utility Page

Click on Browse then navigate to the Folder where you downloaded openwrt-ar71xx-tl-wr1043nd v1-squashfs-factory.bin
Click Upgrade and Wait for 15 mins

Double Check the Lights on the Router it should blink quickly then turn off then turn on again.
Type "192.168.1.1" in the URL Bar of the Internet Browser again. You should see the LuCI Webpage

There should be no password just click login. Set a password (Under Administration) immediately to enable SSH Login.
You are done your router is now running on OpenWRT, but you are not done yet you still need to configure the router for normal use.

Hacking TP-Link WR1043ND Part 1

2011-07-15T20:21:00.013+08:00

This is a series of blog post detailing about how to hack the TP-Link WR1043ND to maximize its potential.
I will try to be as noob friendly as possible.
My Mods are in no way original, it is just a collection of existing mods combined into a few articles for easy instructional reading.
Special Thanks to the guys @ OpenWRT who made this possible.

The hacks done are as follows:

Upgrade the Internal DDR RAM from 32MB to 64MB.
Upgrading the firmware from TP-Link Stock Firmware to OpenWRT.
Accessing/Operating OpenWRT from Shell Commands
Configuring and Tweaking the Router for Maximium Performance. Please Read 3 first.

First of all why mod a router?

To make it do more for less because a router is actually an embedded system which can do more running Open Firmware rather than suffer the limitations imposed by stock firmware. After installing OpenWRT you will be able to install packages to make the router perform more tasks than ever.
To get better performance. Most manufacturers do not actually tweak the router performance much, rather they prefer to prettify the routers so they can sell more instead of making it do better at what it is supposed to do because most consumers are stupid.
Get latest updates. When running stock firmware, updates are pretty much at the mercy of manufacturers, compared to running open firmware like OpenWRT you get new updates every time there is a new release.
Learn more. You get to learn more about Linux and other stuff you never knew before and that itself is priceless.

Why you do not want to mod a router:

Firstly it voids warranty, it is possible that during the course of modding you may damage the router if you made a mistake hence it doesn't make sense for the manufacturer to pay for your mistake.
It is tedious and costly if you do not have the tools or the patience or brains.

The Router

The Router in question is the TP-Link WR1043ND.
Why TP-Link WR1043ND out of so many OpenWRT supported routers?

It is cheap. If you check the market for routers you will find it selling for a low cost. I bought it for SGD$75. Do the conversion and you will be convinced.
It is powerful. Again if you check the market you will find the next cheapest Gigabit Router priced at more than SGD$100. In the WR1043ND you will find lots of flash memory for installing OpenWRT as well. The 3 Antennas it possess further increase the Wireless Performance. It also contain a USB Port for expanded possibilities (FileSharing anybody?).
It is Stable. Because of reason 1) and 2) many hardware hackers have bought and modified this router and OpenWRT to suit it, so it runs incredibly stable on OpenWRT.

TP-Link is a Network Device Manufacturer from China but being objective, I am not concern about branding. I don't get anything useful out of branding, rather I am more concern with the performance I can get for a low cost. Moreover it is a excellent product specification wise.

Information about the MIPS24KC Core SKU

The Specification:

The Core

CPU = Atheros AR9132-BC1E rev 2
MIPS Architecture Rev = MIPS 24Kc V7.4
ASEs implemented = mips16 (code-compression support only)
CPU Speed = 400MHz
Advance High Performance Bus (AHB) = 200MHZ
Instruction cache = 64kB, VIPT, 4-way, linesize 32 bytes
Data cache = 32kB, 4-way, VIPT, cache aliases, linesize 32 bytes
Flash Type = Serial
Flash Chip = 25P64V6P 99AJAV5 MYS722
Flash Size = 8MB
RAM Size = 32MB
RAM Bus = 400MHZ
RAM Chip = Zentel A3S56D40FTP
Switch = Realtek RTL8366RG A1G17A2 GA05B
Ethernet Port Count = Gigabit LAN and WAN Ports
Power = 12V/1.5A
USB = 1 USB 2.0 Port

The Radio

Wireless Radio = Atheros AR9103 3x3 MIMO
Channel Width = 20MHZ or 40MHZ
Antenna Connector Type = 3dBi Detachable RP-SMA Omni Directional Antenna X 3
Wireless Standard = IEEE 802.11b/g/n 
WiFi Operating Frequency = 2.4~2.4835GHz (Single Band)
 802.11n = up to 300Mbps
 802.11g = 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps
 802.11b = 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps

Part 1: Upgrading the DDR RAM

Upgrading the DDR RAM requires soldering, if you are not good at this you can skip this section.

Tools required:

Soldering Iron
Solder (Try to get good quality ones poor quality ones have very little flux hence difficult to solder)
Soldering Flux
Way to Desolder SMT Component ( I used ChipQuik, simple fast, easy, and clean )
Desoldering Wick
Dexterous Hands
Magnifying Lens
Tweezer
Isopropyl Alcohol for Cleaning also known as Rubbing Alcohol in Pharmacies
Compatible DDR RAM IC (TSOP 66, 66 pins and 16bit Data Width, Check the DataSheet to be sure)

List Of Known Compatible RAM IC:
Hynix HY5DU121622DTP-D43
Infineon HYB25D512160B

a) Dissembling The Router

Turn off the Power and Unplug all cables. This is common sense.
Unscrew the Antennas, this is to prevent obstruction of soldering activity later.
Ground yourself, depending on where you are, electrostatic charges can accumulated on your body and its discharge may damage sensitive electrical equipment.
Remove the 2 Rubber Feet at the back of the router. The exposed screws are circled in Red.
Pull the lid up from the back so the router lid is angled as shown below.
Using a Flat Head Screw Driver, slide the tip into the slit exposed in front and give it a gentle twist and the cover should come off. Do it for both sides.
You should see the exposed board as shown. The DRAM to be desoldered is shown below boxed in Red

b)SMT Desoldering the DRAM

Ensure the tip of the Soldering Iron is clean, otherwise you will have a hard time soldering.
Spread some soldering flux along on the legs of the DRAM using a tweezer.
Next, I melt the ChipQuik on the legs of the IC using the soldering Iron. ChipQuik is a low temperature solder which means it remains in liquid state at warm temperatures therefore it is easy to remove it.
Make sure ChipQuik fuses with the legs of the RAM. Do not apply heat directly to ChipQuik or the legs or the DRAM or the Board using the soldering Iron. The trick is to touch the ChipQuik, melt it, spread it on the legs and remove the soldering Iron. This is to lessen the likelyhood of damaging the DRAM by excessive heating. Do this quickly repeatedly until the ChipQuik fuses with the legs of the DRAM. Do this for BOTH sides of the legs on the DRAM.
When the ChipQuik fuses with all the legs of the DRAM, gently but firmly nudge the DRAM to dislodge it from the solder pads using a tweezer while ChipQuik is still fluid. If it doesn't budge repeat 3) and try again until it dislodges. Remove the DRAM.
After it dislodges use a desoldering wick dip with some flux and put it on the remaining ChipQuik left on the board. You do not have to use desoldering wick on big pieces of ChipQuik you can pluck it off the green board when it cools.
Heat the soldering wick with the soldering Iron and it should absorb the ChipQuik like a sponge with water.
Clean the Soldering Pad using the method in 7.
At the end you should be left with a 66 clean soldering pads ready accept a new IC.
If you are still not sure what to do after reading this watch some youtube videos on SMT Soldering it will give you a better picture on SMT Soldering.

c) Soldering on the new DRAM

You should have the DRAM IC upgrade ready as shown.
Apply some Flux on the Soldering Pad.
Align the Pins of the New DRAM with the Soldering Pads. Notice there is a Black Circle on the DRAM. You need to match the Orientation of the DRAM with the Router Circuit Board diagram printed on the board.
Make sure the legs are aligned on BOTH Side of the soldering pads. Apply Flux on the DRAM legs.
Dip the tip of the Soldering Iron with some solder and spread it on the legs.
Gently spread the solder on the legs using the Soldering Iron. Touch the solder, gently drag along the legs and release, repeat until all the legs are covered. If solder is stucked between 2 or more legs, apply more flux on the stucked solder and repeat Step 6 again.
Make sure the solder do not short the legs of the DRAM.
Examine the Legs using a Magnifying Lens to make sure no shorting occurs. Make sure every leg of the DRAM gets some solder. If you have too much solder remove the excess out using the soldering wick.
Clean the Router Board and the DRAM using clean cloth dipped in Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol)
Again If you are still not sure what to do after reading this watch some youtube videos on SMT Soldering it will give you a better picture on SMT Soldering.

Let the Router Board Dry (Alcohol evaporate quickly) turn on the power. Your Router should boot up just fine.
Unlike BroadCom MIPS routers most Atheros MIPS router do not need modification of the NVRAM to fully initialize the Memory.

Note that different Routers contain different memory. TSOP 66 is used by DDR Memory and has 66 Pins.
The other common memory found is TSOP 54 which has 54 pins but TSOP 54 has low Storage Density hence it is unlikely to find a compatible DRAM to upgrade to.

Extra Tips: If you feel your router is overheating this is a solution:

Ultimate Wireless Lan Upgrade Guide For Windows & Linux

2011-06-17T14:01:00.014+08:00

Recently I purchased a WiFi Card on Ebay.

The reason is because at certain areas in public places where I frequent, the WiFi Access Point has poor reception.

On my colleagues' computer especially those with Intel WiFi they were able to get at least 1 bar of signal where my Atheros Card couldn't even connect at all.

My Atheros AR5B91 is a 2 Transmit 2 Receive Single Band Card from Atheros.
It comes default with certain version of Acer Aspire 4740G (Acer use different parts for same laptop models).

The card that I purchased from ebay is a Intel Advance-N 6200 AGN. Search "Intel 6200" in Ebay.
It cost only USD$16 and is a 2 Transmit 2 Receive Dual Band Card from Intel.

Single Band means the Card can transmit and receive from the 2.4GHZ Radio Frequencies while a Dual Band Card can transmit and receive from the 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ Radio Frequencies.

This translates to greater range, frequencies and throughput.
Since it is only USD$16 and it can solve my WiFi issues why not?
In this case the cost over improvement justifies the upgrade.
Moreover it is an OEM Card not Engineering Sample.

The latest Intel 6205 AGN Card cost a whopping USD$30 for a Engineering Sample and $40 for an OEM Card.
That is 2 times the cost of the Intel 6200 AGN Card.
Atheros do have high end Dual Band cards as well but they are even more horribly expensive.

Sorry for the poor picture quality below.

Firstly you need to uninstall the Older WiFi Card Driver:

This step is for Windows only because in Linux the WiFi Driver is a dynamically loaded Kernel Module.

1)Go to Control Panel to locate the Driver of your old Wireless Card. Uninstall it.

2)If it is not inside the Control Panel as an Installation Package go to Device Manager, Right Click and select uninstall.

3)Shutdown the computer.

Secondly you need to install the WiFi Card:

1)Turn over the base and unscrew the cover concealing the WiFi Card
(I placed the Intel card under the existing Atheros Card):

2)Gently unplug the Black and White Cables attached to the WiFi

3)The WiFi Cable connection diagram is as shown below:

The old Atheros AR5B91 is as shown on the left while the new Intel 6200 AGN Card is shown on the right.

"1" Connects to the White Main Cable and "2" Connects to the Black Auxiliary Cable

Intel Cards have helpful Black and White Triangles to indicate the colour of the cable to connect.

Sometimes OEM mess up the Black and White Cables result in laptops having poor reception.
The solution is simply to swap them.

Thirdly you need to install the new WiFi Card Driver:

For Windows

1)By default Windows will not autodetect and Install the Driver for New WiFi Cards;
This is because when Windows 7 was released the device was not ready, the new Drivers were not sent to Microsoft yet hence they were unable to include the drivers inside the default Windows Installation

2)There are 2 Ways of obtaining the driver either 1 will do

Connect your computer via an Ethernet Cable, run Windows Updates and the WiFi Driver will appear in the list of important Updates(The lazy way, only basic drivers are installed).
Connect your computer via an Ethernet Cable. Download the driver directly from Intel(Recommended way Intel MyWiFi Software is available).

Note: If the latest version of Intel WiFi Driver package does not include the driver for Intel 6200N download the second latest version instead: currently 14.0.2.2.

If the new Card gets installed with a extended name eg. (XXXX Wireless #2) simply

Uninstall the Device (But do not delete the driver)
Do a Windows Registry Search on the keyword "XXXX" then delete the relevant entries (Please be-careful not to delete the wrong ones)
Click AutoDetect in Device Manager to reinstall the Device, the name should be corrected.

For Linux

1)You have to make sure the MicroCode of the WiFi Card is installed in your Linux Distribution.

Most Distribution have it installed by default but will load only if the relevant Card is detected(Dynamically Loaded Module).

Connect your computer via an Ethernet Cable
Open up the Software Manager and search for the keyword "Intel" then check the correct Firmware is installed for the Card Model.

2)If there are no issues, your new Network Interface should be detected as "wlan1" check using "su" enter password then "ifconfig"
If you want it to be called wlan0 as it should have been simply edit this file

/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules

with a text editor vi or nano then delete the line containing "wlan0", replace it with the line containing "wlan1" then change "wlan1" to "wlan0". Reboot.

Performance

Of course, an upgrade has to yield visible, experimentally reproducible improved results.
If you do not have the data there is no upgrade to speak of.

When taking the readings, only the WiFi cards and the drivers are different (Duh?!) the rest of the variables are kept constant like position of the computer to access point etc.

