Query:Compaq Presario V3425AU?

Ignore those who say that. You should check out the new Gemstone design based Acer Aspire 4520. It has a similar config, comes pre-installed with 1GB RAM. Price is 35k. I would say, go for the Acer if you're a sucker for white. Otherwise stick to Compaq. Both are good budget notebooks.

Thanks Sourabh! Well I like Compaq more. If you can, please suggest other similar models. I guess the models without Windows will be cheaper. If you know any such model please let me know. Thanks you!

There is nothing much to differentiate based on design and looks. V3400 and V6400 are pretty much standard. All the info and pricing for the Compaqs can be found on the HP India website. Add taxes to them and you will get the total damage. Dealers bundle free goodies like pen drives in the final price, so in the end it's just the same.

Why don't you increase your budget by another 5k and go for Dell's Inspiron 1420. It's is really worth it. You're going to stick with a notebook for a minimum of 2-years. So, investing in a better one is always a nice, will help in the long run. Your call in the end. I would say, buy a 26-27k laptop or go for the Dell.

Hi!
I also had a look at Compaq Presario V3424AU Its AMD Turion MK-38 2.20Ghz.

Now what do you recommend the V3425AU or V3424AU? I am asking this because Turions(V3424 AU) are known for better battery life & they are much cooler than Mobile Athlon(V3425 AU). What will be the performance difference? Please suggest.

You're asking is single core better than dual core. Obviously that's not true. Don't go by clock speed alone. Turion X2s are better. TK-53 is a new processor which was recently introduced. It's being claimed to be based on 65nm fabrication process. So, it would be better than the MK-38 any day of the week. If you want to go with single core Turion, I would you to buy the Compaq V6404TU (Celeron M 520, 512MB RAM, GMA950) instead. HP has priced it at 27k or so.

No I am not asking about single core/dual core issue. I am asking whether it is better to buy turion based single core lappy as i have read that turion is much cooler & provides longer battery life. I know dual core can beat the single core any time. I am more concerned about battery longevity & a cool lappy I am sending you a link in your PM. Check it out. I was shocked after reading that particular post.

Some more info I got:
*forums.amd.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=34&threadid=86693
&
*www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=515071
&
*www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=476&mn=53673&pt=msg&mid=2310704
&
*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Turion_microprocessors

go for v3424au....i've just bought that last week....its damn cool but remember it has 128 mb graphics shared and Windows Vista Home basic which is preinstalled sucks....it only has 1 single partition of 110 gb...so it woul b better if u just ask ur engineer 2 reconfigure it and install XP insted of vista and creat more partition....best of luck...

Well I guess AMD Mobile Athlon 64 X2 TK-53 is just a Turion or similar to Turion. I wonder why they named it Mobile Athlon. Its 65nm SOI and on S1 Socket as suggested by screenshots of CPU-Z. Sourabh, your comments please.

Hi, I myself bought the Preasrio V3425AU. It comes bundled with 512 MB DDR2 RAm , but I also bought an extra 512 MB DDR2 module. Now I have 1 GB DDR2. And I must say its performing just fine..
Battery life is yet to be tested by me. As I am running it on Power all the time.
But to let u know....I just disconnected the power source, lets see how long it runs. Will let u know in 4 hrs

it has got a go 6150 onboard grfx/. Which is indeed outdated , with all Go 7xxx series in the market.
I primarily got this lappy simply for high end programming ..in .net 05 / Netbeans / eclipse ...and occasional gaming.

The only thing you should keep in mind is that this model comes with preloaded vista home basic , which is a fine one, if u don't need Vista's all bells and whistles...I am doing fine with it. BUT vista being as it is, will consume 500+ MB of RAM , without any customization. So attempt to play games which are relatively new ( after 06 ) , the experience wil not be smooth. But if u can chug through net and find out which Unnecessary Vista Services to disable,and how to chow down on Vistas memorry consumption, like get it down to arnd 300 , then I deem gaming at low to med is not gonna be a too much problem. I prefer playing strategy n rpgs ..so its cool for me.

XP is not supported. Gaming wud be a breeze in this laptop had XP been supported. XP wud take hardly 150 MB of RAM.
But neither Tech Support nor HP's site , had any worthwhile drivers for this model for XP. So , I am still in the search for the drivers! ...

But as far as my requirement goes, i am doing fine with it, and its a damn sexy looking belle...

Thanks Thor! I appreciate your quick response! Also please let me know if you ever had any over-heating problems or any other problem with this machine. Also please let me know the manufacturer of RAM you purchased & how much did it cost you. Thank You!

