Need ePower management app for aod260/aohappy (atom n455, Windows XP)

johnjkjk

I've revived a never-used aohappy (same as the aod260, atom n455), with dual boot Windows 7 and XP 32-bit.

 

I need the Acer ePower Management application for XP, without which battery life is severely compromised.

 

Windows 7 has this application and battery life is 4 hours, but only 2 on XP, which is likely due to missing Intel Atom throttling step instructions that come from the ePower application.

 

There isn't an ePower download available for the aohappy, but there is for the aod260, which is basically the same machine rebranded. Unfortunately Acer have made a mistake- they've uploaded the Windows 7 installation under the XP category (and even labelled it as XPx86):

ePower Management Application Date:2010/06/03 Version:5.00.3003 [ePower_Acer_5.00.3003_XPx86_AOD260] PowerSmart Manager Application Date:2010/06/03 Version:5.01.3002 [PowerSmart_Acer_5.01.3002_XPx86_AOD260]

 

Does anyone have a copy/download link for the relevant ePower applications? They would have originally come pre-installed on the AOD260 which was sold with XP as an option. Alternatively the latest XP version from any other atom netbook should also work.

 

Please help!

JackE

Go the the emachines link on the bottom of this page. Choose support for the netbook 350 xp 32-bit. You can try the 3002 app download there as it's a different size & date than the acer. Gateway netbooks don't seem to offer it. Good luck. Jack E/NJ

 

PS: I just remembered another option might be to try running a VMWare Player with Win7 as host since it seems to manage power OK on your machine. I have a similar netbook running Win98SE, WinXP & SuSe as guests. VM virtuals can all run at the same time and have the ability to communicate with one another thru the network. I usually use them to run older software & hardware that won't run right or at all under later WinVers. 

johnjkjk

Thanks so much for the link. Unfortunately this version also seems to be incompatible with Windows XP 32-bit, even though it's listed as such. It installs fine in Windows 7 but gives an "unsupported OS" message in XP.

 

ePower Dritek ePower Management Application 5.00.3002 9.2 MB 2010/05/14

ePower_Dritek_5.00.3002_XPx86W7x86_A.zip

 

I'm wondering whether you would be able to run the install on of your XP virtual machines to see whether you get an "operating system not supported error"?

 

To check whether Acer has incorrectly inserted launch conditions to block XP on this installer, I wasted a lot of time trying to manually force the install, but as it's installshield and not merely an ordinary msi, it's a challenge to remove launch conditions. If this is a Windows 7 only installer, there's no point in trying to force it as it would only refer to DLLs that don't exist. I did find an old vista version which installed but errored out looking for instructions that are vista-only.

JackE

>>>I've revived a never-used aohappy (same as the aod260, atom n455), with dual boot Windows 7 and XP 32-bit.>>>

 

Assuming that the machine originally came with factory-installed WinXP-32 --- and assuming the hidden WinXP-32 recovery partition was wiped --- a complete machine-specific ACER WinXP-32 installation USB stick with all the power mgt stuff based on your machine's SNID might  still be available from the ACER store for about $20 ***if Microsoft still allows it***. Jack E/NJ

 

    

johnjkjk

I've contacted acer but they no longer support XP recovery media. I got an email from their Indian support helpdesk but they seemed a bit clueless regarding this. The Acer Aspire AOD255/260/Happy, Gateway LT23/25 and eMachines 350/355 all have the same base hardware (atom n450/455) and some shipped with XP-32 bit pre-installed or Windows 7 with XP as a downgrade option. The file must exist on acer's servers somewhere. Please could you try the "XP" power management installer on your XP/virtual XP machine to rule out whether it's just my system it doesn't like? Perhaps someone with an atom based XP system (not necessarily just the n45x) may be willing to share their install file here. The reason for using XP is because it just runs extremely well on this hardware and is as productive as a new machine for my intended use. Security is not a problem for me. I formerly worked as a network engineer designing network infrastructure for the biggest banks running very very old servers. With the necessary tools and precautions in place, I'm as secure as any other Windows system. Besides, by proportion the most financial risk arises from phishing, weak passwords and servers being hacked to steal data. If hackers want my manuscripts they can have it, one more reader the merrier! If my work is any good perhaps a hacker would be willing to pay me for the next chapter? Who knows.