My Access Point is an Aztech HW550-3G that is a 2 Transmit 2 Receive Ralink Chipset that transmit only on the 2.4GHZ range.
If you have an Dual Band Access Point you get even better performance now that the Intel WiFi can transmit on the 5GHZ frequencies.

Signal Strength Improvement on Windows

I used inSSIDer(google for the program) to get my readings. The value to be compared is the yellow text.
RSSI refers to the signal strength\quality of a WiFi Connection
Note: The RSSI readings are displayed with a negative sign.
Which means the less negative the better.

Also note that the upgrade unlocks the ability to transmit on the 5GHZ range this significantly increases the range because the 2.4GHZ frequencies are currently saturated in many areas.
Your Cordless Phones, Microwave Ovens and other Single Band Wireless Device over-occupies the 2.4GHZ frequency range.

Original Atheros AR5B91 Signal Strength:

Upgraded Intel 6200 AGN Signal Strength:

I noticed this Access Point in my vicinity:

Anyone who buys Apple Overpriced Products automatically earns a "idiot" label from me.

Apple Products are overpriced, run of mill hardware with good looking software and designs.
Hardware Hackers want cheap powerful hardware and they hack the software to unlock new capabilities so you rarely get extra value out of overpriced Apple Hardware.

Signal Strength Improvement on Linux

To Check Signal Strength on Linux, open a terminal.
Enter "su" to enter superuser admin mode.

Then type "iwlist wlan0 scanning".

Your Access Point Details will show up in text. You use the SSID to identify the network you are testing.
The listing sequence is random.

Old Atheros Readings:

Cell 02 - Address: 00:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
                    Channel:10
                    Frequency:2.457 GHz (Channel 10)
                    Quality=38/70 Signal level=-72 dBm

The new Intel 6200 AGN Readings:

Cell 06 - Address: 00:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
                    Channel:10
                    Frequency:2.457 GHz (Channel 10)
                    Quality=47/70 Signal level=-63 dBm

The Intel 6200 AGN Card has shown improved signal strength on both Windows and Linux Platform.

Throughput Improvement

Throughput is the rate of Data Flow per second.
The higher the better.

Basically the Sample 1.3GB file is hosted on a Server Connected by Ethernet cable to my router to make sure Wireless Connection is the limiting factor in data transfer rate.
Hence I wirelessly copied the file from the server to my upgraded laptop.
The file has to travel from the server to the router then wirelessly to the laptop, since data transfer over Ethernet Cable is greater than over wireless, Wireless Transfer rate becomes the limiting factor which we want to test.

The old Atheros Throughput:

The Atheros Card transfers at approximately 2.67MB/s

The Intel 6200 AGN Throughput:

The data transfer rate is approximately 3.47+MB/s.

Note that we can't use the percentage as a fair comparison because it is calculated as a percentage over the link speed .
The Atheros Card connects at a fixed link speed of 300Mb/s while the Intel Card connects at a variable speed (according to utilisation) probably for power conservation (Look at the red rectangle above).

During testing the data transfer for Intel Card was still climbing but it was quite obvious the Intel card has higher throughput so I just took a screenshot and concluded.

On a Dual Band capable Access Point the throughput is further boosted.

Basically this was quite an awesome Wireless Card Upgrade considering the low price and the considerable performance improvements.

So if you are suffering from Poor Range and Throughput (and you are sure it is not due to issue from the Acess Point) from your WiFi Card from other manufacturers like "Ralink, Broadcom, Atheros" a cheap upgrade to Intel WiFi might just be the solution.

Feel free ask any question about the upgrade.

Nvidia & Acer Screw Ups

2011-06-04T20:51:00.005+08:00

Finally Fixed in Driver Version 280.26 the info below is now obsolete to fix the issue just download and install the latest Nvidia Driver.
~~Recently the stupid Acer Tech People left out the Device ID of Acer Aspire 4740G's Graphics Adapter G310M resulting in no more Verde Driver for Acer Aspire 4740G.~~
~~There is no justification or explanation from either Nvidia or Acer side.~~
~~You can imagine the frustration from this bullshit.~~
~~Screw Nvidia and Acer. Either way they are going down the Crapple route and are slowly making their way into my overprice laptops black list.~~

~~To fix Nvidia/Acer's screw up, open "nvac.inf" using a text editor found inside the extracted driver inside the "display driver" folder.~~
~~Ctrl - F and enter "0A75"~~
~~When you see this line~~

~~%NVIDIA_DEV.0A75.01% = Section011, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A75&SUBSYS_035A1025~~

~~Change it to~~

~~%NVIDIA_DEV.0A75.01% = Section011, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A75&SUBSYS_03181025~~

~~Then save and exit and rerun the installer.~~
~~There is a big red warning sign because you modified the driver so it fails WHQL so just ignore it and continue to install.~~

~~Damn Nvidia & Acer.~~

~~If you do not want to see the stupid Red Warning Box complain to Acer / Nvidia about their screws up and make it heard.~~

How to Mod your Laptop VGA BIOS

2011-06-03T13:34:00.079+08:00

Basically there are 2 locations where the VGA BIOS in laptops.
Some OEMS embed the VGA BIOS in the EFI/BIOS in your laptops,
other OEMs have a separate VGA BIOS firmware on the VGA Card itself.

TYPE 1
As a general rule laptops with discrete MXM board modules like the (picture below) has
the VGA BIOS as a separate piece of code located on the module itself.

It is NOT part of the EFI/BIOS of the Mainboard.

TYPE II
For OEM Boards with a GPU embedded on the Mainboard itself the VGA BIOS usually exist as a chunk of Code inside the BIOS of the Mainboard itself.
(Picture below shows the GPU on the top left corner on the mainboard covered by the black plastic)

Nowadays more and more OEMs are using TYPE II method of integration because
1) They can make the laptop more compact and light because separate MXM modules increase the thickness of the laptop.
2) It is cheaper to integrate everything on the mainboard using BGA soldering rather than have PCI-E connectors.

This article talks about modifying Type II VGA BIOS only.

First you have to identify the Type of Firmware the laptop uses, this is depends on the BIOS Vendor used by the OEM. An OEM can use a different BIOS vendor for different models.

The most prominent BIOS vendors are: Insyde, AMI, Phoenix, AWARD and Intel.

On the website mydigitallife you can find many tools coded by the members for BIOS disassembly.

We are going to use their tools to dissemble the VGA Module from the BIOS.

In this example, the Aspire 4740G uses the Insyde BIOS so download the PhoenixTool which is capable of dissembling Phoenix, Insyde, Dell and other EFI BIOS.

After downloading the PhoenixTool we decompress the PhoenixTool contents to a new folder.

We extract the PhoenixTool to a folder called "NEW". The main program is called PhoenixTool.exe
After decompressing the disssembly Tool we proceed to download the EFI/BIOS from the OEM website and decompress it as well..

From Above we can see the Complete BIOS Firmware is called NALG0x64.fd.
BIOS usually uses file extension such as BIN, ROM, BIO, WPH, FD and many more. Different BIOS Vendor usually use a different identifier.

When we use the PhoenixTool.exe to open the NALG0x64.fd file, the tool also display the emergency Insyde Recovery Filename.

After the modules have been dissembled you should see the screen above. The modules have been dissembled in a newly created folder called "DUMP" where the original NALG0x64.fd is located.

The Red Box shows the VGA BIOS module. The VGA BIOS module is usually a 70-60KB file, to confirm if it is the VGA Module, you open it with a dissembler and check the content, you should see Nvidia text reference in the binary.

The dissembly of the file shows a lot of Nvidia Text Reference to further confirm if it is the exact module you want you should Google the SKU Code in the example above it is "GT218" which references to G310M Nvidia GPU.
Some laptop BIOS has more than 1 VGA BIOS because 1 Model can have many variations of Different Nvidia SKU GPUs.A good example would be the Acer Aspire 4741G.

Next Download the Nibitor from MVKTECH website. Open the VGA Module and choose "Tools" Fermi Voltage Editor (For Newer Generation of Nvidia GPUs).
For ATi you would probably use Radeon BIOS Editor (RBE).
As you can see the original BIOS has the P3 state which is the default state (the lowest performance state) set at a voltage is 0.85V that is why when using HWMonitor you will never see the voltage drop below 0.85.
The lowest performance state can however use a lower voltage of 0.80V.

So we set the P3 State to 0.8V and Apply. Save the Modified VGA BIOS and exit.

Using EzH20, a Insyde BIOS Editor we open the original NALG0x64.fd file.

Select Components -> Replace Module. Each Insyde Module has a Unique GUID identifier.
8 Character - 4 Character - 4 Character - 4 Character - 12 Character
The Module we seek has the identifier "AC1E1B97-69C4-475D-8471-0F3893802F96"

Under "Module to Load" browse to the modified VGA BIOS.

Under "Change ROM GUID" enter the original identifier: "AC1E1B97-69C4-475D-8471-0F3893802F96"
Then Patch the Firmware.

Finally Save the Modified Firmware and flash it with the Insyde flashit Tool while replacing the original NALG0x64.fd with the modified NALG0x64.fd.

Acer Aspire 4740G VGA Firmware Mod

2011-05-30T00:06:00.002+08:00

Originally the performance state of the G310M of the Acer Aspire 4740G is as follows
Default Mode:

135MHZ GPU Clock
270MHZ Shader Clock
135MHZ Memory Clock
0.85 Voltage

2D Mode:

405MHZ GPU Clock
810MHZ Shader Clock
405MHZ Memory Clock
0.85 Voltage

3D Mode:

625MHZ GPU Clock
1350MHZ Shader Clock
790MHZ Memory Clock
1.03 Voltage

In fact it is possible to reduce the voltage in Default Mode.
Technically it should save some power, hence I modified the VGA BIOS Module using Nibitor and set the Default Voltage to 0.80 Volts instead.
Flashing BIOS is to be attempted by the tech savy, this BIOS has been tested to be working on my laptop hence any issue with incorrect flashing would be your responsibility.
I share the modified BIOS here.

Atheros Wireless LAN

2011-05-24T20:32:00.001+08:00

I am bring up this post again because I found another Atheros WiFi Driver that has functions not found in other Atheros Driver.
This driver is from HP.
http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp52001-52500/sp52131.exe

Why this driver you might ask? The screenshots below should answer your queries.

Access Additional Function not found in other Atheros Release

Useful Autoroaming Function if you need to move around multiple APs with your Atheros Equipped Laptop

Additional Encryption Schemes Not Found in other Atheros Driver

So you can choose which driver fits your needs.

After installation of Atheros Driver 8.X a utility should appear in the Control Panel.

Here are some screenshots:

Choice of 2 types of Atheros Wireless LAN Drivers:

Modded Atheros Driver (Non-WHQL)(Vista & Xp)

Obtained from LaptopVideo2go

Atheros Driver Version 8.X (WHQL)

If your Microsoft Virtual WiFi Device Driver disappears try running the following Commands in Command Prompt Administrator Mode.

C:\Windows\System32> netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=NameOfNetwork key=StrongPassword

Transitioning to KDE

2011-05-02T10:28:00.003+08:00

Recently I have taken the switch to KDE instead of GNOME 3.

This is due to the fact that GNOME has taken the route of dumbing down the interface to resemble those of android and Meego, I decided to search for an alternative Desktop, because doing 3 steps to achieve something once done in 1 step is definitely a regression.

An OS on Desktop has to have sufficiently accessible and powerful interface especially for users of Linux who enjoys the level of customization they always had before.

Although I still hate applications that start with the 'K' character the usability of KDE makes this forgivable.

Rule 1: There is always a KDE equivalent of GNOME Application.
Rule 2: You are still running LInux.

The Concept of KDE after running it for a while is the use of Widgets.
You will find it is surprisingly very similar to Windows 7 in terms of GUI
(Actually I think Windows 7 copied UI from KDE as KDE 4 was released first but that is not what we are interested in today).

Some of the tweaks I used in OpenSUSE Gnome 11.4 is still applicable like the fonts and applications.

Some Screenshots on what I think are great in KDE 4.

Managed Thumbdrive Action by Clicking the USB Icon on the TaskBar

Nice Graph displaying the Data Rates on a Network Interface

Type the program you want to run and it appears on the menu like Windows 7

Right Click on it to add a shortcut Taskbar or Desktop

Personalization Control Panel with Grouping

Able to Group Folders according to types

Sysinfo to display computer information

Plasma Desktop Windows, Note the glowing borders.

Add Widgets of any type of any number just like Windows 7 gadgets

An Example of a Useful Widget, the weather widget

Desktop Effects Control, you can customize the effects you want, KDE Desktop Effects also has a graceful fail-over when an errors occurs. You can also choose to disable Desktop effects to save power just like Windows 7.

I hope these feature are convincing enough for you to try KDE because because it certainly won me over. Enjoy!

Network Adapter Properties

2011-04-12T15:35:00.001+08:00

802.1p QOS

The "802.1p QOS" parameter is a standard that enables Quality of Service (QoS). It is responsible for the QoS provisions on the local segment, and the avoidance of the "all packets are treated equally" issue, which falls onto the hub or switch servicing segment. 802.1p QOS provides prioritization of packets traversing a subnet.

ARP offload

ARP offload is the ability of the network adapter to respond to an IPv4 ARP request without waking the computer. Both the hardware and the driver must support ARP offload to enable this feature.

Checksum Offload

Normally the TCP Checksum is computed by the protocol stack. By selecting one of the "Checksum Offload" parameters, the checksum can be computed by the Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.

Ethernet@WireSpeed

"Ethernet@WireSpeed" is a parameter that enables a 1000BASE-T Ethernet adapter to establish a link at a lower speed when only two pairs of wires are available in the cable plant.

