*Official UL30VT-X1 Owners Lounge*

report : CUDA work but opencl work (with nvidia update without nvmvm.inf because only using windows 7 - 32)

Is it better to use windows 7-64? Is it faster / slower than 32? Can it utilize 4GB memory (32 bit version can only access 3,5gb). How about 32bit games can windows 64 help access full 4GB ?

But seems the furmark test is faster using the new nvidia graphics

 

Short answer: YES!

Use nVidia (discrete) graphics when updating the drivers...

Otherwise you won't have the Control Panel or the drivers
loaded, and there will be nothing to overwrite.

Try again!

 

thank you haha i just finished reinstalling windows cause i was too lazy to figure out a way to fix it. should of done a system restore...oops. i shall try now.

edit- were my 1st and 2nd steps correct? is something meant to happen when you run the vga patch? or was that because i was using integrated graphics?

 

Yes. The vga patch executes "silently", you should not "see" anything in its execution (with exception of maybe a command box open and close rapidly)

 

For those of us with OpenCL support issues, it is a driver issue (or installation thereof) not a hardware issue according to Nvidia.

g210m Specs

Itaru's modified inf file does in fact have correct file tags and directory copy locales, so I am stuck.

 

okay i tried it again and same issue. this time i started the process with my nvidia card turned on.
i go to control panel and uninstall the program "nvidia drivers"
then resolution goes to like 800x600. run the patch and wait about one minute.
then run the setup in the root of the nvidia folder which has been correctly set up.
after installation process im told to reboot which i do and come back to windows which is still in 800x600 res and no detection of nvidia card.
could it be my p4g profile? thats turning off nvidia after a reboot?

 

There is a problem. Run the setup in the root directory of the asus hybrid folder, NOT the setup in the Nvidia display folder. To summarize:

-Extract both Nvidia 197.16 package & Asus 186.88 package
-Rename extracted Asus package folder TEST_197.16 (or whatever you like)
-Copy the contents of Nvidia package (197.16) to the DISPLAY folder Inside your extracted ASUS package, which you have renamed
-Replace the nvvrram.inf in "display" folder with the modded .inf provided by Itaru (see post 3902)
-Enable your Nvidia Card
-Run (do not uninstall, simply overwrite) the "setup.exe" found in your renamed (TEST_197.16) root directory, NOT the setup.exe inside of DISPLAY folder

Restart (you may need to do so twice).

 

yep thats what i tried just then and it seems to be working fine now. shows the correct driver version in both discrete and integrated graphics when in windows control panel. also checked with GPU-z to make sure the other features worked.

i followed your instructions and i also ran the VGA patch before. what is the purpose of the VGA patch? would it of impacted on my driver update?

 

Hi everyone

Nice to see a forum dedicated to my new laptop - the Asus UL30VT-A1 that I finally received yesterday after much research and deliberation. That being said, 306 pages in this forum is pretty intimidating to sift through to find the information you're looking for.

After only a day, I really like the laptop. I have none of the problems I had heard about - weak wireless, flex, bad battery, bad HD sounds. I'm not completely obsessive like a lot of people here (I'm not into opening my laptop to add an antenna, thanks!) but I do have an eye for quality and I think this laptop is pretty close to excellent. I think my previous Asus was a better build, but then again I'm sure all laptops have a better build if you spend $700 more than this puppy.

Anyways, the one thing that bothers me is the complete lack of documentation about the Asus utilities and overclocking. I have a couple of questions, so I was hoping someone could answer:

1) how do I overclock to 1.7? I see that I am in 'turbo' mode, but when looking at the properties panel of Win7, it shows my processor as 1.3 I should see 1.7, right?

2) what the heck does the Asus EasyOverclock do in the BIOS? ~5%? What does that mean!!!

