Envy 14: New owners in Paradise Lost Thread: (Got Problems/Questions/Issues?)

Sure it's possible to have 0% worn. Sometimes batteries are charged higher than their rating. It was on my Sager. Right now, a year later, it shows 3% wear, which is unlikely, but I believe it was like 5% higher than rated capacity to start. Batteries don't drain that quickly until you start to use them a lot, or after a couple years.

 

Can i ask any owners if the i7 on the envy 14 is advisable ..
Price dosent matter ! in my situation both processors cost almost the same , will the i7 be good for this laptop in the long run where future games utilize all the cores ? I always thought owners will go for the i7 but after reading , some complained about the heat .

The thing I am worried is the heat and battery life .
Is the heat with the i7 very hot if I want to use it for gaming and will it overheat and cause the blue screen ? Will the i7 have a vast heat difference compared to the i5 ? Can this be solved with a cooler ?

Secondly , is the i7 battery life really that bad ? honestly 3hrs is kinda crappy but if i use the wall sockets in sch , it dosent pose a huge problem .
But still i would like it to have a decent battery life on the go .

I actually wanted to go with the i5 config but I have to wait 2 weeks as there is a short of supply . I have to make a gd decision as a laptop is a heavy investment and i have to use it for 3 yrs .

I know this have been asked alot but still I cant find the answers that can make my decision easier .

 

I wouldn't spend the money on an i7 unless I had a multi-threaded CPU heavy analysis program I wanted to use at work. For most games the video card is going to bottleneck the system before the processor will, so upgrading it won't give you much of a benefit since the 5650 can only push so many polygons. Now, if they could figure out a way to put a 5850 in the envy 15, we might have another story. One can always dream.

 

I'm the proud owner of a new Envy 14. I love it. There's just one problem: a dark pixel near the center of the display. I've read about the difference between stuck pixels and dead pixels and I've heard about stuck-pixel success stories were software and poking removed them.

I'm not sure if my pixel anomaly is stuck or dead. It appears to be black on a white, red, and yellow backdrop, but on a blue one, it vanishes. That makes me think that the pixel is indeed blue (and stuck not dead), but I'v tried poking and a pixel scrambler (though only for a couple hours) and neither has made a difference.

Do you think it's a stuck pixel versus a dead one?
Should I run the pixel scrambler longer?
Do you typically have to tap/poke a stuck pixel many times?

Help!

 

Hi all, LONG time reader...finally got around to creating an account. Had my Envy for about a month now and finally had an issue.

Right when I got it I tried linking to my phone with Bluetooth. I used OPP to push some photos from my phone onto my computer. Now that I am on a fresh install I am no longer able to get a connection other than DUN services i believe, external modem.

I am using HP wireless assistant, but was wondering if there are other drivers that I missed installing to enable other Bluetooth services.

Also wondering what memory is used. I have the single DIMM 4GB and looking to try and pick up another stick for dual channel. Is the stick 1066 (PC 8500) or a 1333 (PC 10600/10660/10666) downclocking?

Cheers

Specs:
Envy 14 | 450m | 4GB | Radeon HD 5650| 500GB

 

Well I finally got the restore fixed so I'm back to being able to get to the desktop, but I'm still having problems. 1) If I leave the computer open the screen will go black and the only thing that fixes it is a hard reset. Closing the lid does not make it sleep or hibernate, it is truly frozen. and 2) leaving the computer on overnight to download a game and it froze around 1:30 ( I know this because the clock still displayed that time) so I had to hard restart yet again. Are there diagnostic tools I can use to find a problem? Could improperly seated RAM do this? Should I call HP Tech just yet?

 

HP_TOOLS partition is a diagnostic system. If you press esc at startup and boot into it (f2), you can check HDD, RAM, Battery and there are a few tests called startup and run in tests.

Edit: You can also download system diagnostics off hp's website and install to a USB thumb drive.

 

I have a slight "issue" in that when the laptop is using the DVD-RW to write disks, it seems to be making this high pitched "whirring" sound, hard to explain so here is a recording of it that I made ( Envy 14 DVD-RW noise). As soon as it stops writing then the sound goes and the machine is near enough silent.