Flow Control

"Flow Control" is a parameter that allows the user to enable or disable the receipt or transmission of PAUSE frames. PAUSE frames enable the adapter and the switch to control the transmit rate. The side that is receiving the PAUSE frame temporarily stops transmitting.

This parameter can be set for each port individually, which is helpful if the port at the other end of the cable cannot handle all possible combinations. Using the default setting, the adapter should automatically detect the capabilities of the peer port.

Default value: "Tx & Rx Enabled"
Valid values:

"Disabled" - No link partner is allowed to send PAUSE frames.
"Tx & Rx Enabled" - Both link partners are allowed to send PAUSE frames.

Green Ethernet

Link-On and Cable Length Power Saving
Link-Down Power Saving

Interrupt Moderation

If more than the specified rate of interrupts occur, the Interrupt Moderation
function groups these interrupts so that several data packets can be handled
per interrupt. This will lead to lower CPU utilization but may increase the
latency.

IP Security (IPSec) Offload

Windows offers the ability to offload the encryption work of IPSec to the network adapter hardware. Encryption, especially 3 DES, has a very high cycles/byte ratio. Therefore, it is no surprise that offloading IPSec to the network adapter hardware has high performance yields depending on the scenario and the workload characteristics.

Jumbo MTU/Packets

"Jumbo MTU" is a parameter that allows the adapter to transmit and receive oversized Ethernet frames that are greater than 1514 bytes but less than 9000 bytes in length. Note that this parameter requires a switch that is able to process large frames.

Large Send Offload

Normally the TCP segmentation is done by the protocol stack. By enabling the Large Send Offload value, the TCP segmentation can be done by the Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.

Max IRQ per Sec

Specifies the interrupt rate for Interrupt Moderation. If Interrupt Moderation is set to "Off", it will be ignored.

NS offload

NS offload is the ability of the network adapter to respond to a Neighbor Discovery Neighbor Solicitation request with a Neighbor Advertisement without waking the computer. Both the hardware and the driver must support NS offload to enable this feature.

Preferred Port

Sets the preferred port for RLMT (Redundant Link Management Technology). This port will be used for all network traffic when more than one port has an active link to the network.

Priority & VLAN

Enables/disables 802.1p (QoS) and/or 802.1q (VLAN) capability.

Default value: "Priority Enabled"
Valid values:

    "Priority Enabled"
    "VLAN Enabled"
    "Priority & VLAN Enabled"
    "Priority & VLAN Disabled"

NOTE: This will only enable the capability of the driver to handle such packets. There must be a protocol or application that passes such packets to the driver.

PXE

PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is a software module that allows your networked computer to boot with the images provided by remote servers across the network.

Receive Buffers

Defines the number of receive buffers allocated by the driver. If the system does not have enough resources, the driver will fail to load.
Increasing this value may improve the performance.

Receive-Side Scaling

Enables/disables balancing the receive network load from a network adapter across multiple CPUs.

Default value: "Disabled"
Valid values:

"Enabled"
"Disabled"

NOTE: This parameter is not available for every adapter type.

RLMT Mode

Default value: "CLS"
Valid values:

    "CLS" (Check Link State) - RLMT uses the link state reported by the adapter hardware for each individual port to determine whether a port can be used for all network traffic or not.
    "CLP" (Check Local Port) - RLMT monitors the network path between the two ports of an adapter by regularly exchanging packets between them. This mode requires a network configuration in which the two ports "see" each other (i.e., there must not be any router between the ports).
    "CLPSS" (Check Local Ports and Segmentation Status) - Supports the same functions as "CLP" mode, and additionally checks network segmentation by sending BPDU hello packets. This mode only works when Gigabit Ethernet switches are installed on the network that have been configured to use the Spanning Tree protocol.

NOTE: RLMT modes "CLP" and "CLPSS" are designed to operate in configurations where a network path between the ports on one adapter exists. Moreover, they are not designed to work where adapters are connected back-to-back. This parameter is only available for dual link adapters.

Speed & Duplex

Contains information regarding auto-negotiation, duplex capabilities, and link speed.

Valid values:

    "Auto-Negotiation"
    "10 Mbps Half Duplex"
    "10 Mbps Full Duplex"
    "100 Mbps Half Duplex"
    "100 Mbps Full Duplex"
    "1000 Mbps Full Duplex"

NOTE: This parameter is not valid for fiber adapters.

Transmit Buffers

Defines the number of transmit buffers allocated by the driver. If the system does not have enough resources, the driver will fail to load. Increasing this value may improve the performance.

Wake Up Capabilities parameter

The "Wake Up Capabilities" parameter allow the user to set the adapter to wake up from a low power mode when it receives a network wake up frame. There are two wake up frames: Magic Packet and IP frame.

WOL (Wake-On-LAN) Speed

"WOL Speed" is a parameter that allows the user to select the speed at which the adapter connects to the network during Wake-on-LAN mode.

Using Windows Performance Toolkit

2011-04-06T20:17:00.004+08:00

I came across this forum post which details how to improve disk layout other than the runidletask command.

You need to install Windows Performance Toolkit by downloading the Windows 7 SDK. (Source).

Then run the commands under Administrative Permission (Source):

xbootmgr -trace boot -prepSystem -verboseReadyBoot

Note: This trick is for Harddisk System Drives only.

It will reboot up to 6 times and after that you should be left with a Windows 7 Installation with Optimized Disk Layout.

The best way to do this is to do it before you sleep

Remove your Login Password for the night
Set UAC to elevate without prompting
By morning everything should be done
Set Password and UAC back to the levels you are happy with

If you ask me I personally felt it worked for me to a certain extend, I will leave this here for you to try it out.

Thanks to the respective authors MagicAndre1981 from MSFN.org for sharing, there are also many other interesting tweaks to check out on the sites.

Review on Intel Atom D510MO

2011-04-02T12:12:00.007+08:00

New:
Found Intel Rapid Storage Controller Driver for NM10 Chipset.

Intel just release a new 5XX series firmware update for this board.

However if you are using the 3XX series firmware you need to update to the 4XX series firmware as a transitional firmware update before you can update to the latest firmware otherwise update will fail. You might like to read this before upgrading though.

Go to http://downloadcenter.intel.com/ and select Desktop Boards -> Intel NM10 Family Chipset -> D510MO.

Be sure to check out readme and read which executable is suitable for you.

Intel just updated their Rapid Storage Driver for Atom Systems it is still "NOT AVAILABLE" for D510MO but the driver which is release for the new generation Atom will work on D510MO
(Links below)

You can get the rest of the drivers from Intel Download Centre.

Recently I switch over the desktop system to an Intel Atom D510 on NM10 Chipset.

The reason was simple, the use of this system is mainly Word, PowerPoint, Internet Browsing, file Server as well as printer server so why not switch over to a energy efficient platform and save on electricity bills.

The Atom is touted to have a TDP of 13 watts, it is a dual core Processor running at 1.66GHZ with Hyperthreading enable on both Cores resulting in a total of 4 logical cores.
In comparison mainstream Intel/AMD Mobile Processors have a typical TDP of 25-35 Watts and Desktop Processors 90-130 Watt depending on processor specification.

I bought a Intel OEM version as it is the cheapest and is the reference board design.

I will not do gaming benchmarks because it is not meant for gaming at all.
Instead I will just comment on what you can expect from this simple system.

So I shall comment on the pros and cons.

Pros:
1) The Chip is embedded in the board so you actually pay for a motherboard and a cpu for the price of a low end cpu quite a bargain.

2) Good responsiveness for general computing tasks.

3) Passive heatsink, there are no fans on the board so it is quiet and the heatsink is capable of dissipating heat generated by the processor but case fan must be present for proper case ventilation.

One observation I made while stress testing the cpu is that it never seems to be fully taxed so it always maintains a good responsiveness, this minimise lagging issues over the weak cpu.

4)Supports Wireless there is a PCI-E express slot for Laptop Wireless Cards (**Antenna & Card sold separately)

5)Decent Realtek High Definition Audio

6)It uses Intel EFI instead of BIOS (There is a way to OEM SLIC it if you know what I mean..)

7)Small i-ATX form factor it can fit into i-ATX, m-ATX and ATX and can take any compatible ATX power Supply.

8)SSD supported.

9)Booting the system is very fast, the Intel EFI Firmware got the system up and running very quickly.
I believe this is due to Intel Boot Optimized EFI Firmware as compared to EFI by other companies like Insyde, AMI and Phoenix.

10)You can self modify the firmware by using Intel Integrator Assistant

Now for the cons.

1)2 SATA ports isn't enough IMO they should include 4. If you have 4 hard drives and is contemplating switching to an Intel Atom platform you can consider buying Atom Boards from OEMs like ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte as most will have more than 2 SATA Ports.

2)Normal Quality Capacitors, the Intel Reference board uses normal capacitors but offerings from other OEMs especially Gigabyte will include solid capacitors.

3)Maximium Flash Rendering up to 720p only on Youtube. At 1080p frame drops occur on Adobe Flash 10.1. I made sure I got the latest driver for Intel 3150 and it supposedly support HD Decoding but well you are still limited to 720p not the highest but good enough for me.

Edit:
Following Updated Flash Plugins and Latest Intel Graphics Driver for D510MO it is capable of rendering 1080p movies. The test is to run Big Buck Bunny 1080p definition and observing the processor utilization.
Older Flash Plugins and Drivers tend to saturate the it to 100% utilization while updates enabled it to render without hitting 100% utilization. There are very little observable frame drops.

If you desperately need HD Capabilites go for an OEM ION Offering instead.

4)Support only Single Channel DDR2 but it isn't suppose to be a performer so memory frequency shouldn't matter much.

5)Legacy I/O Ports like Parallel and Serial Ports are removed although there are pin outs available on the Mainboard you can plug them into.

In conclusion this is a good board for its intended purpose of cost and energy savings.

It will do well for most computing task except Flash Movies played in the Highest Definition and PC gaming.

Some more details you don't find on the packaging:
1) ICH-7 AHCI SATA Controller (SouthBridge Controller).
2) Intel GMA 3150
3) Realtek RTL8165/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
4) Realtek ALC662 High Definition Audio
5) Intel 82801 GBM ICH-7M

Drivers for the D510MO Storage Driver actually exist. You just need to find Netbooks using the NM10 Chipset and use their corresponding 32bit AHCI Driver or 64bit AHCI Driver.(Older Version because Acer stopped releasing Windows 7 Intel Atom Netbooks supporting 64bit).

Intel Rapid Storage Version 10 for 32/64bit AHCI Driver From Intel

(Both x64/x86 binaries can be found in the file):

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3382&DwnldID=20768&ProductFamily=Desktop+Boards&ProductLine=Intel%C2%AE+NM10+Chipset+Family+Boards&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Desktop+Board+DN2800MT&lang=eng

Managing Security using UAC on Windows 7 Home Editions

2011-03-29T20:07:00.005+08:00

This post demonstrates how to manage Security Levels on Windows 7 Home Editions.

Only Windows 7 Professional and above editions have a front end secpol.msc to manage local security policies.

For Windows 7 Home Edition you can manage the security policies by manually changing the registry values.

The registry location is shown in the picture below.

The corresponding security levels is as describe below:

Key:

_______________________________________________________________

ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin (Affects account created as Administrators)

Value - Mode
0 - Elevate Without Prompting (No Security) NOT RECOMMENDED
1 - Prompt for Credentials on the secure desktop (Most Secure) RECOMMENDED
2 - Prompt for Consent on secure desktop (Default Setting)
3 - Prompt for Credentials
4 - Prompt for Consent
5 - Prompt for Consent for non-Windows Binaries

_______________________________________________________________

Key:
_______________________________________________________________

ConsentPromptBehaviorUser (Affects account created as Users)

Value - Mode
0 - Elevate Without Prompting (No Security) NOT RECOMMENDED
1 - Prompt for Credentials on the secure desktop (Most Secure) RECOMMENDED
2 - Prompt for Consent on secure desktop (Default Setting)
3 - Prompt for Credentials
4 - Prompt for Consent
5 - Prompt for Consent for non-Windows Binaries

______________________________________________________________

On Windows 7 Home Editions the default allows users created with admin rights to mindlessly run executables causing headaches for administrators.

This also prevents people who "borrow" your computers with Windows 7 Home Editions from messing with it by locking down security.

You can lock down the security by changing the corresponding registry values hope you guys find this is useful.

OpenSUSE 11.4

2011-03-29T00:25:00.006+08:00

For those who use Linux you might know that OpenSUSE 11.4 has just released.

I will be doing a short write up on this but unlike many "review" sites I will not just run a LiveCD and do a review just based on the Live CD.

Rather I have completed a Full Setup of the OpenSUSE on my laptop running it natively and complete for usage. Doing a Review based on a Live CD or on VM is like reviewing a book just by reading the first page.

1)Downloading the Distribution

To install OpenSUSE you do not need to download the Full DVDs, simply download the Live CD about 700MB and either a)Burn it to CD and boot from it or b)Create a Bootable Thumbdrive by using the provided Tool SUSE Studio Image Writer and image the LiveCD to Thumbdrive.

Most of the time OpenSUSE will boot successfully without any issue unless you have some exotic hardware or OEM implementations.

2)Installation
Installing to harddisk is pretty standard just remember to uncheck the UTC if your computer is set to local time and adjust the boot entries accordingly.

3)Setup up the Repository

OpenSUSE has made setting it up very easy.
Simply go to YaST, select Software Repositories,
Choose add, Choose Community Repository and simply check the Repository you need.
For those who are using Nvidia Graphics you need to add Nvidia Repository to the list.
You might want to add Packman to increase the number of package options.
You might want to add VLC as well.

