HP 6930p owner's lounge

Hey there all,

Haven't found such thread about this nice "elitebook" model so I'm starting this one here. Hope will turn useful to share and discuss experiences/questions etc between users of it
Just throwing some links for beginning:

Reviews:
Review HP EliteBook 6930p Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
HP Compaq EliteBook 6930p User Review
HP EliteBook 6930p
http://kikuyumoja.com/2009/10/19/hp-6930p-vs-dell-e6400-review/ (nicely compared with dell E6400)

Specs:
Detailed "quickspecs"

Driver&stuff download:
HP EliteBook 6930p Notebook PC- Download drivers and software - HP Business Support Center
Maintance/disassembly guide


Mods:
- Direct comparison of LED WXGA screen and WXGA CCFL by user jke
- What you need to change the LCD to an LED WXGA+ model - another lenovo model number is probably 42T0634
- NightLight mod by Indrek (removing diffusor to get better light from that LED)
- Modified BIOS allowing wider wlan/wwan number of cards to work
WARNING: user reports that since bios f.20 from HP it will not be possible to downgrade/whitelist. Therefore DO NOT UPGRADE to that newest bios (there are no other improvements, it has only this security block added)
- Another modified bios by nando4 allowing to overclock the CPU a little.
- Hardware mod (TME-unlock) by nando4 allowing to overclock - used on 2530p but same chip mod so should work but not tested, do at your OWN RISK!
- Getting HDMI to work through a port replicator/docking station - see post by adriaticnyc on second page

Known issues:
- problems with latch open mechanism
repair guide by jke
- screen flickering - probably the LCD cable needs to be replaced - several guides on youtube and cables on ebay
- touchpad buttons quickly wear off (buy whole top cover on ebay and replace)
- bad responsiveness of the volume slider
fix by jke
- disconnections with Intel Wifi Link 5100agn on windows XP (probably driver issue, try generic drivers from intel- just ask me)
- loose battery in the early models - I guess a bit of tape to the side of battery compartment should fix it
- Be aware of the hard disk password set in bios - looks like that starting from this model it is set with the use of onboard TPM chip therefore it can be only accessed/modified with the same laptop model (or maybe newer ones, cannot confirm).
- do not use thermal paste instead of thermal pad on the ATI graphics chip - it will be overheating

 

i have one of these

its a lovely laptop but mines been thru wars with multiple drops and water damage

still works

and yes, the latch on mine is broken and the battery hook is gone

suffice to say the water indicators inside will make any warranty claim void but its still works

the first of the elites, i think its a classic

 

Yes, the physical durability seems really good.
Mine dropped badly (really) too few days ago. No signs of damage except for the dvd drive which is broken now (doesn't read, only burns but with errors) - there are mechanical parts so this (and hard disk) are first to go in these cases.
I was lucky the samsung HD is fine as the 3d driveguard feature wasn't loaded (better to have it on if we expect more drops
no probs with the battery hook/loosening here

 

Thx for starting this thread which may also be of interest to many as there are currently a lot of 6930p for sale on eBay.

My main issue is the WXGA+ screen which has a too high resolution for me. I'd love to trade it in for a WXGA LED version.

And in terms of having a worthy successor to the 6930p: HP still fails to provide us with a Dreamcolour display on the 14" range as well as backlit keyboards on the 14 "p" versions, so I am currently thinking to upgrade to a 14" Dell.

The durability though of the 6930p is remarkable. I've meanwhile opened it many times and it's still running fine. And the display lock can be fixed anyways. The keyboard also is the best I've used in a while.

Oh, and another known issue, but which doesn't seem to be limited to the 6930p: the 3G/WWAN modem will only work when the battery is inserted. Apparently "to prevent misuse", like when someone tries to remove the SIM while the machine is connected to a mobile network. It's an issue because I am one of those ppl who remove the battery when the laptop is on my desk to prevent it from being overcharged (as there is no smart discharging circuit on the HP).

Two more issues:

• The volume slider which sometimes doesn't work as it should be, probably due to excessive use of glue between the plastic cover and the pcb. See fix here.
• The touchpad buttons quickly wear off. Mine was done after a few month. Can be fixed/replaced but shouldn't happen with a business laptop that comes with 3yrs of warranty.

