*HP EliteBook 8540w Owners Lounge!*

Which display have you got?

 

15.6" LED FHD 1920x1080 Anti Glare

I just now noticed that under in device manager under Monitors I have "Generic PnP Monitor". That could not be good... But I see no driver for it on
HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation- Download drivers and software - HP Business Support Center
neither can I install HP Mobile Display Assistant. It says "HP Mobile Display Assistant is only compatible with HP Dreamcolor LED display panels."

 

you need to use something like pc wizard to see which model display you have

 

Results from PC Wizzard:
Monitor Type : LP156WF1-TLF3 - 16 inches
Manufacturer : LP156WF1-TLF3
Product ID : LGD0259
Manufacture : 2009
Video Input Type : Digital

Still doesn't help much for finding monitor drivers. If that would help in the first place.

 

nearly every laptop will say "generic pnp monitor" so that's nothing to worry about
there are no monitor drivers, just make sure your graphics drivers are up to date and calibrate it if necessary
I mentioned pc wizard because something asked you which monitor you had

 

I noticed that the 8540w has an MXM board, so is it possible for me to replace the Nvidia FX880M with another [better] one? I'm not that tech savvy when it comes to laptops, haha.
Thanks.

Also, not sure if this matters, but mine's got an i7-720QM on board.

 

ok, thanks for help. I have a friend that has a device for calibrating color profiles. I'll check if that helps. However - it bothers me that things aren't flashy out-of-the-box.

 

There are two 1080 screens, the standard one and the Dreamcolor. The Dreamcolor is the one everyone raves about. The standard 1080 screen on the other hand is no better than average. Someone said the specs were even below those of the 1600x900 display.

From what you're describing I'd bet you got the standard 1080 screen.

 

You can only upgrade to GPUs that the current HP 8540w supports since MXM is only one piece of the puzzle for upgrading GPUs.

 

Has anyone found a good cooler for the 8540w? My old Zalman cooler is just barely not wide enough. I've found it doesn't really need one on the desk, mostly this would be just for using on a couch or out of the house.

I'm looking at the Cooler Master Notepal U2 or U3 - they look easy enough to carry around and even without the fans would give enough room for airflow.

 

The NZXT Cryo LX which I normally use with my 17 inch Macbook Pro does fit the 8540w just fine. However it isn't exactly a couch friendly cooler. If you're looking for another compatible notebook cooler, you'll need one that that will fit a 17 inch 16:10 notebook.

 

Hi there,

my question is about the hinges of my 8540w... Today I took for the first time my new pc to school (2 weeks) and some silly friend of mine opened it by pushing the display backward BUT with (i guess) the new hinges the front of the laptop went a bit high too and then fall to the table from a few centimeters...

It pissed me off but okay but what I wonder now is IF the hinges are gonna quickly become more soft as I already couldnt reproduce it @home, like the hinges aren't already the same strenght....

Thanks for your advice..

 

So, he opened the laptop up by pushing the lid and not holding down the base, then the base of the notebook fell to the table from a few centimeters up? That is definitely not good for the notebook but should not cause any damage, at least just one time.

The hinges on business class notebooks, especially top-shelf notebooks like the HP EliteBooks, are of much better quality than those found on consumer notebooks. They have to be -- business notebooks are designed to withstand a lot more wear and tear. One way or another there is no getting around the fact that hinges are mechanical parts; they will wear over time.

Make sure you open and close your notebook lid slowly and with care; this should help prevent the hinges from getting loose. Also, never carry the notebook around or move it by gripping the lid. Finally, don't place anything on top of the notebook when the lid is closed.
The bottom line is be careful. Most EliteBooks carry a three-year warranty . . . if you use the notebook under normal usage patterns and something goes wrong within the warranty period, chances are you will be able to get it replaced no problem.

 

Thanks for the reply, well yes she (actually) did so... Rah it pissed me off so much im a bit maniac with such devices when they are new...