@Thor
why is xp not supported. get everest or simlar. get to know the hardware you haf, download drivers for them and install xp

All the processors we're talking about here are Turions. Turions are only for laptops. Who called it Mobile Athlon? AMD have stuck witht the Turion nomenclature for some time now.

TK-53 or MK-38 both have a rated TDP of 31Watts. Both use the same Go 6150 chipset. So, there won't be any noticeable difference in battery life. Whatever you read on forums is not always correct. The battery capacity, no. of cells, load and usage all play a major part. Battery life on the budget Compaqs is strictly so-so. Expect 2.5-3 hrs max under moderate usage. Since, TK-53 is newer it will have better power saving abilities. So, going for MK-38 Turion is pointless in my opinion.

Hi Sourabh!

Well Compaq's site calls it Mobile Athlon. Check here

Thank you for your help!

@infra-Thanks for the suggestion man!

Ok, that's very stupid of HP.

There I am , My Laptop just shutdown , and I am back online. Last 20 min I was listening to SONGS... So i gues If I didn't I cud get still 20 - 30 min more on this time..

also I ws using chat clients (3 -> Y / G / M ) , utorrent, Norton , and one movie encoder. Hmm...gues if all u do is reading and simple writing , lap can take it more than 2.5hrs to 3 hrs.

I got a Transcend JETRAM..for 1350 + 4% tax .. 512 MB DDR2 667MHZ ..

No overheating. No Probs. I hv suggested this lappy to my other frnds too if u want a SShot of how his looks , i got tha too!
Its an awesome beauty. and comes cheap too!

@Infra , i will try that too .. though i know what hardware I have..but still I will chek if i get something diff...

Thanks Thor, Sourabh, infra!!! Thanks a lot!

Btw- is rep disabled here? cant find a button to rep you guys

whyy dont u go for dell vostro man

This the links for Dell Vostro.
*www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/vostronb?c=in&cs=inbsd1&l=en&s=bsd

Must say looks good..

@hackers- Thanks for the suggestion buddy but I already bought the V3425AU. Thanks!

@Thor- I am going to install XP Pro SP2. Will Let you know if everything works out fine

Okay guys I have installed Windows XP Pro SP2 on my laptop. Installed all the drivers & all the devices are working fine(till now ) There is no unknown device in Device Manager.

Thor get all the official drivers you need for your V3425AU for XP from here:

Drivers

These drivers were originally for another model V3116AU. But everything works fine

You can find the newer NVIDIA Go 6150 Drivers here

Well now I plan to create a partition using Partition Magic. Didn't use fdisk cause it will delete the recovery partition too.

@narangz , Buddy it seems u saved my life! I So wanted to have the Win XP Drivers for thios one.. if urs links works out.. I gonna be dancing on the stars!!!

Abt the partition thingy ,
I used Paragon partition Manager , Partition Magic is not compatible with Vista, that is atleast what the site says.
I have 60 GB for VISTA 80 GB for XP ( unfortunately yet to have a control over XP !! ), and 7 - 8 Odd GB for Recovery Partition.

Make sure to create the recovery discs right after u boot ur system for the first time ! Its of utmost importance!

Then get the Acronis True Image Home edition v10.0 installed. So right after you have all your favored appz installed and ready configured then , make the image of the partition and save it ! Will Help ya in future!

Then , remember when u install XP, the Vista from the bootrecord will be erased. to gett Back vista Boot , u wil require the Vista Boot DVD , which has Boot Repairer!
I have suffered quite a bit becoz of this hence wanted o forewarn u. if u already know...then its fine!

@Thor- Thanks for your concern bro! Well I created recovery discs before installing xp... now i am on xp with everything working fine & no unknown devices.... just download all the drivers from the HP/Compaq site(link already given) & get the newer nvidia go drivers from the other link i gave. I love XP

Yahooooooo!!! thanks a load mate!


Now..in XP... I have sound drivers working, network adapter working, graphics nice and fine ...l!!! Wonderful!1!!
narangz ,,,,u a lifesaver!!.... with just over 100 MB ram consumption..I think i am all ready set to go and get them games firing full cylinders in here

^^^ see.. as easy as 1,2,3

Thor said:

Yahooooooo!!! thanks a load mate!


Now..in XP... I have sound drivers working, network adapter working, graphics nice and fine ...l!!! Wonderful!1!!
narangz ,,,,u a lifesaver!!.... with just over 100 MB ram consumption..I think i am all ready set to go and get them games firing full cylinders in here

Click to expand...

