Minimalizing R2

My R2 will be delivered within the next few hours, just wanting to know what applications and utilities i can remove and what i need to keep. I hate having my systems clogged up with all that useless crap so i want to be able to remove as much stuff as possible without affecting the main features.

What programs/utilities can i remove? Or instead, which programs/utilities do i specifically need to keep in order to have everything functioning?

Would you recommend that i do a fresh format first and foremost and remove the 2nd partition? Or would i need that later on?

Does the keyboard backlight require a specific program/utility in order to work?

 

i would go to Dell now and DL all the newest drives.

when you get the M11x, reformat the HDD install the OS from the disc, then install the drivers and go from there.

thats how i roll anyway.

 

I left mine the way it came from the box.... I have done plenty of hardware mods, but Im not too big on software mods since I only play battlefield 2... anything can run bf2.

 

Alright, well exactly which drivers do i NEED?

Do i need the 'Alienware' applications? What does the OSD & Command center do?
Do i need the chipset drivers or is that only needed for the media card readers?
Do i need the touchpad drivers or does Windows 7 have native support?
Is the 'Free fall sensor' required or just an optional extra?
Do i need BOTH of the video drivers or just the drivers for the 335M? And should i use the drivers from Dell which look outdated or get the latest from Nvidia?
Should i be flashing/updating the BIOS?

Also i won't be using the disc, i'll just use a Win 7 x64 installer i have on a USB flash drive.

I was looking for something like this - http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...lk-through-doing-clean-windows-7-install.html which describes specifically what each driver/utility does for the Asus G73, but can't find anything here hence why i'm asking. I like to know specifically what each of the drivers do so i can decide for myself if i need them or not.

 

all the drivers i ever use came preinstalled, including the alienware software. i didnt have to do anything to mine when it came. also, command center lets you change the color of your lights on your laptop. you CAN get the nvidia drivers if you want, you dont need to get them off the dell site. and last, unless you want to do the GPU volt mod theres no reason to flash the BIOS.

Basically, the thing is made to be pulled out of the box and gamed on.

 

I know it comes preinstalled, but so is all the other crap that you don't actually need. I want to know exactly which drivers/utilities are specifically required for normal operation so i can just remove the rest of them.

OK so if the Command Center is for the color scheme ect, what is the OSD and what does that do?

Dell gives the most vague descriptions and marks everything as "recommended" even stuff like the Mobile broadband mini-card drivers which i know aren't required at all.

 

OSD - on screen display.
When you change the volume, a icon apears, when you change wireless a icon apears.

 

So it came in today and i removed that BS wireless utility and now my wireless drivers are gone too. So that sucks, now i gotta get the drivers separately.

Also there's 'AlienRespawn' and then there's 'AlienRespawn - Support Software', can i remove the support software or will that delete my factory restore?

And do i need to keep the 'Intel Control Center' for Optimus to work properly or can i remove it?

Also, i have my Realteck audio drivers, but there's also 'Advanced Audio FX Engine'. Do i need them both?

 

I really suggest you take a look at the following threads:

IMPORTANT:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...k-drive-aftermarket-drive-alienrespawn-q.html - Create your rescue media BEFORE uninstalling AlienRespawn.

------------

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-information-read-before-posting-updated.html Links to system related items (drivers, threads, etc.)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html Driver install order is here

------------

In short -
Also there's 'AlienRespawn' and then there's 'AlienRespawn - Support Software', can i remove the support software or will that delete my factory restore? YES but see my first link above

And do i need to keep the 'Intel Control Center' for Optimus to work properly or can i remove it? I would leave it, its not going to hurt anything

Also, i have my Realteck audio drivers, but there's also 'Advanced Audio FX Engine'. Do i need them both? yes, leave both

My advice: Leave everything alone. If you run into performance issues, then start looking at items to change. Update your drivers using the current ones on the support site (not all will need to be updated as your system was just shipped from the factory)

 

So once i create the "rescue media" the actual AlienRespawn program is no longer required in order to restore it?

 

The "bloat" isnt there. Outside of possibly antivirus there really isnt any junk to worry about. Office comes preinstalled usually but that isn't "bloat" or useless software.

The only thing I did (R1) was setup my lighting etc how I wanted then removed the process from startup. Still not the definition of bloat.

All that time sorting this out could have been spent gaming as much of what you seem to want removed can be useful.

If however your fun is derived from this sort of thing then nevermind - go for it and enjoy the process. Just know that the variations in system performance means that probably somebody out there that didn't do anything still gets better FPS than you.

 

Well that's exactly why i was asking what was required and what wasn't, because this is my first Dell laptop so i have absolutely no idea what's necessary and what isn't. I have no problems leaving things installed but if it's not doing anything then of course i want it gone.

Now i can not get my wireless to work AT ALL, he stupid DW WLAN utility keeps interfering. I just want Windows to manage the wireless without having that other utility there because it's causing issues with the specific router I'm connecting to. But when i uninstall it, the drivers are gone too.

The adapter is "Wireless WLAN 1520 Half MiniCard" but EVERY driver I've found for it comes with that horrible Wireless utility. Where can i get just the stand-alone driver?

 

Odd problem. Not sure about driver only as I didnt need one but perhaps we can resolve the router connectivity issue instead?

Used to be there was an option to let windows manage connections. Havent checked for this in win7

 

yes, at least it's proven in my r2

Used to have the same trouble, until I disabled the DWLAN services.

 

If you want to bypass that utility, extract the drivers to a folder and manually install them. It won't install the wireless utility with that method and you can let Windows manage the wireless network. That is what I have done with each Windows reinstall on my M11x.