Notebook Wars

Clearance bin: Affordable briefcase bag for HP G71-340us

I mentioned earlier, the Targus XL (TXL617) backpack is a good match for the HP G71-340us, but if you are planning short trips without the need to bring all sorts of extras and accessories, one traditional briefcase-style bag may be available in the clearance section at Staples. It is a LugIt model, with SKU 922015 which is currently not shown at Staples.com. It was on clearance for around $23 when I found it.

HP G71-340us fits very nicely inside the Targus XL (TXL617) backpack

The box from the internets came with the Targus XL (TXL617) backpack! So far, this is a great fit for the HP G71-340us! The G71 gets "swollowed" by the bacpack. When you put it in the padded laptop section (the one furthest back as you are facing the front of the backpack), the top of the laptop is 3.5" inches frop the zipper at the top when the zipper is resting, and 4.5" inches from the top if you pull up the zipper to its max position. It is about 1/2 an inch above the inside sub-padding, but the other side of that section is also fully padded and about 3+ inches above the laptop top.

In terms of width, the G71-340us fits right in, with one full inch to spare. You can fit a standard 12-inch ruler sideways (about 1-inch wide). It seems to be a nice fit.

The bag itself doesn't look as scarily-big as one may think - at least when it only has the laptop inside and nothing else :) It has plenty of sections and sub-sections and sub-pockets to put all sorts of things in it.

More updates in the next few days
I haven't yet filled up the bag with all the usual accessories and taken it out for "real-world use". I will update this post with my findings after I use it in the real world!

If you use this or any other bags and want to share your experience, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email.

New Updates
February 10: After about a week of regular use, the bag has exceeded expectations in terms of doing what it is supposed to do. Even though it's long, it doesn't bloat if you put basic computer accessories like laptop chiller, AC adapter, mouse, mousepad, paper-notebook, and things like that... One nitpick is that because the actual handle is heavy, it may "fall" into the bag when you close it. But this is not really a serious complaint :)

February 4: One nice thing about the bag is that it looks very generic from the outside, so it decreases the chances of it becoming the target of thieves and other evil-doers. No designer names like Kenneth Cole or loud Swiss logos. Just good old Targus. It also doesn't look as big as it is when it's not loaded up with stuff.

HP G71-340us review

We have an on-going user review of the HP G71-340us laptop. This reference page tracks all the different parts of the review. As new posts are created, they will be added to the list. You can also check the latest updates by following the HP G71-340 category pages.

First Impressions
* Day #1 impressions on usability
* Initial Windows Experience score
* Initial boot
* Unboxing - text-style

Software
* Favorite free software I installed

Accessories
* Finding a backpack is not easy

Maintenance
* Creating the Recovery Discs
* Running the first Windows Update
* Getting rid of the pre-installed crap

Reference Material
* Manuals, reviews and more at the Reference page.

Finding a backpack that fits the HP G71-340 is not easy

One of the problems of getting laptops with big screens, even one like the HP G71-340us which is more modest than most 17-inch laptops in terms of size, is finding a backpack that is a good fit.

I tried to squeeze it in all my backpacks and laptop cases, but none of them are good fits. So the quest for a laptop backpack that fits has began. One thing to note when shopping for these bags is not to trust just the backpack name. Just because it says "17-inch backpack" it doesn't necessarily mean it is a good fit. You have to look for the measurements of the actual padded area for the laptop, and make sure it is larger than the actual size of your laptop.

This is more so the case for briefcase-type bags, since you can't stretch them. With backpack bags, you do have some breathing room on top, but you don't really want to squeeze the laptop in the backpack either - it defeats the purpose of protection.

According to a current HP G71-340 user at Amazon, the Targus TXL617 17 XL is a good fit.

I am still looking into backpacks online, but I may give that one a try. One of my backpacks is a Targus model (for 15-inch laptops) and it exceeded expectations.

If any of you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment! Thanks!

Free software to load on the HP G71-340us (or any other laptop)

One of the things to do when getting a new computer is to install software you want or need but be careful not to go overboard and fill it up with crapware just because they are free and "sounded good at the time" :) These are the free software I am loading on my HP G71-340us (on-going review), and every computer I use...

Browsers
If you are a heavy multi-tasker, or visit different types of websites, it is a good idea to have at least three different browsers on your computer. I highly recommend Firefox (3.7 apppears to be handling heavy multi-tasking better than 3.6), Chrome and Opera. Each has its pluses and minuses, so use them accordingly.

