*HP ProBook 4430s & 4530s Owners Lounge!*

I have been dual booting Win7 & Lion with M4 128gb perfectly fine on my i7 4430s for a few months already. No issues at all on boot ups or wakes.

 

How are you guys dealing with this notebook's fan allwas on?

Isn't there anyone who understarnds "ACPI code" to help with dsdt editing? I've made a topic here with the hope we can get something done.

Is this making any sense?

 

F.25 was taken down, making F.23 the latest version. Any info in that?

 

thanks pnguyen951

i got the crucial m4 64gb, added a 4gb kingstone ram module (8gb total now)
and now i am having a strange problem.

occasionally, the laptop fails to wake up from sleep, maybe 1 each 10 times or less.

when clicking the power button to wake up, the computer just freezes on a blank screen (not lit), fan on, power button on, and caps lock and power button are unresponsive, ..

i just downgraded the gfx drivers, hope it would help, but i cant actually re-create the error manually, have to wait for few days to see if it happens again.

bios F.09

 

Maybe u need updating ur Laptop and ssd firmware ??

 

hhhd1, sorry you are having issues.

Can't believe it would be the m4 giving you the problems. I also have the m4 for my desktop which is set to sleep after 25 mins. Works perfect.

Also, I'm still running F.09 too on 4430s. Figured it's running perfect, why mess with it?

Do you have the m4 in a caddy where the DVD drive was at or in the regular HD slots? I've heard lots of people having sleep/wake/boot issues if you have hard drives in both slots...

 

I do not think its because the m4 either, since its so random.

Since I installed the old gfx drivers, and after that i also took out the ram modules, and placed them properly again, it has been fine.

I have the m4 in the main HD slot.

the firmware that it came with was 0309, and then i upgraded to 000F,
the sleep problem happened once on each firmware.

I do not want to upgrade the laptop bios until its the last resort, cause it can't be downgraded again, ... i think now its F.09

thanks.

 

Anyone having problems with the 4530s? There is one on newegg for $449, and it sounds like a good deal. I have some concerns about the fan always being on, is this because it runs hot all the time?

 

the fan noise is the main issue for me.
the laptop itself is pretty cool all the time, even in relatively hot ambient temperature, its just the fan produces audible noise to push out very little air

i think if you put the processor in power save mode, it should be safe to turn off the fan completely, i am still trying to find a software solution to do so.

 

How long have you had it? I had an HP before that had HORRIBLE overheating issues, the fan was always on because the computer was running at 90+ degrees processing a word document. How loud is the fan? I would be buying this to use in class.

 

surge101, you don't have to be concerned about temps. You will need to lock the fan at the lowest speed and it will stay cool (~40C or lower). You will get used to the fan on all the time and it will not bother the classmates.

 

when fixing my processor (i3-2310m) on its lowest speed (0.8ghz) using windows' power options, the temp is always between 38 and 45, even under load, and at that processor speed, it is fast enough for almost all common tasks, i only switch to higher cpu power profiles when setting up an application and need it to finish faster.

the fan noise is subjective, some people says they forget it eventually, but personally i prefer silent than performance.

at the above mentioned cpu speed, the fan will only run at its lowest speed, which is ok-ish, but leaving the processor to run at its maximum speeds will make the fan start to run at the 2nd and 3rd speeds ...

if i am not mistaken, some people mentioned in this thread that this laptop's cooling system have problems cooling down a quad core i7 at high frequencies ..

Edit:

i had the laptop since October 2011

 

hhhd1, you can lock the fan at a lower than default speed that kicks in at 40C. That speed is 128 using tpfc in manual or bios mode. It's not that bad but at night can be annoying.

 

Does anyone know how to get past the ProtectTools BIOS?

When I press my F10 key at boot, I don't get that pastel blue and grey screen we all know and love, I get some HP screen that makes me want to grit my teeth. I want to change my Action Keys settings, and I can't seem to find a way to do it from the BIOS it jumps to.