 

i think i'll buy another one of these

here's my story... i used to work for a HP consultancy and we prepped these things for high end clients

you could immediately see that this unit was the culmination of everything HP had learned and when they say "Elite" they mean it

sure it has bugs but overall its a great unit

i bought one myself after using these and its quite possibly the best unit i've ever used

i'd like to buy another one off-lease... i only want the 1,400 x 900 screen... i don't care about the ATI video and i know hdmi is an impossibility

 

Hi Indrek,
that's an interesting challenge! Talking about the swap of the GPU means you'll only exchange the motherboard, right?
I'd go for an LED-version of the 6930p that already comes with the Intel GPU and all components and then only try to swap the LED itself with a WXGA+ type if necessary. Experience, no, but trial and error from my side.

From my last test with an IllumiLite Intel GPU vs my CCFL WXGA+ with the ATI GPU, the difference was about 1h battery runtime (both P8400).

I think there are four parts that are required:

• the LED display
• the "inverter" (control) board
• the flat ribbon cable from the LED to that control board
• the round cable from the control board to the mother board

The "control" board is what powers the night light and it looks like this: pcb 4 the LED | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I can't help on the numbers because I don't really understand this numbering system by HP and how they often issue different numbers for the same part.

The LED and CCFL type are interchangeable and share the same connector on the main board: intel vs. ati gfx on the HP 6930p | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (my pic)

Another issue I still need to figure out are screen sizes which may be slightly different. Also, I believe that most LED-"Illumi-Lite" 6930p only came with Intel GPU and no camera.

I didn't know there are conversion kits available.

 

I have same problem with worn touchpad buttons but I can't find a supplier for replacements. Are you able to advise?

Thanks

 

@gouldmine: try eBay in the UK

 

Hi there TonyJZX,

I purchased my 6930p Elitebook used last December 2011 on EBay. I upgraded my HDD for the Seagate Momentus XT, upgraded my RAM from 4GB to 8GB max and am using Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit with Intel RST.

Your post mentioned HDMI. I love Matroska media file movies and TV episodes in HD! Especially if I can watch on a 27 to 42 inch 1080p HDTV device!.

HDMI is possible IF you do the following:

1. Get the HP port replicator with DVI-D digital output.
2. Get a DVI-D to HDMI adapter (you can buy these on EBay and Amazon for very little cost - $2.00 to $9.00 depending on manufacturer).
3. Get an Audio cable 3mm to connect from the port replicator audio "out" to the HDTV input
4. Connect your HDMI cable to the DVI-D to HDMI adapter (going from HP port replicator into the HDTV).
5. Adjust your HDTV so that it finds your PC display

The port replicator is a good tool and excellent workaround for getting HDMI connectivity to a HDTV.

My 6930p came with existing HP warranty and I had the lid latch problem "fixed". I did my own upgrade to the RAM and also installed a Gobi1000 3G WWAN into my 6930p (got it working with TMobile 3G UMTS webconnect after applying the early 2012 AT&T "fix"). I am going to extend my HP existing warranty with another year's protection via getting a Care Pack.


I am very happy with this machine. For $212 plus the cost of legitimate Windows 7 Ultimate 64, Office 2007 Professional Plus, pair of lifetime warranty 8GB RAM, and my Seagate Momentus XT SSD hybrid and Gobi1000...I am very happy, indeed.


HP port replicators with DVI-D are very inexpensive - you can find them on EBay gently used.



Happy HP Business laptop user - this is laptop #4 since 2003. My first HP Compaq laptop with a business N800, then NC6000, followed by a NC6400. I used the NC6400 for a long time (more than 3 years) first with a clean install of Vista ultimate 64 and did a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB clean install of Windows 7 ultimate 64.


happy HP computing,

- Mary -
adriaticnyc

 

just a warning

don't upgrade to bios f.20

changelog: - Provides improved security for the BIOS flashing process.

its rsa signed and wont allow downgrading or whitelisting etc.

 

Today I got a used 6930p off from my work. This model uses the integrated Intel GPU and not the ATI card.

I just disassembled my old FL90 laptop which had a Nvidia 8800m GPU in it. Does anybody know if it is possible to stick this card in my 6930p? I dont want to have to disassemble this one just to find out...

Thanks in advance

 

Thank you very much for your quick and informative answer.

What a bummer! Would be great if they created laptops with standardized sockets and form factors so that we could pick and choose components to replace, just like we currently do on desktop computers.

