Multiple Acer Aspire 5672 Questions

I've read the Acer Aspire 5672 thread in its entirety and have created a large list of questions I am having difficulty finding answers to. Forgive me if some of these questions were addressed in that thread, in fact I think some are, it's just too gigantic of a thread to go back and look through at this point. I plan on getting the newest model of the Acer Aspire 5672 (Mfg Part#: LX.ATD05.014) with the ATI Mobility Radeon x1600. I'm tossing around the idea of upgrading the RAM and buying/installing XP Professional. Alright that's enough for the background, on to the questions. I'm numbering them so that if you can only answer specific questions, it'll make answering easier.

1) Is there a button to enable/disable the touchpad?

2) If I reformat using XP Pro, and remove all partitions, and covert to NTFS, will the recovery disc become useless? If so, if I ever need to reformat again will I just need the XP Pro CD and the drivers?

3) Are there only certain kinds of RAM I can buy that will work with this machine? (I think this model has a RAM Memory speed of 533, can anyone confirm that?) I want 2 GB of RAM, so can anyone link me to some compatible RAM? Will this make gaming/multitasking better and faster dramatically?

4) This model has 120 GB of HD space and the x1600 GPU, correct? I wasn't sure because there aren't any specs listed, but it has the correct model number. I know someone here has ordered from buy.com...

5) I know there are 3 partitions, what are their sizes?

6) I've heard that the newer models with the x1600 video cards are getting disappointing benchmarks, are the graphics still going to be better than on the x1400 version? Or is it so bad that I should just get the model with the x1400 chip?

7) Does anybody when the model with an x1600 256 MB GPU is going to be released?

8) Is there any way I can keep the recovery partition, combine and reformat the two others, install XP Pro, and still be able to use the Recovery DVD to bring it back to its original state in case anything goes wrong?

9) Do ATI Omega Drivers really make gaming on this machine noticeably better? Does XP Pro?

10) What is this "clean boot" I keep hearing about and how is it done?

11) What's the best way to convert the HD to NTFS?

12) Tomorrow, I'm going to see if my Uncle has a copy of Windows XP Professional I can use. Can I use the same CD Key and CD that he used to install XP Pro on his computer? Or should I just buy the software from newegg?

I'm still trying to make complete sense of this post for when/if I decide to install XP Pro, remove partitions, etc. If anyone can clear this up any more for me that would be greatly appreciated as I am very unexperienced in this area.

You guys have been incredible with providing me information about this laptop. Keep up the good work! I eagerly await your replies.

 

I own a 5672WLMi with the X1400.

1) Is there a button to enable/disable the touchpad?
I have one. I believe it's Fn+7,but not exactly sure.

2) If I reformat using XP Pro, and remove all partitions, and covert to NTFS, will the recovery disc become useless? If so, if I ever need to reformat again will I just need the XP Pro CD and the drivers?

If you reformat the harddrive,you can still use the recovery DVD. But make sure you create one as soon as you get the notebook. The notebook doesn't come with any recovery cd/dvd. It comes as a partition and there is some Acer program that makes the DVD for you. Just so you know,once the process starts,your computer will be "locked",you can't move teh mouse,type stuff,nothing. It'll remain in that state until the DVD is created - they say it's a precaution against instability. Takes around half an hour to 45 minutes.

5) I know there are 3 partitions, what are their sizes?
FAT32. 40-oddGB each for the main two. Around 90 total. And around 3.5GB for the recovery partiton. This is for teh 100GB HDD. Dunno about the 120. Sorry.

8) Is there any way I can keep the recovery partition, combine and reformat the two others, install XP Pro, and still be able to use the Recovery DVD to bring it back to its original state in case anything goes wrong?
Should be able to. I did it a couple of times - heck,I installed WinXP Home,Ubuntu AND Mac OS X. Although I had incompatibility issues at the time(since Ubuntu was in beta and OS X,well,not totally supported. Latest Kubuntu supposedly works 100%). And then I just removed all my partitions and used the recovery DVD. I've played around the partitions and stuff so much that I had to use the DVD around 4 or 5 times. Keep the recovery DVD safe. It's a VERY useful tool in the worst case scenario. I have two copies,so go figure.