 

I am sorry if this was covered earlier, but does anyone else have a slight heat problem at idle/basic web browsing. The right side of my Envy get's a bit hot. It isn't exactly a "Oh, My God, my hand is burning" hot, but more of a "Damn, this is somewhat uncomfortable". Resting my right palm on the right side is a bit uncomfortable, and the area right above the right vent is even hotter. This is my first laptop, so i don't know if this happens with all laptops, all envy's or just mine.
Here's a pic of my internal temperatures:
http://imgur.com/GyXJe.png
It's also strange how my gpu keeps having ups and downs in speeds, hmmm.
Here is another slightly more unusual picture:
http://imgur.com/nHP0W.jpg

That thermometer is probably very unnaccurate, but it was all I had, so I decided to try and use it. On the thermometer, the temperature is pretty close to that disliked 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it's probably hotter than that though.
Ambient room temperature is probably 23-24 degrees Celcius.

Specs:

i5 430
Radeon 5650
640 GB 5400 rpm harddrive
Radiance Display
6GB memory

 

Metal + Hot air vent from processor and GPU = hot.

Yeah it and the spot to the right of your power button will get pretty damn hot while gaming. Not sure if it'll actually burn you (probably not, but yeah it'll be hot)

 

Okay the hard drive test went alright and everything passed... what would you do in my situation? Send it back? I mean I'm typing on it right now, and it only really messes up bad when i leave it idle or try to download things overnight.....otherwise I love everything hardware wise...the thinness, the screen, the keyboard, the speakers I just don't know what to do.

 

so it's not your hdd.

next suggestion is to run memtest overnight.

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

download the iso and burn it to a cd and set your envy up to boot from cds in the bios and let it run overnight.

if it finds any ram errors well, then you know it's your ram and you can go from there (send it back to HP or replace the ram yourself)

if it's not the ram, try reinstalling windows with a minimum install from the recovery partition/recovery discs.

if it still happens after doing that..then it's some other hardware thing and yes send it back.

 

Much better to go a week or two without a computer than spend 3 years with a computer that doesn't work properly, if you can't fix it yourself, send it in for sure.

 

Hi Everyone,
I was just checking prices for Envy 14's in New Zealand and I came across the listings of the Envy 14 on the sites of two major retailers - Noel Leeming and Bond and Bond. Both of these sites list the Envy 14 with an ATI 5830 graphics card instead of the 5850. Do you think these could be real machines or just a typo/mistake on their part? I'm inclined to think the latter if it was just one retailer but for both to make the same mistake? That seems unlikely.

 

I wanna say that's a mistake.


Do those stores have a place you can go check the computer out at? 'cause I'd do that and see what video card is on it.

..and then if it really does have a 5830 uh...wow.

 

I have a problem with placing any sort of telephone call on my Envy 14. No audio output (whether headphones or speakers) will produce audio from telephone calls (via skype or gmail). All other audio works fine.

 

Are there any pictures of the envy 14 side by side with the mbp 15? or the mbp13?

 

Sorry to ask again, but does anyone else have this sound when burning DVDs/CDs? (the high pitched whiring). If I can then i want to try and avoid sending my Envy back for them to "fix" because it almost always comes back with more problems but at the same time if it's not normal then there is no point in me keeping it

 

5830 would be nice compared to 5650.

 

I opened up my envy 14 today and accidentally ripped the keyboard's LED cable....... tried to tape it together (lol) but yeah it obviously didn't work. I checked the online user manual and it said replacement keyboards for the US beats edition come with the necessary cables (spare part # 619400-001). I checked HP's parts reseller ( Big Blue Products Inc.) and the website said it didn't have them, so I sent an e-mail to double check. In the meantime, I'm wondering if there's another way I could go about ordering an replacement keyboard. Any suggestions?

EDIT: just checked HPs website and they have the part but its 119 USD. Any chance I can get this under warranty? I'm sure I didn't void it by simply opening up my laptop?

 

There is an option in the Beats panel to make things "default communication device" maybe if you do that it will work, otherwise I have no ideas.

