Windows Vista on HP notebooks (a how-to guide)

Installing Vista Business on my spankin' new nc8430 right now. I'll let you guys know how it works out.

 

ditto...screw the 32 bit express upgrade. I'll stick with xp until i can somehow come across a copy of the 64 bit version.

 

I disagree, there isnt anything inherently wrong with the 32bit version. Sure 64bit might have been nice but for the vast majority it does not make a difference. It is a free upgrade in any case, so why simply lose it. If you really wanted 64bit version you can buy it later on and still have the extra 32bit copy.

 

I agree with miner on that. Never turn down a free Windows upgrade. Also, though no one's been able to try yet, it's possible that the key you receive with the Express Upgrade will work using a standard x64 installation disc -- might work, might not. Also, there's the possibility of Microsoft allowing preinstalled 32-bit installations (including the Express Upgrades) to cross trade to the 64-bit version. They did this in a limited fashion for XP x64 so its possible.

 

What exactly do you think you'll benefit from with 64-bit Windows? It really won't make a difference unless you're somehow planning on getting a notebook with more than 4 GB of RAM.

On another note, I had zero problems installing Vista Enterprise on my nc8430. It was pretty straight forward... didn't have to do anything but update a few drivers afterwards--there were generic drivers for the graphics card and a few other things that got the job done but are not as good as the "real" drivers.

Everything runs great so far. Actually the performance seems to be even better than it was on XP. It's extremely responsive--dare I say the most responsive computer I've ever used. I think it's because Vista does a good job at keeping all of your RAM filled (right now I only have 35 MB "free" even though I'm only running Internet Explorer) so it doesn't have to use virtual memory as much.

 

There are some extra security advantages and things in the x64 version of Vista -- also some programs are starting to be written that can make some use of 64-bit processors running 64-bit Windows. Now whether that's worth additional compatibility issues with programs and devices is up for considerable debate, but I can definitely understand people wanting x64 available as an option.

Aleman -- nice system. I, too, find that Vista is MUCH more responsive and all around better suited for modern systems with dual-core processors and 2 GB of RAM than XP was. Glad to hear your install went well.

 

Hey all, I have a dv2050us with Vista and it runs very well. A few things I am trying to figure out though.

1) Where do I go to "run" the web cam? I can run the webcam demo and it turns the cam on and takes pictures of me during the demo, but I can't "see" the camera in the OS. It used to be in "My Computer" in XP if I remeber correctly, but I don't see it there anymore. It also seems to work fine in Windows Live Messenger.

It isn't seen (should it be?) in the Control Panel under Scanners & Cameras either.

2) How do you get it back to the Microsoft driver (if I even need to)? Via roll back or just "updating" the driver again?

3) Has anyone successfully made an image of their laptop? I had a CompUSA repair plan and they replaced my x1010us with a dv5178us. I tried to make a ghost image of that unit and when it came back down, it wasn't bootable. I tried repairing the bootsector with XP Recovery Console with no luck. I'm afraid to try the same with my dv2050us (which was exchanged because of issues with the dv5178us). I think it's because of the quickplay software. I've heard rumors Linux is involved. Does anyone else have any experience with ghosting these laptops?

Lastly, I want to let everyone know QuickPlay direct seems to be working for me. I have my system dual-booting XP & Vista (or would it be tri-booting with QP?) I originally wiped my drive fully, then made the 1 GB partition for QPD and then installed XP and ran the QPD install later. I beleive there is a guide on this web site with the specifics. I then shrunk the XP partition and loaded Vista and then re-ran the QP Direct install.

Thanx for all your help.

 

Just installed Vista Ultimate 32 bit last night, man I'm in love with this OS.

Like the guys said earlier, it uses all your ram and runs A LOT faster than XP, you wouldn't think it would, but it runs smooth as hell if you have a new processor/video card.

One thing I noticed is that "high pitched noise" occurs on Vista, but not the XP MCE that came with the laptop. So I found that really strange, I tried the RMClock fix, it does fix the noise, but it makes the computer noticably slower (postive about this, not just in my mind, lol) So for now I'm just playing music to avoid the noise

Here's my Windows Experience score for those wondering.

I have a Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0 GHz, 2 GB of Ram, and a GeForce Go 7400

 

wow looks good! thanks for the screenshot!

btw, how did u get vista already?

 

I got vista to run on my dv9000t, T7200 2GB RAM Go7600, problem is it seems the fan works alot more on vista for me, tried installing NHC but ended up with a BSOD (I thought they changed them to RSOD or was that just a joke lol), anyone else not been able to run NHC? if so then what temp monitoring program do u use?

 

When we can expect official HP vista drivers?

 

You don't need them, almost all the drivers are either built in, or available through Windows Update in Vista.

The only ones not available yet are the Webcam drivers, everything else is. HP has the Quick Launch Buttons available.

 

I just bought a new HP dv6253 laptop yesterday and I stumbled onto this Windows Performance Index when I went to play a simple game. I have the AMD Turion 64x2 TL-50 with the GeoForce6150 and 2GB RAM but my performance index is only 2.4! If you dig deeper, you see it rates 5 criteria, and the others aren't bad. But based on gaming graphics the overall rating is only 2.4.

I bought a retail model, so I knew I wasn't getting top graphics. But salesmen at every store predicted that the AMD+nVidia would be a little better than the Intel DualCore 2060 w/GMA950 (which k3l0 says is 3.0).

I just stopped at Best Buy and took a peek at their notebooks on display. The inexpensive Compaq Turion 64 MK-36 with the same graphics card had a rating of 3.0, but the HP Turion 64x2 TL-50 had a rating of 2.4.

My questions:
Why is the Turion 64x2 TL-50 so low and is there a driver or something to improve it?

Where will this low performance be noticeable, other than certain types of games?