Delivered! My Asus G73JH

So I bought G73JH Best Buy Refub and according to UPS it has been delivered today. I'm so excited!

I was going to uninstall some bloatware first and then see how the laptop works. Then if there is a problem I will act accordingly.

But I am wondering what should I do first when I get back home? Bios updated? New drivers? Anything must-do in the beginning?

Thanks in advance!

 

First thing to do - Read the Stickies in the gaming forum.

 

I've been reading them for 2 weeks. All of them suggest a fix if a problem occurs. My questions is, for example, do I need BOIS upgrade if nothing is wrong with the laptop?

 

Generally speaking even if you're not having any problems you should probably upgrade your BIOS regardless simply to keep your laptop up to date. You may have problems that you don't notice or that won't become obvious for weeks, so its probably a good idea just to have your BIOS on the latest version. You should also run Windows Update and update all the software for that matter, definitely remove bloatware too and I generally like to look for portable alternatives to popular software to keep everything running smoothly on a nice new machine.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! Should I upgrade video card BIOS as well?

 

I would just to be safe.....then get the official AMD ati drivers....and GAME ON!...lol...enjoy it!

 

Flash BIOS--->Flash vBIOS-->update video drivers-->update sound card drivers

That takes care of all the major issues, unless you have problems with the trackpad.

Enjoy

 

bios flashed to 211. Working on vbios.

 

Pretty sure the sticky about the vbios says repeatedly to update, even if you're not having problems.

Good to hear you've done the bios update though.

 

After you get all upgraded , then put some games on and play for as long as you can . And do that for a few days . That way if there are any issues you will see them if they come about.

Burn that thing in and have fun doing it!

 

First issue

Everytime I restart, Win7 says it prepares the system for the first start just like when you run it for the first time.

 

Did you make the backup disk of the Op system? Also are you online and letting the system upgrade? I am not sure what I did as it has been awhile sense I did that . But I think in till I made the DVDs for the the System restore that came up.
I will have to look around to see if there is anything on that.

 

Yes, I made restore CDs first thing. Interestingly, the first time I booted the laptop it did not go trhougt registration/first time windows rub, but went to straight to the desktop.

Also once I am in Win after each time I reboot there is a System Prepartion Tool is up. What is it for?

 

I have updated bios, vbios, ATI drivers, but Black Ops crashes once I change resolution. Mafia II and Civ V freeze for a few seconds, then the screen goes gray, then unfreezes. Then over and over again. Any ideas before I return it?

 

It's been known that the RMA people are using an older vBIOS than they should be using. Grab the latest from my link below and flash to that.

 

Thanks! I updated vBIOS from the OP in the same tread. Will try yours tonight.

 

Black Op's is having issue and it has to have tweaks done so it will Run in till they patch it. That is most likely why it is crashing.
The other game I do not know so I can not answer on it.
If the computer is still stuck in the loop at start up with the same screen then I would say there is something that is not stable , as if you needed told that.

If you have done all the Bios flashes and the tweaks and it is still doing this then I would exchange the system if it was me before the time runs out where you can not get a new one by exchange.

 

A have already requested merchandise credit upon return. I am afraid, I will run into similar problems with a replacement. On top of that the one I got is a refurb, so will be the replacement. I do not want to take a chance. Thank for your help!

Looks like I'm out of $130 restocking fee if I return the laptop. I guess I will reinstall, see what happens and send it for a replacement if nothing works.

 

Is this the best order or does it matter?

From what I can gather from the forum, I should do the following once I get my new G73jh:

1. Create restore discs and reinstall OS
2. Flash BIOS (to 211)
3. Flash vBIOS (the version linked in Chastity's sig or whichever)
4. Update video drivers (ver. 10.11 as of Nov. 19)
5. Update Audio drivers (not sure which)
6. Minor tweaks such as touchpad, etc.

Sound about right?

 

I recieved my Recertified g73 yesterday and its working AWESOMELY!!! (a word?lol) Anyway heres what I did in order

1.Initial boot..Win7 Install.
2.Ran windows update..i believe it was 54 updates and 20+ optional updates.
3.Cleared bloatware.
4.Flash vBIOS to 211
5.Flashed BIOS to 209
6.Upgraded drivers to ATI 10.11

***yes I flashed vBIOS first coz i already had my bootable USB ready prior to it arriving lol. And yes i only upgraded to 209 BIOS instead of 211 for certain reasons. No, i have not upgraded sound card drivers as I see there currently is no reason to. And to top it off, No, i have not created a OS backup via Asus Recovery since I cannot find my DVD-Rs

the only issue i have is the 3 second Express gate error message coming off a shut down which im trying to resolve.

edit: forgot to mention. Ive been playing BLops on native 1600x900 on max settings along with AAx16. Lowest FPS count was 29 and that was just a dip. Went back to 55-60 w/in 2 secs. This is with all anti malware/virus running..yup, even the resource hog TeaTimer. FPS average is 58-60. Turbo mode is not even enabled nor are my GPU and CPU overclocked in anyway.

Powerful laptop. Best $860 ive spend in my life.

edit 2: Earlier i said 58-60FPS avg. Well i just turned vsync off and the new average is 80-82FPS. Max everything AAx16. One powerful laptop.

 

Good you enjoy it lol .. i also suggest you update your realtek driver if you haven't done that... uninstall the old realtek driver+HDMI driver and go to realtek.com and under downloads , high definition audio codec, download the 2.54 driver+ ATI HDMI 2.49 driver... you will be able to control your volume on HDMI better with tweaks and enhancements...

Leopard 2

 

It really does not matter if you flash the Vbios first or the Notebook Bios.
Just boot into the Notebook bios and then set it to boot off your USB drive.
Then flash the Vbios. Now you can also hit the ESC key when it first starts booting the computer and in doing this it will give you a choice to boot from the USB drive or as you will see and read other boot targets. Just keep hitting the ESC key wile you boot in till the menu comes up.
I flashed my Vbios and my Notebook Bios and it has ran great ever sense.
Also Gary said that the Vbios where set to use the latest Bios of the Notebook , I think it is 211 but check as I am not sure on that . So keep that in mind when you upgrade you Bios.

But you should not have any issues and it does not take long to get done.

 

Yup i got the refurb/recert from newegg. It was pure luck that it was in stock when i checked it out coz it was sold out 15mins later.

I am usually against recert electorinics but i couldnt pass this up..when it arrived in 3 days time, it was basically brand new. No scuff marks or any crap like that..anyone would guess that it was new. Everything is working fine. Immediately updated BIOS and vBIOS of course.