For example, you could use one browser for serious stuff (paying bills, online shopping, work-related things), and another browser for browsing for fun and entertainment.

If you have more than 10 browser tabs or windows open, it is a good idea to use Flashblock. While some Flash developers are efficient, there are a lot more out of control Flash apps, and you don't want that crap to be stealing your CPU cycles and bandwidth, and leaking browser memory.

My opinion is to avoid Internet Exploder (comes pre-installed) like the plague. I only use IE when a website works only on IE. Also, if you have a website or blog, it is a good idea to load it in IE to check how it looks, especially if you make changes to the template or user-interface. Other than that, I see no reason to use IE.

Other free software I like
You can't beat Open Office for the typical productivity applications, no matter what. It is free and awesome, and relatively lightweight when you compare it to the Microsoft Bloatoffice :)

Next up, FoxIt Software's PDF reader. Again, this loads blazingly fast compared to Adobe's Reader. Free too :)

If you don't have a favorite multimedia player application, something like the VLC media player can be handy. It is small and plays lots of media formats.

If you need to do really quick and real fast photo-editing, like cropping and resizing, you can't beat IrfanView. Super-fast, relatively simply, and gets the job done!

You can get all these for free at the software makers websites or from a reliable download service like CNet's download.com.

PS: This is not intended to be a comprehensive list, just my favorite free software that I load on every computer I use.

Running the first Windows Update on the HP G71-340us

Time to run the first Windows Update. This is the cumulative update since the machine was "boxed". It found 22 important updates and 5 optional updates, totaling 133.5MB. That would have been scary on a dial-up modem! It ended up installing 21 of them, and deeming one of them unnecessary.

After the obligatory update-reboot, I initiated another Update check, since these can get staggered when there are many updates. And sure enough, the second Update check found 5 important updates totaling 11.9 MB. I installed those and they did not require a reboot. Feeling generous, I even installed the optional updates - a reboot was necessary :)

Then I did another Windows Update check (the third one), this one found no new updates, so the initial Window Update is now officially completed :)

I personally get annoyed by the automated Windows Update because (especially on a laptop) it seems to always wants to take-over the computer or reboot when you are in a hurry or when you are in the middle of doing things. So I turn it off and check for updates on my own terms. Microsoft recommends against doing this.

Getting rid of the pre-installed crap

Time to start cleaning house and getting rid of the gazillions of pre-installed stuff on the computer. I started this process using PC Decrapifier version 2.1.0, and created a restore point when prompted.

Here is what it found when I ran it, selecting "New Computer" when prompted:

I selected them all, except for the Sidebar (gadgets are fun!). After executing that, a second screen came up showing more installed software. Here are the ones I did not install on my own...

Pre-installed software on the HP G71-340us
* Adobe AIR and Flash Player 10 AX, Acrobat Reader (FoxIT Reader is much faster!)
* Cyberlink YouCam and DVD Suite
* PowerGo, LabelPrint, PowerDirector
* Norton Internet Security (GO AWAY BLOATWARE!), Online Backup
* HP Games, DVD Play, Support and Wireless Assistants, Smart Web Printing
* HP Setup, Advisor, User Guides, Customer Experience Enhancements
* Microsoft Silverlight, Works, Live crap (Essentials, Upload tool, Sign-in assistant)
* Microsoft LiveSync, Powerpoint viewer (2007), Compatibility Pack for Office (2007)
* Microsoft Live Search Toolbar, SQL Server 2005 compact edition
* muvee Reveal
* Lightscribe System software
* Realtek Ethernet driver, USB 2.0 reader
* IDT Audio

For now, I selected the immediate removal of the Norton Bloatware Crapware :) The rest will be revisited at a later time. I selected "Norton Complete Uninstall". The uninstall took about 2 minutes and then it required (yes, W7 is still Windows) a complete reboot.

Following the reboot, the list of running processes in Task Manager was smaller. Thank you PC Decrapifier. Just for good measure, I rerun it to see if anything else sneaked in or refused to go away. There were no surprises.

After doing one more "cleansing" reboot (remember, this is still Windows), the boot time was nicely improved, taking a short time (I did not measure it) from logging-on to getting control of the screen. Of course the hard disk light never stops blinking with today's bloperating systems, but that's a story for a different blog.

This is just the first stage of tweaking and cleaning house. More coming up :)

Creating the Recovery Discs for the HP G71-340us (90 minutes)

Creating the recovery systems took quite a while. First, the HP/Cyberlink Recovery Manager took its time "Splitting System Image" in preparation for the disc burning process.