3) How the heck can I disable the 'profiles' that go along with power saving / Power4Gear changes. It seems that when modes change, there are predefined visual settings somewhere that I desperately need to change. For example, the taskbar 'autohides' and the desktop wallpaper changes. It's a drag to reset my settings every time. Surely there is somewhere where I can specify this?

Thanks, sorry if these questions have been asked somewhere over the 300+ pages of this forum!!!

 

Is it just me, or is the glossy frame around the screen very prone to scratching? I wiped some dust of it with a cloth and noticed I had gotten a million tiny scratches. =/

 

Thanks for the explicit instructions. Once installed to 197.16, are you still be able to switch back and forth from integrated graphics to nvidia graphics manually
(1)with the manual graphics button?
(2)with Power4Gear?
(3)with the taskbar icon?
Finally, are the Cuda, DirectCompute, and OpenCL boxes show to be enabled when using GPU-Z?

 

ok this is really strange. as i posted above everything was working fine and i went to play some CSS and L4D2. and afterwards i decide to restart my laptop to get rid of the 1.9ghz overclock. and when it turns back on my resolution is 800x600 and no detection of nvidia graphics etc. any ideas why this is happening??

 

Anyone Using a BT mouse?

I read a few hundred post back that one poster was have BT problems with mouse.

I’m using the M$ notebook mouse 5000. This has worked very well with both my old 1201n and the 30vt. You have a two-three second delay when wake from sleep or reboot but otherwise very responsive with long range use.

The range comes in handy when I have 30vt in media server mode feeding iTunes lossless or ISO through Denon receiver via HDMI.

I travel so no dongles or cords! Minus, this thing goes through a set of AA batteries every 60 days or so and has a wonky on/off switch.

Well worth it if found on sale! ..and color matched for you A1 owners.

 

AFAIK it doesn't do anything useful, and it's not really a patch since it patches nothing. It only removes some registry entries related to the Nvidia graphics which basically ruins whatever driver happens to be installed at the time, so it forces you to reinstall the driver (or do a system restore). It has no effect on driver installation, since I've successfully done several updates using self-made modified hybrid driver (195.62, 195.81, and latest 197.16) on my notebook without ever running the VGA patch. If anything I think it messes up new driver installation and that's why some people have to restart twice for the new driver to work. I've never had to restart more than once after updating modified hybrid drivers.

Read the following thread to learn more about the various Asus utilities and whether you need them: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=380681

1) Use CPU-Z to check actual speed of CPU. With Turbo mode on, CPU speed is either 1066MHz or 1733MHz depending on selected power profile or CPU slider settings in Power4Gear. Download CPU-Z from http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

2) With Turbo off, Asus EasyOverclock increases bus speed from the stock 200MHz. At 3% it's boosted to 206MHz, and at 5% it's boosted to 210MHz. A boost in bus speed affects CPU and RAM speed. However when Turbo mode is on, bus speed is fixed at 266MHz and Asus EasyOverclock is ignored. No way to get Turbo and Asus EasyOverclock to work together. Read the following thread if you want to overclock higher: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=472668

3) You can customize the power profile using Power4Gear. Set Battery Saving Desktop to No to stop the annoying changes to desktop when in power saving mode. You can also click Advanced Settings in Power4Gear to further customize each power profile's settings. Any changes you make will be permanent, but some settings will revert to default due to bugs in Power4Gear depending on which version you use.

 

Try reinstalling the modified hybrid driver again, but don't use the VGA patch. Better yet, uninstall the VGA patch, reboot, and reinstall the modified hybrid driver. VGA patch does nothing but screw up perfectly working driver installation since it deletes important registry entries for the discrete graphics.

 

All your manual belong to us..

http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

.. navigate from there, look for ul30vt. You also have a large E-manual on your Drive DVD.

 

haha just tried your idea.after the install it didnt tell me to reboot. everything was updated and working and i decide to do a manual reboot. and as usual when my laptop turns back on the resolution is all wrong and theres no nvidia card. forgot to mention im on a ul80vt would that be a problem? since i downloaded my hybrid driver from the ul80vt section?