JackE

>>>ePower Dritek ePower Management Application 5.00.3002 9.2 MB 2010/05/14

ePower_Dritek_5.00.3002_XPx86W7x86_A.zip

>>>Please could you try the "XP" power management installer on your XP/virtual XP machine >>>

 

OK I'll see what happens and report back. Jack E/NJ

JackE

The P_Mxxxsigned.EXE loads the InstallShield graphics bar, hits 100%, then disappears on my WinXP machine. Then nothing else happens. At the same time WinXP taskmgr shows CPU use for the EXE file steadily increases till the InstallShield graphics disappears. Then goes to zero. Then after a few more seconds the EXE file automatically drops from the taskmgr memory usage list as if it were never loaded. No beeps, peeps or error messages were displayed. So it seems to run fine on my WinXP machine but doesn't do much except show nice transient InstallShield graphics. Such a neat & tidy EXE file! I suspect that the other files the EXE file is looking for, are somewhere buried in the original ACER aod260-specific WinXP version, the one Microsoft told the ACER store to stop peddling or else. 8^). Unfortunately, unless the hidden recovery partition is still intact, the only choice seems to be a bigger clumsier battery or run a WinXP guest with power managed by the Win7 host. BTW, I don't seem to notice a guest performance hit with VMWare on my netbook.  Jack E/NJ        

johnjkjk

Thanks for running the file. I've now decoded the installer (no easy task) and can confirm that it has launch conditions that block versions below Vista, so it cannot run on XP. I suspect that it ran on silent mode on your machines, which would explain the behaviour of exit. I did manage to patch the exe and it went through to the full install but unpackaging failed, which I attribute to my having messed with the installer. I will try again and report back.

Wmware is not an option for me right now. Before giving up on this, I'm looking at other power management applications, whether machine specific or generic. It seems several vendors have the exact same specification e.g. Lenovo IdeaPad S100, and others from Dell, Samsing, Asus, HP, Toshiba etc. They all readily offer power mangement applications for their products; it seems that only Acer support is lousy; their customer support didn't seem to know what power management is, I was told "we don't have any information about power management applications, but if you would describe the problem you're facing, we could try and find a solution"

Are you aware of any generic power management applications for XP that provide advanced settings?

JackE

Googling "power management" "freeware" & "xp" kept turning up BattStat. You can actually download a couple of installer versions for XP. Don't know how far it has progressed since it first came out but it seemed similar to Win7's control panel power management schemes. Jack E/NJ 

johnjkjk

After much research, I believe my query should be rephrased to

"What is the latest/last release of ePower Management for Windows XP"

It seems that this application is not machine dependent, but rather only OS dependent. It uses a dll hook to integrate into the OS's power management and it may well rely upon the OS for stepping instructions. So an application running on any Acer machine running XP should work on my machine too. I can't find any good third party applications that aren't just an alternative GUI for XP's own power tools, which are rather limited (to be honest even Windows 7 up has very limited power features given all the advanced power features CPU's are capable of).

What I've found for the record:
1. Acer initially offered an "empowring framework"- a suite of machine control tools but it seems that this went out the Window with the relase of Vista and then 7 (see green table at http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/t-faq.htm) and the ePower Magement became standalone. Searching for downloads on google I can see:<br></p><p>-Framework and ePower V1, 2, 2, 2.5 and 3, with 3 being for Vista
2. ePower can be found as a standalone app V 5, 6, 7 etc
3. There is also a PowerSmart Manager v4 & 5, but I don't know how it differs
4. The empowering framework and ePower Management was generally regaded as being bloatware/very poorly designed. Indeed Acer themselves recommend using Windows' native tools Vista and higher.
5. However for various machines and certainly XP which lacks advanced power management through the OS, Acer's software may boost functionality.
6. Several older notebooks and netbooks c. 2011-13, were realeased with Windows XP, either as the only OS, a choice, or as a downgrade option. They would have originally come with a power management application pre-installed.
7. eMachines and Gateway machines use the same epower application.
8. Acer's own driver support has a v4 and v5 ePower and PowerSmart, listed under the XP download, and installer file also named XPx86 (as opposed to Vistax86 or W7x86), however the installer packed inside is W7x86. I've found up to 5 different installers directly from Acer Global which are named XPx86 but which are not actually for this OS which leads me to believe that a general error has been made by Acer in releasing this on their support website. The relevant file must exist on their servers somewhere.
9. My hardware is the Intel Atom n455, a very generic model that was made by many different companies. They all have fantastic and readily available power management tools on their website, which obviously is vendor specific.
10.  As mentioned above, Acer's power management software is not machine specific and anything that installs on XP should work on my machine. If someone running XP, or with access to a XP recovery files, will have the installer handy. If so, could you please help. Perhaps an Acer employee or former technician can confirm the deal with this.