Once the long "Splitting Image" finished, the program notified me that it needs three blank DVD-R or DVD+R discs to burn the Recovery Discs. I do not know if it supports CDs, but it's probably a bad idea to use CDs, unless you have a CD-changing fetish :) Rewritable DVDs are not supported. I used the most reliable blank DVD-R discs I had around, the trusty Taiyo-Yudens that mediaphiles love to love.

The software only allows the creation of one set of recovery discs, which is rather ironic, since you would probably want to have more than one backup. Silly software!

Be prepared to spend some time on this - perhaps watch TV or use another computer while the Recovery Disc creation goes on. It took me a total of 90 minutes from booting the machine to having the whole process completed.

Windows Experience score of HP G71-340us at First Boot

This is the Windows Experience Score after the first book and before installing or removing additional programs or making any system tweaks. This is done for reference purposes, and has two benefits:

1) I can compare after I do some tweaks
2) new buyers to see what the machine will likely give them outside the box.

As you can see, the Intel GMA card brings the score down to 3.4. This is not a surprise, as this is not intended to be a gamer's system. Aero performance is 4.1. This is something that I will experiment in the next few days. I am currently going to let Aero run and see what happens when I start hammering the computer :)

The remaining three scores are between 5.6 and 5.7, a symmetry for the math geeks. It is a T6600 dual-core processor after all, with 4gb of memory on a 64-bit operating system. More on all these later on as well. I can't do everything at once, I am not Google :)

The whole screenshot does not fit in the blog template, but be sure to check the full size JPEG.

Also of interest, be sure to check the list of active processes after the first boot. The ones I started are listed right above the screen-shot.

First impressions on HP G71-340us usability

These are my quick first impressions during my first "session" with the G71-340us. I will have a lot more as time goes by...

The keyboard
The keyboard with all the extra space feels like an aircraft carrier. Very comfortable for touch-typing. The keys and keyboard have a nice feel to them, and they are very easy to touch-type as well. There is plenty of space so you can place your hands in a way that avoids accidentally touching the touch-pad which you can also deactivate if you like.

The letters are fine and the keypad numbers are fine, but as always, there is no perfect way to align or design the "extra" keys - you know, the arrows, the home/end/page-up/page-down and the like. On a really first look, it looks like the four small arrows on the bottom-left side of the "keypad" are a little bit too small. But time will tell whether I can adjust over time, or keep fumbling. Not a big deal for now.

Same smallish keys are at the top of the "keypad" for the Home/End/PgUp/PgDown. These are lined up in the above sequence. As you can guess, this is a different formation from all the other keyboards I am using. Time will tell whether I can develop "biological macros" to adjust :)

Touch-pad
The "mouse buttons" are a little bit stiff, but hey, this is the first session with the computer. They require "effort" to press, so I am guessing it will be very hard to press these accidentally. The "scroller" is clearly identified on the right side of the touch-pad.

The touch-pad "blends" with the design of the rest of the area - not sure if this is relevant :)

The lights
The lights for NUM-LOCK, CAPS-LOCK, and touch-pad are reverse pyramids in 3-2 formation of white LED (?) light. The same color of light is the power buttom which sits at the top of the keyboard area. Next to that is teh blue wireless/wifi button. Blue means on (HP Wireless Assistant), orange means disabled.

This is STUPID. The color is rather distracting. Especially the orange one. Couldn't they just turn the light off when the wifi is off? Hopefully there is an option in the menus to turn off that light. I just can't stand that orange thing!

There are three more lights on the bottom left corner, the power, charging, and hard disk buttons. Also have the mild-fluorecenty-white color.

Temperature
Too early to tell, but running it through the AC, while charging and me using it fast and furiously, it is cool to the touch on the top of the keyboard and room/body temperate on the bottom part. Not sure if this is caused by me or the computer, or both are contributing to the heat :) More on that later.

I will be trying out different laptop coolers with this for extended use. Not only those creatures are good for cooling it off, they are also an extra layer of protection between the laptop and the surface is sitting on. The horror one can find on Starbucks tables :)

Using it for an actual real-world task
Yes, that is always a good test to see how a laptop does. Trying to actually do something, not just use it willy-nilly.

Although in this case, this is a bit of a meta-usage scenario, since the real-world task was writing all these first impressions blog posts :) The good news is that I actually got "lost" in the topic during the first hour of operation, and then focused on the task at hand, as opposed to trying to "figure" things out.

This is a good sign - since I was able to get lots of things done on a brand new laptop :)