Anyway it's still a bit strange I couldn't reproduce the "lifting of the front by opening the lid" thing just a few hours later euh...?

Thanks a lot for your advices.

 

I "lift the base by opening the lid" all the time because I guess I'm a little rough on stuff.

I suspect a nice wee bit of oil on the hinges will help damp that motion out.

 

I talked to a sales rep about this model wrt Sandy Bridge processors and also mentioned I didn't like the size of the touchpad. He said 2nd quarter for the new model and that the new version would come with a larger touchpad.

I see a few complaints about the 900 vertical pixels but I see there is a 1080 option so I was wondering why people are complaining?

I know one thing that Intel is promoting is EFI to replace the BIOS in 2011. Is there a chance that 2011 models of this machine will feature EFI?

I like the numeric keypad but I see a few complaints about typing position. The Dell Precision 15" does not have the keypad so that was my main reason for considering this model over the Precision M4500 when I buy a laptop in 2011 especially if they increase the size of the touchpad.

 

Whether it is 900 vertical pixels or 1080, the complaint stems from the fact that the geometry is 16:9 and not 16:10. While 16:9 works fine for most landscape documents, portrait formats require additional downsizing or scrolling to be viewed. While I have been one of those complaining in the past, I've actually found an unexpected benefit to the 16:9 format. In order to fill the screen natively, I have been cropping and/or resizing some of my presentations to 1920x1080 landscape pixels. The unexpected and sometimes facinating results have gotten me interested in "seeing" in a different way, the way of the world of video. Instead of vision, light and a single moment in time, maybe I'll start trying multiple continuous moments in time. One nevers knows where the seeds of inspiration lie.

I found the offset keyboard was slightly uncomfortable at first, but now don't even notice it. And since I'm the chief number cruncher around here, I do appreciate the separate keypad.

 

The newer HP business notebooks already use UEFI if I'm not mistaken.

 

From what I understand, UEFI (an evolution of Intel owned EFI mentioned in the post you responded to) is an interface overlay that replaces the BIOS components for boot services and runtime services, but not POST or setup. A telltale way of knowing that our machines do have some level of UEFI support is that we can use a mouse to navigate the BIOS, a service not present in full legacy systems.

 

Yes, that's true -- the BIOS has a GUI interface on newer HP business notebooks. I also noticed that they are very quick to get past the initial HP splash screen to loading the OS.
For some reason both my HP business notebooks will not boot if I have an external mouse plugged in; they will give a "Mouse Interface Error" and I have to press [F1] to continue. It's annoying but probably some sort of security thing.

 

Yes, sometimes too quick, especially when you're trying to boot to Safe Mode. I do seem to remember recently seeing an option to control boot delay in a BIOS, I think possibly it was on this machine. I'll have to check out my differnet machines to see for sure.

I tried to re-create your "Error" by plugging a USB mouse into one of 2.0 ports before boot. The machine started up seamlessly. Even though I know the 3.0 ports don't initialize until the OS loads, I tried that as well and the mouse again worked fine with no start-up errors. What I might suggest is that, assuming you are using HP Protect tools, that you run the HP Softpaq Download Manager. I did so recently and there were numerous updates to the Protect Tools components. There was also a UEFI update, as well as various other (not related to this problem, but helpful in other ways) updates.

 

Can you school me a bit on calibrating this screen? I love the DC2 display, but it seems a bit over saturated out of the box.

I bought this for photo/video work and I'm not sure what else I need to calibrate the displays colors correctly.

 

I don't have a calibrator yet so I'm not qualified to explain the steps. But you have to have a wide-gamut calibrator. In short, it all starts there.

What gamut do you have your MDA [HP Mobile Display Assistant] set to? Sounds like you're on AdobeRGB or Native [I can't see any reason to ever select Native or Full]. Change to sRGB if so. If you're already on it and you think even sRGB is too intense, try selecting REC.601. There's no possible way you can think that gamut is going to be too intense. I wouldn't go to the next lower gamut in the list; too dim and narrow a gamut.