 

I have two 4430s's now & have them both upgraded to quad core i7 (2630qm & 2670qm). They do not run hot at all. I used Arctic Silver & M2, so they're probably running a couple degrees cooler than generic thermal paste. Normal temp is ~43 for all cores & much more intensive work will be in the mid 50s.

I think HP just played it safe to cover their a$$ due to their history of overheating laptops. These laptop models probably would run pretty cool without the fan being on all the time. It's a shame because they're good quality laptops besides that constant fan.

 

I have cracked the fan issue. Soon all current series of hp notebooks will be able to stay fanless 95% of the time and let the user chose at what temp to turn the fan on and at what speed etc.
More info - http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...dt-editing-nhc-acpi-module-2.html#post8489343

 

Just a couple days ago I was posting in here asking for info on the pc as I was considering buying it. Low and behold, today I was surprised by my family, they bought the very computer I was asking about in here as a gift!

 

Does anyone know if the port on the side with the phone over it is functional? I can't seem to open it... It can't actually be an open area for if I wanted to install a modem can it?

 

some models of this laptop have phone modem, some don't, if your laptop has that phone port blocked, then it doesn't have a modem.

i guess theoretically you should be able to install a modem, you'll have to check the service manual to see what part number would you need, and if the board support installing one if it wasn't equipped with it from the start.

you can always get a usb one.

 

I don't need the modem, I was just curious as to why in this day and age a laptop would have a port for one.

 

Because you never know what sort of infrastructure you'll have access to or what services you will need.

 

I'm hoping someone might provide clarification on the latest bizarre experience with my 4530s.
I purchased this unit Nov 1 last year from HP Direct. I recall during the sales call asking the rep in detail exactly what programs came preloaded. I was told that this so-called 'Office Starter', consisting of 'basic' Excel and Word, came 'free' with the 4530s. In the last six months this has served all my needs, so I never puchased the full Windows Office package externally.
Last week I noticed that I could no longer open any send .doc files. I tried opening Word, only to see a prompt at the bottom of the page: 'Internet connection was lost: check your Internet connection to resume downloading Microsoft Office'.
This didn't make any sense: dsl connection has always been up, I am not 'downloading' anything from Microsoft.
I contacted HP Tech Support with other ongoing problems, asked about this, was ignored.
I called again today, and the Rep tells me: 'the reason Word doesn't load anymore is that you only had a trial offer'.
I didn't know what the hell he was talking about. The Norton AV that came with this unit was a 60 day 'trial', and I was warned every few days via pop-up how many days of protection I had left, and I should 'buy today', etc.
I never received an email alert, pop-up prompt re: this so-called Office 'trial': nothing.
Inquiries to the HP sales office have gone unaswered.
The whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.
If there is anyone who can tell me exactly what the hell the deal is with this so-called 'trial' Office Suite, that was NEVER identified as such at any stage either before or after purchase, I would be grateful.
I assumed that I fully paid, and therefored fully OWNED these 'Starter' Word and Excel programs.
If I am wrong, I would welcome leads as to how to get this software at a discount.
Thanks very much!

 

Ah I see. You should have contacted Microsoft first, since the majority of laptops come with MS Office starter pre-loaded. Basically it is installed because MS wants you to buy the full package. The MS office starter does NOT expire and I am guessing it may be doing updates and whatnot. If you will not use MS Office to its full potential I would personally suggest using a freeware program such as OpenOffice which essentially does the same thing.

Let us know!

 

"The MS office starter does NOT expire and I am guessing it may be doing updates and whatnot."
HP Support Assistant has operated well in alerting me and downloading all HP updates, so I don't think this issue has anything to do with missed updates and 'whatnot'.
More disturbing to me is the fact that in the 6 mos that I've had this laptop, I've experienced a failed harddrive, innumerable other tech problems, that HP Tech Support has only succeeded in helping me with on avg about ~ 50% of the time. IE, I have received repair instructions from diff agents that have contradicted each other, and had to rely on user forums such as this one for solutions.
However, the answer to this question should be totally clear: either the preloaded 'starter' Office Suite is a 'trial' version only, coded to stop working after six months, or it is NOT, as you assert.
The fact that I can't get anyone at HP to answer such a simple question is mindblowing to me.
If the issue is indeed a 'tech' one, then why is HP so impotent and misinformed in solving something like this?