 

should i update my F.06 BIOS to F.12?? and how do i go about installing the new ATI drivers again?

 

Haha, i just logged in to ask this exact same thing
Ive just found out (pressing fn+esc) that im running F.06, so what (if anything) is fixed if I update?

 

not sure.

f.12 does break your recovery discs somehow though.

 

god i love this machine!!! not even a day and its doing beautifully Radiance Display is beautiful! not a single problem with it and it overclocked nicely too 550/820


SOOO HAPPY!! ^_^

 

wow, very useful hotkey! thanks for sharing.

 

I did the same thing but got lucky that it auto unlock from the board so it didnt mess up the cable. I think you will have to pay up since they will notice if you messed around with the computer and cause it to malfunction. Doesn't hurt to give it a try i guess.

 

i did a fresh install of windows on the partition but i deleted the 200mb partition in the beginning because i thought it was part of the windows boot up partition. Can someone check whats in the partition for me? Or better yet upload a copy if its essential . I ask because i tried the f11 MIR install but it would jsut boot. im not sure if it was trying to boot up something in the drive from the initial setup or im just missing something from the initial 200mb. I still have my recovery/hp tools there.

EDIT: turns out you can get into the recovery partition and boot it by marking it as active in the disk manager! I am doing a MIR install now until i can figure out how to install win 7 ultimate and get all the drivers to work properly. Any tips for that? I felt like The drivers from HP's site were not installing correctly so im recovering back to the MIR state.

 

does anyone know what file from swsetup has that program where you double click on your desktop, and then all of your icons on your desptop disappear. then when you double click again, it shows up? i cant seem to find it.

thanks in advance.

 

I tried that, but it did not work. Any VoIP communications do not output any sounds, except those that are browser-based. Is there a specific windows service that might be disabling VoIP. The microphone works fine.

 

I can't tell you what file in the SWSetup folder it is, but I can tell you the program is Fences from Stardock ( Here)

 

Thanks demonhotrod!

 

What's the difference between a clean install, and a minimal install from the recovery discs/recovery drive? Is a clean install worth the trouble over the minimal install? Oh, and uhh, how do you boot from the recovery drive, lol.

 

Minimal install is easier than clean install. I tried both and minimal is what I have stuck with. There is a detailed guide for minimal install in the envy 14 official owner's lounge part deux on page 1 I think under the out of the box guide. I think it's called MIR (minimal install recovery).

 

i guess posting my questions here are more useful as the Owner's thread moves too fast and my question will get lost easily :/

I was performing the Minimalized Image Recovery when i came across an error after clicking next on the Recovery Manager Menu. The error message was

"Error: Recovery Manager cannot run from the hard drive. Recovery Manager must be run using Recovery Media to perform a Factory Reset"."

The next prompt was to "Insert Recovery Media". I did not insert anything as I didn't know what this "Recovery Media" is. I simply clicked ok and my laptop went for a restart and booted straight into Windows after that. Any idea what i should do? I haven't changed anything on the computer at all so it is at factory settings.

I followed hapbeeboy's guide very closely but yet i encountered this error, which was not addressed in his guide.. any help is sincerely appreciated :/

 

two questions.


one: did you burn recovery discs, if not burn 'em and try to use them.

two and more importantly: Did you update your bios to f.12. because Bios f.12 seems to break the recovery discs altogether.

something the discs and partition use to verify that your computer is indeed the computer they are meant to be used on gets screwed up by the latest bios.

 

Hi MagnusDraco,

1. Yes, I have burnt the recovery discs (4 DVDs for Recovery, 1 DVD for SWSetup and 1 DVD for Wallpapers).

2. No, I did not update the BIOS. I ran msinfo32, my BIOS Version is still "Hewlett-Packard F.06, 7/21/2010"

Do I use the 4 DVDs to restore my laptop? Because I have not installed a single program or document since I received this Envy, so I thought that would have been factory settings to begin with.. Pardon me as I'm not very tech-savy..

I have a 160GB SSD installed with 3 Local Drives:

a. Local Drive (C) - 100GB free of 132GB
b. Recovery (D) - 2.12GB free of 15.7GB
c. HP_TOOLS (E). 96.6MB free of 103MB

We got the same partitions right?

