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    G50V1 and XP

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by Bronx19, Oct 31, 2008.

  1. Bronx19

    Bronx19 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey guys, I'm really not enjoying Vista and I'm considering installing XP. The only thing stopping me from doing it immediately is the RAM issue. Is there anyone with experience that could share their results?
     
    Bronx19, Oct 31, 2008
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  2. aethelbert

    aethelbert Notebook Evangelist

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    Install XP 64 Bit edition?
     
    aethelbert, Oct 31, 2008
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  3. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    With the caveat that the 64 bit XP reportedly has bad driver support. Which is doubly problematic in a notebook.

    But what is exactly "the RAM issue" the OP refers to? Maybe it's not the limitation to 3.5GB, and it's something else.
     
    E.B.E., Nov 1, 2008
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  4. Bronx19

    Bronx19 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yes, I was referring to the 3.5GB issue. Well, if XP x64 as issues, its a royal balls up isnt it? Vista is driving me up the wall, its performance falls behind XP, as does compatibility and stability. Hell, I cant even shut the laptop down half the time.

    While I'm here, I have been looking for the SATA driver for the G50 MB, but cannot find it online or at the ASUS website. Does anyone have it?
     
    Bronx19, Nov 1, 2008
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  5. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Vista should use SATA natively. If you do go for XP, use this guide:

    http://www.digitgeek.com/how-to-slipstream-sata-drivers-into-xp-cd/

    If you really dislike Vista so much, I guess <1GB of RAM is a fair price to pay for the convenience of XP. :) But could you be a bit more specific about your problems, e.g., why or in what way can't you shutdown? Maybe we can help with those problems.
     
    E.B.E., Nov 1, 2008
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  6. Bronx19

    Bronx19 Notebook Enthusiast

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    My reasoning for heading towards XP, is that I am yet to use 3 Gigs of RAM running anything that I do, and that Vista is using more resources than XP would be. So in the end, would I even be losing 0.5-1GB? My biggest concern is dual channel, does it still work with 3.5Gig?

    In regards to the problems I'm having: If any program stops working and I close it, the laptop will not restart or shutdown, it simply sits at the "shutting down" screen. I only play a game of BF2 here and there, and it randomly freezes or quits to desktop often.

    My other gripes are just how cumbersome Vista is in general. What once took 1 click now takes 3 or 4. If I log in as the administrator, why request permission to start a program or change a setting? I find it frustrating that my XP desktop (Q6600/2Gig RAM) loads applications quicker than this laptop with twice the RAM.
     
    Bronx19, Nov 1, 2008
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  7. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Yes, Vista can be quite heavy on resources. So indeed the gain in performance may outweigh the loss of the 1GB or RAM -- in which case you would not be "losing" anything.

    Dual channel is at the hardware level so it would still be enabled in WinXP. However, its benefit is minimal so it's not a concern.

    I do not know about the shudown problems. You may try to reinstall the ATK drivers although this is a long shot.

    You can disable UAC in Vista if the security popups annoy you so much. There are good reasons for them even though you are logged in as root -- but I agree that their implementation is not the best.
     
    E.B.E., Nov 2, 2008
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  8. RayD71

    RayD71 Notebook Geek

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    It took me a while to find the drivers for XP for the notebook. Once I did, it runs fine on the 3GB of RAM that is can see. I had a little trouble with high CPU usage though, but got that under control.
     
    RayD71, Nov 4, 2008
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  9. Geared2play.com

    Geared2play.com Company Representative

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    Geared2play.com, Nov 4, 2008
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