 

This is the deal re: Word not running. With a failing HD, I followed HP back-up instructions calling for downloading a full 'system image' of the HD prior to removal, for the purpose of 'reimaging' the new drive.
It turns out that when this is done, Word will no longer run. They are telling me that I need to pay $115 for the product key permitting me to download a new copy of Windows Office Starter.
Can anyone give me a lead (links) to the current best deal on standard Windows Office?

 

first, try to see if your current harddrive have a backup image of the original set of software,
reboot the computer, press esc to access the bios boot menu, see if there is a recovery option there ....

be warned, the above will format the harddrive if succeeded.

if that didn't work, try alternative free software like open office, it is supposed to be the competitor of the FULL office suite,

Why Apache OpenOffice

Apache OpenOffice Downloads

 

Office 2010 Starter is not trial software and does not expire. Something must have triggered a switch to the full office suite or messed up the office starter files. Not sure if a re-installation of office starter will be enough, might need to clean lots of registry entires first.

Search on your harddrive if you still have the original office starter installation folder. Should be called OEMOffice14 if I remember correctly.
The main executable is SetupConsumerC2ROLW.exe (search for that too)

Another harder way is to manually extract the entire office starter installation folder from the HP_Recovery partition where the main hp factory .vim file resides. Need a utility that can extract files from .vim image.

 

Well welcome to the forum Lot's of useful users on here.
As for MS Office, if you are a student (or know one heh heh) you can get it for $11 as long as you are at a participating University (UofT, UOttawa etc.)
Link

There are also different types of Office but by the sounds of it, it seems that you are looking for home and student edition (cheapest). This can usually be picked up for around $90 USD depending on where you are from.

 

It is done. Full control over the fan. The tool can be found here.

 

Congratz !! It can be usefull to us users here if one might be intrested in implementing it ... So basically you decide when to start / stop or delay it when in need ??

 

Users can edit at what temp to start the fan, with what speed, when to increase, decrease, turn off. NASA style...

 

After I uninstalled TPFancontrol the fans don't speed up anymore when the CPU gets hot, any cure for this?

 

shutdown the computer, disconnect the power cord, remove the batter, wait 10 seconds.

next time you start up the ec should be reset.

 

That fixed it, Thanks!

 

4530s is now $499 at Newegg. Mine was purchased when they went on sale a couple weeks ago for $549.

 

Has anybody tried installing an Ivy Bridge processor in the 4330s/4530s? Would such a thing even work?

I was thinking of installing a 3720QM if it worked.

 

There are Lenovo and HP Series-7 systems now being offered with Sandy Bridge CPUs. That means Ivy and Sandy Bridge CPU chips themselves are pin compatible.

However, I read somewhere that ME 8.x firmware is required to run the Sandy Bridge CPUs. That will come in the new Series-7 systems. However, I've outlined how we could flash that to an older Series-6 systems at http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...ebook-2560p-owners-lounge-19.html#post8527661 .

Hoping a pioneer has the gear to report if that works or not. If it does then the only remaining benefit a native Ivy Bridge system would have over Sandy Bridge is USB 3.0. Not at all a problem for some of us.

 

It would need to be supported by the bios, and if there no 4530s laptops comes with ivy bridge as a default processor, then i doubt they went through the trouble of adding its support in the bios.

Some one would have a try (without putting your hopes up),
They did release a bios update about a month ago, which could have included the necessary update ...

 

I realize this has been discussed a little while back, but I registered to post the results of my upgrades. FWIW, everything is operational and I have no trouble with the machine at all.