 

Hi, Guys, thanks for all the help telling me how to hot rod my Chevy, but some of them don't work and I just noticed I drive a Ford, do you think that could have anything to do with it?

 

Funny? Yes. Sarcastic? Yes. Enjoyable? Definitely.

 

@ Itaru... the batch script for the patch seems to indicate that it removes device keys, but does not add any. Therefore, there would be no way to uninstall what isnt there, right?

 

Does anyone know how overclock the GPU and is stable?

 

Has anyone had an issue with their UL30vt freezing and making a very loud repetitive noise?

I can't tell if it is the HDD or something else.

This is not the normal clicking sounds that an HDD would make. This is more like a very loud single tapping noise that repeats in about 1 second intervals.

It is loud enough to be heard across a room and cause you to figure out what it is. The 1st time it occurred was after closing the computer without powering down.

This is computer is less that one week from purchase. There was damage on the box and it sounds like the vendor will accept an exchange. I would rather not deal with an exchange if there is a simple resolution to the problem.

This is my 1st post here so thanks for all of the useful info in this thread--it helped a lot in making my decision to purchase this notebook.

I have a 160gb X25-m on the way and will be doing a clean install of Win7 Pro on it after this problem has been resolved.

I did a few searches and it sounds like a few people may have had a similar issue.

 

Yeah, the VGA patch only removes those keys and uninstalling it will not restore those keys. However, it does add an Uninstall entry in Add/Remove programs which, like the "patch" itself, doesn't do anything useful. At least the "uninstall" will get rid of that useless Uninstall entry in Add/Remove programs .

It'll work on the UL80Vt just fine since that's what I used to test it . I have no reason to believe it won't work on the UL30/50Vt. However, I'll share how I actually created my modified hybrid driver since it's a bit different from the already mentioned approach of dumping all the 197.16 files into the Display folder. Here's how I created mine (for Windows 7 64-bit version):

0. Make sure you have a currently working hybrid driver. If not, install the original Asus hybrid driver first and make sure it's working before proceeding.

1. Extract the 197.16 notebook driver package to a new folder, let's call it Nvidia. I used Winrar for extraction, but any method is fine as long as you get all the files extracted correctly. And make sure you use the notebook version of the 197.16 driver, not the desktop version. The filename should be 197.16_notebook_winvista_win7_64bit_international_whql.exe.

2. Extract the original Asus hybrid driver package to a new folder, let's call it Hybrid.

3. Copy the following 35 files (please do count them) from Nvidia folder to Hybrid\Display folder, replacing any existing ones if they exist: DPInst.ex_, nvapi.dl_, nvapi64.dl_, nvcod.dl_, nvcompiler.dl_, nvcompiler32.dl_, NvCplSetupInt.exe, nvcuda.dl_, nvcuda32.dl_, nvcuvenc.dl_, nvcuvenc64.dl_, nvcuvid.dl_, nvcuvid32.dl_, nvd3dum.dl_, nvd3dumx.dl_, nvdecodemft.dl_, nvdecodemft32.dl_, nvencodemft.dl_, nvencodemft32.dl_, nView.cab, nviewsetup.exe, nvinfo.pb, nvinit.dl_, nvinitx.dl_, nvlddmkm.sy_, nvoglv32.dl_, nvoglv64.dl_, nvudisp.exe, nvumdshim.dl_, nvumdshimx.dl_, nvwgf2um.dl_, nvwgf2umx.dl_, OpenCL.dl_, OpenCL64.dl_, modes.txt

4. Copy my modified nvmvam.inf file into the Hybrid\Display folder, replacing the original one.

5. Extract content of hdaudio_1.0.9.1_nforce_8.34_xp_vista_win7.exe in the Nvidia folder to a new folder, let's call it Audio.