 

I didn't receive any email notifications about this thread for long.. and arghh my entire long post just got wasted because my laptop suddenly rebooted (think my hard drive is dying)
But during writing I saw "progress saved" messages - can I retrieve that anyhow ?

 

I'm getting furious with wifi on this machine. Anyone on winXP and wif link 5100 too?
Since I switched back to XP from Vista I had connections problems: Every time after sleep/hibernation the card disconnects and I have to turn off wifi and on back again. Usually helps but sometimes have to do it several times or even restart system, sometimes disconnects by itself too. Tried different drivers and messing with cards' settings but no results.
Today I replaced the card with 4965ag from 6910p and the bios and both windows don't see it at all (double checked). Same with 3945bg. (both are seen in nc6400 so should be fine). It's not the bios whitelist problem because it only appeared when I inserted broadcom and weren't able to boot then.

 

Well it is most likely software/driver problem (but maybe hardware driven I only feel), I don't have to install vista just to confirm. And I tried different drivers as mentioned.
Yesterday in desperation I tried many from both HP and intel because the card after installing it back didn't want to work at all. But it helped (only after reseating the card and uninstalling driver in safe mode). At least for now it doesn't disconnect after sleep. After hibernation though the problem is still here - had to delete connection and connect manually again to router to get around without restarting. It's the case on different routers and networks of course.
So not sure which driver package it was exactly in this desperation action but main driver version states 14.3.2.1
Think it may the intel package that I installed - by the way it's a total crapware - about 5 processes/services added to the system for one wifi card to work ? Similar like in one HP connection stuff. Are they all nuts ? Disabled all that unnecessary sh#$t of course right away.

But why the hell it doesn't see other HP cards that work in neither bios nor windows? Maybe if they are not "blacklisted" in bios it will allow to boot but if not "whitelisted" it will not let them work ...only guessing

Regarding your problem with expresscard (asnwered previously in my lost post @#$ !) did you check if in current mobo the usb 2.0 etc card work ? Maybe the slot is totally dead. If not then it might be tough like with my wifi problem :/

Tomorrow I'm planning to install system on an SSD drive (crucial M4 128gb) and hope for a huge boost in system performance. Any of you guys had any issues with SSD in this or similar HP laptop ?

Yes. Whole market of enthusiasts is waiting for them. Same could be for smartphones. I can't guess if they are either so bad not to notice it or have some huge issues/fears in creating it. So many years passed when it could be possible. User switchable graphics, screens, cooling, mobos with different chipsets etc.

Anyways speaking about worn touchpad I highly recommend wireless mouse to you guys (such with "nano" usb dongle) - they are efficient in use - as all mice are - and last long on battery like 1-2months.

Regarding the HDMI it can also be possible with a cheap docking station too - 6930p is compatible with older stations for nc6400/6910p etc.

The battery has to be inserted- it is like that since nc6400 (some of those had also keyboard sensor, so it had to be tighly screwed for the wwan card to be detected).
But there is no need for "smart discharging" as the laptop will only charge up to 100% and then stops charging until a level of 95 or 96% is reached I think. So no overcharge threat and no need to take out the battery in normal light use. Only thing they could improve is to allow to set that threshold down to 40-50% to optimize battery life - at that level of charge li-ion cells are told to last longest. Some Compals had this feature I think.
So if you want to be perfect on battery discharge to about 50% and take out if not using battery.

 

I'm considering purchasing a 2nd hand 6930p (seen a couple of deals for them under £80 in the UK) - I have spare components (T9400 CPU, 2x4GB DIMMs, SSD, etc) to upgrade it but the only stumbling block I can see is a proven 3rd party BIOS patch to remove the HP hardware whitelisting but potentially to update the SLIC as well.

Any recommendations on a good one to use, with preference given to one that's accessible via a boot up of a USB memory stick (to rule out issues with doing the patching via the Windows OS). Cheers

 

Updated useful links in the first post.

Today I got a new ultra capacity battery (95wh 14.8v) and in my case (ATI graphics and CCFL display so worst in battery life) it seems this battery will add 5-7 hours of light use -half brightness with wifi (will confirm when I have a full day to test this). Great thing about this ultra battery is that you can charge it outside of laptop with your regular power supply!
So if you had two of these, you could stay without power cable all the time, by charging one battery and using the other one I also saw once a hP dedicated battery charger for regular batteries but with these you have to swap more often and shut down to replace them if don't want to use power supply for laptop.

