m15x and XP -> AlienFusion? Other quirks?

I have read on threads in this forum that AlienFusion will not work under XP. Does this mean that it will not run at all or that some functionality is disabled? And a bigger question - what is AlienFusion actually needed for? What does it do that I cannot already do with the standard XP power settings?

Do I need it to switch between the 8800 and the onboard graphics?
Downclock the CPU?
Enter stealth mode?
Configure AlienFX to be disabled when on battery?

This is becoming quite a concern and I can't find any information about issues with XP on the Alienware UK site.

I ordered my m15x before discovering this forum and went with XP for stability (mentions I've seen on this forum of blue screens being common for laptops or Steam crashing regularly with Vista make me shudder) but seeing as how I'm stuck in phase 4 without explanation (they say they'll send you an email if parts are out of stock but nobody has told me anything) there is still a possibility of changing it to Vista.

I would much rather have XP than Vista - DX10 isn't a draw for me (I realise that I'll be turning eye candy down to make the games run smooth anyway) and XP SP2 is beautifully stable. But are there other things that I need to be concerned about with the m15x and XP?

I appreciate any responses.

 

not with the m15x you won't. plus vista is future-safe.

 

You will be able to swap between integrated and dedicated with xp. You will also be able to turn on stealth. The only thing i've found that doesn't work with XP is the alien fusion. Which is just advanced power options. Like for example setting how CPU to while your in certain profiles. Hope I answered ur questions let me know if you have others

 

That's cool. That's one of the things I like about dual-booting. The best of both worlds. I did this for my recent m5550. And it's nice if you have some programs that refuse to run on vista.

 

Are there any other advanced options in AlienFusion that I should know about?

Will it run at all in XP or will it refuse to start?

 

well you can't even install in xp. AlienFusion only works in Vista because Vista has a lot of power options. like power saver,balanced, and high performance. I originally had vista now I have both so when I had xp I installed the command center software and it wouldn't install the AlienFusion Which I could understand but don't worry to light effects still works that installed no problem.

 

I guess I'll do without it and just use the Windows XP power management options then.


Cheers.