4)Installing the Software

Next you want to pull down the software from the Repositories
Go to YaST, Software Manager and type in the name of the Packages you want.
This is where it shines unlike Fedora finding the package is like googling for the package.
For users of Nvidia Graphics you need the nvidia-gfx02-kmp-desktop (Desktop refers to laptops and desktop) and vdpau (for video acceleration).
If you want VLC and other additional software just select them accordingly.
I will just list some of the more useful packages

java (jre)
flash plugin for x86 OpenSUSE

square native 64bit plugin

chromium (cutting edge release of google chrome)
vlc
freetype font
fetchmsttfonts (pulls in Microsoft Fonts useful for document interoperability)
skype (follow the instructions here you need additional libraries for it to work)
cairo-dock & cairo-dock-plugins (from Packman)
Droid Fonts
Add the font hinting Repository (Guide here ) Highly Recommended!

Finally when you have 3D acceleration you can enable desktop compiz effects. The effects are similar to Windows 7 behavior.

9) To modified any file as root while running under Xserver you run the commands like this:

gnomesu gedit /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/config/bootsplash-1366x768.cfg

Basically I find that this is a pretty good release, it is very responsive, and OpenSUSE chose to exclude a lot of unnecessary drivers, however on the 64bit Live CD they omitted the dependency gnome-audio just remember to pull it from the repo if it is not there. The operating system is very smooth as a whole, compared to Fedora it has definitely less breakages as it aims to be a stable and up-to-date distribution.

I am so stucked on OpenSUSE, I find I am booting up Windows much less than ever ( I don't play games btw)

I also modified the Sonar Theme with the Faenza Theme (Original Source) Monochrome icons.

I have put it up for sharing here.

Workaround for 1360x768 resolution bootsplash:
When you set the vga_mode to 0x34c for 1360x768 resolution the bootsplash will not display a progress bar. This is due to only 1366x768 image and config files (Total 3 files) found in the OpenSUSE bootsplash. To fix this you need to trick the bootsplash into thinking that 1360x768 resolution files exist.

Solution:

sudo cp /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/config/bootsplash-1366x768.cfg /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/config/bootsplash-1360x768.cfg

sudo cp /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/images/bootsplash-1366x768.jpg /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/images/bootsplash-1360x768.jpg

sudo cp /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/images/silent-1366x768.jpg /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/images/silent-1360x768.jpg

su

mkinitrd

Rising Prices

2011-03-16T17:17:00.003+08:00

Recently I found that prices for Acer Laptops have been increasing.

For Acer, TimelineX Series of laptops have contributed to the increase in sales of their laptops, however because of that the prices have been higher than before comparatively.

I do not know the reason of the price hikes. It can be attributed to either to greedy retailers who cashed in on the rising popularity or Acer's decision to increase the prices, however 1 thing is certain, Acer computers are no longer as value for money as their other OEM counterparts per specification.

I do not do mindless supporting of companies, if their products do not offer good value for money there is no reason to support it. A computer is a computer. Period.

Edit:
Hey guys did you see this?
I wrote this article on 16 Mar and the news appeared on 1 April almost like I predicted it.
Anyway if the article isn't an April Fools Joke I wouldn't be looking to buy Acer anymore.

My Computers run purely on Electricity & Logic NOT Feelings & Marketing.

Don't buy Macbooks

2011-03-05T22:35:00.001+08:00

It is 2011 and it keeps getting better!

In the new refresh they decided to downgrade the graphics to Intel HD 3000! Wow, seriously they must have thought consumers are suckers(and maybe they are right the way things are going).

The Sandy Bridge was advertised as a major upgrade even though all other new laptops are going to get it at less than half the price. In this revision, Apple gets to sell 1 Chip (Sandy Bridge CPU) for the price of what was originally 2(1 Core 2 Duo CPU + 1 G320M GPU).

The only laptop worth looking at (the highest end Macbook Pro) cost ~3K SGD comes with a Quad Core i7 Sandy Bridge and a fast middle class ATi Radeon 6750HD.

And Thunderbolt? How many devices actually uses that...it is one of those technology that is going to be successful if and only if the world decided to use it. Still remember FireWire?

Major Profits for Apple in 2011! You got to be an IT idiot to buy 1 of those crapple products...

I would probably get a Acer Aspire 4750G that comes with a Quad Core Sandy Bridge and a GT 540M that has 80-90% of the highest end Macbook Pro's performance @ 1.2K SGD...Less than half its price.

Go Figure!

___________________________________________________________________________________

The new Acer Aspire 4741G 14" with the GT 330M Nvidia GPU (Discrete) cost around 1.5K (SGD) (Specs wise it is equivalent to a Macbook Pro 15") or less but a Macbook Pro 13" with an inferior Core 2 Duo CPU + inferior G 320M Nvidia GPU (Integrated) also cost 1.5K SGD so if this isn't a sign for an obvious ripoff then what is?
Moreover the AS4741G comes with a 60% Gamut Display screen as well.

New Updates:
Seen the new Macbook refresh laptops?
They just added another reason not to buy a Crapbook.
The 13 inch Macbook are still using Core 2 Duo endangered species processor (dangerously obselete if you consider all the new WinTel laptop comes with at least a Core i3) and the most powerful Graphics on the 15 inch Macbook Pro is what? GT 330M GPU ?!
The 11 inch Alienware Gaming Netbook has a GT 335M GPU which even more powerful than the most powerful 15" Crapbook Pro at the fraction of the cost.
Seriously Apple seems to targeting suckers in the computing market.
So you guys who didn't buy a updated Macbook and bought a new WinTel Laptop model, rejoice your current laptop's performance is probably way more powerful and cheaper than the crapbook.
As long as you learn about proper usage and take care of it, you will probably be happier than if you bought a Crapbook.

Lets look at 3D Mark 06 Benchmarks (I usually hate to do this)

Macbook Pro 13 Inch Refresh (Assuming it is a low end model costing 1200 USD)

Lets look at Acer Aspire 4740G (Cost 800USD Converted)

Shader Model 2.0 Score: 1723(MBP13) vs 1422(AS4740G)

Shader Model 3.0 Score: 2013(MBP13) vs 1431(AS4740G)
CPU Score: 2113(MBP13) vs 2246(AS4740G)

So you pay 400USD more for Good Graphics and a penalty in the CPU area?
I am sure for 400USD more we deserve better.

A lot of people complain about lousy unresponsive Windows PCs but it is actually the OEM's fault.
They bundled their computer with so much crapware everything slows down, so doing a clean install will solve everything. It isn't a PC problem but an OEM problem and it is definitely solvable if you follow the previous link.
My sleek Windows 7 installation never lags or crash just like the way it is suppose to be.

here are additional reason why not to buy one.
1)They use propriety EFI so there is no "modded" BIOS/EFI to activate Windows, you have to buy one or use a loader that might break at some point or stick to OS X.

2)They overheat while gaming at the expense of the pretty looking shell.
There are people who game using Macbook Pro and it overheats while gaming in Windows.
They are little or no vent holes. They choose form over function.
There is no such thing as: This laptop is not meant for gaming.
The only thing is if the specs sucks you won't enjoy the game.
Gaming is simply running your CPU & GPU at 100% and see if the thermal module can handle the heat effectively.

3)An equivalently priced Windows System is a lot cheaper than a Macbook, and you can even get a better one cheaper considering they haven't refresh specification according to market conditions in a long time.

4)Their battery is not removable so you have to sent it back to Apple to replace batteries than buy one off ebay. Either that or you have to dismantle it yourself.

5)They don't offer low voltage processors. I am a great advocate of low voltage processors because
1)Nowadays unless you are gaming low voltage processors are great for energy savings
2)Low Heat Output
3)Cheap

6)What struck me was most of these buyers are uninformed on what they are getting, probably on word that they cannot get virus etc: Advertising.
See how Apple calls their sale people:Mac Evangelist.
See how Apple calls their tech support: Genius Bar.
Apple like to abuse the English Vocabulary you as can tell by using different words to describe the same thing.
This is bad because in the world we are living in is not so based on facts and capability but dictated by how advertising gets into the minds of people.

7)OS X sucks when it comes to low level customization, power users will find a lack of control. There is no administrative tools/Control Panel to give you very high, low level control over the OS(Except Terminal but it is not GUI). It is like Ubuntu except Ubuntu is free software (cost as well as source code).
OS X also took code based on BSD while not returning much to the free software community.
OS X looks great at the sales counter but functionality sucks.
I hope I don't have to repeat this.

I hope real word can get around about the ugly truth about Apple. To me it is a marketing company nobody should buy from. Please tell your friends and family, do not let this get any worse.
The reason I am writing this is I don't want to see low-cost Windows System OEM get shutdown due to low sales because people believe Macs are better and buy them.
I still want my choice of cheap & powerful computers to exist! Not cheap Macs with lousy specification, so if my Acer dies I will still be able to get a cheap & powerful replacement(not necessarily an Acer, Lenovos and some HP & Dell are cheap too).

I hope there are many OEMs continue to be around so:
1)I can choose
2)Competition drive down cost and keep OEMs on their toes
3)We all benefit from cheap stuff

If Macs or any single OEM rules:
1)They control pricing.
2)No more cheap computers.
3)New parts specification may not deliver as fast because there are no competition for sales (Apple can afford not to update for a long time because "they are not PC" so they are different and not subjected to compete, and people are still suckers for them however any PC OEMs selling laptops with 9600M GT probably won't be gettting any sales).
4)We will be paying a whole lot more than what it actually cost (so those company profit and execs go on holidays sponsored indirectly by us).

I do not advocate any brands (Acer Laptop sucks as well I bought it because it was cheap), my final advice to anyone who want to buy anything is:

1)Do real research from a neutral party about your needs, and find market pricing standards, don't be lazy and ask the Salesperson/Mac Evangelist because they have an intention to make you buy their products so what they say will definitely contain falsehood.
I am not just saying about Apple Sale Representative, this applies to any Laptop salesperson.
I have seen people doing sales with ZERO knowledge of what they are selling.
They will give you any promise to make you take out your wallet. It is during after sales that their horns emerge.
Also do not ask your hippy Apple fanatic friend about anything.
Their minds have been altered by Apple Marketing to know any real facts.
Ask someone who really know what every line of a computer specification means.

2)Get a competitively priced computer no point paying extra for nice looks, when a computer is meant to be used not admired.
Things that matter:

Size, Weight
Specification
Price Point
Battery Life

3)There is no such thing as brand quality.
Laptops are really made by ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) not HP or Dell or any other company. Example of ODM: Compal, Quanta...
Example:
The HP Elitebook is made by Compal, HP only pasted their stickers and label on them.

New Acer WebCam

2011-02-28T18:56:00.003+08:00

New Acer WebCam Software from Acer.
This software is special as it is from CyberLink instead of the usual SuYin, Chicony.
Works on older Acers With Chicony WebCam hence no reason it shouldn't work on SuYin WebCams.
-Features

New Better looking UI
More Image Adjustment
1 Click AutoUpdate from CyberLink

Download the software from Acer here (32/64bit Packages)

________________________________________________________________

SRS Surround Software (32/64bit)

Download here (Station Driver).
Sounds better with this software but it could be just me.

________________________________________________________________

Nvidia PureVideo

By default we don't get PureVideo for Nvidia Graphics on Acer.
Maybe Acer didn't pay for them as you know Acer Laptops are cheap

But there is a way to get them...from SONY (Only SONY has it No Other OEMs has it) .
Simply go to SONY Site and Download their Nvidia Driver.
SONY Driver With PureVideo (FTP Make sure the FTP ports are not blocked it doesn't support HTTP over FTP)
Double Click to extract and hold the screen and then go to the folder
I have also extracted the PureVideo Component for download here .

Code:

C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Appdata\Temp

You will see weird folders with weird files but this is the location where Windows ALWAYS store temporary extracted files.
So find the folder contain the SONY Nvidia Driver then Find the executable:
PVSonyDll.exe (PV Stands for PureVideo)
Sort the list by Date if you have trouble navigating.

Double Click and install the PV executable and it is done.

PureVideo is something which enhances Video Playback you may or may not notice any difference.

Acer TimelineX 2011

2011-02-26T13:20:00.000+08:00

Looking forward to this. Hope I am able to do a writeup on this.

List Of Modified BIOS Collection

2011-01-31T19:59:00.001+08:00

Here are the list of Modified BIOS Collection (mainly SLIC Mods), no warranty provided use at your own discretion!

Acer Aspire 4520G BIOS
Acer Aspire 4530 BIOS
Acer Aspire 4535G BIOS
Acer Aspire 6920G BIOS
Acer Aspire 9920 BIOS
Acer Aspire 6292 BIOS
Acer Aspire 2920Z BIOS
Acer Aspire 5516 BIOS

HP G60-244DX_360AF54

TOSHIBA_Satellite_P205-S6277

Sony VGN-SZ61MN

Palit_N73PV (Desktop Motherboard)

They are all labeled check the filename before flashing and report if you notice anything wrong.

Crisis Disk in case anything goes wrong (For Phoenix BIOS) Recovery Procedures may differ.
DOS Flashing Package to flash in DOS Mode.

A Good Tool to check for BIOS Information: RW-Everything.

In fact I have a lot of modified BIOS files but I lost track of what models they are for...so thats it!

Google Secure Socket Layer For Internet Explorer

2010-12-29T00:15:00.004+08:00

SSL is a additional layer of encryption that protects your session with a Server that offers SSL as an option.

I am sure you guys heard about Google's New SSL for Firefox and Chrome, so how about Internet Explorer?