But if your post-processing in say, Lightroom of Photoshop, you want to be on the sRGB gamut if you're processing images to be published on the Web, or images that will be printed on a narrow'ish gamut / sRGB color printer. If your going to be printing on a 'better' printer capable of richer colors [AdobeRGB], and/or are shooting a D-SLR in RAW and set your camera to the AdobeRGB color-space, it makes sense to set the screen's selection to the AdobeRGB gamut when you perform your processing.

 

thats very interesting. I've never heard of this problem. what mouse is it thats annoying the bios so much?

 

Wow, it seems I had forgotten/didnt even know about the HP MDA. As soon as I got the laptop I swapped out the hard drives and installed a fresh copy of win7 x64 ultimate. The driver and software didn't even install it.

Well, I just installed it and I'm kind of lost. It's getting late so I'll have to play around with it tomorrow.

I do shoot in RAW, but haven't switched from shooting in sRGB to AdobeRGB. Since this is a 10-bit display I do want to start using AdobeRGB, even though most of my work stays on computer screens. Sooner or later I will be getting into printing.

I'm assuming once I start working with AdobeRGB RAW files I should set the MDA to the AdobeRGB profile...?

Thanks again for the reply!

 

Hi guys,

I have another question regarding my recent 8540w.

In the datasheets I've seen so far, it's mentionned this model has "2 or 4 SO-DIMM" Ram slots...huh?

Do you have any idea how to distinguish if yours model is 2 or 4 ram slots??

Mine was bought approximately 3 weeks ago so can I have hope in it being a 4 (I have currently 4 gig and I'm almost 100% sure it's 2x2 gigas, so it would be nice to know that I have to simply buy another 2 gigas of ram to have 6.. In between, if I do so, is there any possibility those rams will work in Triple channel thing from Intel, so it would be a nice choice to buy only 2 gigas to have 6 in total instead of buying 4 to have 8 gigas which would not work in triple-way... and I would not need neither anyway )

Thanks a lot for your expertise and advices

 

Yes, correct. I usually stay in the AdobeRGB gamut, but very importantly in Lightroom's Export tab I select the output gamut to be sRGB so that the images I'm going to post are using colors the rest of the world can display; Lightroom will compress all the colors in the gamut evently at export time.

 

Simple to tell. If you have a quad core cpu, then it has a 4 slot MOBO. If a dual core, then 2 slots. And neither supports triple channel. Intel's current mobile cpu specification sheets show only 2 channel support for its QM units.

 

Thanks a lot for your answer.
At first I was delighted with your answer but then I remembered that nowadays i7 isn't equal quad core anymore... my i7-620M on my laptop is indeed a dual-cuore.. so it's not the same socket as another quad core from the i7 family right? And this explains somehow the difference betweem mobos thing ?:/

 

Steelseries Xai. Locks up both my EliteBook and ProBook if left on during boot, and also causes shutdown problems if left plugged in. Works fine with every other computer I've tried it with. It's a minor issue.

Yes the i7-620M is indeed dual-core. I don't know if the dual-core 8540w motherboard supports quads -- I wouldn't try it. Also, chances are your notebook came with the dual-core single-pipe heatsink; the quad-core version has two pipes. So, it could get toasty.

 

On the surface in this case, Intel's model # system does seem a bit confusing. Even more so when you compare the i7-620M with the new i5-580M. The specs for each are exactly identical except for one case (well, two if you count Embedded Options on the 580M and three if you count price). The main exception is Level 3 Cache. The 620M is the only dual core with greater than 3 MB (it has 4 MB). Possibly this is why it qualifys for the i7 name.

 

Same here, any mouse connected to the USB ports on the right side.