6. Delete the HDAudio folder in the Hybrid folder.

7. Copy the HDAudio folder from the Audio folder to the Hybrid folder.

8. Make sure you're in Nvidia discrete graphics mode.

9. Do NOT uninstall current driver, and do NOT run VGA patch.

10. Run setup.exe from the Hybrid folder, NOT from the Display folder.

11. Check both boxes for Nvidia Display Driver and Nvidia HD Audio Driver installation, and complete the installation. Make sure to choose Install Anyway (the bottom choice) if prompted when Windows complains that the drivers are not signed.

12. After installation is complete, do a manual reboot immediately (it will not ask for a reboot but you should reboot as soon as possible), and after reboot everything should be working perfectly with all features enabled (except PhysX since G210M is too sucky for PhysX) and graphics switching working. However, if you're using Power4Gear Hybrid version higher than 1.1.25, switching may not work due to bug since GPU setting gets reset to the same setting for all power profiles. You need to manually change them in Advanced settings of Power4Gear under GPU settings.

Well, I hope the above will help people get 197.16 working perfectly on their ULxxVt notebooks. Good luck!

 

Like any overclocking, doing it to our GPU is an experiment in progress, and YMMV, but first of all...you're gonna need some tools, and knowldedge...basic knowledge about it first.

Personally, I have EVGA desktop OEM components (motherboards, video cards), and am a regular at the EVGA.com Forums, and their Support section is awesome to boot, the best there is.

You *might* consider joining the Forums there just to get some basic understanding about overclocking itself...there are separate discussions for the various products, video cards, and motherboards et al, and if you picked like the 200-series video cards (260, 275, 285 GTX models) you'd learn a LOT about the nVidia characteristics of Core Clock, Shader Clock, and base Clock components, what they do when you change them (each one has a different function), and just give you a general overview of video card overclocking with nVidia cards, of which our G210-M is a member.

Once you begin to get familiar with overclocking concepts themselves, you could then begin to experiment with the video card in the UL30VT, and you could use EVGA's XLNT video card tweaker utility called "EVGA Precision", which is the best video card overclocking device there is...you get that at their Support site, Downloads, Drivers, EVGA Precision...but *ONLY* after you've become a member of the Forums, Catch-22! :wink:

If you've never done this type of magic trick with a video card, my suggestions above may seem tedious, but the intentions are good, and you *will* learn a TON about overclocking series 200 nVidia cards in the EVGA forum dedicated to just that.

We can't *teach you* how to do this stuff per se, it's quite involved to get it down, and to understand how to do it, you have to start somewhere, therefore my suggestions above.

Good luck, and hope this helps you out.

 

@itaru, my Man...

Can you once and for all, VERIFY that your OpenCL component is functioning with the above method of installation? I ask this for everybody here, because NONE OF US has working OpenCL components in the UL30VT or any other computer in this series, AFAIK...with the new driver installed.

Many of us, well, at least some of us, have tried all kinds of installer tricks and treats to get said component to function...and be installed correctly...and I can speak for Po$er and myself specifically about how many *ways* we've tried to get OpenCL to function...it's a LOT of ways! No dice, nothing so far, it just won't install and/or function with the G210-M and the modified driver.

Does your OpenCL component function, and function correctly?

Thanks for clearing this up, once and for all.

 

That indeed sounds like a hard drive ready to die at any moment. Get rid of it.

 

rexrzer727, i posted up the 3dmark06 in the overclocking thread. I actually hit 4096 after i pushed it further, but it wasn't very stable.


btw, does your ul30vt run any better 8gb vs 4gb ram??

 

Sorry to butt in but you are correct, there is not an "uninstall" procedure for running the Asus VGA patch (unless you are talking about the entry it makes in add/remove programs). When run, all it does is simply delete some registry entries that may be left over after you have uninstalled the Original Asus VGA Driver. I am guessing that the Asus engineers created this to allow for a more "clean" reinstallation of the Original Asus VGA Driver. It may have an entirely different effect if used on any of the newer modded driver installations.