Still hunting for my ssd though (this one should also increase battery life significantly if hdd stays out).

 

dual-IDA no-whitelist 6930P bios is now available

Have created a dual-IDA, no-whitelist 6930P bios. It's available for download at http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...0-87x0-85x0-6x10-27x0p-25x0p.html#post6654683 .

The dual-IDA mod allows a HP installed 1066Mhz T9xxx or P8xxx CPU to run with an extra 0.5 multiplier and any user installed 800Mhz FSB T8xxx or T9xxx CPU to run with an extra full multiplier. . Eg: A P8600-2.4 can run at 2.53Ghz and a T9300-2.5 can run at 2.7Ghz when configured for dual-IDA mode using Throttlestop.

The no-whitelist mod allows no-HP wifi and WWAN cards. This means no error 104-wireless card not supported bios halt occurs.

 

Nice one brother!
Real-life performance gain seem to be small though, better for enthusiasts I guess.

By the way after I installed system (winXP 32bit) on an SSD now (crucial M4 128gb) I noticed improvement in system and program start up but not that huge compared to a fast hdd when fresh system is installed. I hope to see improvement (mean: operations will slow down less) when windows installation gets older because the drive doesn't get fragmented - do your experiences comply ?
It may not be that good though I think as this ssd's TRIM function is not available in winXP as far as I know.

 

PLL is under the RAM slots -> easy to TME-unlock it to allow software overclocking

If you want more performance then I noted the PLL is accessible under the RAM slots and is the same ICS9LPRS397DKLF one a 2530P uses . So same TME-unlock mod I did to a 2530P here would allow a 6930P to also be software overclocked.

Core2duo CPUs have plenty of headroom so say a P8600-2.4 6930P could be easily overclocked to 2.85Ghz (266->300Mhz PLL + dual-IDA). I was able to get my 2530P PLL to run at over 320Mhz. At that PLL speed, the same P8600 would be clocked at 3.04Ghz. A T9600-2.8 would be running at 3.52Ghz, assuming it could have sufficient voltage to reliably run at that speed.

Feel free to link the dual-IDA mod and PLL pinmod details for the 6930P owners on the first page. They are a nice machine and these mods are pretty much free performance upgrades for them.

 

An extra free 133Mhz is a nice treat. I figure it was worth sharing

I used F.19 since it was the last TTAV134 no-whitelist modded bios from here. I use that as a source and modded it to have dual-IDA capability as well. F.1A could be modded for both but the single fix for a rare condition in that version seems hardly worth the effort.

If you did want a modded F.1A then would require using PhoenixTool to decompress the modded F.19 and stock F.19 bios, identifying modified modules and the differences, then patching F.1A with the same modifications and finally packing the modded bios with cabpack and the modified hpqflash binary.

 

There is an option to enable/disable the expresscard slot in the bios. Ensure it's enabled. A expresscard has a pci-e component and USB 2.0. If the expresscard slot is enabled and the USB 2.0 part works but the pci-e component doesn't then either the systemboard is faulty or your test expresscard (e-sata, USB 3.0, etc) isn't work.

 

Added Nando's mods to first post. Great work
I will probably try the pin mod when someday when I run out of warranty and will have spare cash for another mobo if it fails

Wondering why he got banned.

 

Could it still a good deal for 300 euro or nowadays, with the same budget, it is better to go with more recent products and different cpus ?

thks

 

In my opinion in this budget it is probably one of the "best bangs for buck" now Performance is decent and sufficient for most tasks. Unless you need a lot for specific software or games. If you don't need more power and don't mind a few scuffs then anything more expensive is a waste of money imho (especially if you add ssd - this adds much to system performance then newer better spec laptop with standard hdd)

Some 6930p are still under the standard HP 3 year global warranty (like mine still has like 6months) although sellers may not be always aware of it.

 

Just a note to the switchable graphics in T400: I remember I read this had issues (performance I think) so check for current state of that if you consider lenovo.

 

In my case the choice is among 6930P and Lenovo X200, T400/T500.

All these models come at the same price (300 euro) and have similar features.
My trouble is to understand if they can be still good deal or, for a little more money, it's better choose other (new) product that are equipped with i3 or Pentium B.

Considering that for just 500 euro (But this is slightly too expensive for me) an i5 can be bought, again.