Simply go to Create a Search Provider for Internet Explorer then
Under "URL" Copy and Paste the following into the box:

https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=TEST&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Under "Name" just label it Google (SSL) and you are done!

To remove this warning message:

Simply go to Internet Options -> Security -> Internet -> Custom Level and Choose Enable Display Mixed Content.

Thats all =).

Script to Install Driver Packages

2010-12-15T17:44:00.011+08:00

This bat script is written by me to mass install drivers, activate OEM Windows as well as perform Disk Optimization to alleviate some of the repetitive actions.
You are free to use as you wish but no warranty is provided.
You just need to put the bat script in the same folder as the drivers and OEM Certificate and launch it with Administrative Permission as shown in the example below.

You will most likely need to make some minor changes to suit the script to your purpose.
REM indicates comments.
Start Copy below after this line:
__________________________________________________________________________________

    @echo off

REM Script Originally Written by the Author of aspiregemstone.blogspot.com

    REM You are free to modify, share & use, completely Free of Charge.

    REM But kindly please acknowledge the source in the Spirit Of Sharing. Thanks =)

    FOR /D %%I IN (%0) DO CD /d %%~dpI

    cls

    echo Creating OEM Certificate Directory...

    mkdir "C:\Windows\system32\OEM"

    echo Copying OEM Certificate...

    copy "OEM.XRM-MS" "C:\Windows\system32\OEM"

    echo Activating Windows 7...

    echo Please wait...This might take a while...

    REM Rename the OEM Certificate to OEM.XRM-MS

    slmgr.vbs -ilc C:\Windows\System32\OEM\OEM.XRM-MS

    REM Replace XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX with the OEM Key

    slmgr -ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

    echo Done!

    echo Installing Drivers...

    echo DO NOT RESTART THE COMPUTER!

    REM Rename the Driver Packages

    Chipset_Driver.exe

    Graphics_Driver.exe

    Ethernet_Driver.exe

    Wireless_Driver.exe

    Printer_Driver.exe

    WinTV_Driver.exe

    REM Below is how the script access extracted Drivers

    Audio_Driver\Setup.exe

    Web_Camera\Setup.exe

    Storage_Driver\Setup.exe

    echo All DRIVERS INSTALLED!

    echo Cleaning up TEMP Folders

    C:

    REM Remove Temp Folders created by HP and Intel Driver Packages

    del /S /Q /F C:\SWsetup

    del /S /Q /F C:\swsetup

    del /S /Q /F C:\Intel

    REM Manually invoke optimization

    Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks

    echo You may restart the Computer now!

    pause
__________________________________________________________________________________

Save the script as Setup.bat and Right Click to launch it with Admin Rights.

Windows Essentials 2011 breaks SAMBA Shares

2010-12-02T18:46:00.006+08:00

If you are a user of Windows Shares and you use SAMBA to connect to it from your GNU\Linux Machine, you will find after installing Windows Essentials 2011 on the host you break the SAMBA Share.
You will no longer be able to connect to Windows Share from your GNU\Linux Machine.

WORKAROUND 1 (Highly Recommended):

In Windows Live Essentials 2011, Windows Live Sign In Assistant exist as a Windows Service so we need to disable it.

Go to Control Panel, then Services.

Find a Service called "Windows Live Sign-in Assistant" as shown below:

Double Click on it and set it to "Disable"

Save, exit and reboot.

WORKAROUND 2:

Uninstall Windows Essentials 2011 COMPLETELY

You have to revert to the old Windows Live Essentials and uninstall the Live Sign In Assistant through the Control Panel .

Exit and reboot.

Improving your PowerPoint Slides

2010-11-21T12:45:00.000+08:00

For users of Microsoft PowerPoint go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/ to download more aesthetically pleasing content slide design.
Then download the template you want to the desktop then copy to the folder below:
C:\Users\{your user profile here}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes

This is just something to get nice slides without spending too much time on designing however a great presentation still depends on the content and speaker.

Few simple rules:
Keep the wordings on the slide simple summaries, speak more and engage your audience.

Fedora 14 Laughlin on Laptop

2010-11-06T00:47:00.016+08:00

Firstly, to use Fedora you have to be quite comfortable with GNU\Linux Operating System in general.
What Fedora offers over other GNU\Linux
(Needless to say Mac OS X sucks with the price tag and the lack of new useful features):

1)It is cutting edge, new features are introduced into Fedora frequently unlike "Rock Solid" Distro like Debian Stable.

2)Fedora runs out of box rather nicely because it is updated, new hardware have a good chance of running smoothly without recompiling hardware kernel driver modules.

3)Fedora developers are the people working on GNOME hence if you like to use GNOME as the desktop manager, Fedora is a good choice.

4)Ubuntu IMO tends to be too hand-holding hence it is rather filled with GUI centric applications, in contrast Fedora runs fast and light.

5)Being a supported distro, it offloads the task of package recompiling to the people maintaining it hence you do not have to constantly recompile new packages when released like Gentoo.

Actually I did try to think of ways how to make a simple guide on how to install Fedora on the laptop but I did too many tricks to get it working such that I don't think it is suitable for the mostly GUI oriented users.

However I will share my observations on Fedora Laughlin.

There are a few small bugs regarding GNOME and the rendering of display IF YOU use the default GTK themes I had to use the Solaris Nimbus theme or the Nodoka theme as a workaround.

Next I recommend you use the Nvidia Developer Driver 260.19.14 for Linux instead of the WHQL because it provides very aggressive power saving settings I do notice a slightly improvement in battery life.

I am glad to say that suspend/resume works with the above combination.

You have to append nomodeset and vga=318 to the end of the kernel line to get a nice Plymouth splash and WITHOUT removing nouveau driver as a fallback.

To change cursor you have to edit the "default" text file in /usr/share/icons to point to the cursor theme you want to use.

You can use the same tweaks in the OpenSUSE Guide.

By default, all filesystems are now mounted with relatime enabled. To suppress this feature across an entire system, use the boot parameter default_relatime=0. If relatime is enabled on a system by default, you can suppress it for any particular file system by mounting that file system with the option norelatime. Finally, to vary the default length of time before which the system will update a file's atime data, use the relatime_interval= boot parameter, specifying the period in seconds. The default value is 86400.

The fact that the rpmfusion drivers sucks means that it is difficult for GUI people to install it therefore I gave up on writing a guide.

However those who are quite the superuser and wish to try Fedora can still ask me for some opinions (not a expert though).

For Users with Nvidia Graphics Adapters

1)Grab the install media, use unetbootin to convert the bootable iso to bootable thumbdrive.
For users with internet the Live CD x86 (32bit) or the x86_64(64bit) will do.
The full DVD includes package it is for users who do not have access to internet hence needs to install the packages by DVD Media.
2)Format the disk partition as instructed, make sure there is empty space on the harddisk to install Fedora to.

3)Enable Sudo and add your user account as wheel.
Open Terminal:

#su
#visudo

Press 'i' to enter insert mode.
Change

#%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

Press 'Esc" then ":wq" to save and exit.
Go to Main Menu -> System -> Administration -> Users & Groups
Select your User Account then Properties go to Group Tab then check "Wheel".

4)Adjust the boot entry in /boot/grub/menu.lst by opening terminal entering:
sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

Comment out Hidden Menu
#hiddenmenu
Set Default to the default boot entry number (eg 0=First Boot Entry, 1=Second Boot Entry etc)
Add the following behind the kernel boot parameters:
rhgb quiet nomodeset default_relatime=0 vga=0x318

More VGA Settings can be found here, however the value above 0x318 which is for 1366X768 resolution is strangely not found in the site above.

You can edit the title of your Windows Boot Entry to
title Windows 7

Example (Highlighted Notable Changes in Blue):

default=1
timeout=3
splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.35.6-48.fc14.x86_64)
    root (hd0,4)
    kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.35.6-48.fc14.x86_64 ro root=UUID=0ee4372e-2c84-4238-b822-d83759547d4b rd_NO_LUKS rd_NO_LVM rd_NO_MD rd_NO_DM LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us rhgb quiet nomodeset default_relatime=0 vga=0x34D
    initrd /initramfs-2.6.35.6-48.fc14.x86_64.img
title Windows 7
    rootnoverify (hd0,0)
    chainloader +

5)Run all updates
Go to Main Menu -> System -> Administration -> Software Updates
Reboot and boot into the latest Kernel

6)Managing Kernel Entries
Fedora dependency is good so to remove older kernels:
Go to Main Menu -> System -> Administration -> Add/Remove Software.
Search for Linux and uncheck the "Filter" "Show only Newest package"
Find the old kernel then uncheck and apply to uninstall it.

7)Installing the Nvidia Drivers
Download the latest Nvidia Driver For Linux from http://developer.nvidia.com/object/cuda_3_2_toolkit_rc.html

8)Install the development tools as follows:
You need to have the following installed

______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2. Minimum Software Requirements
______________________________________________________________________________



    Software Element         Min Requirement          Check With...
    ---------------------    ---------------------    ---------------------
    Linux kernel             2.4.7                    `cat /proc/version`
    XFree86/X.Org            4.0.1/6.7                'Xorg -version`                                                      
    Kernel modutils          2.1.121                  `insmod --version`


If you need to build the NVIDIA kernel module:

    Software Element         Min Requirement          Check With...
    ---------------------    ---------------------    ---------------------
    binutils                 2.9.5                    `size --version`
    GNU make                 3.77                     `make --version`
    gcc                      2.91.66                  `gcc --version`
    glibc                    2.0                      `ls /lib/libc.so.*`

Use terminal to run the commands underlined if you are missing any packages

you need to install it with root permission either using sudo or su.

Make sure you have the kernel headers required installed.

Run in terminal:

sudo yum install kernel-devel

9)Reboot upon seeing the grub entries scroll to the kernel press 'e' on it and append init 3 to it.
10)To install login in then type

$su
#cd Downloads
# sh devdriver_3.2_linux_64_260.19.14.run

The filename of the driver maybe different from the above.
Accept and press ok when you see ok.

To uninstall run:
$su
# sh devdriver_3.2_linux_64_260.19.14.run --uninstall

Reboot with the command

#init 6

11)Adjust the xorg.conf file by opening the terminal
$sudo gedit /etc/xorg.conf

Adjust to look like the below:

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 260.19.14 (buildmeister@builder103.nvidia.com) Mon Oct 18 21:52:42 PDT 2010

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0 "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/default/Type1"
    ModulePath    "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules/extension/nvidia"
    ModulePath    "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
        Option      "AIGLX" "on"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from data in "/etc/sysconfig/keyboard"
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
    Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
    Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    Option    "NoLogo"    "on"
    Option    "Coolbits"    "1"
    Option    "OnDemandVBlankInterrupts"    "on"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

12)Install the Nimbus GTK Theme as a workaround to that lag bug:
$sudo yum install nimbus-theme-gnome
Change to the Nimbus theme

13)Install Cairo Dock:
$sudo yum install cairo-dock

14)Install Java
$sudo yum install java-1.6.0-openjdk-plugin

15)Change the cursor in Fedora 14

16)Remove icons from GNOME Desktop

17)Install Global Menu:
$sudo yum install gnome-applet-globalmenu

18)Install OpenOffice (let the dependencies resolve themselves):
$sudo yum install openoffice.org-calc openoffice.org-writer openoffice.org-draw openoffice.org-impress

19)Install GIMP (Powerful OpenSource Photoshop alternative)
$sudo yum install gimp

20)Adding tmpfs to /tmp
Add this line to /etc/fstab to make /tmp folder a RAMDisk so /tmp will be automatically cleared during shutdown.

tmp /tmp tmpfs defaults 0 0

noatime is already implemented by the default_relatime=0 boot parameters.

21)Disable the scale when you move the cursor to the top right hand of the screen:
$sudo yum install ccsm compiz-backend-gconf
Then access compizconfig setting manager and disable the scale plugin -> initiate Window Picker

22)Install Chromium
Flash for Chromium

23)Install gsynaptics to enable 2 finger scroll. ~~It works in Fedora 14!~~ Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
$sudo yum install gsynaptics

24)Install Systemd and switch to it instead of upstart.
$sudo yum install systemd
Then append init=/bin/systemd to the end of the kernel parameters.
I notice some speed up in suspend and resume operations but then it might just be me.

Once you get the hang of installing by terminal you are somewhere there
You may want the following software as well:
Adobe Flash
Skype
To fix the Skype Video you need to change the launcher command as shown below:

Change it to:
sh -c 'export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 && LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so /usr/bin/skype'

Windows Fonts

There you go! If you still need GUI for every step Fedora is probably not for you. You should try Ubuntu or Mint or OpenSUSE instead.
Feel Free to leave comments if you feel that something is omitted.

New Nvidia Developer Driver 260.99 (WHQL)

2010-10-25T20:38:00.001+08:00

LOL.
Looks like Nvidia screwed up.
New Nvidia Verde Driver (WHQL signed by Microsoft ) Version 260.99 within 2 weeks...

New Nvidia Verde Driver (WHQL signed by Microsoft ) Version 260.81

Warning! I had 2 crash dumps and black screen hangs while using this 260.81 driver.

I can almost swear it is as buggy as it could be so use it at your own risk.

I can't believe Microsoft WHQLed this buggy driver...

Retains the PhysX Options for Nvidia G310M which is not supposed to be PhysX-able
Includes High Def Audio Driver

New Nvidia Developer Driver (WHQL signed by Nvidia) version 260.61

Retains the PhysX Options for Nvidia G310M which is not supposed to be PhysX-able
Doesn't Include NVIDIA High Def Audio Driver so you have to use the high-def audio driver from older Drivers
(If you are missing the NVIDIA High Def Audio Driver copy C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\260.89\Vista 64-bit\International\HDAudio Folder to C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\260.61\Vista 64-bit\International\HDAudio Folder) It will detect the HDAudio Driver and attempt to install it.