 

Hi, another proud and happy UL30Vt owner here :]

I just had to register after discovering this gold mine of a thread. I'm very glad to see so many power users around, who're sharing loads of useful information.

I just got my ASUS 6 days ago, which was right after they imported it into our country. I have to say that beside long delay I'm very pleased with what they got. This version (QX002) came w/o OS, but has 5600 battery and BT module integrated.


There are few minor thing that I want to clear up or share with you, I hope you guys won't get angry if I as something that's already in this thread, couse I couldn't go on reading all 300+ pages.

Does anyone know if what ELAN touchpad version means (I think it's 2.2 in UL30), couse I've seen their touchpad with more functions (like back and forward swipe, pinch zoom...) and higher version number in larger laptop. I guess that's hardware's number which means those functions can't be enabled on this notebook?

I've also struggled with BIOS upgrade till I figured out that I had to rename .210 to .bin in order to get it working in Easy Flash.

One last thing for today. Maybe it helps someone, if it wasn't posted before. Since ASUS isn't supporting their software with any useful documentation I couldn't quite get Fancy Start to display my custom image correctly. After number of iterations, I've distorted it from native resolution to 1024x768 which counters distortion on boot-up. It looks good enough now.

I'll be lurking arround for graphic tips and test some since my discrete gpu doesn't seem to work with flash 10.1. Haven't had time to test any other aps including games tho.

Take care,
Wisse

 

Welcome aboard Wisse. One of the great things about this forum is that you can search (look at the top right of each page for "search this thread"). You will be able to find a wealth of information.

 

Yeah, I've searched a lot past few days. But sometimes I don't use correct phrase or info just doesn't exist.

I promise I won't be asking stupid questions over and over again and that I'll use search first :]

 

'chops, you are The Man with 3DMark06 and this notebook, way to go!

I only have a couple minutes, still working, can't take time to go to the other thread right now, but will after work is over with in a couple hours.

With 8GB of RAM, you can turn "OFF" your paging file (like down to "0" MB, absolutely ZERO MB, ie the xtra RAM can suffice for the page file unless you are doing a huge amount of RAM caching, like doing compiling, or a ton of CS3-4 work with multiple applications open, etc...and even then I've shined it) and eliminate Hibernation, if you haven't done those things already. Some people do it with 4GB RAM, but that is problematical with lots of apps open.

Plus, it just makes it extra "zingy" fast, above and beyond what the SSD does... so yes, absolutely, having maxx RAM on board helps a bunch if you're a power user. If you have no need for it, forget the 8GB RAM, as it is pricey as Hell's half-acre for the good stuff...but I have max RAM in every notebook I own, so it's SOP for me to maxx this one out too.

At 1st I scored my RAM at Amazon.com, didn't really shop for it at all, just bought Crucial/Micron CL-7 SODIMMs, and they were fantastic, but @ $427 for the bundle, ridiculously expensive. So I returned it, and scored on eBay, to the tune of $257 for all 8GB (!), just lucked out royally thanks to a member here who turned me onto the seller @ eBay.

Turned out to be Samsung CL-7 SODIMMs re-branded to "Super Talent" RAM, but Everest Ultimate sees Samsung all the way, and it's 100% good also, so go figure. Timing is CL-7-7-7-20-104-4T, believe it or not, but it passed the all-nighter Windows BIOS-RAM Test with flying colors, you know how that works...so I'm pleased about it. :yes:

I love maxx RAM, it's da kine! :smile: You can have an unlimited number of apps/windows open, and recall anything in an instant, plus I'm just used to having it...if you have an extra $250-$300 to spend on something to enhance your UL30VT, get the extra RAM, you'll notice it!

And eBay is the place to get it, too...still. Only place with any bargains on it that I know of anyway.

