a1ctl

Download latest version:
Version 1.0 / sources

Old versions:
Version 0.4 / sources

Note: If you have an error concerning a file “MSCOMCTL.OCX”, please install this runtime.

If not present, the VB6 Runtime may also be needed.

About
a1ctl is a program able to control the fan speed of the Acer Aspire One netbooks, and do some useful other things. It was inspired by EEEctl, AsTray and some other programs available for the EEE PC series.

This program is a freeware, but I’ve spent countless hours making it, so if you like it consider making a donation to support my work.

Features:
– no installation needed
– small memory footprint (~5Mo)
– complete fan management, with stopped/slow/auto fan modes
– support newest bios, from v0.3109 to v0.3309
– CPU speed management (XP only)
– fast screen resolution changes, with 1024×768 scrolled and downscaled modes (XP only)
– can enable/disable webcam/ethernet/wifi to reduce power usage
– can be started with windows automatically
– option to prevent HDD clicks
– show temperature & battery in tray icon
– customizable icons & colors via .ini file
– integrated ACPIEC driver patching to prevent log writing

FAQ
Q- What is the “Prevent HD clicking” option?
A- Some hard drives used in the A1 does some frequent clicking noise, due to [badly] aggressive power management that parks the HD heads whenever it’s possible, to reduce power usage and prevent potential damage from shocks. While this may be a good thing in a general case, when it occurs too frequently it dramatically reduce the lifespan of the drive and may be annoying due to the noise generated. This option almost disable the hard drive power management to prevent this clicks, thus preserving your ears and you drive’s lifespan at the cost of a little more power consumption. Activating this option is not recommended for the A1 models with SSD drives.

Q- Why the fan is stopped when I set it to slow mode?
A- Slow mode can’t be activated when the system temperature is under 37°c, thus the fan is stopped until this threshold is reached, whatever your temperature settings for slow mode are.

Q- Why do I need to patch my acpiec.sys driver?
A- You don’t need to patch this file to make the program run correctly, however due to this chatty driver, some warnings are constantly written into a log file (due to the temperature polling) causing your hard drive to never spin down and consume power. If you own a SSD drive model, this may reduce its life span due to constant writing causing wear. That’s why it’s recommanded (and completely safe) to patch your acpiec.sys driver when asked. This operation can be completely reversed using the ‘unpatch’ button in the configuration dialog.

History:

– 04/08/2009 – version 1.0
+ added custom resolution as .ini setting (downscaling is though
still limited to 1024×768 due to some restriction)
+ added custom EC values for fan control, with simple testing function
+ added custom device support
= updated values for newest BIOS versions
= fixed slow mode threshold
= fixed small bugs here and there

– 30/10/2008 – version 0.4
+ added acpiec.sys driver patch
+ added 1024×768 downscaled mode restoration at startup/wake up
= fixed fan slow mode threshold control
= tweaked fonts some more
= fixed battery remaining time
= fixed single icon mode

– 26/10/2008 – version 0.3 beta
+ now working on Windows Vista (CPU & Screen management are
disabled though)
+ improved font readability for system tray icons
+ added advanced configuration settings in .ini file (text
colors, icon modes…)
+ added support for the 2nd webcam model present in A1
= fixed slow mode causing fan to be full speed in some cases
= fixed other miscellaneous bugs

– 07/10/08 – version 0.2 beta
+ added CPU management
+ added 1024×768 scrolled and downscaled modes
+ added battery information and system tray icon
+ added possibility to activate/desactivate ethernet/wifi/webcam
devices
+ added hard disk clicking prevention
+ added manual fan management modes
+ added display of temperature directly in the system tray icon
= fixed back from sleep/hibernation problems
= fixed fan management

– 25/09/08 – version 0.1 beta
* first public release