9) Do ATI Omega Drivers really make gaming on this machine noticeably better? Does XP Pro?
Honestly,the propreitary ATi Drivers are the very worse. It'd keep crashing whenever it felt like it. I suggest installing Omega drivers as soon as you get your notebook. It's worth it. I am not sure if it makes gaming better,but it added more stability to my notebook. Other people may have different experiences.


11) What's the best way to convert the HD to NTFS?
I used Partition Magic. Or you can do as our trusted and respected Chaz says

12) Tomorrow, I'm going to see if my Uncle has a copy of Windows XP Professional I can use. Can I use the same CD Key and CD that he used to install XP Pro on his computer? Or should I just buy the software from newegg?
Depends. I can't say more,because of "issues". At least I don't think I can't. Not on NBR. Outside of NBR,yes.

And for teh post you are talking about - I can make sense of it,but as long as I don't know what your exact troubles are understanding it,I can't help. Moreover,I'd say that the post would make sense if you have "hands-on" experience.

Hope all this helps!!

 

Why can't you talk about this?

(correction)
I misread the first post.
If it is an OEM copy of Windows XP Professional, you will almost certainly fail activation unless the OEM copy is from another Acer system. If it is a volume license version (schools, larger businesses), you can use the same key. However, if it is a pirated key, you will fail Genuine Advantage (unless the key happens to be genuine and not widely abused). If it is a retail copy, you may be able to pass activation, but may get into troubles with Genuine Advantage later on.

 

I didn't think about that,I was thinking of,well.you know...

My bad,guys!

 

Thanks for the info thus far. I still have a few questions left unanswered :/ Can anyone help answer the remaining questions as I plan on buying this machine in 2 days from buy.com. Thanks!

 

u can use the Acer CDKEYS already installed with the current WXPH or WXPP installed with the 5672... go to notebookforums.com acer section and search around for acer,cd key, xp pro install yuoll find what files to move over to the wxp cd..

 

3) Are there only certain kinds of RAM I can buy that will work with this machine? (I think this model has a RAM Memory speed of 533, can anyone confirm that?) I want 2 GB of RAM, so can anyone link me to some compatible RAM? Will this make gaming/multitasking better and faster dramatically?
If possible,I'd check what RAM has been installed and at what speeds using CPU-Z. The RAM info is in the "SPD" tab. It should tell you what speeds you have and such. Then all you have to do is look up newegg for similar RAM. I suggest OCZ RAMs.

4) This model has 120 GB of HD space and the x1600 GPU, correct? I wasn't sure because there aren't any specs listed, but it has the correct model number. I know someone here has ordered from buy.com...
That is correct. I'm not sure about the reseller ratings at buy.com. Newegg has the exact same thing. I suggest getting it from newegg. It's even cheaper than Buy.com

6) I've heard that the newer models with the x1600 video cards are getting disappointing benchmarks, are the graphics still going to be better than on the x1400 version? Or is it so bad that I should just get the model with the x1400 chip?
I really don't kow how the x1600 can perform worse than the x1400.They differ by leaps. x1600 is a mainstream card whereas the x1400 is not.Bug Acer customer service like crazy if it happens(chances are nearly zero that that's going to happen though).

 

i believe the problem is that the x1600 in the acer comes with only 128 as opposed to 256....it seems to be severely crippling the card.

 

newegg's version doesn't list bluetooth, that will probably explain the price difference. i ordered mine from pcconnection.com and I have to call to confirm the order, wtf?

 

Model number is the same,so I don't see why there should be a difference.

 

Yea I was going to order from newegg until I realized I owuld have to pay $76 tax for living in New Jersey. Argh, so I guess I'm getting it from buy.com still... You guys are helping me out a lot

 

To answer question #6, yes there is a noticeable difference in speed between the two. Take 3DMark 2005 for example. The X1600 gets roughly 1000 more points than the X1400.

 

Dalaamprince, I just got your PM. Sorry for the late response.

1) Yes, it's Fn+F7. There's no dedicated actual "button" button, just this keyboard combo. However, I've never had a problem with the touchpad while typing and haven't needed to turn it off yet.

4) Yes, that's the model. Look at the Acer part number (LX.ATD05.014). It's the only x1600 5672 currently available, and I bought this very one from Buy.com.