OK, back to the grindstone for another couple hours. BTW yours is the *only* other SSD here I've seen with a WEI 7.8 score, so you did that part right too, congratulations on that effort...not everybody "gets it" with SSD setup.

Later...

 

I don't think WEI is the best benchmark for SSDs (and any other component for that matter) since even systems with identical hardware can produce very different results. I would suggest CrystalDiskMark, ATTO, HD Tune, EVEREST, or HD Tach RW for more reliable results.

 

Really sorry if this has been asked, but:
1. What's the best case for this laptop?
2. How well does that Zalman cooler work?
3. What's the effect on battery life after the overclock to 1.9ghz?
4. Does this even need a cooler?
5. I really want this laptop.

Thanks

 

1. If you're just looking for a sleeve, then any 13" neoprene sleeve would do really. Personally, I'm using the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer Laptop Case which has been great for the past year or so.

2. Zalman coolers, specifically the NC1000, will work great for the UL30 series laptops. The intakes on the UL30 are mainly on the front and middle of the chassis and this matches the position of the vents from the Zalman cooler.

3. Not much. Since the voltage isn't really increased, the change in battery life, if any, is negligible.

4. No cooler is needed unless you're uncomfortable with the OC'ed temperatures.

5. I'd say go for it

 

Thanks David. Also, how's the webcam and microphone quality?

 

They're not the crème de la crème of webcams and mics, but they do the job just fine and should be sufficient for casual web-conferencing. Like most webcams, video quality tends to diminish as your ambient light decreases, but for a 0.3MP camera, I wouldn't expect it to perform like a Lieca lens either

 

thank you. this method worked very well. rebooted a few times and all is working well. now only 1 slight issue is in GPUz OpenCL isnt ticked but before in my previous semi working installation attempts it did show OpenCL as ticked after i did my install. hmmmm

 

I'm guessing that involves messing with the warranty sticker thing? =(

 

Yup. The sticker is located on one of the screws underneath the keyboard. You'll need to remove it to unscrew the screw and remove the top case assembly. If you're careful enough, you can salvage the sticker and put it on some glossy paper for storage. I put mine on the back layer of a priority mail sticker which you can get for free at any USPS store.

 

I think we all know that David, it's just for funz that I even mentioned the WEI score in Windows, especially how screwed up the scoring IS, bottom line. I have a 2TB RAID 0, driven by an Areca 1680IX-8 SAS to SATA/eSATA/SAS RAID Controller, real hardware RAID, in my main PC as the boot volume. It writes and reads at better than 400MB/sec across the volume, empty to full, Western Digital Black 32MB Cache Enterprise HD's there, and the stupid WEI rates *that* at 5.9, so go figure!

It *likes* SSD's tho, for what it's worth, but I mentioned dalamchops score specifically because it's one of the few I've seen to equal my Intel X25-M's 7.8 score there. I assume he's using the latest Intel RAID driver like I am, and that he upped the firmware to the new package, with TRIM and Tool Kit support, or the score would probably not be 7.8 in WEI. Just a passing remark, really, so don't mind me about it!

I just think it's KUHL that the WEI scores are there for us to compare our little notebook performances with, that's all. They are not worth much in reality, I mean I don't see MS giving awards for high scores or anything, but it's funz to see how your notebook stacks up with others, if nothing else.

That's all I meant by it, so hope you don't think I'm serious about it, because it's actually very misleading to take it seriously, and I do not.

 

No worries, rexrzer I thought I might mention it seeing most people (the less tech savvy folks) might think WEI is the primary benchmark for comparing laptops/desktops. I've seen way too many people at Best Buy asking if the WEI score is better on one laptop than the other and salesmen working off from that to get the moms and dads buy a more expensive system.

 

Hmmm, I wasn't aware that they actually *have* salesmen @ Best Buy, thought they were Geek Squad members, something like that...except for the DVD's and CD Depts I pretty much stay clear of that place...how depressing to think of buying a notebook, or any computer there! People *do* tho, don't they...how sad.

