G73/74/53 Series Driver and Application Reference

[Chastity]

[This thread is a work in progress]

Installation Discs

Asus Driver and Application Disc for G73JH MD5: 8C6C99D11B1CD3BDBDFFE9411A209D23
Asus Driver and Application Disc for G73JW MD5: 055193A34E8F9D6A8541EF3342891C01
Asus Driver and Application Disc for G73SW MD5: EC5579E8DFE28218F58D13AF6A331C9B
Asus Driver and Application Disc for G53JW MD5: 62D3B69FB64F9E91F63E5D3E04C47322
Asus Driver and Application Disc for G74SX MD5: BDFA22EC2E263F3DC9324277166573EA

Windows 7 Universal Installation DVD - Download MD5: B0320171563A7782B5DA2CC250878095
(use license number on laptop sticker to activate Home Premium)

Utilities

Driver Sweeper 3.2.0 (10/10/11)
ATI Crap Cleaner
Windows 7 SP1 for x64
D3DOverrider from RivaTuner (for those who want Triple Buffering support w/o having to install all of RivaTuner
GPU-Z Asus Edition 0.5.4 (06/29/11)
CPU-Z Asus Edition 1.57.2
ThrottleStop 3.00.1

Packages

G73 Series Keyboard / Trackpad Fix NEW!

Seagate ST9500420AS 500GB HDD v5 Firmware NEW!
Copy files to bootable Flash drive and run included .bat
MD5 Checksum: 6D81752AD6284E80FAB2D0CC7090012B
SHA-1 Checksum: AB7B90FA6F387AC8CA9F5295D61C3AE7015F0D86

Seagate Momentus XT Firmware SD25 Windows Installer MD5: BACB6813036B3568D1B053F524AAC8BB

Momentus XT SD26 Update pack for Bootable USB users MD5: 46314CA89F84B49E432FA524768662DA

SD28 Firmware Updater for Windows

C++ and Silverlight Redistributables (07/26/11)

DirectX Updates

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2028560 "An update is available for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 which provides new functionality and performance improvements for the graphics platform"

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975243 "The DirectX Diagnostics Tool incorrectly reports DirectX 11 devices as DirectX 10.1 devices on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2"

Latest DirectX Redist Package (June 2010)

BIOS

Latest Official : 213 - mirror [JH]
G73JhAS.213.zip
MD5 Checksum: 0EA6AB2FA570F45767776D46E9FA4FB6
SHA-1 Checksum: C11AB28D52B601D557320CFB90211F079379C384

203 [G73JW]
205 [G73JW]

211 for G53JW

G74SX BIOS 202 mirror
MD5: 1D7A47510E1ABA9A0BC3A94BBCAE1A63

G74SX BIOS 203
MD5: FE8C7BD4C9D0F3690EAEEB3B1C5A209D

To flash: Easiest method is to place ROM file on a formatted USB flashdrive (FAT/FAT32) and use EZ-Flash BIOS utility, accessed by hitting F2 during laptop POST / Startup

Betas:

v93 VBIOS for HD5870M [JH] to fix GSOD issue need bootable usb flashdrive see instructions in sticky of this forum

Modded v93 vBIOS with lower timings for battery life (updated)
MD5 Checksum: 49e9cafccd83f36a71641c8194b68c07

Core Drivers:
Intel Chipset INF for Series 5 v9.2.0.1025 (this version was compiled as a self-installer that does a full install. Just use default settings and let her run.)
Intel RST SATA Drivers 10.6.0.1002 WHQL (06/30/11)
Intel RST SATA 10.1.0.1008 ----- Intel RAID and AHCI with GUI 10.0.0.1046
Added older SATA driver packs to give options for possible stability issues and/or wake on sleep/hibernate

Intel Management Engine Components (I prefer to use the Microsoft Drivers, since I do not use this for anything)
Intel TurboBoost Technology Monitor (2.0) & Driver : Use the version on the Driver Disc through the Asus Installer Application. Only known way of installing the driver portion. Web download versions reports error on installation.

Video System:

[JH] AMD Catalyst WHQL : 11.09 (08/17/11)
AMD Media Codec Mobility 11.09 Win 7
AMD Hydravision Mobility 11.09 Win 7

Beta : Updated beta: 11.10 Preview 3 (10/24/11)

See AMD’s site for complete add-on list for Catalyst Mobility.

