DV4t-1000 screen flashing issue notice

Just a heads-ups, but over the holidays my daughters DV4t began having video issues. The unit had been flawless for a year but after the unit had run for 5 to 10 minutes, every 4 or 5 seconds or so it would begin flashing a pencil thin green line horizontally across the entire bottom of the screen. The longer the unit ran the larger the line would become until it consumed the entire task bar. It demonstrated this behavior in normal mode, safe mode, and in BIOS mode. I tried everything I knew (drivers, BIOS, etc… to solve the problem without resolution.

Luckily we have an extended 3 year warranty with ADP. The unit is/was just over its initial 1 year warranty period (Christmas). The unit was returned for repair and HP replaced the lid, LCD, and associated parts. I’m happy to say that in 8 days the unit came back with no issues and in flawless condition, but I must also say that it’s a bit disappointing that such a failure should occur so early in it’s well cared for life.

…… and I hope this doesn’t indicate a trend for this series.

 

1 year is already long by some people's standards... These are consumer products - i hope you do realize that they aren't built to last a lifetime.

 

Yes, these are “consumer products”, but that doesn’t mean disposable in my book. At the price we pay for these things I think a 1 year life expectancy would be ridiculous. Though it may be dated at the end of its life, I see no reason that well cared for notebooks of moderate quality (like these) shouldn’t last 3 to 5 years. I think that expectation is reasonable and shared by a majority. Take a look here. I also think that ADP is a reasonable hedge on that bet.

Still…. there are always those with money to burn, those that chase benchmarks, those that are easy marketing targets, those who have no idea how to care for their units, those that just don’t care, and yes... those who have just been inflicted with a severe case of stupid.

 

Those are the people who build them.