Acer computer question

[wallyuwl]

I just bought this. Should be here tomorrow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...5-988-_-Product

I have never owned an Acer. I know it used to be considered a bargain brand, but seems to have improved. The specs for the price were pretty good so I got it. It will actually be the wife's laptop. I like the 14" Toshiba i5 we got last summer.

Anyway, the reviews say tons of bloatware on this thing. I would just assume do a completely fresh install of Win 7 Ultimate that I have. I am worried about drivers. I can't seem to find the "Timeline" series downloads on Acer's web site.

Would I have any worries about drivers? Or will Windows just load generic drivers initially, then I can run Windows Update and it will find the specific drivers on the net for me?

 

[dparm]

Windows 7 does pretty well with generic drivers. At the least, download NIC (wired or wireless) drivers and place on a USB stick.

Windows Update should be able to find the rest, or you can go to each component's manufacturer's website to get drivers.

 

[wavinwayne]

I have two Acers. Don't worry about reinstalling Windows. Just uninstall all the bloatware using Windows Control Panel, and remove the remnants from the registry using ccleaner.

 

[wallyuwl]

I ended up finding drivers on Acer's web site. They have a bunch depending on the specific sub-model of the model. Not all apply to all sub-models of the model. But they have a feature where it can detect your hardware to help you choose what drivers you need. Of course, you need to have Windows up and running and the computer working (ie: generic drivers working) to get to the page to download the specific drivers.

What do you mean by NIC?

What is ccleaner? Just a freeware registry cleaning utility?

 

[dparm]

NIC = network interface card

 

[Blackdog]

You could just use Revo Uninstaller to uninstall all the bloatware. It is very good at getting all the left overs after uninstalling a program. You can check it out at

http://download.cnet.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10687648.html

 

[bodeh6]

I have an Acer laptop and it works fine. Its a 2006 model. Only problem is that the camera stopped working a while ago. But I never used it so thats fine with me.

 

[zyxelenator]

Originally Posted By: Blackdog
You could just use Revo Uninstaller to uninstall all the bloatware. It is very good at getting all the left overs after uninstalling a program. You can check it out at

http://download.cnet.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10687648.html

or you can format hardrive, install linux and be happy ))

 

[maersk]

Linux and happiness are immiscible.

 

[Virtuoso]

We've been using a $500 model I bought at Wal-Mart for almost a year now. It's not the most durable unit, and I'm not a huge fan of the keyboard or placement of the touchpad - but you can't have it all for that price, for sure.

It's got a big, bright 17" screen and it's been dropped on the floor HARD and still works. Plus with the toddlers that use it, nothign will last forever...

 

[SrDriver]

Originally Posted By: Blackdog
You could just use Revo Uninstaller to uninstall all the bloatware. It is very good at getting all the left overs after uninstalling a program. You can check it out at

http://download.cnet.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10687648.html


+1 on the free version of Revo Uninstaller works great.

Acer is one of the leading companies now. They also own Gateway and Emachine.

For a good free anti-virus I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials.

Link To Microsoft Security Essentials

You can have only one anti-virus program on the computer so you will need to uninstall any other before installing Microsoft Security Essentials.

 

[ryansride2017]

My son's laptop is an Acer. I use it frequently and I am generally impressed for the price point ($399). I would recommend it.