 

Most important things to me are, in the order:

1- keyboard quality
2- display
3- battery life
4- low noise and cool system
5- portability
...
...
6- performance

I really not too much interested into performance such that I think only with i5 I could notice a really improvement.
I no need great graphic performance, the usage is strictly business oriented and I'm not a gamer.

Among product in the choice there are, like said, Lenovo, Hp and eventually some Sony Vaio.
I've had two Dell E4300 (Both rapidly reselled) and I don't consider this brand at the same level of Lenovo or Hp for what concern build quality.
This evening I've found another model for the same price but it is a consumer notebook.
I refer to the Hp DV 4310el
Do You know it ?
It is equipped with an i5 but I don't know if in terms of build and keyboard it is still at a good level.

 

Opening a topic in the proper section and... sending a pm.


thks.

 

Hola,
as a place for the following info because the original thread on the display latch mechanism is already closed: I've recently purchased a KK082AV (Intel-LED) version of the 6930p and opened it up to repair the display latch on mine. The initial idea of course was to get my hands on the WXGA LED screen, but there's something to the LED version that just doesn't do it for me. I guess my next machine will be a Dell (!) E6430s. Oh well. Anyways, here's the difference I spotted between the KK082AV and my CCFL-typed 6930p ex 2009:


hp-6930p-display-lock by kikuyumoja, on Flickr

It's just the socket for the spring mechanism that's different. The rest is about the same. So if the lock on your 6930p is still faulty, fixing the springs may help. Oh, and there's also more (mechanical) tension on the CCFL version than on the LED version of the screen. I've exchanged these parts between both machines and now my 6930p is eventually fixed! Three years after the purchase....

(yes, this included swapping the base plate

 

Just picked up one of these nice 6930p for my dad. The machine I received looks mint and almost un-used so very happy.

Two issues:

1) after doing a win7 install I can't seam to figure out what driver I need for an "Other Devices" item in device manager:

Base System device location PCI bus 133, device 9, function 2

If somebody could point me in the right direction/right driver it would be greatly appreciated

2) as mentioned the machine looks brand new, however today, on day 2 with the unit I am noticing that the machine is making a very low decibel hissing noise emanating from the motherboard what seems to be just below (toward the front of the machine) of the cooling fan on the left side, CPU? . It does not appear to be the hard drive. It almost plays a tune to the CPU usage if that makes any sense? it cuts in and out as the machine processes jobs. The hissing noise seam like an electronic chip hissing. Has anybody encountered this with this or other HP machines? Bummer that the warranty expired in July 2012. As I have typed this the noise has now reduced in loudness to the point where i now need to put my ear to the machine to hear it, but before it was clearly audible sitting in front of the laptop. Almost seams like the machine needed to warm up like an engine to run smoothly. But the noise is still there

Thank in advance

Matthew

OK figured this one out, it was the Ricoh card reader hp driver file sp45112.exe

1) regarding this I don't know what it is as I haven't used win7 yet but I can suggest leaving this if all stuff you need works. Might be quicklaunch buttons for example - if you care check the device ID from "details tab" (or similar) in driver properties, one like below and you should look after that phrase
Currently I have two unknown devices in winXP:
ACPI\HPQ0004\3&B1BFB68&0
ACPI\HPQ0006\2&DABA3FF&0
2) it's most likely some coil or a transformer on the mainboard. This happens sometimes, saw it once or twice on the predecessors line of this laptop. it is told that if you locate the proper chip you can use some hot glue or silicone to silence it
it must be one that is stressed when hard drive is working (unless it's something in the hard drive itself as that's about the location you describe)

 

Turns out the case is not that tough, after about 3 drops (in a couple of months) from ~50cm table in the same manner to the left side the plastic corner crushed and aluminium surface there is bent. looks bad, maybe will try to glue it and bent back before looking for a new case ;]

well bad spot, I've always considered myself a good crash-tester for any device

 

Yes, in that way you are right, it did its job
However makes it a bit more complicated as recently i've noticed a couple of bad pixels on center right side of the screen (1440x900). as laptop is still under warranty i don't know if the will replace screen when there's obvious physical damage to the case

 

Hello all.

I just bought a 6930p for $80 off fleabay!