 

Agree with you about getting toasty as it would have to dissipate 10 additional watts of thermal envelope. But what I'm wondering if it's even possible to upgrade the cpu (and therefore also the cooling)? The quads are only supported by the PGA988 socket. The 620s are also supported by this socket, but also come in a slightly smaller package size supported by the BGA1288. We would need to know which package HP is using on the 620M machines. Anybody know?

 

I see, thanks.

Don't know about the socket then, but being able to upgrade or not, the fact in having a double core instead of a quad core comes off course with a slower performance (though I cant say I feel the 620m slow ) but also probably some less comsumption and maybe less heat also, right? It's a tradeoff too isn't it?

 

Hi, i'm the happy owner of 8540w (I5-520, FX880, Win7 pro x64) but
I have few problems i need help with:

1. I needed the blouetooth and i noticed that tray icon disappeared. Thre is no bluetooth device is device manager and i tried to install drivers but BT device is not detected. Is BT device broken or is just disabled and i need to enable it somehow?

2. Sometimes when i turn on the laptop is not starting, i get black screen, all leds on, max FAN and CAPS and NUM Lock leds blinking. Turned it off and on again and it starts normally. weird..

3. I tried to resolve the problems above with BIOS update but i can't manage to do it. Tried from windows and it needs restart to complete the bios update but after restart nothing happens. Tried with USB flashdisk but the laptop doesn't boot from it.

Thanks in advance for support.

 

I know that there are a lot of posts in this forum, but as a new owner, you would get a decent education on using this machine and dealing with some of its known idiosyncracies. The items you mention above have been covered.

That being said, let's get a headstart on your questions:

1 - For bluetooth devices to work, the wi-fi must be engaged. Control of both these radios, for some reason, are married on the same button above the keyboard. Once this button is engaged, the bluetooth device must initiate a "handshake" with the pc. There'll be a button on the device to push that sends a signal to the pc that it wants to connect.

2 - This black screen is a common occurance for new owners. There's been much discussion on its causes, but generally it goes away after time. In the situation you describe where the pc appears to have boot properly, all lights are on and the screen just appears dead, you are actually on the Windows logon screen. Hit the TAB key 3 times and then hit the Enter key. This will safely close down your machine. Re-booting then usually goes normal. If it goes to the black screen multiple times, close it down, unplug the power supply and remove the battery. Then without the battery or power supply, depress the On/Off button for about 30 seconds. This dissapates any errant charges within the system, which many of us believe causes the problem in the first place. Remember, this problem appears less often and then basically goes away after a while.

3 - Have you been able to re-boot the pc at all since you attempted the BIOS update?

 

The quad cores are not necessarily slower. If your needs are for multithreaded apps or multiple apps running at the same time, then the quad may be slower on paper, but you're getting the job done faster as queing in the chip decreases. Even if your running a single app, the quad can intelligently turn off it's un-needed cores and run the remaining core(s) at faster speeds that keep pace with the dual cores. Keep in mind though that the modern pc may have a hundred processes loaded in memory at any given time, and multiples of them may execute at the same time. The quad will handle this much more efficiently. And while the thermal envelope on the quad may be higher, it generally only comes into play when highly stressing the system. Yes, it uses more power under normal conditions, but not something to worry about. The dual cores are also powerful, excellent chips that fit with most people's needs nicely. The tradeoff is the price someone is willing to pay for the extra efficiency of the quad in doing what it is designed to do.

 

OK, thank you for the quick and helpfull answers!
I read lots of forum and internet pages before post here..

1. yes, I actually had wifi off beacause i was using a LAN cable. never thought that is the same button.
2. Really weird behavior anyway.
3.The BIOS Update app from HP drivers page needs to restart before completing the actually update process.. but after restart nothing happens.

Thanks again.

 

I still do not understand. By "nothing happens" do you mean the machine does not re-boot and sits dead, or do you mean the machine boots and the BIOS does not update?

Also, what BIOS did you have and which one are you updating to?

 

Oh. Sorry by " nothing happens" I meant that it boot normally, no " update" happens. Tried to update from F.0A to the latest. Anyway I read the revision history and the update doesn't seem to fix anything important. Thanks for your time.

