E4300 Windows 7 and Screen Brightness

Here is the changelog for the A07 BIOS:

Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Added to support TCM (China TPM).
2. Updated Intel(R) Active Management Technology firmware.
3. Updated Intel MRC to revision 2.7.
4. Updated PXE/RPL Option LOM.
5. Added BIOS option to enable/disable Camera.
6. Updated to PSA build 4122.
7. Changed to 640x480 POST screen resolution for customer logo.
8. Fixed the issue where BIOS changes are not saved with Admin password set.
9. Added the support for normal security erase HDD feature.
10. Fixed issue where on occasion the E800 HUAWEI Mobile Connect Express Card does not work.

 

I'm running BIOS A05 on my E4300, and I had no problem changing the brightness with Fn + up/down after a fresh install of Windows 7 RC1 x64. I had the same 15 levels of brightness as I had off the factory install in XP.

The only difference was that I did not have the on screen indicator come up when I changed the brightness. Then I installed DCP System Manager for Vista x64, and now everything is working great!

I'm not sure why your brightness control wouldn't work straight after the OS installation.

 

Can you adjust brightness when the Ambient Light Sensor is disabled (FN+left arrow to toggle)?

 

Installed A07. no diff at all
enabled or disabled, still can't adjust brightness

 

Same problem, but i noticed 2 things:
- with ambient light sensor enabled, i can adjust brightness;
- with ambient light sensor disabled, if you try windows-key + x (or you go in Windows Mobility Center) and try to move the screen brightness slider, nothing change but then my fn + up/down arrow return to work well.

Win7 on this notebook is great, i can't use vista anymore!!

P.S. anyone has noticed that battery consumption in energy saving mode is greater in 7 (i can achieve a 5:40h of battery life) than in vista (where i can achieve 6h doing the same tasks)? [6 cell battery on e4300]

 

I have noticed greater battery life... Which battery did you get? I know you mentioned 6cell but I have found there are two six cell batteries... one is 56Wh and the other is 60Wh.

Link to side-by-side image:

 

I have the 56Wh one...60Wh would be nice!
Anyway, 60 or 56, i continue to see less battery life on win7...i also noticed that wifi is lethal (also in vista), it drains a lot of powah!
Instead, a macbook 13" possessor have said to me that if he uses his notebook only for "quiet web surfing" his battery last almost 6-7 hours!! Leopard benefits?

 

Have you looked at your Wireless Adapter's properties?

1. Open the Network and Sharing Center
2. Click "Change Adapter Settings" from the left-hand menu
3. Right-Click your Wireless adapter and select "Properties"
4. Click "Configure"
5. Go to the Advanced Tab
6. Check 802.11n Mode, Ad Hoc Power Management, Roaming Aggressiveness, Throughput Enhancement, and Transmit Power

• If you don't need Wireless-N, disable it, it sucks extra power.
• You can set Ad Hoc Power Management to the Energy Savings Mode
• Roaming Aggressiveness is Medium by Default, bumping it up can increase signal strength, but lowering it will save your battery, if you have a solid connection most of the time, try dropping it some.
• Same goes for Throughput Enhancement and Transmit Power

Another thing to try is to open up the troubleshooter and run the "Improve Power Usage" troubleshooter. That can find little settings that may have been changed.

Finally, try installing this Battery App: http://users.rcn.com/tmtalpey/BattStat/download-098.htm

It is a really tiny app and shows your discharge in Watts during usage, it also shows your battery charge and wear levels. Make sure nothing looks out of place such as excessive battery wear or really high wattage usage. I generally see between 10W and 15W during normal usage with some spikes and during high uasage...

 

I have Window 7 and fn-up and down for brightness does not work when my ambient sensor is disabled. It only works when it is enabled. Any ideas?

 

Look 4 posts up, and you'll see that someone posted a work-around.