9) I've never gotten noticeable performance boosts from third-party drivers like Omega, and I've never had problems with the official ATI drivers. Both sets are popular, so choose either one.

As for XP Pro, no, it won't help with gaming at all.

10) A clean boot, as far as I know, is just one where you reinstall the OS (presumably with less junk than before). You'd limit yourself to only the drivers and programs that you need, not the entire Acer emBloatment suite.

An alternative method is to simply uninstall the programs you don't need. It won't be AS clean as a full reinstall, but it should be clean ENOUGH.

11) If all you want to is convert a drive to NTFS (and not resize the partitions or anything fancy like that), use the Windows XP "convert" command in a command prompt.

12) You can try it, but it likely won't work if he has a legimate copy and it's already activated on his system. Worst case is you'll have an unactivated Windows for thirty days while you wait for a legitimate copy to arrive. But do you really need Pro? It's not going to give you any performance benefits, just a host of security and enterprise features that most users never touch.

 

Did you mess with your partitions at all Liar? Like combine C: and D:? What's in C: and D: when you run your computer for the first time? Any reason to keep these partitions? Would I convert to NTFS frist then combine the partitions, or the other way around? Thanks mon.

 

Because I planned on reformatting, I erased all the partitions almost as soon as I got the notebook. I don't know what was on there, so I'm afraid someone else will have to answer these questions. Sorry. But I'll be glad to help if you decide to repartition everything and do a clean install.

 

The D: drive is totally empty. The C: has windows and all the other junk installed. The recovery partition is hidden,and the only way I was able to access it was when I installed Ubuntu, and the partition was listed as "Windows 98/200/XP".

 

If I were to use Partition Magic to make C: and D: into one big partition, would the Restore DVD still work? If not, is it fairly easy to make the C: drive (with all the Windows stuff) just big enough to hold the windows data to make my D: bigger to hold more of my data.

Would I change to NFTS before I do any of this?

 

When I used the restore DVD, I used PM8 to change the resized partitions back to what they were or close enough and then I converted back to FAT32. I don't know if these steps were necessary, but I didn't want to run into any trouble. It restored fine. You probably only have to convert the file system back and then the restore would just load what was on C: back onto to your C: combo D: since it's probably only looking for C: anyway.

 

Yes it will. Although it would format the whole C: and load all the Acer stuff. It never bothered me though - they don't hog too much RAM anyways.

 

I had one question. I have a copy of Windows XP Home, but not SP2, and I got it along time ago. Can I use that to install on the 5672 but use the OEM serial number on the bottom of the notebook?

 

It should work - as long as it is a valid Windows XP Home key,it should work. Make sure you update it to SP2 as soon as you install it though.

 

Heh, I'll make those backup disks first, and try it tomorrow, in case someone else says it's not a good idea

 

You might have to call Microsoft to get it activated. I had to do this with two notebooks using valid (but apparently OEM or something) keys. It wouldn't activate at first, but then I called in and provided the activation number and the guy asked me whether they're being used on other computers. I said no, he gave me the activation key, and tada.

 

Ok I just received my Acer Aspire 5672 today and immediately the dvd drive will not open. Every time i press the eject button or tell the drive to eject, the drive makes a sound and the yellow light shines for a second. Is this a defective unit? Or is there a quick fix?

 

Did you know that it's a slot-loading drive? There's no tray that comes out; you simply insert the DVD into the slot and when you eject it, the DVD slides right back out.

 

I am a retard. Thanks so much Liar.

 

lol sure. Don't worry, I was all like whooooa! the first time I saw one of 'em.

 

dalaamprince, would you please mark off the questions that have been answered (or place an "x" or something) so we can know what questions haven't been answered?

 

back to the widows xp pro cd i know of a person that is using a "pirated" copy of windows, his system turns on and works great. but if you want to get ANY security updates, microsoft will not let leaving your system open and vunerable.

it is better to get a Genuine copy of windows that has not been installed on many systems.

i have a 60 gb acer hdd and my particion size is 3 gb with xp home, so 120 is maybe about 4-5 for pro.

