New V1JP Owner, whats bloatware and whats not?

Hi guys,

im a proud owner of a brand new V1JP. Right out of the box the system tray is more than 4 inches long, so id like to get rid of all the bloatware. some quick questions:

1) if i format and reinstall WinXP will this also reinstall all the bloatware?
2) which product key do i use? the one on the cd or below the computer?
3) which of the bloatware programs are ACTUALLY USEFUL?


thanks!

 

Keep Asus MultiFrame. Really usefull

 

Hey, I'm a new owner too just got one today and love how it looks... did you get yours by any chance at the SG ITShow? The free Altec Lansing 2.1, Upgrade to 2Gig of RAM and Asus Mini TV Tuner was really a great deal that left me no choice but to buy!

I think I'll just remove the pre loaded AntiVirus and change it with AVG. The other things the system can handle.

When you reinstall using the recovery disc, don't put the drivers CD when prompted. That will only install the OS and you can choose and install each applications you think you need from the driver's CD.

BTW, is TPM really needed? it keeps prompting me to turn it ON in the BIOS.

 

When I rebuilt my V1 the only things I used from the recovery disc were Power4Gear and Splendid. I later installed the WinFlash util too in order to upgrade my BIOS. Multiframe is a great set of functionality, but I noticed that it seems to suffer a memory leak.

I don't have TPM installed--so I obviously can't use my thumb scanner.

 

The only thing worth removing is Norton, and Asus's Bios updater, they're both useless.

 

I just ordered my V1 today...Why is the BIOS update 'useless' ?

Rc

 

hi engri. yes i did buy the V1JP at the it show haha. u got a free ram upgrade to 2gig?! i didnt and had to pay sgd130. they also didnt have the tv tuner yesterday so i have to go back tommorrow or sunday to get it. troublesome...

btw is norton really that bad?

 

The BIOs updater automatically 'downloads' the newest drivers and Bios, which sound useful however, it never works. It tries to connect to ASUS Taiwan and times out...

Plus, I would feel safer downloading my own driver/bios - just in case

 

Norton is a *serious* resource hog, both in terms of processes and HD space - better to dump it and go with any major antivirus software besides McAfee (similar problem regarding resources).

 

Thanks Cor. Great to know. I also like to do (any and all) updates manually.

And I will be uninstalling Norton too. It's AVG Free for me.

Rc

 

Coriolis I think you've got Asus Live Update confused with WinFlash?

You don't want Asus Live Update but you want to keep WinFlash.

 

Hey, may I ask a question here?

What's the screen res for the V1Jp you got in SGP?

Thanks in advance . . .

 

The screen is only WXGA+ here in SG. 1440 x 900 is the highest resolution. It also have only 120GB of harddisk. If your in SG now, you can get the V1JP at the Suntec ITShow for SGD 2848 = USD 1880 that comes with free Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers and Asus TV Tuner. If you negotiate with the vendor, you can get a free upgrade to 2GB RAM .. I did

 

I removed:
- Norton (bloatware, trialware),
- ASUS Multiframe (a few extra clicks vs. an extra annoying button on each window),
- ASUS Net4Link (doesn't support WPA, doesn't play nice with other stuff, stalls computer sometimes, would've been nice if it had worked since the idea is good),
- ASUS Live Update (liability, I don't like the thought of a laptop automatically bricking itself),
- Splendid (useless unless you're into "enhanced color").

I'm thinking about removing:
- InstantFun (media center lookalike that doesn't do much but look nice),
- Bluetooth stack (so rare for me to use Bluetooth), and
- Intel Pro Wireless (seems Windows Zero-Config Wireless is the best way to go, damned thing doesn't see cloaked networks very well).

Unfortunately, I can't remove the Fingerprint/TPM or Catalyst software without losing some functionality. Extra damned icons on the system tray bother me. I think my desktop has like only three or four. I suppose it's not as noticable when the screen is 1680x1050, but anyway...

 

Heh, I installed so few of the Asus utilities that my full notification tray has an icon for my wifi connection, one for my wired connection, the volume control, and the safely remove USB hardwre icon..

I'm an absolute Nazi when it comes to keeping my machine running lean. My page size on boot up is 161MB now, including a virus scanner.

 

I like splendid and power4gear
i hate instant fun

 

Thx! I think that's plenty better than 1280x800 . . .

Btw, any idea when the ITshow will last? And also any G1s around? I'd prefer a Geforce card as my faculty doesn't have the money to get licensed Windows (We're using Linux instead) . . .

 

The last day is today, March 11th. Went there to get my free TV Tuner awhile ago, there were soooo MANY people. Can only take baby steps while walking around

There is a G1 and G2 but they are OVERpriced here in SG. G1 is priced at SGD3588 = USD 2376 and the G2 is priced SGD 3998 = USD 2647.

If you want GeForce Card, the A8Js is available for SGD 2589 = USD 1700. You get a free Altec Lancing 2.1 speakers, Asus Mini TV Tuner and probably a free upgrade to 2GB of RAM if you negotiate

 

Ahh . .. well, thanks a lot anyway . .. I guess I'll have to wait on and see . . .

Btw, I've heard ppl in the forums saying that the A8J series build quality isn't that impressive. I'll be bringing it around quite a lot so . . . you know . . . -_-a

 

If you think of it this way the A8J series is basically on par with other notebook brands that use plastic notebooks, Dell, Tosh, Acer...and more. Owners of these notebook take it to school and everywhere without problems.

Sure it would get scratched, but that doesn't stop people. I would be too worried, the A8js and A8jp have a lot of performance in such a nice package.