Clean install not so clean

Steve801 · 03 Jul 2012

Kaktussoft said:

Does AMD Driver Autodetect detect your grpahics card? And does the driver install?

Yes, it does, on both counts. It correctly identifies the AMD/ATI Radeon 6310 and installs the most current driver.

However, neither the current AMD Catalyst interface nor Windows control panel have as many functions (brightness control, screen resolution, etc.) as they did under the OEM version of windows. I have to assume Toshiba made some tweaks, although I did swap it once for the AMD and back again for comparison, to see which I liked better.

I find it odd that when I uninstalled the Toshiba 6310 driver and installed the AMD 6310, some things that were common are not present now.

I am going to try the Toshiba now to check if maybe when I swapped drivers on the OEM windows, some Toshiba features did not uninstall and were residual when installing the AMD, leading me to believe that the two were close in nature.

Steve801 · 03 Jul 2012

gregrocker said:

Sorry I am traveling and not able to be as attentive to the progress.

It's alright, we all have lives we must attend to, especially close to a holiday.

gregrocker said:

I understand the Windows Update display driver is not working correct and forcing you into Safe Mode, correct?

Correct.

gregrocker said:

Did you next try the Toshiba display/video driver for you model since it might be modified by Toshiba?

The Toshiba might have been corrupted, since it did not install as expected. I opted for the immediate install of the AMD since it was handy, rather than D/L the Toshiba. I am now doing what I should have done in the first place: Downloading new from Toshiba, but at least I now know that the AMD Catalyst install on a naked system does nothing useful for me and that I was most likely misled by a previous test.

gregrocker said:

If so and it failed so you are now importing the driver from AMD, then I do not recommend the full Catalyst bloatware - just the driver.

I did install the Catalyst interface, but dislike the options, so it is going away.

[Edit]:

Ok, the Toshiba display package has installed an earlier version of Catalyst than the download from AMD, but the options available are more numerous. Where the AMD did not allow any further reslution choices above the Windows standard generic VGA driver (up to 11x7), the Toshiba offers better (up to 16x9). Brightness is now adjustable through the Power Panel, everything is crisper. I think I might still have to run the cleartype wizard, things look a bit pixelated. I am also able to use Aero, now.

Both the Toshiba version of Catalyst and Windows display properties now allow editing of text size, color and resolution of a better range than either AMD or Windows drivers (which had little or no change between the two). In the Toshiba Catalyst (they call it the AMD VISION Engine Control Center - I wasn't paying attention due to frustration, I fail to realize if AMD's name was the same), I am able to adjust resolution; color; rotate the display output; enable "LCD Overdrive" (no need for it, but it's available); A LOT of video/gaming settings I don't even come close to understanding, but assume even if left at the default settings quality is improved; some basic power settings that can be better adjusted through power control panel; and an information tab which displays hardware and software info.

The simple fact that neither the Microsoft or AMD (with Catalyst interface) drivers had the info tab, suggests to me that they could not properly read the hardware configuration, therefore they could not have been fully functional or optimized.