Model#: LJ517UT#ABA

Replaced the Atheros WLAN/BT card with Intel 6230 WLAN/BT card (Purchased from eBay - verified NOT ES and no HP part number)
Updated BIOS directly from F.09 to F.23 (No fan speed trouble by default - disabled "Fan always on while plugged in")
Replaced 500GB HDD with Crucial M4 256GB SSD
--> Update SSD firmware from 0309 to 000F
--> Disabled LPM in Intel RST software via Windows Registry (without this, the M4 has trouble with LPM and causes stutters)
Added matched set of Crucial DDR3 4GB RAM (8GB total) (Removed single chip that came with the laptop)
Replaced all drivers with latest from HP website and then replaced latest HP drivers with drivers directly from Intel website.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the this thread, it has made life easier for me!

 

I've just bought a HP Probook 4530s (core i5 2450M, 4Gb RAM, Radeon 7470M). The GPU-Z shows that my 7470M stucks at only 32 bit bus width and at 400 Mhz maximal GPU core clock ! That's crazy, compared to the information given here:
AMD Radeon HD 7470M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Searching "7470M Techpowerup" on Google, I find out that some HP laptops also have the 7470M with only 32 bit bus width. On the other hand, the 7470M on Asus laptops, for instance, is consistent with the manufacturer's information. So can anyone explain this downgrade for me, and how to fix it ? Thanks in advance.

 

First download latest GPU-Z version... Then in "Switchable options", choose option which allows you to manually choose which GPU will be active (the ingrated or dedicated one)... After that activate dedicated GPU and then start GPU-Z and you will get percise informations regarding your card...
anyway it is possible that HP has downclocked GPU core (in my case, according to Notebookcheck.net, 6490M core should run at 850MHz and on my 4530s it runs at 750MHz - 100MHz less)...
Hope this was useful.
Cheers

 

Thanks for the reply. I tried but nothing changed. 400 Mhz GPU clock was obtained when a HD movie was being played. Perhaps I should try playing a heavy game and see...

As you said, it is very possible that HP has downclocked the GPU core.

 

Hi,

I am having 4430s notebook. I am unable to find hp recovery manager in the start menu .. I want to create recovery disks..but the only option available is the f11 at startup button. Downloaded hp recovery manager online but that won't work either..getting message hard disk.dll missing.

 

I was having an intermitent issue with my 4430S where keystrokes would not always appear on the screen. HP Support overnighted me a new keyboard including instructions on how to replace.

The entire replacement process took less than 5 minutes - probably closer to 3 minutes.

Unplug AC, flip laptop upside down, remove battery, remove bottom cover, remove two clearly marked "keyboard" screws on bottom, flip laptop right side up, lift out keyboard, unplug ribbon cable, reverse for new keyboard.

Love this laptop for its ease of maintenance! Thanks HP.

 

Nearly all HP laptops are this easy , When I have a customer with HP laptop for whatever reason or trouble I always have my mind at peace ....

 

Is it possible to take out the fan of the 4530s from the bottom cover only to clean the airways, or is it required to take out the main board before being able to access it ?

 

Hi everyone,

I have just bought a HP ProBook 4530s and I was curios if everyone is happy with the display quality? Is it just my impression or does it really lack sharpness. I am able to see the pixel grid clearly and it feels like it's not up to today's standards. It's worse than my LCD monitor that's 6 years old!

Can you guys comment on this? How do you find working or viewing photos on this display?

Thanks!

 

Maybe you should have bought the one with the higher display resolution?
I am fine with my 1366*768...

 

Well, I didn't know I would find it this troublesome. A I said, I find it worse than my 6 year old LCD monitor. The resolution in itself is not the problem, rather the lack of sharpness and the visible pixel grid.

When I buy a 1366x768 display in 2012, I expect it to at least be decent and on par my old 1280x1024 LCD monitor. I do not think I should be content with a sub-standard quality just because it's the HD one, and not the HD+ one.

That's why I'm asking if it's just my impression and you guys are OK with the display, or if there are other people here who are disappointed by it.

Thanks!

 

Screen resolution is fine for me so not disappointed. Also most of the time it is hooked into an external monitor so it's fine