You are welcome mate, anytime!!!! Thanks for your help too I added you on yahoo too....

hey wahts the price of this laptop which thor and narang is telling...and what is its configuration

isnt this is better to purchase
HCL laptop @ Rs.34490 having

15.4" wide XGA TFT Display
Intel Dual core Processor @ 1.73GHz
512 MB ram
DVD writer drive
80GB hard disk
Carry Case Bag
Dos operating system preloaded
integrated web camera
integrated bluetooth
card reader

hey narangz...tell me how was ur XP installation....i too wana go for it....tell me plzzz how u did it...thx

well da nvidia driver is a bit heavy...can u compress using kgb and upload plzz

nvidia drivers are already compressed mate. i installed xp from my xp sp2 cd( bootable). formatted c partition & installed xp.... then in xp used partition magic & created partitions of my c drive... recovery partition remains untouched

hey!
guys can u plz tell me how to use builtin infrared in v3425au? i cant find any irda device in device mgr... help plz

hey..i didnt knew that i have infrared....cool

^^^ you haf me??!! lol..

hey buddy, never looked at device manager even once??!

so can any of you help me how to use IR? How come there is no IRDA devices listed in device manager?

irda "devices" won't be listed in the device manager, only the irda controller. jus enable the infra red service from Services and its enabled. jus check if there's an enable/disable button for irda on ur laptop and enable it. now simply enable/activate irda in the other device (say ur cellphone) and align the device irda port wid the irda receiver port on ur laptop. it'll be detected and notified. you are ready now

I have a Compaq Presario V3424AU Notebook.

It had MS Vista preconfigured. I installed MS XP Professional and my laptop does not show any drivers installed

I am unable to find a single driver for my notebook.


I checked this link
*h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=au&dlc=en&product=3446906&lang=en

but here there is no suitable driver for audio , display , lan etc...


Please help !!!!

infra_red_dude said:

irda "devices" won't be listed in the device manager, only the irda controller. jus enable the infra red service from Services and its enabled. jus check if there's an enable/disable button for irda on ur laptop and enable it. now simply enable/activate irda in the other device (say ur cellphone) and align the device irda port wid the irda receiver port on ur laptop. it'll be detected and notified. you are ready now

Click to expand...

@infra- well thanks mate! but i already searched services for IR service but couldn't find any. i cant even find IRDA controller in device manager. Where is it listed in device manager?

@revesenker- dude check my previous posts for the drivers for your model. They might even work for you.

here:
*img168.imageshack.us/img168/6261/53547198ms0.th.jpg

if you haf an unknown device then that mebbe the IR controller and u may require drivers for that. if not then i'm afraid there's no IR controller and hence support in ur lappy.

no bro no unknown devices are there. but Consumer IR is written in specifications and I also confirmed this through HP Care but yet to know how to use it... Damn!

then i think its disabled. does the wireless button turn it off too? jus check ur bios for IR settings. if windows doesn't detect it in ir controllers nor does it show in unknown devices and the wireless button is ON then the only possible place from where it can be enabled is the BIOS. if its not there, then i'm afraid the IR module is either not present in the lappy or is screwed up; in which case take it to the service center and confirm.

sum one plzz help revesenker plzzzzzz......cause i too have da same probs....plzzzz

My problem is solved abishek.

just install the nvidia driver and you are there.

@reven & abhishek- what problem are you talking about? IR?

revesenker said:

I have a Compaq Presario V3424AU Notebook.

It had MS Vista preconfigured. I installed MS XP Professional and my laptop does not show any drivers installed

I am unable to find a single driver for my notebook.


I checked this link
*h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=au&dlc=en&product=3446906&lang=en

but here there is no suitable driver for audio , display , lan etc...


Please help !!!!

Click to expand...

This was the problem !!!

@narangz &@revesenker
Please tell which driver to be downloaded from the link U provided.

ALL or... ?

I hav too many other devices found in device manager.
such as Base system device,coprocessor,network controller,PCI bridge,SM bus controller....

also facing problem with installing Sound driver. It said there no Media device detected.

One more thing i hav formatted vista then can i reinstalled it using Recovery discs?

help

which model do have mate? you need to download all the drivers on the hp link i gave in some previous post. the devices you wrote above have the drivers in nforce installer given there. each & everything works fine for me. as far as IR is concerned its just for consumer IR devices such as compatible remote controllers. it does not support any data transfer.

ps- you need directx 9c for sound to work properly

I hav 3424 AU model.First tell me how do u make partition from Vista?
Please expain in detail

well buddy i first installed xp & then used partition magic to partition the hard drive. I dont have vista installed now. However you do not need any application for partioning in windows vista. You can create a new partition with already given tool in Vista! Check the link below & see the pictures which will help you to understand the whole procedure:

Vista inbuilt partitioning using Disk Management Console

If i installed XP after making partition then is there any prob. to vista to boot?