 

Even with a pirated copy of windows you will be able to get all windows updates and be "secure". Microsoft's website isn't smart enough to detect if it's a pirated copy or a genuine one. I think they are abiding by their "privacy policy" and not taking any information as to the user whatsoever. Because it's only possible to verify if a copy is legal or not by matching something to the product code. If they don't have anything other than that,they can't verify. And they can't take any other information by law either.

 

that's not true....microsoft actually does certification checks to see if your key and copy are legit. if it doesn't pass certification, you can't get updates.

 

there are work arounds, even with a key that's been used before, but recomending or exposing those work-arounds is illegal; just as the work-arounds themselves are.

 

I got my 5672 today. So far its moving like a dream. One problem I have with it so far is when I plug my Logitech 2.1 speakers in (2 satellite speakers and a bass) I get a lot static from my speakers. It's constant too, which makes it really irritating. I tried playing music on them to drown out the buzzing noise and I realize that there is no sound coming from the bass! I turned up the knob on the bass itself and that didn't solve the problem either. Even the sound sounds crappy on the sattelites. I messed around with equalizers on both Winamp and the Realtek Audio Manager, and made sure the Environment was set to none.

To anyone that owns a 5672 and uses external speakers: 1) Do I need to keep Realtek HD Audio Manager? 2) How do I get this buzzing noise to stop? (These speakers worked fine on my last laptop) 3) How do I get the bass to work?

 

I've got the same speakers hooked up to my 5672, they sound great. Make sure the speaker plug is fully pushed into the laptop.

 

Wow I'm an idiot. I didn't know I could push the plug in that far, I thought it was going to break or something. Thanks man.

Oh, and for all you people saying the keyboard is mushy and the plamrests/touchpad is hot...you're wrong. It's perfectly fine. Picky picky.

 

Will my computer burn up if I don't use system standby for when I close the lid. I closed the lid last night and in doing so, it canceled my downloads and stopped downloading everything. So tonight I want to set it so it does nothing when I close the lid. Will this be bad for the system? Should I use hibernate instead? I just want my downloads to continue, also its set to system standby after 5 hours anyway. I don't think they can be changed. Is that for heat reasons?

 

It shouldn't "burn up" under normal conditions (e.g. it's sitting on a table in a normal room, not wrapped in fur in an insulated box in the desert). The touchpad on this particular notebook does get somewhat hot after a night with the lid closed and the system on, but it shouldn't be a problem.

Hibernate? That'll turn off the system; you can't download anything while it's hibernating.

And what is the "they" that you think can't be changed?

 

Will I be able to download anything while it's in standby Liar? When the lid is closed I can have it do three things, hibernate, standby, do nothing. I know if I have it do nothing my downloads will continue without a problem. You said if I have it hibernate the downloads won't continue, what about if it standbys? Thanks

"The touchpad on this particular notebook does get somewhat hot after a night with the lid closed and the system on, but it shouldn't be a problem." Is that on the DO NOTHING setting or on STANDBY?

 

If you want it to download or upload or do something, you should set it to "Do Nothing". The other two won't work. Hibernate would save your current situation (whatever programs you have running and what not) and shut down. Standby just keeps your settings as such and keeps the system on. Hibernate is kinda like Standby with Shutdown

I wish I could say something to ejl(don't take it in the wrong sense,that's not what I mean....), but due to reasons,I can't. *sigh*

 

what ive done is in the power settings, just have the lcd turn off after like 10 mins., leave disks spinning indefinately, and never hibernate or standby. the laptop will still stand by when the lid is closed.

 

I just switch it off using the hotkey. That's because I sometimes don't feel like closing the lid. But my power settings is different (it never shuts down if it's on AC. I leave it on AC overnight and I always make sure that my battery is discharged at least once every day. Constant charging and discharging is good for your battery.

 

actually ive heard that quick charge/discharge can shorten the battery life (less charge per charge, not end the batteries' life sooner). but i know it is best (if you aren't going to use the batt. for a while to take it down to like %45 charge. it helps the battery have a longer live.

ive read that the most fatal thing for an lith ion batt. is heat. If you leave it in a hot car, the results could be less than good.

 

Wierd as it sounds, if you are going on a vacation and not taking the notebook/battery with you, you (like Vorin said) take it down to around 45% and put it in the fridge...or was it the freezer? Well, one of those