johnjkjk

After much research, I believe my query should be rephrased to

"What is the latest/last release of ePower Management for Windows XP"

It seems that this application is not machine dependent, but rather only OS dependent. It uses a dll hook to integrate into the OS's power management and it may well rely upon the OS for stepping instructions. So an application running on any Acer machine running XP should work on my machine too. I can't find any good third party applications that aren't just an alternative GUI for XP's own power tools, which are rather limited (to be honest even Windows 7 up has very limited power features given all the advanced power features CPU's are capable of).

What I've found for the record:
1. Acer initially offered an "empowring framework"- a suite of machine control tools but it seems that this went out the Window with the relase of Vista and then 7 (see green table at http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/t-faq.htm) and the ePower Magement became standalone. Searching for downloads on google I can see Framework and ePower V1, 2, 2, 2.5 and 3.
2. ePower can be found as a standalone app V 5, 6, 7 etc
3. There is also a PowerSmart Manager v4 & 5, but I don't know how it differs
4. The empowering framework and ePower Management was generally regaded as being bloatware/very poorly designed. Indeed Acer themselves recommend using Windows' native tools Vista and higher.
5. However for various machines and certainly XP which lacks advanced power management through the OS, Acer's software may boost functionality.
6. Several older notebooks and netbooks c. 2011-13, were realeased with Windows XP, either as the only OS, a choice, or as a downgrade option. They would have originally come with a power management application pre-installed.
7. eMachines and Gateway machines use the same epower application.
8. Acer's own driver support has a v4 and v5 ePower and PowerSmart, listed under the XP download, and installer file also named XPx86 (as opposed to Vistax86 or W7x86), however the installer packed inside is W7x86. I've found up to 5 different installers directly from Acer Global which are named XPx86 but which are not actually for this OS which leads me to believe that a general error has been made by Acer in releasing this on their support website. The relevant file must exist on their servers somewhere.
9. My 2012 netbook runs on the Intel Atom n455, a very generic model that was made by many different companies. They all have fantastic and readily available power management tools on their website, which obviously is vendor specific.

If someone running XP, or with access to a XP recovery files, will have the installer handy. If so, could you please help.

Perhaps an Acer employee or someone in the know can confirm the latest/last version number compatible with XP?

JackE

>>>I've contacted acer but they no longer support XP recovery media.>>>

>>>Per Microsoft regulations, requests for Windows XP Pro recovery media are no longer supported.>>>

 

Seems to only apply to the XP Pro version. Who at ACER gave you this info? Jack E/NJ 

johnjkjk

Jack, thank you for all your input.

Unfortunately the project to revive the never used Acer Netbook stands abandoned, adding of course to global e-waste.

1. From the available release notes, files an versions it is evident that version 2 was the last release for Windows XP. 2.5 through 4 supports vista and 5-6 Windows 7 and the current v7 release has decreed windows 7 as too old.
2. The latest available XP release (2.03) is an utterly useless software that simply doesn't work.
3. In even with the official OEM windows 7 OS, ePower management failed to work- the energy improvements over XP are due to windows rather than Acer.
4. ACER is aware of this but doesn't care. They've abandoned windows 7 too.
5. Even if it did work, Acer's software doesn't add anything to what windows offers.
5. It will be worth pointing out that portable power management is a fundamental and necessary aspect of vendor software. Microsoft only offers offers generic solution; OEMs are expected to offer a hardware and software combination to minimise power consumption. Eg the exact same spec hardware from Asus (Eee 1016p) is supported by the well known Asus SuperHybridEngine, which squeezes out 8-11 of battery life from the very same hardware and power cell.

Indeed Acer's newer products still suffer from poor oem software tools. I've used notebooks from all the major brands and have never seen such shockingly bad OEM integration.

For anyone in future looking at this topic, you may want to try a Linux port of the SuperHybridEngine.

This question is therefore closed as unresolve-able.