My Toshiba Tecra A5

Hello I'm new to this forum a very great forum btw ;-)

I'm very happy for this Laptop and it really shines in performance, but I have a few questions

It comes with preinstalled software and OS. But I have the I386 folder and it
s possible to reinstall with this. I do though have to register at MS before I can update which annoyes me very much. Would You recommend me reinstalling OS or just remove software from the preinstall software?

I have reinstalled OS several times before and it puzzles me that Toshiba says that I have to install the drivers and software in a certain order . Is it needed?

I would also like to update the drivers in a clean install with never drivers. Especially with Inteldrivers there are newer versions available. Should I avoid using those and wait for Toshiba to release updated drivers or go ahead?

I have changed my ATI drivers and used Omegadrivers, is that a problem, the performance is better with Omega than the drivers released from Toshiba?

Finally I use the powersaver by Toshiba, is it nescessary to have powersaver? Do You use other programs to control powersaving?

Other advices to improve performance are welcome ;-)

Kind Regards

Bokazoit ;-)

 

Here is my sig ^^

 

Toshiba from what I have seen include only a restore DVD and not a full/clean Win XP CD. So even if you reinstall the OS, the preinstalled software will also be reinstalled. The only way is to go through Add/Remove list and uninstall any unwanted software.

You can use Intels latest drivers, they will be the same as and Toshiba gets around uploading to their download site. I always use the drivers direct from the component makers rather than wait on the laptop manufacturer.

The Powersaver is a pretty good software and is capable of controlling the fan speed and prolonging the battery life. I would suggest keeping that.

 

Not true, atleast not for the A5, I have a full functional i386 folder. I burned it on to a CD and made a clean install from that. And no programs was installed. The only thing I had to do was to call MS with my key to unlock win XP pro.

So that is something I'm pretty sure of. I can see from this forum that it's not very common for Toshibas

So in light of that what would You suggest?

 

Thats good to know. I should have read your first post more closely

I would still suggest deleting almost all of the Toshiba software other than Powersaver and if you find any other which is useful to you.

Regarding the order of installing the drivers there might be some truth in that as I have seen some other manufacturers also recommending this, but generally I would start of with the core components and installing the peripherals later. This should take care of any unforseen incompatibilities with older generic version of the chipset drivers.

Omega drivers do provide more performance and open up the possibility of overclocking the graphics card, although if your graphics usage os not too heavy then it is best to leave it at stock speeds. Also Omega drivers(in some cases atleast) had issues with DVD playback. Since they arent stock drivers, they also have some trouble with the Media center version of XP.

Performance increase wont be too great for laptops fromstock witout either overclocking or upgrading the HDD or the RAM. You could minimize the RAM usage by not running unwanted backgound programs or startup programs which take up too much resources. Doing this and keeping away from spywares should keep the laptop running pretty fast for a long time.

 

I would suggest keeping the Toshiba Power Saving Utility as miner has stated, along with the Wireless/Wired config-free software - it's quite useful for locating and finding WiFi networks.

 

Your screen is wide with Glossy(Toshiba Trubrite) or just matte, in my country there is no A5 with glossy, just matte, so I'd like to know yours

 

¨
As far as I can see and read it's matte

 

So what You say is that I should do a Clean Install, and ofcourse install core drivers first?

The Omega drivers will not do any damage to my laptop? I like gaming and part of the reason for buying this laptop was to still being able play 3D games (Guild wars prefered) and substitute it with my old desktop

 

Yep, basically delete anything you wouldnt use. Its just extra baggage which slows down the laptop.

Omega drivers shouldnt damage the laptop. The only way I can see of any damage resulting from the omega is if you change it from the stock settings like overclocking, then it might lead to some damages if it overheats. The standard drivers should be decent, but you should see some difference in 3D performance with the omega drivers.

 

Tx very much, I will do that soon ;-)