I want both XP and Vista installed.

^^ If u install Xp after installing vista you ll have to repair vista again to create a dual boot..

how to repair?
Please Expain

after installing Xp how do i access vista?

Here is How I went about it:

1.Must have a Vista Bootable DVD ( Either a Vista Home /Basic / Ultimate DVD , Bootable )
2. Easy BCD ( Freeware used to edit Vista's Boot loader )
*neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
3. Windows XP Installation CD
4. Paragon Partition Manager
( Or u can use Vista's inbuilt Partition Shrinker )

thats about it.

Steps:

Use Paragon Partition Manager to create a Free NTFS Partition.
Install XP into that partition.
Now u will boot only into XP , vista bootloader has been overwritten.
Slip in ur vista bootable dvd.
restart pc , boot using vista dvd
Select Repair.
then go on to repair the boot.
restart.
remove vista dvd
Now u can boot into Vista, but XP's option is no more.
Install the easy bcd software
using easy bcd u can rewrite vista's boot loader so that u can now have a boot menu ... both with Vista and XP.
Restart and u r done.

I have done this way .and it rocks.

Detail guide inspiration from *apcmag.com/5485/dualbooting_vista_and_xp

thought I did not follow them step by step , i got the idea from there....

I hate to type the whole stuff I did , hence providing the link so that u can get the rough idea.
if u r having problems. i am here.

Hi Guys,

I bought my V3425AU yesterday. Everything working absolutely fine and has a Consumer IR. NOw interesting thing is my friend has bought DV2401TU and has an Consumer IR, interestingly DV2401TU came with a IR remote control which can controll some functions of ur notebook like switching ON DVD player and its controls, Vol +/-, power point controlls, shutting down/hybernating the notebook and some more features which you'd like to have in the remote.

When I tried the same remote on V3425AU, Bang; averything works the same. u can operate ur DVD plyr / hybernate and all other features which DV2401 offers thru their remote. I chked with HP/compaq guys they said 3435 dsnt come with the remote and HP is not selling it separately

Guys can someone please tell me where I can find this remote. I'd like to have it especially when I have seen it working. A good accessory to flash!!

^^ go to your nearest hp service center or hp authorised dealer.

Checked up with HP guys, remote dsnt come with V3425AU. Wanted to know if I can buy it separately?

yes you can depending upon the availabilty here in india. if you find it somewhere do tell us from where you got it & for how many bucks

Sure buddy! the only issue is I am not getting it at all. Even the retailers say that they havent hrd of HP/Compaq remotes being sold sepatately.

narangz said:

@hackers- Thanks for the suggestion buddy but I already bought the V3425AU. Thanks!

@Thor- I am going to install XP Pro SP2. Will Let you know if everything works out fine

Okay guys I have installed Windows XP Pro SP2 on my laptop. Installed all the drivers & all the devices are working fine(till now ) There is no unknown device in Device Manager.

Thor get all the official drivers you need for your V3425AU for XP from here:

Drivers

These drivers were originally for another model V3116AU. But everything works fine

You can find the newer NVIDIA Go 6150 Drivers here

Well now I plan to create a partition using Partition Magic. Didn't use fdisk cause it will delete the recovery partition too.

Click to expand...

----------------

hy narangz! tx 4 d info. i followed ur suggestion but, doesn't work for me . i downloaded sp32646 n tried 2 install but, the installation process starts fine but abruptly stops. the sp32646.exe does extract and has disk1 directory (has 11 files in it) and SP32646.CVA file. i GUESS there's no prob with the downloade file sp32646.exe size - 36356 kb. but, wonder why the installation stops abruptly.

btw, i have a clean installation of xp professional on v3424au

narangz n others : pls help.

tx in adv,
--sannidhi--

sp32646.exe-> what drivers this file has in it? i dont remember file names

tat was prety quick! tx 4 d ame. n i must b sory 4 not providing d description of d file.

