Vista - intel M speedstep problems

hi,
i have a laptop with pentium M 1,7 ghz( dothan)
1Gb 333mhx ram
128 mb ati 9600 pro
60 gig 7200rpm hd

so i tried to upgrade my xpsp2 to vista rc1, but i have some problems:
1) processor doesnt speed step, is blocked at maximum performance 1700 mhz,
also if the cpu usage is low(in task manager cpu load 0%..in cpu-z core speed
1700 bus speed 400..seems unusual,..(should i try formatting and installing
vista without updating xp??)
2) ati control panel not supported!!!!........sad........by the way not a
real problem, i'm sure they'll fix it in future..

please help me understand if there's any chance to make vista run on my
laptop without using the cpu at full power(ahah my poor battery), or tell me
if you think dothan@1,7 is to slow to run vista(can't think of an os needing
all that cpu). what should i try?

best regards

i tried modifying power plans......nothing, my pentium M is alwayse at 1,7 ghz.
i was thinking about this: pentium M @1,7 can run 600mhz when speedstepping,
but vista minimum requirement is 800 mhz.......silly thing if vista really
doesn't downpower the cpu because of this...has anybody solved this problem?