Take a look at the new screens:

Download links
Nvidia Signed 260.61 here
Microsoft Signed 260.99 here

Checking Battery Capacity in Windows 7

2010-10-23T18:47:00.001+08:00

Alternatively there is a Free software to measure power consumption by Microsoft Research.
It is called JouleMeter.
Find out more about it here.

A new feature in Windows 7 is the ability to check battery capacity.
Take a look at the following:

Open a Command Prompt Windows with Administrative Permission
Enter:
powercfg /Energy

It will create a report in
C:\Windows\system32\energy-report.html

There is one line like this

Battery:Battery Information
Battery ID 11121SANYOAS07A31
Manufacturer SANYO
Serial Number 11121
Chemistry LION
Long Term 1
Design Capacity 48840
Last Full Charge 41214

The amount of battery life left can be calculated by

eg. 41214/48840*100

Formula: (Last Full Charge)/(Design Capacity) * 100

Which equates to 84.38% meaning my laptop battery has only 84.38% of charge left (because I didn't take good care of it. There was a few times when the battery was almost fully drain)

So make sure you switch off the laptop or connect it to an AC outlet when battery life reaches 10% and do not expose it to high temperatures.

Alternatively you can download the new HWMonitor as it reports the charge capacity directly.

Audio Driver Matching

2010-10-19T16:56:00.006+08:00

The reason for this new post is because I found out something interesting about MSI Release Audio Drivers.
Compared to Acer Default drivers they are richer in sound yet utilities the same audio chip.
However going by their filename I believe it is device id optimized.
So how do you find out the audio chip in your laptop desktop?
Go to Control Panel, open up Realtek Audio Driver Control Panel and check the audio chip used.

The Audio Codec will be listed.
Further proof that Audio Codec is dependent on Audio Chip installed and not device driver:

So which MSI driver to use?
Check the filename: ad_alc888s_vc2_6.0.1.6151_al00.zip
This indicates the driver is optimized for the ALC888S Audio Chip in the laptop.
I listed all the device driver on MSI by the Device ID just download & install!

ad_alc892_gr_6.0.1.6196_al00.zip

ad_alc892_gr_6.0.1.6194_al00.zip

"ASUS EAX 5.0 THX "Stealth Fighter" Laptop Audio Driver"

ad/ad_alc269_X_al00.zip (All I know is the Realtek Chip is ALC269 based)

"MSI THX Certified + 4 Premium Sound Speakers" Driver

ad_alc269q_vb5_gr_6.0.1.6267_w700.zip

ad/ad_alc269q_X_al00.zip

ad_alc269q_vb2_gr_6.0.1.6176_al00.zip

ad_alc269q_6.0.1.6128_al00.zip

ad/ad_alc269_X_al00.zip

"Sound by Dynaudio with DTS Surround" Driver

ad/ad_alc888s_X_al00.zip

ad/ad_alc888_X_al00.zip

ad/ad_alc662_X_al00.zip

ad_alc662_6.0.1.6093_al00.zip

ad/ad_alc882_6.0.1.5874_al00.zip

This entry will be updated from time to time just check the last modified entry.

Just A Query From Readers.

2010-10-06T11:36:00.001+08:00

Edit: I found this video which explains exactly what I was trying to say in a better more coherent sense. Thought I wanted to share this with you guys.

My opinion of the world today is rather negative.

I see people getting excited over silly devices like a iphone over more important matter like family, society, country and the world.

Superpower wage war over non-existent WMDs (even though the intelligence agency reported NO THREAT) and the leader got away with indirectly causing the death of the soldiers in his own country, in the country where in was fought burning away cash in the form of expensive weapons used. It is like mass murder in the public view of everyone and no one actually cares...

We also have filthy rich companies concern with saving money as a result causing pollution over the environment and putting a price tag on it. IMO money can never buy back the same state it was previously.

In the 21sth Century IMO mankind has sink to unprecedented depths again...but this is worse given that it was caused by apathy not by a single country but by people all over the world.

In my country (Singapore) a lot of parents are both working neglecting kids just to get a higher standard of living to purchase useless stuff like the iphone which almost cost a laptop not to mention the exorbitant monthly subscription.

People start engaging in trashy shows and useless advertising instead of reading useful materials like books.

In my country students study just to pass exams...

Does that happen all over the world or is it just my country? What is your opinion on this?

Linux Nvidia Driver OverClocking

2010-09-01T23:40:00.002+08:00

A lot of people don't read "README"s hence they missed a lot of things.

It reflects on the laziness of people of this generation refusal to read, write and learn with the only desire to enjoy and relax. Can't really blame them since it is how the world markets success.
I am guilty of that sometimes as well.

Anyway today I read through the Nvidia Propriety Driver's README and found a number of Nvidia XConfig options usually neglected.

I will only list interesting ones below, the full list is here, Read through it for more information.

To add them simply add the entries under /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
Something like this (in red):

.............................................
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Unknown"
HorizSync 28.0 - 33.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 72.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "NoLogo" "on"
Option "Coolbits" "1"
Option "OnDemandVBlankInterrupts" "on"
EndSection

....................................

Interesting Sections below.............

Option "NoLogo" "boolean"
Disable drawing of the NVIDIA logo splash screen at X startup. Default: the logo is drawn for screens with depth 24.

This skips the Nvidia Splash Screen during boot up.

Option "ThermalConfigurationCheck" "boolean"
The NVIDIA X driver will fail initialization on a GPU if it detects that the GPU has a bad thermal configuration. This may indicate a problem with how your graphics board was built, or simply a driver bug. It is recommended that you contact your graphics board vendor if you encounter this problem. This option can be set to False to bypass this test. Default: true (the thermal configuration test is performed).

Turn On Thermal Protection on GPU.

Option "Coolbits" "integer"

Enables various unsupported features, such as support for GPU clock manipulation in the NV-CONTROL X extension. This option accepts a bit mask of features to enable.

WARNING: this may cause system damage and void warranties. This utility can run your computer system out of the manufacturer's design specifications, including, but not limited to: higher system voltages, above normal temperatures, excessive frequencies, and changes to BIOS that may corrupt the BIOS. Your computer's operating system may hang and result in data loss or corrupted images. Depending on the manufacturer of your computer system, the computer system, hardware and software warranties may be voided, and you may not receive any further manufacturer support. NVIDIA does not provide customer service support for the Coolbits option. It is for these reasons that absolutely no warranty or guarantee is either express or implied. Before enabling and using, you should determine the suitability of the utility for your intended use, and you shall assume all responsibility in connection therewith. When "1" (Bit 0) is set in the "Coolbits" option value, the nvidia-settings utility will contain a page labeled "Clock Frequencies" through which clock settings can be manipulated. On mobile GPUs, limited clock manipulation support is available when "1" is set in the "Coolbits" option value: clocks can be lowered relative to the default settings, but overclocking is not supported due to the thermal constraints of notebook designs.
When "2" (Bit 1) is set in the "Coolbits" option value, the NVIDIA driver will attempt to initialize SLI when using GPUs with different amounts of video memory.
When "4" (Bit 2) is set in the "Coolbits" option value, the nvidia-settings Thermal Monitor page will allow configuration of GPU fan speed, on graphics boards with programmable fan capability.
The default for this option is 0 (unsupported features are disabled).

In other word enable OverClocking of Nvidia GPU in Linux + SLI Mods.

Option "MultiGPU" "string"

This option controls the configuration of Multi-GPU rendering in supported configurations.

Value Behavior
0, no, off, false, Single Use only a single GPU when rendering
1, yes, on, true, Auto Enable Multi-GPU and allow the driver to automatically select the appropriate rendering mode.
AFR Enable Multi-GPU and use the Alternate Frame Rendering mode.
SFR Enable Multi-GPU and use the Split Frame Rendering mode.
AA Enable Multi-GPU and use antialiasing. Use this in conjunction with full scene antialiasing to improve visual quality.

Option "SLI" "string"

This option controls the configuration of SLI rendering in supported configurations.
Value Behavior

0, no, off, false, Single Use only a single GPU when rendering
1, yes, on, true, Auto Enable SLI and allow the driver to automatically select the appropriate rendering mode.
AFR Enable SLI and use the Alternate Frame Rendering mode.
SFR Enable SLI and use the Split Frame Rendering mode.
AA Enable SLI and use SLI Antialiasing. Use this in conjunction with full scene antialiasing to improve visual quality.
AFRofAA Enable SLI and use SLI Alternate Frame Rendering of Antialiasing mode. Use this in conjunction with full scene antialiasing to improve visual quality. This option is only valid for SLI configurations with 4 GPUs.
Mosaic Enable SLI and use SLI Mosaic Mode. Use this in conjunction with the MetaModes X configuration option to specify the combination of mode(s) used on each display.

SLI and Multirendering advance configuration.

Option "OnDemandVBlankInterrupts" "boolean"

Normally, VBlank interrupts are generated on every vertical refresh of every display device connected to the GPU(s) installed in a given system. This experimental option enables on-demand VBlank control, allowing the driver to enable VBlank interrupt generation only when it is required. This can help conserve power.

Default: off (on-demand VBlank control is disabled).

More power saving in Linux.

The rest are either enabled by default or nothing much interesting.

That is all.

OpenSUSE on Aspire 4530

2010-08-21T01:10:00.004+08:00

I took a switch to OpenSUSE because I could no longer stand the Brown and the fugly name Ubuntu.
Before I finally chose OpenSUSE I was deciding whether to try Fedora as well. However UI of Fedora was rather similar to Ubuntu so I tried OpenSUSE instead.
The Green Theme of OpenSUSE will match the Green Tag of Aspire 4530 (just below the keyboard) very well. Owners of Aspire 4530 will know what I mean. LOL

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 modified date to your Harddisk (Less unnnessary harddisk operations)

Add this line to /etc/fstab to make /tmp folder a RAMDisk so /tmp will be automatically cleared during shutdown.

tmp /tmp tmpfs defaults,size=512m,noatime,nodiratime 0 0

The size allocated is 512MB.

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 (If you used my Modded BIOS with Linux in the ACPI)

Overall I like OpenSUSE a lot.
The fonts and themes are much better than Ubuntu.
The laptop is running cooler than Ubuntu for some reason I don't know.
WebCam runs as well with the default cheese application.
Adobe Flash runs well.
Batterylife is good as well (the same as Windows 7) previously on Ubuntu it had shorter batterylife.

Other Cool Features:
SYSTEM, YAST,Kernel Settings
You can adjust the CPU scheduling algo as shown below.

If you installed it on the same harddisk as your Windows OS, the Windows OS is accessible in the following folder
/windows/

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

Select Slight Hinting instead of Full
In conclusion this is an awesome OS on Aspire 4530, you should try it!

Acer Aspire 4740G on OpenSUSE (Perfect Linux Machine)

2010-08-21T01:10:00.003+08:00

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.

Software,Software Repo

Add

Protocol:HTTP
Server:download.nvidia.com (See Nvidia provides the direct package)
Directory on Server: /opensuse/11.2

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)

Add this line to /etc/fstab to make /tmp folder a RAMDisk so /tmp will be automatically cleared during shutdown.

tmp /tmp tmpfs defaults,size=512m,noatime,nodiratime 0 0

The size allocated is 512MB.
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

(From post in 3810 thread):

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

Free Harddisk Cloning Solution

2010-08-17T19:52:00.004+08:00

I am sure there are times you need to move all harddisk content over to another disk without the luxury of the time to reinstall.
Here is the free Home-Based solution just by using a <1GB Thumbdrive you can image your harddisk without buying software like Norton Ghost or Acronis.
Originally the software requires unetbootin to create a bootable thumbdrive but they have updated the tool to be able to self-create a bootable thumbdrive.
Download EASEUS Disk Copy from EASEUS.Unzip dc.zip to a location.
Then run to create the boot thumbdrive

After that plug in your source and destination harddisk, boot from thumbdrive then run disk copy and do a sector by sector imaging!

New Stuff I discovered regarding temperature control

2010-08-16T21:43:00.000+08:00

Recently I updated all my drivers again but soon I realized that my laptop was running hotter than usual.
I mean really hot like 60 degrees on Idle.
I soon narrowed it down to the latest chipset driver I install so I reverted to the old driver and surprisingly it went down.
I took a look using HWMonitor and found that the latest chipset driver was working the processor really hard consuming 25watts constantly on idle.
I downgraded the chipset driver to the previous version and the problem disappeared immediately.
So the story of this lesson is do not assume anything and anything newer shiny != greater.

So if you encounter heat issues you might also wish to try revert to old version.
Also for Windows 7 compatible machines setting the processor cooling management to passive means the fan will spin less (quieter) but it will operate at generally higher temperatures. In contrast setting it to passive mode means it will spin more (noisier) but keep temperatures lower.

The 100MB Partition in Windows 7

2010-08-09T10:54:00.004+08:00

As you might already know Windows 7 default installation creates a 100MB partition during Setup.
The function is not really documented on the Internet, however reading this you should already know what it is for.

The partition in question is the System Reserved Partition.

So lets compare the Windows 7 installation with and without the 100MB System Reserve Partition.

Firstly lets take a look at the root drive of the Windows 7 with the 100MB:

Next lets take a look at the root drive of the Windows 7 without the 100MB:

So what is the the difference? It is the presence of file and folder required for booting like bootmgr etc...

Open up the 100MB partition and what do you know we are right!

So what does this means?
It means in actual fact the extra partition is optional has 0 effects on system operation.