2.4ghz, intel video (battery life is better), 2gb ram. all it needed was a hdd and a power charger! i was up and running for under $150 in total.

the only problems now are the lid has a lot of dents in it (the rest of the laptop seems brand new though... weird), and the webcam doesnt work. the indicator comes on but there is no video.

and i did the screen latch trick. i bent the metal tab over on the right side first, and it worked great. then i go to bend the left side tab and SNAP. F$%#*$#K! i thought about jb welding it, but i decided to leave it alone because those tabs see a lot of pressure... i doubt glue would hold. the screen locks down just fine with only the one side working anyway.

i wish it was led... i dont like the 15 seconds it takes for the bulbs to get fully bright.. but other then that, i really like this laptop! i love the feel... its so solid and doesnt flex.

last, i did the bios upgrade before i saw the warning so i was thinking about trying to get a WWAN card working, but if i have to use stock ones then i dont think it will be worth the hassle. im on tmobile 4g... so... yeah...

 

Hi resinis welcome to the owners club
Today I also almost bought another 6930p like that on ebay (with right trackpoint button not working, no batt and hdd, about the same price when finished) but the seller unfortunately didn't ship to my location If you see one with international shipping stated you can let me know!

You know only after I read your post I noticed that my latch doesn't work now as well, but actually I'm thinking why this would be a problem ... not worth to actually fight with this to me ...as I haven't actually noticed this
with your webcam it might be that the cable within the screen case is damaged. maybe your best bet will be to replace the whole screen part later to LED version (I think there was one with 1280 resolution)

By the way my warranty expired in february so I started wondering what faults may the 6930p's start to develop. I'ts a good machine but from previous experience with HP business notebooks I don't believe these will be lasting 5+ years on average without major problems on the motherboard (I dare to bet on power/charging issues as in previous generation :/ )

If any problems appear for you let us know!

 

i bought this because from what i can tell they will last as long as you take care of them.

i find almost no common problems to elitebooks. what you mentioned in your OP covers all the major problems, which none of them are that major!

these things are built like tanks. i have worked on quite a few laptops, and i came to the conclusion that they are ALL terrible. all the consumer ones. they are designed like crap, built like crap and even the motherboards are crippled- missing protective capacitors is a major game they love to play when trying to sell cheap products.

this elitebook doesnt flex. it has a nice bios system. it has quality components throughout. and its designed to be worked on. i freakin love this thing! i think i found my next 3 or 4 laptops honestly! ill just keep buying used elitebooks until someone comes out with something way better.

and the screen latch isnt that hard to fix. there are only a couple different sizes of screws in the laptop (another high quality feature of a business laptop like this), and its not hard to take apart or put back together. you dont have to take the motherboard out, just the expresscard slot.

just be really careful when bending the tabs! what i did was i got the top cover off the laptop, and screwed the screen back on. that way i could bend the tab a little, try it, and bend it more.

the 1st time i tried that process worked perfect. the 2nd time i tried to bend it all at once and it just snapped. it bothers me a lot, because i cant find a replacement bar! i mean it works just fine, the lid stays closed... it just bugs me i broke it when i knew i really didnt want to.

 

Hello everybody,
I discovered this site a few days ago and i would like to ask a question about a problem i faced recently.
Well, the story, i am owner of an hp 6930p and the last month i decided to give a little boost to my laptop; so i bought a 256 Gb ssd (Kingston V300) and an AKE USB 3.0 express-card (Nec 720202 chip). I have installed the ssd and the o/s (win7 64bit) and everything runs fine. When i install the usb 3.0 adapter (with the latest drivers of course) the card recognizes only usb flash disks and no hard drives (either usb 2.0 or 3.0). Actually when a hdd is connected to the card then the card disappears from the device manager. To further test, it i have put the card to another 6930p and the behavior was exactly the same. However, when i installed the card in a 8530p (same generation laptop with 6930p but with 15 inch display) the card was able to pick-up and operate any hdd that was attached to it. I have also tested the card in my laptop with ubuntu 12.04 and i had the same results (ie it was working only with usb flash disks).
I also ran the utility hwinfo to both 8530p and 6930p and the only difference that i noticed was that on the 8530p machine the card was assigned IRQ18 while on the 6930p an Interrupt N/A was reported.
So, any ideas what might the problem be? (hardware incompatibility, bad usb 3.0 card?)
Has anyone success with usb 3.0 adapters with the 6930p? and if yes with what brand?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

P.S. Please excuse my English since it's not my native language.