wel, i want 2 instal sound/audio drivers so, downloaded sp34386.exe *h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-46062-1&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3252135&os=228〈=en
DESC - Conexant High Definition Audio Driver (for AMD)
PREREQUISITE - SoftPaq Number SP32646, "Microsoft Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) Bus Driver for High Definition Audio," (or later) must be installed on the notebook before installing this SoftPaq. Look for SP32646 (or later).
as u can c frm prerequisite, sp32646.exe
*h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-45958-1&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3252135&os=228〈=en
is a prerequisite for sp34386.exe
[desc:This package contains the Microsoft Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) Bus Driver for High Definition Audio in the listed operating systems. For more information about this driver, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 888111, "Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) High Definition Audio class driver version 1.0a available for Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, and Microsoft Windows 2000."]


pls corect me if my selection 4 audio drivers is incorect.

after installing xp professional (visata basic was preconfigured) on my v3424au, the display is not as gud as it was 4 vista. for instance, wen d web page is scroled up/down, d system is taking time to dispaly. though its split of a second but, it was smooth in vista. if im not asking 4 too much, pls help in solving this prob also.

hello!
you need directx 9c before installing the drivers(SP2 preffered).

after installing directx 9c and or SP2:
1. Install Nvidia NFORCE drivers listed on the HP download page
2. Install Nvidia 6150 Go Graphics driver
3. Install Microsoft UAA Update
4. Now you can install audio drivers or any other drivers in any sequence

as far as display is concerned you need to install graphics drivers first & set the resolution to 1280*800 & 32 bit color depth. After that I hope you wont face any scrolling problems...

I am using XP Pro with SP2+ all the latest updates on my lappy without any problem

Good Luck!!!

thank u very much narangz! u rok!!!
u know wat! i directly instaled sp34386.exe ignoring prerequisite SP32646.exe and it worked! jst cant imagine tat. nyhow, wil folow ur sugestion 2 b on safe side 4 other drivers

wish u gud time.

tx again,
--sannidhi--

Alright , I have a Fuji FinePix A350 5.2 MP cam , which has a XD Picture mem card. Laptop has the card reader slot , and Vista is nicely reading it. XP Fails to do so. Guess drivers required again huh ? So can anybody help out here ?

Thx a load! This thread sure is a life saver ! Hint Hint: Narangz buddy!

Hint Hint: Narangz buddy!

Click to expand...

Haha.... Havent you installed Card reader driver, buddy?

*h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwa...n&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3252135&os=228&lang=en

Awesome .....



Edit: And it worked !! WooHoo!! Thank ya a bunch !!!

will these drivers work in compaq v3424au???plzz

It will , the diff betwen V3425AU series and V3424AU is very minute.

Thor said:

Awesome .....



Edit: And it worked !! WooHoo!! Thank ya a bunch !!!

Click to expand...

Welcome buddy!

Abhishek said:

will these drivers work in compaq v3424au???plzz

Click to expand...

Most probably. Infact they should. Not much difference in these models. Give it a try!

i've been trying to download the required drivers for windows xp sp2. But all i got were drivers for windows vista.

i've been trying to download the various drivers for my friend's V3425AU using windows xp sp2, but all i got were drivers for windows vista.

^^
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=579603&postcount=20

My DVDR Writer is coughing up! Sucks! Everything allright at ur end Narangz ?

Loads of burn errors !

yeah bud! its working fine.... but i dont burn cd/dvds on notebook often

you tried some other app? i guess its time to visit hp service center.

i do frequently burn using my Laptop's writer. guess thats my downfall
But i have still 6 months of warranty left! yay ! But wierd thing is , it recognises DVD fine, but shows a blank CD whatever CD may i put in the tray which is odd! And not only me ...atleast 5 of my friends using Laptops r facing the same jinz. and one of them is acer and other is lenovo ...shocking rest 3 is COMPAQ . F**** ..!!

Appz i have tried are Nero 6,7 and Roxio 9,10

hi

i have got the same model laptop compaq presario 3425au.

i formatted the hard disk and installed windows xp . I didn't create the recovery disk and i had formatted the vista recovery partition.

Now i want to move back to vista OS . Can anyone help me out in getting a copy of the vista recovery disk which anyone of you has created??

Or please tell me what should i do to move back to vista operating system.


rimzy

1. Go to your nearest HP service centre. Ask them to restore the laptop. The service centre has the Restore discs. After restoration you'll get your Restore partition back. They can also provide you Restore Discs at extra cost I guess.

Or

2. Get Vista installation disc from anywhere & install Windows with your Poduct Key which is written on the back side of the laptop.

Again to bug ye all

Ok, I plan to Boot the laptop using USB flash drive, windows XP. Any one tried it here ? Any luck ?

the bios has "USB HDD" in boot priority device. Is that the one to be selected for USB Flashdrive booting ?
will get bak to ye all i I meet with any measure of success.


was of grt help in guiding me to making a valiant attempt at the above