New HP nw9440 : Help me get it set up properly

I just got in my nw9440 yesterday and brought it home to get it all set up the way I like. After browsing these forums, I've got to admit that I'm a little confused on what applies to this machine and what doesn't.

The first thing I did was to download Firefox and Thunderbird. After installing them, but not yet setting up Thunderbird with my email accounts, I created the Recovery DVDs. It took 2 DVDs, that's all.

Since then I've not done much but look around on this machine. There are a LOT of icons in the taskbar that I don't really like down there. I'm used to a clean install of XP Pro that I did on my old laptop. With this thing, it seems to have a ton of HP software included and I'm not sure of what I'll need.

In the Add-Remove Programs there is listed this questionable software:

Bluetooth Stack for Windows - (previous lappy I used the Widcomm stack)
HP Backup & Recovery Manager Installer
HP BIOS Configuration for ProtectTools 2.00 E1
HP Credential Manager for ProtectTools
HP Embedded Security for ProtectTools
HP Help and Support
HP Mobile Data Protection System
HP Notebook Accessories Product Tour
HP Performance Tuning Framework
HP ProtectTools Security Manager 2.00 C3
HP Quick Launch Buttons 6.00 H1
HP Software Update
HP User Guides 0013
HP Wireless Assistant 2.00 E1
InterVideo DVD check
InterVideo WinDVD
MSXML 4.0 SP2 (KB925672)
MSXML 4.0 SP2 (KB927978)
NVIDIA Drivers
Sonic Audio Module
Sonic Copy Module
Sonic Data Module
Sonic DLA
Sonic Express Labeler
Sonic MyDVD Plus
Sonic Update Manager
SoundMAX
Texas Instruments PCIxx21/x515/xx12 drivers
Windows Installer 3.1 (KB893803)
Windows Media Connect

Now, I know that some of the above is necessary, but I listed some of the necessary items to make sure I have the latest. For example, when I got the laptop it had Acrobat Reader v.6xx on it. I uninstalled it and installed a clean version of the latest Reader because I knew Adobe has recently come out with v.7.

What part of the HP tools do I need? Do I need to set up my fingerprint scanner before deleting anything? If I delete any of those, can I still use my fingerprint scanner? Since I made the recovery DVDs, as long as I backup my SwSetup folder am I really ok to finally delete the Recovery Partition?

I need a program that will allow me to burn video DVDs, but it seems like the Sonic package is severely bloated. Should I keep it because it is free, or is there a better, free alternative out there? What about the WinDVD? What the heck is that DVD check thing (never seen it before on my other laptop with InterVideo WinDVD)?

Finally, if it's better to do a reformat and reinstall, how the heck do I accomplish that with the OEM copy of WinXP Pro that I have now? The only "install" disc that I have is my own purchased retail upgrade WinXP that I used to upgrade my OEM Home XP on my old laptop to XP Pro.

Thanks all. I'm looking forward to writing a review of this laptop but I want to get it in tip-top condition first.

 

Ok, I'm learning a lot about slipstreaming an XP Boot CD from a lot of different links, the primary one being the 4saad.com site, and believe that may be the way to go. Only problem now is that I can't seem to find a place to download SP2. Every time I try to get it from the download.micro$oft.com link, I end up getting a "page cannot be displayed" return.

This is getting frustrating. But, I'm getting closer to a solution. So, as a preliminary step, if I go that route, what will be necessary to reinstall as far as software is concerned?

I'll have to reinstall the credential manager I'm sure, in order to use the fingerprint reader, which will likely necessitate the whole ProtectTools package. What is the "HP Mobile Data Protection System," the "HP Performance Tuning Framework?" And do I need the Sonic stuff to do things with DVDs?

Heck, now that I've come back to it, if I need to reinstall most of this software to function then maybe I don't need to reformat.

 

This may not be the right place for these questions, especially given the lack of replies to your post, but here goes anyway.

(a) Did you figure out about optimizing the startup programs on the nw9440? In particular, though I've removed a bunch of them through msconfig, I still have the TPM icon (says: "Embedded security not initialized") on the task bar of my nw9440. I'm not sure that I want to initialize the embedded security chip through the BIOS, but the comment from the help file on application startup that: "The HP Embedded Security for ProtectTools Status Indication Applet is automatically launched at system startup. A manual start is not possible." doesn't look too hopeful for removing this icon from the task bar whether or not I do initialize the chip.

(b) I've had some strange -- apparently random -- shutdowns of the monitor while trying out some video tests (using 3dMark06 and Gothic 3) -- the screen just goes black, and I have to reboot the notebook to bring it back. Could this be a driver issue with the Quadro FX's or is it something esle?