So lets take a logical approach and think of possible reasons for this change.

1)Prevent Noobs from accidentally killing their Windows Installation by moving the boot files off C:\ to a partition they can't touch? Possible Very Likely
2)Optimize boot performance by moving boot files to the first partition(front part of the drive)? Possible as well.
3)Modularize the OS file layout? Very possible a much more elegant solution than cramping all the files into C:\.In fact it could mean you could multiboot multiple Windows OS on volumes without having repeated Boot files in each and every installation.

What does this means to end user? It means for those Dual Booters like me it is 4 - 2 primary partition left instead of 4 - 1.
Does it matter? No because you can create logical/extended partition to bypass the 4 primary partition limit in legacy Master Boot Record (MBR).
It doesn't affect GUID Partition Tables (GPT) on EFI systems.
Unfortunately Windows 7 doesn't do GPT volume installation.

So remember the 100MB is just a rearrangement of boot files. Period.

Fuss Free Computing

2010-07-02T22:00:00.001+08:00

I hear a lot of stories regarding the state of Windows users find themselves.
However you can be certain that 90% of the time it is the users' fault.
I have another article on how to maintain the longevity of the hardware but this post specifically aims to teach you how to maintain the state of your operating system.
It is tried and tested on my system therefore I don't see how it is not applicable to anyone else.
Ok here goes

Rule 1: Don't install any software you don't know

I know it is difficult since they let you download for FREE right? No.
Only download reputable software from reputable sources.
Do not install software that forces you to download and run it to access certain resources.
A lot of freeware advertised in banners are either spyware or malware in their own rights.
Good software spreads by the word of mouth. Ask your IT-Savy friends for advice on Freeware.

Rule 2: Do Not Download & Run Files not expected from friends

Do not assume that mail coming from friends are safe. Some Malware do spread from contact list so unless you are expecting the mail and or attachments from friends just trash the mail. You can tell whether the mail is genuine from the way the text is phrase as well.

Rule 3: Less is more

Contrary to freebies in computing more software = less performance.

If we take a logical approach, more software = more code/data to be executed.
Assuming processing is constant, performance drops. Logical?

So install what you actually will use and software that brings real benefits to your computing experience, avoid programs that tries runs itself on startup because it brings delay to boot time execution.

Rule 4: Only Optimization is Windows Optimization

Out of the so many Windows optimization the only real optimization is the Windows built in ones.(You can find the optimization below documented in documents published in WHDC (Windows Hardware Developer Central).
Open Command Prompt with Elevated Rights & type the following:

C:\Windows\System32)Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks

You will see harddisk lights light up as Windows started optimizing itself.
It is safe to assume that it is completed once Harddisk Activity lights ceases.
Next run Windows Defragmenter
Open Command Prompt with Elevated Rights & type the following:

C:\Windows\System32)Defrag C:\ /v /u

The /v /u flags will inform you about the status of completion.

Finally Open Command Prompt with Elevated Rights & type the following:

C:\Windows\System32)Defrag C:\ /v /u /b

The /b flag will tell Windows to perform an optimization known as boot optimization to reduce boot time.

Some other Optimization does the same optimization as documented by Microsoft so installing them is like doubling the work so you actually do not need to install any third party software optimizer.

However Windows Defragmenter is a necessary evil inherent because of the way NTFS, Microsoft File System allocates Disk space, defragmentation is the only solution to defragment non-contiguous files especially after a lot of reinstalls and uninstalls.

Rule 5: Delete the "Setup.exe" after installing

Whenever you download and install a software like Firefox you get a installer called Setup.exe. If I were to use an analogy it is like the packaging whenever you buy a product after you take out the product you can throw the box away. Over time these EXEs built up when you install software wasting unnessary space on the harddisk. Just like your real house do some house keeping on your harddisk.

Rule 6: Do Not Install Toolbars

This is a fair new occurrence you see many software publishers offering toolbars for Web Browsers some come bundled with "freeware". In any case Do Not install them.

Why? Because the Web Browsers Authors do not specifically test the toolbars to work properly alongside the browsers. There is no guarantee it will not affect your browser in any negative manner.

Rule 7: Disable AutoRun & AutoPlay

Even though Microsoft beefed up Windows Security with UAC and malware that auto launches itself from the thumbdrive can still cause some unnecessary damage. If you need to launch an executable just launch it manually and save yourself the unnecessary risk of a malware attack. To disable it just access Control Panel click on AutoPlay and disable it for all devices. If autoplay is disable NO MALWARE can attempt to launch itself into your system unless you launch it manually.

Lastly to get a free and good anti-virus look no further than Microsoft Security Essentials.

Why do I recommend this software because it is free for every Genuine Windows, and updates are tested before release.

I believe you heard horror stories of 3rd party Anti-Virus killing your Operating Systems.

1)I believe that Microsoft test their definition files and patches before release.

2)A good anti-virus isn't overly suspicious. Microsoft Security Essentials have good detection rate but at the same time it isn't overly zealous like a suspicious policeman thinking every citizen is a potential criminal like some other 3rd party OS.

3)I have tried MSE and it plays nice on Windows Vista and above Operating System without being a resource hog. Some people believe that a Security Software should protect us against all know threats even drive by sites but I believe an Anti-Virus software is the last line of defense against malware, users safe surfing and computer usage habits is the FIRST defence. Just following the few simple rules should guarantee a fuss free computing even on Windows. Paying more for Macs isn't the solution, sure using a less common OS might reduce the chance of encountering malware since the malware programmers tend to target the majority but ultimately it is the usage habits that matters.

Acer Aspire 4740G Review

2010-06-27T09:38:00.006+08:00

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	Genuine Windows^® 7 Home Premium
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.

Power Consumption Max Load Mode (Using JouleMeter from Microsoft Research)

Power Consumption Idle Mode(JouleMeter from Microsoft Research)

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.

Intel Chipset Driver
Intel Rapid Storage Driver
Intel Management Engine
Nvidia Graphics Driver
Nvidia High Definition Audio Driver
Realtek High Definition Audio Driver
Acer Launch Manager
BroadCom Bluetooth Driver
Finger Print Driver (Available from Windows Updates)
SuYin/Chicony WebCam Driver
Conexant Modem Driver
Synaptics/ALP Touchpad Driver
Intel Management Engine Controller
BroadCom NetLink LAN Driver
Atheros/Intel Wireless Driver
Realtek Card Reader Driver
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)
You need to use MSI Audio Drivers to get the real potential. It comes with a 5 Ohm 2 Watt speaker instead of the usual 4 Ohm 2 Watt. New Realtek Driver Audio Mod for Better Sound

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)------------------------->

EFI Vs BIOS

2010-06-15T15:45:00.000+08:00

For those people who read "Tech News" a lot I hope when you read them you take them (a fact all Tech News") with a pinch of salt and go find out about the real thing instead otherwise you will end up reading a load of crap like this.

Personally I prefer reading from the Developers themselves (who know about it better than they do?).

Here is a REAL article detailing EFI and BIOS.

I will just simplify certain concepts in the article.
1)UEFI supports increased drive partition size by using GPT (No MBR hacks)

2)Standardised design so your system can boot many different OS out of box. BIOS had a lot of different implementations by Phoenix, AMI and Award.

3)UEFI is actually a mini-OS it is coded in C therefore can run applications complied to run on EFI so it is possible to do without drivers.

4)EFI adds IPv6 to network boot, standardising networks.

Nothing to do with Fancy GUI or BIOS replacing firmware, rather a next step in BIOS evolution.

Weaning off Windows Xp

2010-06-10T19:21:00.004+08:00

This article is dedicated to "Techies" who think they can get better performance by "upgrading" from Windows 7 to Windows Xp on their new laptops.
In fact they are downgrading from Windows 7 to Windows Xp.
Personally I think it is not a smart idea there are many reasons.

1)Windows 7 support ACPI 3.0 which is what programmed in many EFI of new laptops. Windows Xp doesn't support ACPI 3.0 so it will revert to older ACPI versions when installed so you lose some advance power optimization with Windows Xp.

2)Driver support you have to spend time hunting down obselete drivers for Windows Xp and Microsoft no longer provides updates to Windows Xp (Except Security Holes).

3)Legacy Functionality in Xp compared to Native Support in Windows 7.
When Xp was out WiFi was still not mainstream, Microsoft enabled WiFi by including a Client in 1 of their Service Packs. It is a hack to emulate Wireless Device as a Ethernet Device so WiFi can be used.
Windows 7 has WiFi Client built in so it is more of a part of OS than a dirty hack. Besides WiFi many features in Windows 7 is native while an add on in Windows Xp.

4)Security, UAC love it or hate it UAC provides better configuration of policy and security settings compared to Windows Xp.

5)For those new processors Windows 7 include NUMA support. You realise Intel and AMD removed the legacy Front Side Bus (FSB) and introduced their high bandwidth bus (Intel-QPI Quick Path Interconnect, AMD-HT HyperTransport) because FSB limits CPU scalability performance improvement.

It is a known fact x86 CPUs get better performance and power saving by increasing the number of processing cores rather than increasing the frequency so by reverting to Window Xp you are removing NUMA optimization from your laptop.

6)Windows 7 utilises the GPU to render Desktop so CPU can be left idle for more responsiveness. While Windows Xp driver architecture doesn't allow this so you are still using CPU to render the desktop.

7)Windows 7 has a finer grained power control policy than Windows Xp so you can save more power in Windows 7 than Xp it is a proven fact just google for some benchmark. In other words Windows 7 has better power efficiency.

Lastly the amount of changes from Windows Xp to Windows Vista to Windows 7 is so great that my blog can't cover everything.

If you still insist by installing Window Xp you get better performance let me ask you this: What is most important in an OS?
Pure Performance? If so you must as well install Windows NT on your Hardware it will practically fly along but why not?

Because a good OS is one that balance performance as well as functionality. Sure Windows Xp performs in someways because it has less services, less executable code but compare this to Window 7 where you get both performance and feature if you do a clean install, which is better?

Acer Aspire 4551G

2010-06-05T01:22:00.006+08:00

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

2010-06-05T00:30:00.013+08:00

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

Acer Aspire 4740G EFI and Memory Bug

2010-05-27T21:51:00.002+08:00

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

Acer Aspire 4740G Optimal Drivers

2010-05-25T00:03:00.010+08:00

If your EFI/BIOS version < 1.05 please update the firmware to enable DEP.
Because I am using AS4740G therefore I will be sharing my Driver Findings here.

Intel Chipset Driver (Acer)
Intel Rapid Storage Driver http://www.station-drivers.com/page/intel%20raid.htm
Intel Management Engine http://www.station-drivers.com/page/intel%20chipset.htm
Nvidia Graphics Driver http://www.nvidia.com/page/drivers.html
Nvidia High Definition Audio Driver (Included in the Display Driver)
Realtek High Definition Audio Driver http://aspiregemstone.blogspot.com/2010/08/audio-driver-matching.html (Why this driver is the best? The MSI Gaming Notebook using this driver uses the same AL888 Realtek High Def chip, it has excellent driver customisation better than Acer Drivers)
Acer Launch Manager (Get it from Acer Site Don't use the 4740G Launch Manager use the 4540G if you want to customise the Backup Manager Shortcut Key)
BroadCom Bluetooth Driver (Get it from Acer Site driver updatedness doesn't matter too much)
Finger Print Driver (Available from Windows Updates Optional Driver updates)
SuYin/Chicony WebCam Software
Conexant Modem Driver (Get it from Acer Site driver updatedness doesn't matter too much who the h*ll uses Modem nowadays anyway??)
Synaptics/ALP Touchpad Driver http://aspiregemstone.blogspot.com/2010/03/must-see.html
Intel Management Engine Controller (Acer)
BroadCom NetLink LAN Driver (Get it from Acer Site driver updatedness doesn't matter too much)
Atheros/Intel Wireless Driver http://www.station-drivers.com/page/atheros.htm http://www.station-drivers.com/page/intel%20lan-wan.htm
Realtek Card Reader Driver (Get it from Acer Site driver updatedness doesn't matter too much)
Acer Smart Power Manager & Optical Driver Power Manager (Get it from Acer Site)
Turbo Boost (Only for Core i5/7) (Acer)

Modified RAM Timing using Thaiphoon Burner

2010-05-18T19:37:00.003+08:00

used Thaiphoon Burner 6.6 to do this the new 6.8 feature locked full SPD Rewrite.
Original:

Final
(I reverted to this SPD after someone reminded me that Core i3 only has a 1066MHZ Memory Controller):

How to upgrade Win7 From 32bit to 64bit using your original license key

2010-04-26T22:39:00.008+08:00

The reason I am doing this post is because some OEM Vendors still install Windows 7 32bit on Retail Systems, however you can get more performance on your system if you used a 64bit OS instead, it is unfair to users to bear the system limitations.

What this guide is good for?

You want a bloatware free Windows 7 Install at the same time you don't want to purchase another Windows 7 License.
You want to upgrade your original 32bit Windows 7 to 64bit Windows 7
You lost the original recovery partition and do not have the recovery cd and yet you don't want to buy the recovery cd or a new Windows 7 License.

NOTE: This will only work for Laptops or OEM Desktops preloaded with OEM Windows 7 as these Systems has a special SLIC 2.1 BIOS which enables OEM Activation.

Do not message me HERE on how to make this work on Systems that do not have OEM Windows 7 preloaded with it.

Lets take for example the Acer Aspire 4530 Laptop (Tested).

Special Treat for Acer Aspire 4530 owners only update to my custom BIOS containing SLIC2.1 here to get the upgrade at no cost.

If you want to get the DOS Bootable Thumbdrive Creator package to flash the BIOS from DOS here it is.

