disable video card?

this is a "i don't really know how computers work" question:

I just did a clean install on my T60 w/ ATI X1400. Prior to installing drivers for the GPU, I obviously still had a picture on my display, though it was a little jittery when scrolling through documents (I was reading a .txt of the 'clean install guide' from this site).

Am I right to assume that in this pre-driver state, the computer is using the 'integrated graphics' option that is the default for computers that have no dedicated GPU?

If that's the case, can't I just disable my ati drivers in msconfig and effectively emulate sony's 'endurance/performance' switch by manually starting them when I need the extra boost?

just wondering. like I said, I don't really know how computers work.

 

nope

use only drivers that are dedicated for your graphics card.

I can explain it with apples and oranges if you insist.

 

ThinkPads either have dedicated or integrated, not both.

That Sony laptop is a specially configured one.

Integrated graphics can only be used if you ordered it with your laptop.

 

You either have a dedicated card, or an integrated one. You do NOT have both.

 

that's not what he's suggesting. Indeed if you uninstall your nvidia drivers you'll still see a picture on the screen, so why not do that to save battery?

mm... maybe I can answer my own question. I guess that the gpu is still producing the picture, so it doesn't help to be using it without appropriate drivers (probably makes battery life shorter if anything)

 

When you did the clean install windows just used the standard crappy drivers to start the program up so you can at a later time, update the drivers to the current one by ATI.