 

I'm bolding what needs to go...comments and info are italicized

Bluetooth Stack for Windows - this is for the driver...you need that
HP Backup & Recovery Manager Installer
HP BIOS Configuration for ProtectTools 2.00 E1
HP Credential Manager for ProtectTools
HP Embedded Security for ProtectTools
HP Help and Support
HP Mobile Data Protection System - Hard drive protection...it will pause the drive if it detects it is falling.
HP Notebook Accessories Product Tour
HP Performance Tuning Framework - This might be okay but I don't know.
HP ProtectTools Security Manager 2.00 C3
HP Quick Launch Buttons 6.00 H1 - Needed for the function buttons
HP Software Update - This isn't good at all...just download your own drivers
HP User Guides 0013 - These are available online to view
HP Wireless Assistant 2.00 E1 - XPs WiFi control is much better
InterVideo DVD check - Needed to play DVDs
InterVideo WinDVD - Needed to play DVDs
MSXML 4.0 SP2 (KB925672) - MS Hotfix needed
MSXML 4.0 SP2 (KB927978) - MS Hotfix needed
NVIDIA Drivers - These are for your GPU...
Sonic Audio Module
Sonic Copy Module
Sonic Data Module
Sonic DLA
Sonic Express Labeler
Sonic MyDVD Plus
Sonic Update Manager - All the sonic stuff is needed for you to burn various types of DVDs
SoundMAX - Audio drivers
Texas Instruments PCIxx21/x515/xx12 drivers - Media card reader drivers you need to keep
Windows Installer 3.1 (KB893803) - MS program used by some programs during installation routines...nothing to worry about
Windows Media Connect - This comes with most notebooks and desktops now, and you may or may not pick this up in a Windows update anyway...keep it

If you need the finger print reader you will need to keep the core ProtectTools software as well as that reader module...you might as well keep the whole suite if you are going to do that.

It is actually easier and just as effective to use the DVDs and uninstall the few things you need to. That isn't going to impact your performance at all, and will leave you with basically the same "raw" XP OS you've come to love without the bloatware. Actually, the nice thing here is that none of the business laptops come with that power-draining crap.

Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier, but here's the brain dump of what I've figured out by experimenting with my nc8430 for three months.

 

It might be a driver issue since those drivers are "not for gaming" but those 3DMark tests are for gamers. I wouldn't worry about it unless you see that something is wrong in one of the games that you are playing. While you are at it, check the power profiles for your laptop and make sure it isn't set to shut off the monitor or go to standby if you leave it alone for a certain amount of time. However, I am not that certain that is what could be causing those problems...

That TPM message will always be there as long as the Credential Manager (needed for the fingerprint reader) is installed. All that message means is that you haven't set up the chip and it is reminding you to do so. The best suggestion I have is to click Start->Right Click in open space in the start menu->Properties->hit the Taskbar Tab->Hit the "Customize" button at the bottom and locate that troublesome icon in the popup list. Click on it's behavior (probably "hide when inactive") and select "always hide". Hit all the various OK buttons and that icon should disappear from your taskbar.

 

Thanks for the response.

I'm still struggling with a couple of things in setting up my nw9440.

Specifically, I'm wondering if the lockup-crash I experience while running 3d-gaming type apps (I have zero problems with anything else) might be connected with the HP Protect Tools security suite. (The crash is a black screen-lockup, not just the screen saver kicking in; for example, the keyboard appears to stop responding entirely -- the num lock and caps lock don't register -- and on one occasion I hooked up an external monitor, which went black also.)

Checking my windows event viewer after such a lockup, the only errors I find -- in fact, the only errors at all -- are caused by IFXSPMGT.exe (associated with the Infineon security programs used by HP) and described as "The Upgrade Tool returned an error". This error occurs a lot (multiple times, from a half-hour to hours, when the machine is on) so I'm not certain that's what's causing the graphics crash, but it does seem to be correlated.

I tried installing some of the most recent 97.44 nVidia forceware drivers (unsigned) instead of the 86.33 ones I got from hp, and that didn't fix the graphics crash, so I don't believe it's a driver problem.

Now what I'd like to do is see if I disabling HP's Protect Tools and its Credential Manager program fixes the graphics lockup-problem, but I haven't found any way to do this without uninstalling them completely, which I'd prefer not to do. (I tried switching all the Infineon security services I could find to manual instead of automatic, but Credential Manager still appeared at startup, with some errors.)

So a few questions:

(a) Is there any way to completely disable the HP Protect Tools security suite without actually unistalling it entirely?

(b) What's the cause of the IFXPSMGT error "The Upgrade Tool returned an error" and how do I fix it? (Didn't find much on Google.)

(c) Any other ideas on how I might fix the 3dgraphics lockup?

 

Here you go. One freshly minted XP SP2 file for your enjoyment. Disregard the "Do not download..." stink.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en

 

Does this file have most of the drivers also?

Can we use this in place of our recovery disc if we use our own number, to keep it all legal?.

 

Ummm...no that is only the downloading of the SP itself. Downloading MS OS's is limited to MSDN members and vendor types. hehehehe...ya can't just dl WinXP...not w/o paying a bunch of money that is...

 

What he said. The SP (Service Pack) is MS's way of supplying a host of bug fixes that don't work and totally useless add-ons that no one wants just to further bloat your already obscenely obese OS. Expect one for Vista roughly 32 seconds after the retail release.

Only kidding for all you Redmond types...

 

I'm sure Ballmer wishes that were true.