I hear you about "tech savvy folks" though, because in reality few are like that...most are "tech confused" or "challenged", at best. Thanks for minding the store though...I will watch my P's and Q's here when it comes to generalities about tech, because little can actually be explained easily in the business of computing and computers. And it just gets more complicated every single day...

 

Yeah, I usually go to Best Buy to window shop for laptops mostly - testing them out, checking build quality, specs etc. It's ones of those places like Barnes and Nobel's where I can spend hours just wondering around Often times, Best Buy will have new laptops released before anyone else does. This was the case with the Asus X83Vb laptop. Watching some salesmen "work" their customers and explaining the advantages of a paid anti-virus software vs one you get for free is also quite humorous too

 

[rant=] I am personally appalled by the means at which best buy wishes to peddle its ware's. From my personal experience (overhearing uninformed hourly clock-punchers pushing unnecessary tech on unwary consumers) they tend to complicate the experience rather than streamline it. 9/10 times I find myself wanting to jump in and "save" an unsuspecting patron from the ignorance being paraded as knowledge. Now, some responsibility does lie with the consumer... google is an incredible tool for research, and though the volume of information can be overwhelming, is well worth the investment in time. However, listening to a "sneak-squad" member tout the differences between a mac and pc (without mentioning proprietary OS, build quality, file systems... or even a semblance of an explanation beyond, "you know, its great for school and music and stuff") makes me apoplectic. I get commission, I get margin motivation, I get incentivising sales goals... I understand the fundamentals of turning a profit in a free-market system. I am fine with all that. I just think, nay know, if you are going to embrace the perception of your staff as a "geek-squad", then they better damn well be geeks! Damn, would weekly education seminars be too much to ask? [/rant]

With all that said, I love going into best buy to "window shop" before making a purchase from my arsenal of e-tailers.

 

Sorry for double post:


I have also tried Itaru's manual copy method for creating a hybrid driver package... and though installation is a snap, and everything functions as it should... I still do not have recognized OpenCL support.

From everything I have read and comparing card revisions between myself and Itaru... the G210m DOES support OpenCL. So, at this point, perhaps we need to stop looking at what Itaru has done... since we have all tried to replicate results through that methodology... and perhaps focus on what has NOT been done.

For instance, things I have done previously, that perhaps Itaru has not:

1. Previously run the vga patch
2. Completely uninstalled all Nvidia Drivers

just a thought. It seems we are not getting the desired result by just replicating the steps, so there must be a deeper process question that we are not addressing.

 

So I have a small problem with installing the hybrid drivers. I've done everything as instructed and my driver shows up as the correct version (197.16) My problem is that my computer will not display the correct resolution for my external monitor. It doesn't allow me to select 1680x1050. Any tips on how to remedy this?

The only way I can get this resolution to display is if I re-install the original ASUS drivers. I can't even get the resolution to show up if I go into advanced properties and try to force Windows 7 to list all possible resolutions.

Thanks.

 

Are yours UL30VTs also prone to scratching on the glossy surface, especially around the screen?

 

Well, I've done a complete uninstall of the hybrid drivers and started from scratch. I installed the original Asus driver, and confirmed no OpenCL or DirectCompute support. Then I followed the steps I posted previously to create and install modified 197.16 driver, and I still got OpenCL after installation. I was able to run all 4 of the OpenCL GPU demos in GPU Caps Viewer.