 

There are 2 HP tools that are helpful in keeping our pc up to date that work automatically with litle input from the user. One is the HP Support Assistant and the other is the HP Softpaq Download Manager. If you haven't already tried these, they may already be in the HP folder in the Start Menu. Either one of them will alert you to a new BIOS and then go through all steps automatically to install it when you check it off on the list. Besides updates, the Support Assistant has additional support functions. The Download Manager does a complete analysis of your pc each time it is run and tells you all drivers and HP software that is up to date, as well as lists all that need updating to the latest version, and also lists any services available to you that you have not loaded on your machine. The Download Manager is the easiest way to keep your pc up to date. One caution I would give in using these programs, however, is if you are updating the BIOS, check only it off and run the update separate from all others. It's the safest way.

 

Apparently HP is listening. A new BIOS was issued today that purports to fix the 8540w and 8740w black screen on boot problems. Since my machine is now about 5 months old, I don't really get it much anymore, not in 2 months anyway. So I'm not the best candidate to test it, but any newbies who still have the problem, let us know if it works.

 

Does anyone have any experience using the 90W power adapter with an 8540w with a dual-core processor and the M5800? Apparently the 120W is "recommended" (the 90W being recommended for the combination of dual-core and 880M).

 

I tried plugging in an old 90w power adapter into my i5 560m and m5800 and a notification popped up, saying the power may be insufficient. Regardless, it had no problem charging. Maybe if the notebook is under heavy loads, the 90w may be insufficient?

 

Thanks ... I wonder if it reacts in any other way to it? I guess it's not the best idea. I'm pretty much ready to buy one of these but I'm a bit put off by the size and weight of the power adapter.

 

I got the 90W Smart Charger as a travel charger when I bought my 8540w. (If you're looking for something smaller though, that's not the one to get.) No problems charging or in general use. Like Terrible Lie said, it's probably only going to matter at max load.

 

that is EXACTLY the case. when under load you wont beable to use the full power of the laptop because the charger cant put sufficient power to the notebook so its letting you know that. but charges fine never the less.

 

also whats the deal with gaming on the 8540w with m5800. i just got one but it hasnt arrived but i know its seems better than the 1800m. is it also better than it in CAD?

 

No luck with the BIOS update. With HPQFlash Utility there is no update after restart, i have the folowing log file:

12/13/2010 23:49:19.656 --- START NEW HPQFLASH SESSION, HPQFLASH version 4.30.10.2 ---
12/13/2010 23:49:19.656 Command line =
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 System name = HP ELITEBOOK 8540W
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 System ID = 0x1521
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 System Serial Number = CND0330B1F
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 AT-p supported = 1 (0: not supported, 1 supported)
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 Version of BIOS in system:
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 Family = 68CVD
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 Major version = 0xF, Minor Version = 0x0A
12/13/2010 23:49:19.780 Release Date = 06/22/2010
12/13/2010 23:49:32.510 Prepare system to be flashed in delay mode
12/13/2010 23:49:32.666 Copy BIOS files to EFI partition passed.
12/13/2010 23:49:32.775 Set BIOS Update Available passed.
12/13/2010 23:49:32.900 Version of BIOS in ROM update (in CAB file):
12/13/2010 23:49:32.900 Family = 68CVD
12/13/2010 23:49:32.900 Version = F.0E
12/13/2010 23:49:32.900 Release Date = 11/25/2010
12/13/2010 23:49:41.558 BIOS will be flashed in delay mode
12/13/2010 23:49:41.558 Prepare flash in delay mode successfully. Return code = 0x00000bc2.
12/13/2010 23:49:48.562 Flash has completed. System will be restarted

Update doesn't work from HP Support Assistant either..

 

Will 8540w be compatible with 120W docking station? Officially it is not supported, but I believe this just because a new (more expensive) version - 230W docking station - is released.