[JW/SW/SX] Nvidia Notebook Drivers 285.62 WHQL (10/24/11)

Modded INF version for those who need it: Verde 285.62 WHQL ModINF when available (10/24/11)

[JW/SW/SX] Modified 285.38 Beta Updated INF Driver Pack (for those who cannot use the Verde notebook pack from NVIDIA)

[JH/JW] Color Profile for Hannstar 1080p Panel

Audio System:

Realtek Audio driver v2.63 (07/20/11)
Realtek HDMI Driver v2.61 (06/03/11)


[JH] Creative Audigy HD MB package 1.0 (easiest to install if you use version on Driver CD)
[JH] Creative Audigy HD MB Windows 7 Compatibility Update (install this after main suite is already installed) On Win 7 x64 system, run included FixAMD64.exe in /Driver directory after update is installed.
[JW] Creative THX 1.00 package (as above + THX and EAX 5.0 support) License imbedded for JW hardware.
[SW] Creative THX MUI 1.02 Package

Alternatives:
[JH] Creative X-Fi MB 1.1 package (30-day trial) Updated for Win 7, and supports Crystalizer and updated Alchemy. Requires licensing of $19.95 to continue to use.
[JH] Creative X-Fi MB 1.2 package (05/07/11)

Workaround for broken headphone detector

[TheOriginalTO]

Find the Atheros Lag thread and find the latest version posted there. I believe it's 470. Great driver.

[Kayine]

the link for the audio driversisntworking afff keyboard,sorry

[BrodyBoy]

Kayine wrote:
the link for the audio driversisntworking afff keyboard,sorry

The thread isn't maintained anymore. Exactly which driver do you need?

[Austin]

im using Driver genius to fine drivers i missed in updating but for some i dont know were to get them or what to get can some one
help me out

i also need a solid update for Realteck PCle GBE Family Controller
the one i downloaded seems to also be out of date

[MaXimus711]

nVIDIA GeForce Drivers v301.42 - WHQL

http://forums.pctweakers.net/showthread.php/81-nVIDIA-GeForce-Drivers-v301-42-WHQL

They are WHQL Certified as well 😄

[dstrakele]

The last 5 digits of the NVIDIA driver as reported in the Display Adapter Properties in Device Manager is how the driver version is typically reported. Version 285.62 is probably the most stable. There have been a few "Pink Screen/lockup" issues reported for the 296.16 version recommended by Live Update. If you want the most recent version to most likely cause no issues, then 285.62 should be your choice. If you want to shoot for somewhat better performance in some of the latest games at the expense of possibly encountering a problem, then 296.16 is the way to go.

301.42 is just recently released. Even though it is WHQL and not a BETA driver, it is still a relatively unknown quantity. If I were going to install it, I recommend getting it directly from the NVIDIA site. I would also wait for the NVIDIA forum to post an official feedback thread for 301.42 and monitor it to see what kind of issues are reported by those who have already installed it - could save you some trouble.

In either case, I recommend downloading the driver ZIP file and extracting it yourself (rather than using Live Update). Launch Windows System Restore and create a Restore Point prior to upgrading your NVIDIA driver. This way, if something goes awry, you can easily restore back to that point to UNDO your problem driver installation.

I also recommend booting into Safe Mode prior to the video driver installation. This will disable 3rd Party drivers (such as Antivirus drivers) which may interfere with your video driver installation. Choose to install the NVIDIA driver as a "Custom Install" and then check the "Clean Install" checkbox. This will remove your current NVIDIA driver and give you the greatest chance of installation success.

[tamanaco]

Thanks everyone... decided to take the plunge and installed 301.42. Will monitor the NVIDIA forum for feedback.

[CapnKirk]

install the chipset first though. and that never seems to work right... great power.but its the software that kills the machine.
is there a click setup.exe chipset file other than the interactive?

[BrodyBoy]

CapnKirk wrote:
install the chipset first though. and that never seems to work right... great power.but its the software that kills the machine.
is there a click setup.exe chipset file other than the interactive?

The chipset should always be installed right after Windows, before drivers and optional apps. I'm not sure what you're asking about the chipset installer....are you having trouble getting it to install properly?

[CapnKirk]

Chipset

"New Intel Chipset INF Update Utility 9.3.0.1019 (core drivers) - Run in command line with -overall parameter"
thats from the first post in this thread. not sure what to click on from this file from the asus site.
http://support.asus.com/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=3&s=336&m=G74Sx&os=30&ft=23&f_name=Chipset_Inte....

just setup.exe?