For laptops preloaded with Windows 7 you don't need to do any of the above.

On a Windows 7 Client 32bit OS it can only utilise up to 2.8GB of RAM regardless of the Total RAM available.

(Maximium usable RAM is 3GB in all 32bit Windows 7 Editions)

However on a Windows 7 Client 64bit OS it can support up to 3.8GB of RAM

(Assuming you have the maximum 4GB installed)

The performance difference is significant 1.0GB difference.(the missing 0.2 is due to 9100MG Integrated Graphics).

Start Here for Windows 7 Preloaded Laptop

Backup All Your Important Data Before Proceding !

Firstly google and prepare all the 64bit Windows 7 Drivers you need.
Next take any retail copy of Windows 7 64bit (or download an uncracked version from Bittorrent. There is no need to get a retail CD-Key as we will be using OEM CD-Key) and install the type you own.

Example if you have a Windows 7 Home Premium License Sticker, install the Windows 7 Home Premium Version.

Uncheck Automatically Activate When Online, and Do Not type in any Product Key.

After installing and setting up the OS, download the Acer 2.1 OEM Certificate and put it inside :

C:\Windows\system32\OEM

If you don't have the folder, create it.

Then open up a Command Windows with Windows 7 Administrative Permission and Enter the Commands below(Make sure the filename of the xrm-ms is correct).

slmgr.vbs -ilc C:\Windows\System32\OEM\Acer.xrm-ms

Next, choose one of the Acer OEM Keys shown below the version you have installed in your system:

Note the OEM Keys are NOT UNIQUE meaning EVERY Acer Laptop which has Windows 7 Preloaded is using one of the following CD-Keys, depending on the version of Windows 7.

Then Activate

Then install the 64bit drivers (Very Important, No computer is usable without the correct drivers!).

You are done.

Note: The Activation is done offline, you do not need any internet connection to do this.

Use this keyfinder to check your current OEM License Key and match it to the appropriate OEM Certificate, for Acer you will find that it is one of the keys I listed above.

The Correct Way to install Wireless Adapter Drivers

2010-04-22T19:45:00.003+08:00

The question is how do you actually install a Wireless Adapter Driver with the maximum feature possible?

This blog entry will show you the way to install Wireless Adapter Driver in Windows to utilise the maximum feature possible.

1)After you reformated the Harddisk and clean installed Windows, do not be in a hurry to install the Wireless Adapter Driver's "Setup.exe". If you execute Setup.exe immediately before Windows has the chance to detect it and install the Windows Driver from Microsoft Updates, the virtual miniport adapter will not be pushed into the system.

By defaults Windows will autodetect the Wireless Adapter just go into Device Manager and Click "Detect Hardware"

Why do we do this?
This is because if you follow this method Windows will create a Virtual Device WiFi Miniport Adapter.
It is a new Windows 7 feature that allows your laptop to act as a Wireless Access Point (AP).
It will create a New Virtual Adapter Connection as shown below.

If you get a extra "2 or 3" behind your default Wireless Network Connection (which means your Virtual Miniport Adapter shows up as 3 or 4), that means the last time you removed the Wireless Adapter Driver it wasn't cleaned up properly, resulting in "Wireless Network Connection 1" occupied by a Non-Existent Device in the Windows Registry.
Do a search in Regedit.exe and remove it if you find it irritating.

After that to update the Device Driver to the latest version do the following:

Extract the Latest Wireless Adapter Driver to a location.

Make sure the inf file exist.

Update the driver through device manager.

Point the update location to the driver location.

Dissemble Acer Aspire 4740G

2010-04-14T02:52:00.003+08:00

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

Configuring Synaptics Touchpad For Multi-Touch Drivers

2010-03-30T00:22:00.008+08:00

After getting the Synaptic Drivers that add new features to legacy driver below are some settings you might want to configure to improve the usability of your TouchPad.

DVD Drive Firmware

2010-03-25T18:56:00.008+08:00

The DVD Drive Model is GSA-T50N

Firmware version RT04 (Firmware Dated 25/8/08 By Everest)

Download it from RPC1here

Firmware version RR07 (Firmware Dated 30/7/08 By Everest)
Download it from RPC1here

The latest is
Firmware Version RR09 (Firmware Dated 4/6/09 By Everest)
Download it from Station Drivers here

For People who want to find latest Optical Drive Firmware I have 2 places to recommend:
1)http://files.rpc1.org/
2)http://www.station-drivers.com/page/drivers.htm

Synaptic Driver Update Feature Must See!

2010-03-25T18:44:00.007+08:00

(Opened FTP Ports required to download the driver)
Synaptics HP Touchpad driver unlocks all multitouch gestures on all touchpad > version 6.2.
Now I officially have multitouch on my Acer Aspire 4530!
You guys seriously must update to this driver. One Word: Awesome!

New Features:
-3 Fingers Application Launch
-2 Fingers Scrolling
-Flick Function etc...

Please note the amount of features unlocked by this driver may vary according to the touchpad version you own.
You need at least a V6.2 Touchpad.

To install:

Continue to Click Yes when you see install messages.
Restart the Computer.
Next:
Double Click:

The filename may differ due to different versions

Continue to Click Yes to All Messages.
After that restart.

To Access The Configuration Utility:

Acer Aspire 4530 Drivers

2010-03-24T09:38:00.005+08:00

Please refer to the updated page here

WebCam Driver:
Download from here

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:
Download from here

Audio Driver:
Download from here

VGA Driver:
Download from here

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):
Download from here

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:
From HP Website

FingerPrint Driver (For Selected Models):
Windows Update will push down the drivers

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.

Aspire 4530 Updated BIOS

2010-03-23T14:53:00.003+08:00

Hey guys!
Good News!
I discovered a new VGA BIOS Module for Acer Aspire 4530.
Guess which laptop was it from?
It was an EMachine G620!
It also uses Nvidia 9100M G
The original Acer Aspire 4530 VGA BIOS Module is:
BIOS Version 62.77.28.00.01
Dated: 04/23/08
While I found this VGA BIOS in Acer EMachine.

BIOS Version 62.77.28.00.02
Dated: 04/23/08
I tested on one of my BIOS archive and it works.
Soon I am going to update all my BIOS with this newer VGA BIOS Module.
You can see the change in VGA BIOS version when you press F2 to Enter BIOS.

You can find the BIOS Files here.

Fix For Acer Aspire 4530 AMD-V BIOS Bug

2010-03-17T15:43:00.003+08:00

I thought that it was time to address some issues with Aspire 4530.
It bugs me that there is a bug in the BIOS with regards to Acer Aspire 4530 AMD-V Hardware Virtualisation.
I encounter the issue occasionally something it was able to boot to XPMode and freeze during restart.

Sometimes there is a BSOD Screen Message "A clock interrupt was not received on a secondary processor within the allocated time interval. "
Sometimes it just freezes with no Message or error handling.

I think we should use the power of the web to demand a fix for our computers just as the Dell Guys did.
It should be a similar issue as the Dell Owners were having issues with AMD-V as well and it was fixed with an unofficial update.

If I knew what was changed then I would be able to mod the BIOS but unfortunately I have no idea so guys, I urge you to bug Acer for a BIOS fix.
If they said that they do not support Professional / Ultimate Windows 7 then ask why was the relevant drivers provided on their support site?
This sort of response is just to get us off their backs we should persist and demand it solved as it shouldn't be broken in the first place, this is a bug fix not an additional feature.

Please guys just take 5 mins to fill this up.

Problem Type:

Request Updated BIOS

Errors Message:

A clock interrupt was not received on a secondary processor within the allocated time interval.

Describe your Problem:

The laptop in Question is Acer Aspire 4530 which is not selectable in the drop down box.
When Hardware Virtualisation is enabled the laptop freezes sometimes displaying the error message.
Only a force shutdown can bring the laptop out of the frozen state.

Please use BIOS Version 1.3333/1.3334 as a base for bug fixes as 1.3335/1.3336 isn't stable. It has a shutdown, restart issue when all power is removed and restored.

Full Acer Aspire 4530 Optimization

2010-02-03T11:31:00.010+08:00

Some people just can't be bothered to READ yet want their issues fixed.

1)Dissemble the Computer
Dissemble the fan completely.
Clean up all the dust in the fan.
Throw away the thermal pad the thermal sink interface well with the GPU without the need for a thermal pad.
Replace their factory thermal paste with MX-2 (recommended)

2)Undervolt the Griffin CPU using K10STAT
1)Make sure the voltage setting is stable and tested using K10STAT and Intel Burn In.

3)Download Acer Aspire Fan Control Program
Run the speed to high during gaming.

4)If you want you can cut larger vent holes into the laptop casing but this is optional.

5)If you have webcam driver issues, try Bison Drivers(32/64bit Compatible) and make sure during dissembly the large white connector in the top left hand corner is fully secure.

Please don't ask me the same question again & again I am tired of repeating myself like a broken tape recorder.

Acer Smart Power Manager

2010-01-16T14:34:00.010+08:00

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.

Acer Aspire 4530 Drivers

2010-01-06T17:00:00.013+08:00

Windows 7 works perfectly on Acer Aspire 4530.
There are no compatibility issues.

Acer Aspire 4530 BIOS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those who want Windows 7 OEM activated on Acer Aspire 4530 laptops go here
You will find the SLIC 2.1 BIOS Files there just flash using the flashing utilities provided by Acer and activate.

There are 3 Version 1.3333, 1.3334 and 1.3334 with some updated modules from 1.3336
(Because there is a booting issue with 1.3336 BIOS)
The ones with New VGA BIOS is modified with a updated VGA BIOS Module taken from a Emachine Laptop also equipped with Nvidia 9100M G Graphics. So take your Pick.
My personal recommendation is Z05_3334 with new VGA BIOS Module.

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Acer Aspire 4530 Application Launch Manager ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Launch Manager (For Windows 7)
Custom ShortCut button tweak continued to work.

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Nvidia Chipset Driver(Motherboard Driver)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Download & Install Chipset Driver (from Nvidia) to remove the no coprocessor message.
Nvidia Chipset 64bit
Nvidia Chipset 32bit

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Graphics Adapter Driver (Display Driver)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Download and install the latest Nvidia Verde Drivers.

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Realtek Card Reader Driver (Card Reader Driver)----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note Acer failed to include the Latest Realtek USB Card Driver in their download page.
Please download it here.

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Realtek Audio Driver (Sound Driver)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can download it from here or from Realtek Website

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Synaptics Touchpad Driver ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Download the driver from HP it will enable Multitouch (2 Finger Scroll, 3 Finger Press etc)

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WebCam Software -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SuYin or Bison (If you have webcam issues this might help)

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The new Windows Experience Index for Acer Aspire 4530 (Remember to update DirectX otherwise the score will be 3.9)

If you used 64bit Windows 7 the score will be even higher...Below was done using 32bit Windows 7.

Gaming Temperatures on Windows 7 in Acer Aspire 4530

Remember to set Restore Point after you finish setting up all the software:
Go to Control Panel >> System >> Advance System Settings >> System Protection >>
Create Restore Point
Any issues regarding Windows 7 and Aspire 4530 post below.

Full Optimization for Aspire 4530 here
Realtek Driver Mod

Fixed My Left Speaker

2009-12-18T16:59:00.007+08:00

Ok, I had issues with my left speaker on my laptop. It was dead.
So if I were to order the exact replacement it would cost more than $100 for the entire front panel palm rest moreover it was also out of warranty.
But it is not worth it because a speaker isn't worth that much for a replacement.
I had 2 approaches.
1)Remove the left speaker and replace the speaker (actually it is called a tweeter) with a Generic Internal Part.
This failed because the Generic Tweeters sold are not as high quality as the original and wasn't able to generate the exact frequency and amplitude of the original and undamaged right speaker.
2)Buy a off the shelf speaker set from ebay and replace the left speaker.
This approach worked.
I got a speaker set of another laptop model.
The speaker is an identical 4 ohm 2 watt speaker.
However I had to cut out the speaker connectors as they are split into 2 pin left, 2 pin right rather than the original 4 pin .
After some modification I was able to get the connectors right. Plugging them in works as well, producing the right sound.
However the right speaker was still slightly louder, I suspect the original speaker had an air column under which produced louder bass.

I am still satisfied with the final result as 1)it doesn't cost much 2)the new speakers were of comparable sound quality.

Edit:
The slight difference in sound quality wasn't due to the air column, it was due to the positioning under the speaker cover I shifted it slightly and attached it using tape and the difference was alleviated.

Nvidia Driver Release

2009-12-05T09:10:00.003+08:00

3D Mode

2D Mode

Windows Desktop Default Mode

Nvidia WHQL Notebook Driver version 195.62 is released.

Download them from Nvidia Website here

Please note that the new Nvidia Driver fixes the issue of not being able to throttle to default clock in Windows Desktop so please use this driver instead of the Acer Download (187.XX) which has the problem.
This driver is recommended.

Acer Aspire 4530 Actual Fan Control

2009-12-05T03:07:00.001+08:00

I found the actual control variable of Acer Aspire 4530 Fan.
It is actually a hex value located in the EC.
To access the EC Control Variables, Download and install Rw-Everything.
Next run the program.
Select EC Button to view the EC Variables
You should see the following as shown below:
If you set it to 13 then click done, you will quickly hear the fan spining at maximum speed.
Other values between 0-13 also alter the RPM but there are also values in between that does nothing.
Happy Experimentation!

Battery ID	11121SANYOAS07A31
Manufacturer	SANYO
Serial Number	11121
Chemistry	LION
Long Term	1
Design Capacity	48840
Last Full Charge	41214