I even tried installing the regular 197.16 notebook driver just to test something, and boy that was a big mistake. As I expected it screwed up the graphics, but what I didn't expect was that reinstalling the original Asus driver did not fix it since I still got the 800x600 non-functioning graphics. Not good. The normal 197.16 refused to be uninstalled, and after many attempts to do so, at one point the keyboard refused to respond and I couldn't even type my password to login to Windows after a restart. The Nvidia uninstaller also listed like 3 Nvidia Display drivers, none of them working. After more than half an hour of struggling to get the regular 197.16 driver uninstalled, I finally got it completely uninstalled. After cleaning out the regular 197.16 driver, I directly installed the modified 197.16 hybrid driver without installing the original Asus driver first, and it actually worked perfectly, and that's where I am now. OpenCL is still there btw, and I know I cleaned all the Nvidia and OpenCL files from Windows before installing the modified driver.

The only thing I haven't done is install the VGA patch. I did install it one time about 3 months ago, but did a system restore after it screwed up my display so it's like I never installed it. I don't think the VGA patch can somehow disable OpenCL, but I certainly won't be trying it on my notebook to test that.

Other software I have on my notebook is the latest DirectX redistributable (February 2010) available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...80-E94A-4F56-B157-5AB8109CB4F5&displaylang=en. I also installed PhysX since Mass Effect 2 requires it even though it doesn't use GPU-accelerated PhysX, and the G210M can't do PhysX anyway. I used the latest version at http://downloads.guru3d.com/nVIDIA-PhysX-System-Software-9.10.0222-download-2490.html. This PhysX version is newer than the one included in 197.16 driver package.

Other things that may have enabled OpenCL on my notebook is that I've installed the regular 195.62 notebook driver, and then installed an incomplete 195.62 modified hybrid driver. Incomplete meaning I still used the original INF file which did not copy some driver files, so that's why I installed the regular 195.62 first to get those missing files in the Windows system folders. This was just before o8x8 came up with his modified 195.62 INF file, so that's why I did it that way and did not use o8x8's modified INF file. My installation was successful and OpenCL was working then. Installing the regular 195.62 driver may have added some registry keys which enabled OpenCL. Those keys would not be in the modified INF files o8x8 or I made. BTW, to those who installed the modified 195.62 hybrid driver using o8x8's INF file, did OpenCL work for you?

After studying o8x8's modified INF file, I updated it to create my own modified 195.81 beta hybrid driver. I was successful and OpenCL continued to work with 195.81. When 197.16 was released, I updated my INF file and installed the modified 197.16. However, I forgot a certain file in the INF (I think it was nvinfo.pb file) and I noticed OpenCL was not working. After fixing the INF file, I reinstalled and everything is working with my modified 197.16 driver. That's when I read the original post about creating a modified 197.16 hybrid driver by dumping all the 197.16 files into the Display folder. Afterwards I decided to share my modified INF file, and here we are today.

In short, I've done a lot of things to my notebook with regards to messing with the switchable graphics drivers, and somehow my notebook is the only one with working OpenCL using 197.16 modified driver. I wish I could tell you which of the above things actually enabled OpenCL on my notebook, but I'm not really sure. In any case, OpenCL is a useless feature at the moment. No software (other than demos) use OpenCL, and I believe DirectCompute is a much more attractive alternative for game developers to support in the future due to many reasons.

One last thing, I've updated again my modified INF file for 197.16, and this is the one I'm using right now in my notebook. I've included it as attachment below if anyone's willing to try this INF version.

Have you tried adding custom resolutions in the Nvidia control panel? Try adding 1680x1050 in the Nvidia control panel under Display, Change resolution, Add resolutions.

Heh, my notebook still has its original plastic wrappings on the aluminium cover and on the screen even though it's been 4 months since I bought it. All the stickers are still there including the one over the touchpad. No scratches on my notebook yet.

 

I agree, however you do run across a few BB employees who try to do the right thing.

Thousands of people bought their P6831 for $1150 with free game at BB. Two years ago was the beginning of affordable gaming laptops

I think the biggest problem is that Joe public is too lazy or refuses to do their homework so want you to do the work for them. Then again we can't expect Grandma to be up on the latest tech so hopefully she gets the right employee.

I feel the same way walking around Wall Street; be very afraid to bend over..