 

Hi,
As you have tested in two laptops and two OS'es I think that you have most likely excluded driver and particular laptop related problems. It might be a time waster.
I would bet there is not enough power going through express card to the hard drive in 6930p. Did you check if the 8530p has the same chipset ? are the drives actually spinning when you connect them ? (even if so, there might be still not enough power).
you could also check the specs of your card and power requirements for those hard drives, but that will be theory It's either the card or the laptop not making it.

or IRQ issue? If so you may not be able to do anything about it, unless there some other/older drivers (like maybe for winXP just to check.)

maybe you'd better try another usb 3.0 adapter - if any will do.

btw your english complexes are wrong

 

yeah that sounds like a weird problem, and i wouldnt be surprised if it is power related like already said. find a way to power the harddrive separately and see how that goes.

your english is good. i didnt even notice until you said something

 

Thank you very much for your replies.

To check if it is a power related problem, i have performed the following tests:

a. Provided usb to dc cable not attached to the express card.
3 different hdds were connected (1tb usb 3.0 my passport se, 1 usb 3.0 hd case with a wd1600bevt 5400rpm and 1 usb 2.0 hd case with a wd3200bjkt 7200rpm). All 3 of them had the same behavior (i.e. the express card disappeared from the device manager). However, all 3 disks operate perfectly when they are connected to a usb 2.0 port and without feeding them with extra power.

b. Provided usb to dc cable attached to the express card.
None of the hard disks was recognized

c. Provided usb to dc cable not attached to the express card.
A usb 2.0 hdd case with a y cable attached (data from usb 3.0 port and extra power from usb 2.0 port), result: the express card disappeared from the device manager

d. Provided usb to dc cable attached to the express card.
The weirdest of all: Usb flash disk is not recognized which is working when the extra power is not attached.

I have also tested the provided usb to dc cable with a multimeter and it is ok, it delivers 5v on its round end when connected to a usb 2.0 port.

Finally, I have also tested the card with my brother's Toshiba M70, and guess what?! It works perfectly.

Conclusion: It finally seems that there is an incompatibility between the HP 6930p and the AKE express card (Nec 720202 chip)

Solution: I donated it to my brother .

 

So mine is now about 40months old and my fan seems to be dying ..occasional whirling sound came to a constant noise.

Just ordered a replacement. Actually it my first laptop/computer that I didn't take apart for so long since buying it (like 20months now)

 

Would anyone happen to have a copy of the Dual IDA BIOS? Would like to gain the extra CPU multiplier if at all possible!

 

If any one needs one of these, I have a bunch available.

 

Does anyone have the DUAL IDA Bios still avaiable?

 

I've been looking a few weeks now and still no-one seems to have it. Surely someone does? Could they PM me if possible or post a link? Would be really grateful

 

Try looking here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-bios-hdx9000-87x0-85x0-6x10-27x0p-25x0p.html

I played with that ages ago and my memory might not be that good, but I think I remember the gain was almost impossible to see anywhere else than in benchmarks. I finally went to an extreme core processor and overclocked it but it was overheating and throttling. So I moved it to a bigger laptop but to getting the boost that you really feel meant lot of fan noise and less battery life, annoying. I ended up using low power CPUs offering close performance and went to SSD drive that made a huge difference.

I can't remember all the details (IDA provides boost on one of the two cores, this IDA mod would provide you with the same boost on the other core, which means something like 200mhz more on one core only, right?), but to be honest I've never got anything really interesting from those tunes.

 

Funny, I never changed the fan because it stopped making noise. Couple of days ago I thought the fan eventually suddenly died because - when the laptop was running - I heard like a creek sound and saw quite much smoke coming from the vent holes. But then I hear the fan is still running and laptop is stable so far. Don't know what might have burnt but I will probably disassemble to check and change the fan too when have some spare time

 

Think it was, somethin popped and released its magic However the thing was either more magic so it didn't cease to operate OR it's function's were not essential for the mobo to be operating. Normally I would check immediately but I have some more important stuff to do right now, so we'll see how tough the mobo is Seen 6930p mobo's are quite cheap now.

 

Hello,

I just got one of these and was wondering if I can retrofit it with a webcam. I have the ATI model.

 

Yes, you'll just need a new bezel, the webcam and a cable + pcb (as pictured below). Or else swap the whole display.