 

that should be alright. I'm guessing that for some reason the minimum install doesn't work with the recovery partition (maybe it can only do the factory reinstall)


I think everyone who has tried a minimum reinstall used the discs, so try it with the discs. It should work.

Come back here if it doesn't for some reason.

edit: so yeah, try using the 4 dvd to restore the laptop. you'll need to set the computer to boot from dvd in the bios.

to get into the bios hit f10 a lot as you turn it on. then look around in the bios til you find a page that has cd/dvd drive booting, enable it. (it'll also list usb or floppy or something).

at the bottom of this same bios page will be something called boot order (or something similar to that). Select the cd/dvd-rom boot and move it to the top (f5/f6 moves stuff up or down)

 

Hi MagnusDraco,

I have changed the BIOS Settings according to the awesome instructions you've specially provided for me Thanks!

I'm currently performing the MIR using the DVDs. Hopefully everything goes smoothly :/

EDIT: The MIR is done and I have managed to get an additional 6gb out, leaving me at 106 gb free of 132gb. Is this similar to what you achieved after doing the MIR?

Do I have to change the BIOS Settings: Boot Order, back to the normal one (Recovery Drive priority) after I'm done with the MIR?

Also, i was wondering since i have the 4 DVDs, am i allowed to reformat the Recovery Drive D and make use of that 15GB? Or is it safer to leave it as it is?

Thanks Magnus, hapbeeboy and everyone else (too many :/) who were kind enough to help out!

 

three things.

one. yes you can get rid of the recovery partition.


two. yeah change it back unless you want to be booting off of a cd that's bootable by accident.

three. yeah it's about that. windows 7 is kinda large (20+ish GB)

you can backup swsetup and then remove it if you haven't already (but 100% back it up to an external hdd or two dvds or something).


finally, are you using a US envy 14 with the intel 6200 wifi? If so, go grab the new wifi drivers. Default ones are buggy.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19142&ProdId=3200&lang=eng

 

Are there any pictures of the envy 14 side by side with the 2010 mbp 15? or the mbp13?

 

I recommend you guys check out this website: Welcome to RT Se7en Lite - Slipstream Service Pack,Integrate Updates,Integrate Drivers,Integrate LP,Remove Components,Enable or Disable features,Unattended Setup,Apply Tweaks,Add Icons,Wallpapers,Themes,Bootable USB or DVD you can get a less bulk version of windows.

 

Hey I've had an HP Envy 14 for about 1 week now, and I've had some problems. The computer display has completely frozen up 3 times now since I first powered up the computer last week. All three times I've had to manually power off the computer using the power button and reboot it. Is there something wrong with the computer? Should I return it?

 

I have had the exact same problems...but it has sort of gone away i guess. I don't know either.

 

Thanks Magnus! I backed the SWSetup into another HDD. The recovery partition and the SWSetup saved me around 20gb! Awesome man

Thanks for the Wireless Driver recommendation!

 

Anyone? Thanks Again!

 

30%...ok no more like 75% chance your bluetooth device drivers aren't installed since the bluetooth is lost in deep sleep mode since it and the realtek can be really really stupid when you clean install.


You may have to do a minimal reinstall from recovery discs.

barring that you can get lucky like I did. Install drivers (or try to). if that fails manually install drivers from inf (it will probably sorta fail too).

do all this while the wifi button is turned on (and bluetooth and wireless are both activated through the wireless assistant)

put computer to sleep. wake computer up. See if drivers install (installing new hardware popup happens on the system tray).

if not, turn computer off and on and see if it happens. If not, repeat the above steps until the drivers finally install.


'course if you HAVE the bluetooth installed already there's an easy way to check (turn the wifi and bluetooth stuff on and go to the device manager and see if the bluetooth shows up in there).

 

Sorry to say but, you break it, you buy it. User error is not covered under standard warranties.

 

Unfortunately you'll have to learn to track lightly or use a mouse.

 

HP 6-cell Slim Fit Battery for Envy 14 Series (RS06) | HP® Official Store

Currently out of stock.